A cruise! I was about to go on a cruise! Me, who had never journeyed anywhere outside of Northern California and was now in Florida, the Golden State, the Orange State, the Alligator State . . .
Florida was also one of the chief homes of the manatees, the famous sea cows of the ocean coast. To get to see them in their natural habitat was a promise Timothy had made me in San Diego. He’d earlier apologized for not having time to take me to see them before we left for France, so that wasn’t about to happen anytime soon, but did I mention how we were just about to board a giant ship and take a honeymoon cruise? To France!
If excitement truly leaked out through one’s skin pores, mine would be dripping or floating off in gallons. (Sorry, if that’s gross, I mean, I was jumping about like a baby bunny, too thrilled to eat the wonderful breakfast selections offered by the hotel.)
The four guards: Ben (Fae), Daniel (Thunderbird or Thunder god depending on who you talked to), and Bob and Terry (both Werewolves) were sitting at the two tables on each side of ours. The men, including my brand new husband, Timothy (a Pooka), were shoveling in scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, and all the other offerings the huge elongated restaurant’s buffet provided.
But me . . . as I’d said, I’d pretty much lost my appetite. I’d requested a toasted English muffin with honey and just kept sipping coffee, which the waiter continued to refill before I’d even downed half a cup. I was probably guzzling down my third Java when I realized that the guys were finally finished eating.
“Ready?” my gorgeous husband asked. I practically leaped out of my chair I was so eager to depart. I had to slow myself down so we didn’t attract the wrong kind of attention. (Not that with five gorgeous guys surrounding me, we didn’t already have every eye on our exit from the dining room.)
All of us had earlier packed up our suitcases, so they were ready to go. In fact, one of the hotel staff had carted them downstairs so they’d be ready for the chauffeur to load them in the limo’s trunk.
Did I forget to mention that my new hubby was rich? Fancy hotels, cruises, limos — that was the world I’d married into, which was kind of embarrassing, but also rather nice because it included all the luxuries that an abundance of money brings. (The money thing was due to Timothy’s having lived hundreds of years while making good investments. His success made me feel less ashamed that I only had $736 in my savings account.)