Jingle All the Way Read online

  The woman laughed lightly, as if she found the situation humorous.

  Everly looked at Heidi, but it wasn’t the same Heidi she’d spent the first part of the flight with. This woman resembled a demonic creature who was laughing maniacally, as if Everly had sold her soul by swallowing that pill. She blinked and shook her head again and the original Heidi reappeared. Sighing with relief, she sagged against the back of the seat.

  “Didn’t I tell you these pills work every time?”

  “You did.” Everly kept her gaze straight forward, for fear Heidi would return to the unearthly creature from earlier.

  “You’ve got to love drugs,” Heidi said.

  Horrified at what she might have digested, Everly swiveled her head to look at the other woman and asked in a slurred voice, “What…did you…give me?”

  “Nothing illegal, just a normal sleeping pill. It hits people funny sometimes. No worries, it will all wear off in a few hours.”

  The flight attendant came by and collected the coffee mug and the plane was readied for landing. The Boeing 767 took a hard bounce against the tarmac and eventually coasted to the Jetway.

  Although she continued to feel like she was having an out-of-body experience, Everly exited the plane. She staggered a few steps, as if she’d been on a drinking binge, and nearly lost her balance. Perhaps it was mixing the sleeping pill with the alcohol that was responsible for this side effect.

  Once in the airport, she needed to get through customs and find the gate to her connecting flight to Manaus. She’d never heard of the city, which was clearly somewhere on the coast. People were talking around her and it was the oddest thing. Their words made no sense. It was as if the letters had stacked themselves on top of one another like building blocks. Even though she strained to make sense of what was being said, she couldn’t understand a word, until she realized no one was speaking English.

  She was punch-drunk, hardly able to remain upright and unable to understand a word anyone said to her. Fumbling in her purse, she reached for her boarding pass and realized that because of her missed flights, not only was she changing planes, she was changing airlines as well. Stymied, she froze, completely overwhelmed, unsure what to do.

  As if an answer to prayer, a man pushing an empty wheelchair rolled past her. Frantically she waved her arm until she got his attention. Without help she didn’t have a snowball’s chance of making this flight, let alone the cruise.

  Before he could object, she awkwardly fell into the chair and handed him her boarding pass. Once he had it, she thrust her arm straight out and shouted, “Forward.”

  Good thing she did, because the gate was a good half-mile from where she’d cleared customs. Her head continued to whirl around as if she were caught up in a tornado, and she clenched her purse like it was Toto. Only she wasn’t in Kansas, although it felt like she’d landed somewhere over the rainbow.

  Wheeling past one gate after another, Everly continued to blink, hoping that would help to clear her vision. The connection was tight, and if not for the ride, it was unlikely she would have made the flight on time.

  It helped that she was in business class. She was even more grateful when the flight attendant greeted her in English. “Is there anything I can get you?” he asked.

  “Coffee, please.”

  Within a few minutes he returned with a fresh cup of coffee.

  Grateful, Everly drank it with the hope it would help clear her head. “We’re going to Manaus, correct?” The last thing she needed was to board the wrong flight.

  “That’s right.”

  “I’ve never heard of this city.” World geography wasn’t her strong suit.

  “Really? It’s famous.”

  “It’s fairly large, then.”

  “Oh yes, I think the population is well over two million.”

  “Really?” That was a surprise. For the last six years, her focus was on real estate. She could name nearly every county of Illinois. But ask her to point out Liechtenstein on a map and she was clueless.

  The attendant had to move on to ready the plane for departure, cutting off their brief conversation.

  Just when everything seemed to be coming together there was a problem with the airplane, and they were delayed thirty minutes, which cut the time to make the cruise even tighter. Everly couldn’t think about it. If she missed the cruise, then so be it. Even though she was nervous, she quickly fell asleep and woke as it was announced that they were about to depart on the four-hour flight to Manaus. She could fret or she could sleep. Sleep chose her. Leaning her head back, Everly slipped into dreamland as if she hadn’t a care in the world. This must be the way Jack felt all the time, carefree. Lighthearted, with a devil-may-care attitude.

  By the time the plane landed she was almost back to normal. Checking the time, she saw that she had twenty minutes left of her three-hour leeway. Rushing to baggage claim, she got her suitcase and shot out of the terminal to catch a cab.

  It took her five tries before she found a driver who was relatively fluent in English. “I need to get to the cruise dock, pronto.” She read off the name of the pier from her travel document. “The ship is waiting for me…at least I hope it is. I’ll give you double your normal fare if you get me there quickly.” She swatted at the mosquito buzzing around in the cab’s interior.

  The words hadn’t left her lips when the driver pulled away from the curb, wheels screeching, leaving rubber behind. Everly tumbled across the seat when he made a wild turn. Once she righted herself, she grabbed hold of the seatbelt and tried unsuccessfully to lock it into place. The mosquito wasn’t helping matters any. The pesky fellow wouldn’t leave her alone.

  “Your first time Manaus?” he asked as he sped through a red light.

  Hanging on to the seat in front of her with both hands, Everly nodded. “First time.”

