Fumbling Toward Ecstasy

Chapter 19 - Whispers

Brynne finally made it to the a la carte restaurant a little after 9:30. She knew that Andrews wouldn't still be there, but she went anyway – she still needed to eat. When she arrived, she took a seat at a table for two in a corner, and a waiter promptly approached. Brynne already knew what she wanted, which she quickly conveyed to the waiter.

The waiter scurried away to the galley, and Brynne began to scope out the crowd. She hoped that she was wrong about the true nature of her mission, that her two mystery adversaries were indeed onboard, that this mission had nothing to do with the links going down. But all while she scanned the room, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was carrying out her search in vain. The female imposter and her likely accomplice probably weren't anywhere near this ship anymore.

As he'd done the previous night, Andrews once again found his way into Brynne's thoughts. "Good morning," his voice cheerily called out to her from behind.

Brynne shifted in her chair to look over her shoulder. Andrews gently caressed her shoulder as he walked past on his way to the empty seat across from her.

"Well, good morning to you," Brynne greeted, arched eyebrows raised. She watched Andrews place his small notebook on the table as he sat. "I thought you already had breakfast?"

"I had a little something, but I decided to wait for you before I had a full meal," Andrews explained.

"What if I hadn't made it or had decided to go to the saloon instead?" Brynne asked. "How did you know I'd be here at this time?"

"Well, it's a matter of deduction," Andrews began. "You hate sleeping late – you feel like you've wasted half the day when you sleep past seven, so I knew you'd be up sooner rather than later. Also, you mentioned on more than one occasion how excited you were about the restaurant, and I knew you haven't had the opportunity to dine here before now, so it was a safe bet that the saloon would be your second choice, not your first. As to the time, I checked in every now and then while I was working."

"I'm glad you were right," Brynne said, impressed by his powers of deductive reasoning. "I wasn't looking forward to dining by myself."

Andrews grinned at her as the waiter returned with meals for two instead of one. As the waiter placed the meals on the table, Brynne, confused, looked at Andrews again. "You already ordered, too?" she asked.

Andrews's smile evolved into a chuckle. Brynne smiled, unfolding her napkin and spreading it across her lap. "How has your morning been?" she asked.

"A few problems here and there," Andrews replied. "Mostly a lot of little things that need to be addressed. Nothing too taxing."

Brynne picked up her fork. She was about to ask him about the fire in coal bunker 10, but she held back. That fire might not have happened in this timeline. It was best to let him mention it, if there was anything to mention.

"I meant to join you this morning, but I overslept," Brynne said.

"I was going to wake you, but you were sleeping so soundly," Andrews said. "And it is a honeymoon, after all."

"It's a maiden voyage. A honeymoon can wait."

"It can. But it won't. Not this time," Andrews said, determination coloring his tone. "It's no secret that I devote a lot of time to my work, but I don't want you to get the notion that I will set it as a priority above you."

"Thomas, I know that," Brynne said. Hearing his first name come from her own mouth felt and sounded so strange to her, but calling him 'Mr. Andrews' didn't seem appropriate, especially after the night they'd shared last night. Her eyes met his briefly and a blush came to her cheeks at the memory of what had transpired the previous night. "What's on the schedule for today?"