Page 18 of Sailor's Delight

“I got it.” Extracting his hand from Jenn’s, he left his phone on the table and headed for the counter.

As he navigated his way through the close tables and chairs of the small shop, the screen of his phone lit up, automatically drawing Jenn’s eye.

For all of her directness, Jenn was not a prying person. She didn’t make a habit of reading other people’s messages, even when the opportunity presented itself. But when she saw that it was a message from within the cruise line’s messaging app, her interest was roused. The screen went dark.

She hadn’t messaged Trey. So, who did? Glancing up at the counter and Trey’s back, waiting in line to grab their food, Jenn tapped the screen to wake it up.

“You’ve had all day; any idea where we can meet up?”

Jenn’s eyes went dry, and her breathing became shallow. Who else did Trey know on the ship, and why would they be meeting up?

Trey was accepting the tray from the worker. Jenn glanced down as the phone went dark again. Trey once more wove his way back to the table through the throngs of loudly conversing and eating adults.

Jenn glanced around at the seated patrons with new interest. Was this mystery person in the room right now?

Jenn took a deep breath. No reason to catastrophize and jump all the way to the worst conclusion. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for the message.

“Thanks.” She worked hard to put a believable smile on her face as she accepted the shallow wooden platter holding her overpriced burger and passable battered fries.

“You need ketchup or anything?” Trey asked.

“Nope. I’m good.”

Trey blinked, and his smile faded for a moment. “You sure?”

Jenn nodded, and tried another easy smile. “Yeah.” She gestured to the romper, free of spills and stains. “Ketchup and I have a fraught relationship.”

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Trey sat down, sliding his own wooden platter into position.

Jenn didn’t say anything as she opened the burger and scraped the mushrooms from the top of her patty onto Trey’s platter.

“Thank you!”

“Mm-hmm.”

She vented her frustrations on the burger and the fries kept her mouth from filling with angry words. Instead, she used the time to think.

At last, taking a sip of the soda that for some reason tasted altogether too sweet, Jenn spoke.

“Mm— I didn’t tell you: I swear I saw someone from my work pass by just a minute ago, while you were getting the food.”

“Really?” Trey’s eyebrows were raised as he stared out toward the hallway outside the shop, as if expecting the fictitious person to walk by a second time.

“Right? What are the chances?” Jenn shook her head in mock disbelief, staring casually into her burger as she strained her jaw in preparation for another bite.

After several chews, she spoke around the mouthful, covering her mouth with her napkin. “Have you seen anyone you know yet?”

She was looking at her fries, but all of her attention was on the figure of Trey in her periphery, waiting breathlessly for his response.

“Mmm,” he intoned noncommittally, looking around the restaurant half-expectantly. “I don’t think so. Not yet anyway.”

Jenn’s stomach turned, and her appetite disappeared. She took one last half swallow of soda to clear her mouth, then pushed away her platter.

“I’m full.”

She saw Trey glance at her leftovers. “You sure? You hardly touched your fries. How was your burger?”

“Fine.” The moment it was out of her mouth, she knew she’d been too brusque.