  “You not see opera house?”

  “You have an opera house?”

  “Very famous.”

  “Perhaps another time,” she said, as she slid all the way across the backseat as he took another crazy turn. It felt as if the vehicle had gone up on two wheels. Everly let out a cry of alarm, which didn’t seem to concern the driver.

  “Come see fish market, too.”

  “Okay. Sure.” Not in this lifetime. Everly intensely disliked the smell of dead fish.

  “Where you from in America?” he asked.

  “Chicago.”

  How he was able to drive like he was Vin Diesel in The Fast and the Furious and carry on a conversation baffled Everly.

  “I’ve got cousins in Chicago.”

  “Have you been there?”

  “No, only California in Cabo San Lucas.”

  “That’s Mexico.”

  Taking his eyes off the road, he swiveled his head around to look at her. “You sure?”

  “Yes, quite sure.”

  “Funny, my cousin doesn’t think so.”

  “Is this the same cousin in Chicago?”

  “No different cousin.”

  Everly noticed they were in an industrial area of the city. Soon afterward, the cabbie slammed on his brake so hard, she was nearly catapulted over the seat next to the driver. Breathing as hard as if she’d completed a marathon, she reached inside her purse and handed her driver a fistful of money. He beamed her a smile and helped her out of the car. Grabbing her suitcase, he held on to her elbow as they speed-walked to the gangway.

  A man was standing just inside the ship. “Are you Daisy Lancaster?” he shouted.

  Hearing her given name gave her pause. Naturally the ship would have the same name that was on her passport. “Yes,” she shouted back.

  “Good.” He held out his arm and helped her up the last few steps. “Welcome aboard,” he said. “Glad you made it.”

  The cabbie handed off her suitcase
to the ship’s steward. He took it and smiled approvingly at Everly. “I have always appreciated a woman who could pack light.”

  She smiled dryly. “Am I the last one to board?”

  “You are.” He reached for a phone and issued instructions to the crew before he said, “I’ll escort you to your stateroom.”

  “Thank you.” That was kind of him, and she dutifully followed him to the elevator. As they exited, she heard the ship’s horn as the vessel prepared to leave the dock. Because of the rush, she hadn’t paid much notice to the ship itself. Now that she was aboard, it was much smaller than what she’d anticipated.

  Her stateroom wasn’t anything to brag about, either. She stood in the doorway, shocked at how utilitarian it was. A bed and a nightstand and a door that led to the bathroom. There was a small desk with a chair, too. “This is my room?” she asked, doing her best to hide her dismay.

  “Yes, top deck. You were lucky to get it, as we had a last-minute cancellation.”

  Everly remembered Annette excitedly explaining that she was fortunate to have found a ship with space at this late date.

  “Do you have my room key?” she asked.

  The steward met her gaze. “There are no locks on the stateroom doors.”

  “No locks?” she repeated, certain she hadn’t heard him correctly.

  “That’s correct. None of the staterooms have locks.”

  Looking around, she noticed several other standard items one would expect were missing as well. “No phones?”

  “No.”

  “Television?”

  “None of those, either.”

  “In any of the staterooms?”

  “That’s correct.”

  A cold feeling settled over her, chilling her to the bone. She held her breath and then asked the one question that was a matter of life or death. “What about Internet access?”

  “Afraid not.”

  Horrified, Everly sank onto the bed. “I need the Internet.”

  “I’m sorry, Miss, the answers to all your questions are in the brochure, including the fact there’s no Internet while on board.”

  What brochure? Annette seemed to have conveniently forgotten to include that. “You don’t understand. I can’t function without the Internet.” She would need to speak to the captain immediately. “What kind of luxury cruise is this?”

  “Luxury cruise?” he repeated, shaking his head. “Lady, this is the Amazon Explorer.”

  Everly blinked, certain she hadn’t heard him correctly. “Are you telling me I’m on a cruise going down the Amazon River?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  “I need to speak to the captain,” Everly said, hoping her voice displayed the proper amount of urgency.

  “Miss, Captain Martin is busy navigating. He can’t be bothered.”

  “You don’t understand, this is a matter of great importance. I need to get off this ship.”

  “The best I can do is have you speak to the purser.”

  Leaping back to her feet, she said, “Then please take me to him.”

  The young steward looked pale, as if he feared he’d be tossed overboard by doing as she asked. “Yes, Miss.”

  Everly had to find a way to get this ship to turn back around, and the sooner she spoke with someone in authority, the better.

  She followed the steward down the narrow hallway to an office. Two men were inside making small talk. The man she had to assume was the purser looked up when she entered the room. He looked to the steward for an explanation.

  “Ms. Lancaster asked to speak with you right away,” he said, and quickly extricated himself from the small room.

  “I’m Alex Freeman,” he said, and extended his hand. “And this is Asher Adams; he’s the naturalist on board.”

  She stepped forward and shook hands with both men. “Daisy Lancaster.” She didn’t want to confuse him with a name other than what was on the manifest.

  “How can I help you, Daisy?”

