Going Nowhere (A Romantic Comedy Novella) Read Online Free PDF Page A

times?”
    April grinned. “Just keep the bad jokes to a minimum and you should be okay.”
    “I can’t make any promises.” I quickly emptied my glass. I wasn’t really in the mood for the drink, but I did appreciate the liquid courage. “Do you think they’re on the ship already?”
    “Sam said he was going to hit the sundeck the minute he got on the ship. He wants a tan by day two.”
    “So let’s put on our bathing suits and go.” I wasn’t usually so keen to put on my bathing suit, but it was go time. I had gone on this cruise for a reason, and that reason wasn’t sitting around getting drunk in my cabin.
    April looked skeptical. “I really wanted to ease my way into this vacation. How about regular clothing? We can just take a look.”
    “When I find him, I need an excuse to stay near him. So if I pretend I want to work on my tan, too...”
    “Fine, but count me out.”
    I sighed. Oh well, I had tried. It was nice enough of her to go on the cruise with me; she didn’t have to go along with every little plan I came up with, as well. While April turned on the TV and started flipping channels, I heaved my suitcase onto my bed. I struggled to unzip my case, having compressed seven days of clothing into a three-day carry-on. My clothing sprung up and I sifted through the tangled mess for my bathing suit. It was a bikini, but definitely on the conservative side. It had a short lace skirt and a tummy-trimming panel in the bottom. I grabbed it and walked a few short steps to the bathroom.
    The door to the bathroom was narrow and opened out. The handle was recessed and metal, like on an airplane. Unfortunately, a cruise ship bathroom wasn’t much larger. I squeezed inside sideways and changed in front of the small sink. I hit my elbows a couple of times on the glass shower enclosure, but I managed, and was soon standing under the harsh lighting in my black bikini. Gah, I should have planned to tan right away. Maybe Sam was doing me a favor.
    I stumbled back into the room, tripping over the lip between the bathroom and the cabin.
    April looked up from the bed, remote in hand. “You sure about this?”
    I nearly groaned. “This whole thing was partially your idea!”
    “Yeah, you’re right.” She perked up. “Good luck! You’ll be great.”
    Shaking my head, I yanked my cute straw tote with the pink gingham lining out of my suitcase and quickly threw in lip-gloss, suntan lotion, and my ship card.
    Before I changed my mind, I left my cabin and headed directly for the sundeck.

    When I got there, the party was already in full swing. I looked for Sam, but when I didn’t find him immediately, I lost a little of my courage. Even though it was still early, the deck was swarming with people. I navigated the crowd to find an empty lounge chair. As soon as I found one, I settled in and let the shampoo vodka kick in a little more.
    Lying back, I watched everyone else have more fun than me. The band had switched to a Huey Lewis favorite and more people joined in the festivities. I tapped my foot and watched from a distance, scanning the crowd for Sam.
    Soon my head started feeling heavy and my eyes seemed to shift a lot more slowly than normal. It became harder to pick out individual people from the dancing mass. Which made me wonder why I’d previously felt too shy to join in. It wasn’t as though anyone were paying attention to anyone else.
    Then the band started up Robert Palmer’s Some Like it Hot and I jumped to my feet.
    I started dancing on the edge of the group and was soon enveloped into the pulsing, sweaty middle. I sang to myself as I danced, waving my arms around in a way I usually reserved for my weekly aerobics class. I smiled widely at my fellow revelers, wondering if they could possibly be having as much fun as I was. I was a great dancer when I had a little liquor in me. Or I thought I was.
    I wobbled on my heeled sandals‌—‌I knew I should have worn flats‌—‌and a strong hand gripped my