Her Cruise Ship Surprise | ✔

Chapter Three

It was worse than a blind date. It was a damn ship full of them. Her family dipped into the bottom of the barrel this time.

"A singles cruise? You guys can't be serious," she said, waving the paper in the air. "This has to be a joke."

"Nope, no joke," her father said, picking his apple cider up off the coffee table. "After everything that has happened, we feel that it would be good for you. Get away from it all and have some fun."

"On a singles cruise," she repeated herself again, flabbergasted that her family would even come up with such an idea. "Over Christmas?"

"Think of all the hot guys you'll meet there," her brother said, smirking.

Tamara scowled at Caleb, her stomach churning. "Was this your bright idea?"

The last thing she wanted was to be trapped on a floating orgie. She'd rather curl away in her room and hide away from the world than be trapped on board a boat with no way off. Douche bags lived for trips like that.

"I might have had a small part to play," Caleb said, picking his son up out of the playpen as a defensive move in case she lashed out at him, which she did occasionally.

"Sure, hide behind your baby," she snapped, slapping the paper on the coffee table. "No way. I'm not going."

"We figured you might say that." Dale leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knee. "This is one of the suspension requirements if you wish to return to work after. Consider it a therapy of sorts."

Suddenly it all clicked and she knew why her boss was there. He was her family's back up if she refused to go. "You guys are seriously going to force me to do this?"

Her brother slung his arm around Maria, grinning at her. "Yep."

Tamara looked at the sheet again. The cruise was with the The Pearl Cruise Lines, aboard 'The Ruby Pearl.' That sounded like something you'd find in the Pirates of the Carribean movies. Men would flock to her hoping to find a woman's undiscovered jewels. She'd probably wind up in their brig or something fending them off. "You guys are so mean."

"Anything for my dear sister." her brother's eyes sparkling with mischief. Something else was up, she could sense it; but she had no clue what. That was the one downside to being a twin. She always knew when he was keeping something from her, but couldn't read his mind.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Are there going to be any more surprises?"

"We did purchase a few extras, like a drink package, etcetera, which will be delivered to your room," her mother said.

"Just please tell me that you guys aren't going to try any other funny stuff," she pleaded. "Like no guy hiding in the closet or something, or a strip tease."

Maria covered Grace's ears. "Not in the presence of children, please."

"So says the woman who met my brother in a—" She was silenced by a pillow that came whizzing in her direction by her brother. Her family had to be the weirdest one on the planet. Caleb, who had an aversion to marriage and love, married a woman who showed up to a BDSM meeting.

They made a cute couple, but it was still hard to watch sometimes because it made her remember Harley. Maybe a vacation would do her good, take her mind off everything. Just because she was on a boat didn't mean she had to converse with anyone, or even leave her room. She could just call in room service.

"We should mention, the tickets are non-refundable and are in your name only," her dad piped up.

Resigned, she sighed, "Fine. I'll go."