  “There’s been an unfortunate mistake. I need to get off this cruise ship.”

  Both men stared at her blankly, as if she’d spoken in Latin.

  Alex shook his head. “What’s the problem?” he asked.

  Rather than go into details about Annette having finessed Everly into this ridiculous cruise down the Amazon, she tried to explain.

  “I need access to the Internet.”

  “There isn’t any, which is stated—”

  “In the brochure,” she completed for him, “only I didn’t get the brochure.”

  “That is unfortunate. I apologize, but there’s nothing I can do for your situation.”

  Everly tried again. “In simple terms, the Internet is vital to my being in touch with my business.”

  “I’m sorry,” Alex said, “but—”

  “You don’t understand. I will die without the Internet. I can live without a television or even a room phone. My only two requirements are the Internet and something that will go flush in the night.” She hadn’t checked the bathroom to see if there was even a toilet.

  “The toilets work amazingly well,” the naturalist said, as if finding this conversation amusing.

  Everly glared at him. “It might be best if I speak to the captain.”

  “I’m afraid he’s currently occupied with his duties and can’t be disturbed.”

  “This is an emergency,” she said, seeing that neither man was taking her seriously. “I have to get off this ship.”

  “Unfortunately, at this point that is impossible.”

  Everly dropped her head as frustration overwhelmed her. Time to try another tactic. “Okay, let’s be creative here. How far is it to the next port?”

  The two men shared a look as if she’d lost her mind.

  “Come on, guys,” she encouraged, “work with me. Perhaps there is a way the captain could arrange for me to be picked up and taken to the nearest airport at the first stop.”

  Both men frowned. “What you don’t understand,” Alex Freeman said, “is that there are no cities of consequence on the itinerary.”

  “You’re right, I don’t understand. What are you saying?”

  It was Asher Adams who explained. “This is a two-week cruise down the Amazon River. There’s nothing but rainforest. There isn’t anything even resembling a port or an airfield. Bottom line, you won’t be able to leave the ship now that we’ve departed Manaus.”

  For a moment Everly was too stunned to speak. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Asher’s look was sympathetic. “Sorry, no.”

  Everly let the information soak in. “Perhaps if I offer to pay for any expense the captain would incur, he might be willing to reconsider.”

  Asher shook his head. “I’ll be happy to get the captain when he’s available, but I can assure you it’s highly unlikely. Returning to port would have to be scheduled well in advance with the port authorities. The expense would be tens of thousands of dollars.”

  She’d had to make one final attempt.

  “I’m sorry we can’t be more accommodating, Daisy,” Asher added.

  Defeated, Everly slumped her shoulders. Annette had gotten her revenge in spades.

  “If you’re willing to put aside your disappointment and give this cruise a chance, I believe you’ll fall in love with the rainforest,” the naturalist added. “You might come away with a deep appreciation of your time aboard the Amazon Explorer.”

  That didn’t seem possible. Unsure what other options she had, Everly returned to her stateroom. Sitting on the end of her bed, she covered her face with her hands and decided she had no choice but to make the best of this situation. The naturalist was right. If she let go of her expectations, she might actually enjoy herself. Or at least be le
ss miserable.

  Everly went ahead and unpacked the few items inside her suitcase before jumping in the shower. She did her best thinking in the shower. Soaking away the tension from a full day at the office was often the first thing she did once she arrived back at her condo. If ever she needed stress relief, it was now.

  She let the hot water rain down on her in the cramped space as she considered how best to deal with this unfortunate situation.

  Rather than let her anger get the best of her, Everly planned to take matters into her own hands. One way or another, she’d make the most of this. Once she was able to speak with the captain, perhaps he’d come up with a creative solution. Surely there was a way to get her back to civilization.

  She was barely out of the shower when a mandatory fire drill was announced over the loudspeaker. Quickly dressing in white linen pants and a navy-blue silk blouse, Everly searched her closet for the life vest.

  As it turned out, the meeting location was on the same deck as her stateroom. Everly carried her life vest down the passageway to the gathering area. One step into the room and she realized she was completely out of her element. Every other passenger was dressed as if ready to explore the jungle, or in this case, the rainforest. The wardrobe of choice was beige pants with multiple pockets, a matching long-sleeved shirt, hiking boots, and a large oversized hat.

  Everly was the immediate center of attention. Smiling weakly, she entered the room and was handed a badge to hang around her neck with her nametag.

  Both the purser and the naturalist were with the group. She felt Asher studying her. He looked to be in his mid-thirties and was of average build, but muscular, and she intuitively knew he didn’t get his bulk in any gym. He was deeply tanned and had warm brown eyes and an easy smile. His coffee-colored hair appeared to have a habit of falling over one side of his brow. She had to admit he was kind of cute.

  He walked over to her and smiled. “I hope you took my words to heart.”

  “I did,” she said, even though she was still hoping to find a solution. If not, she would have to make the most of this adventure.

  The fire drill took only a few minutes and was led by the safety officer, Mike Hanes. Once it was finished, Asher was introduced. He stepped before those gathered in the room.