Overboard at Christmas (Large Print)

The holidays are a little different at sea.

Hayley and Olivia are happy to trade a white Christmas for white sand beaches. Snorkeling in the warm waters of the Caribbean is a pretty spectacular way to spend the holidays, but it isn’t a typical Christmas.

Instead of time off for the holiday, Olivia has to take part in an extra Christmas themed show. Instead of celebrating with family, Olivia is facing her first Christmas working on the cruise ship alone.

But she isn’t alone for long.

A surprise visitor shakes up her plans and a thief is loose on the ship.

Can Olivia and her adorable parrot Chico save Christmas?

“Only a real cruise entertainer like this author could know and accurately make the backstage drama and shenanigans come to life like she does!”

“Hard to believe Christmas is next week.”

“Right?” Olivia squirted suntan lotion into her palm and rubbed it on her nose and cheeks. “A pretty big difference from the bitterly cold Christmases I had growing up. I don’t miss the snow, but it doesn’t really feel like Christmas, either.”

Hayley reached out her hand, and Olivia squirted sunblock into it. “I much prefer a white sand beach to a white Christmas.”

Olivia offered sunblock to Rachel.

“Can you put some on my shoulders? They are getting pink.” Rachel turned so Olivia could reach her back. “This is my first Christmas away from home. We hardly ever get snow in the Outer Banks. It’s too cold to go to the beach, but not cold enough for snow. All the tourists are gone, and lots of places are closed. I don’t miss that at all.”

Olivia put the bottle of sunblock in her beach bag. “I feel bad that I’m not home with my mom. This is our first Christmas since we lost my dad.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that.” Hayley sat up. “Is your mom alone?”

“No, she’s going to my brother’s house. He and his wife are going to take her with them to his in-laws for Christmas.”

“That’s good. I’m glad she won’t be alone.”

“Me, too. I haven’t been home for Christmas in years. It seems like Peter and I always had a contract on a ship over Christmas. I didn’t mind it because I was with him and I knew my mom had my dad, but now I feel guilty that I’m not with her.”

“She has your brother and his family. She isn’t alone.”

Olivia shrugged. “You’re right. I still feel guilty.”

“Understandable.” Hayley laughed. “I avoid Christmas with my family, if at all possible. My parents are divorced, so every Christmas they shuffled us from house to house, visiting my mom’s family and then my dad’s family. Once I moved out, I have tried to always have plans for Christmas, so I didn’t have to go home. Last year I was backpacking solo across Spain.”

“You have no fear, Hayley. I can’t imagine doing a trip like that on my own. It still feels weird that I’m alone this Christmas. I don’t miss Peter, but at least when we were together, I had someone to be with on Christmas.”

“You aren’t alone, Livy, you have us.” Hayley smiled. “Right, Rach?”

Rachel nodded. “For sure.”

“You have Nigel, Rachel.”

“He’s going to be so busy over the Christmas cruise. Tristan told him they are going to be doing special Christmas themed events all cruise long.”

“Assistants Cruise Directors never get a break. Is he doing Christmas Bingo?”

“Ha! He might have muttered about having to come up with Christmas trivia.” Rachel laughed. “Hayley, do you know what Tristan has planned for the Christmas cruise?”

“Why would I know what the cruise director has planned?”

Rachel rolled her eyes and tilted her head. “Really, Hayley? We have eyes.”

“Right?” Olivia nodded. “I try not to stand too close to them when they are together. I don’t want to get burned by the sparks.”

“Ha!” Hayley shook her head and grinned.

“Ugh. I have to come up with a Christmas gift for Nigel. I have no idea what to get him. We haven’t been dating for that long. I don’t want to get something that is too personal and scare him off, but I also don’t want him to think I don’t care by getting him something too impersonal. Any ideas?”

“Peter stunk at gift giving. I would put all of this thought into a present for him and he’d use a coupon from one of those tourist guides and buy me junk for my present.” Olivia swatted at a bug flying around her head. “Who needs Jamaican salt and pepper shakers when you live on a cruise ship?”

“I seriously don’t know how you put up with that man for so long.” Hayley shook her head.

“Me neither. It still felt weird to not have anyone to buy Christmas gifts for other than my mom and my brother. I had a terrible time finding something for my mom. Not a lot of sweaters in the Caribbean. I shipped her box home last week. I hope it makes to her before she leaves for my brother’s house.”

“I’m sure it will.” Hayley sat up and reached into her beach bag. She pulled out her snorkeling mask and fins. “Anyone want to swim out to the reef and do a little snorkeling?”

“Oh yes!”

Olivia and Rachel grabbed their snorkeling gear and headed out to the reef. They waded into the water until it was deep enough to swim. Olivia put the snorkel in her mouth, and pulled her mask down over her eyes. She slid into the water. A school of small, brightly colored fish swam past. Olivia followed a sea turtle around the reef.

Hayley touched Olivia’s leg underwater and Olivia jumped. She came above the surface and took out her snorkel. “You scared me!”

“Sorry, I have something exciting to show you.” Hayley beckoned. “Follow me.”

Olivia put her snorkel back in her mouth and swam next to Hayley. Hayley pointed at a trail of broken shells. Olivia followed her to the reef.

Hayley excitedly pointed at the reef. A shell leaned up against a mossy spot on the reef.

Olivia shook her head. She didn’t see what had made Hayley so excited.

Hayley dove under the surface of the water and swam up to the shell. She pointed again. An eye blinked at them from behind the shell. Hayley reached down near the opening of the den and wiggled her finger in the water.

A tentacle slipped out of the den and wriggled towards Hayley’s finger. The octopus’s head emerged from behind the shell. He scampered away from them across the sandy floor of the ocean.

Olivia's eyes lit up behind her mask. She gave Hayley an okay sign under water.

Hayley waved and followed a sea turtle as it swam along the ocean floor.

Olivia swam around the reef for a few minutes, her breathing echoing in her ears. She followed a school of tropical fish as it darted around the reef. She slowed paddling her fins and floated as lobster scuttled along the sand below her.

Olivia popped above the water and looked for Hayley and Rachel.

Rachel was walking back towards shore, but she didn’t see Hayley. She looked around the water, but no sign of her snorkel poked above the water and no flash of color from her orange bikini underneath the water.

Olivia’s heart was pounding when Hayley popped up in a splash. “Where the heck were you?”

“I was free diving.” Hayley blew water out of her snorkel. “Did you see the sting rays?”

“No, I didn’t.” Olivia shook her head. She tilted her head and got the water out of her ear.

“Come with me.”

Olivia hesitated. “I don’t know how to free dive.”

“Oh. It’s easy. Just do what I do.”

Olivia mimicked Hayley’s deep breaths, and then they held their breath. Hayley dove under the water.

Olivia followed her.

Hayley grabbed her hand and led her under the water. A school of blue tangs flitted between the coral. Hayley pointed at two sting rays swimming past the reef.

Her chest felt tight. She motioned to Hayley that she was going to go up to the surface.

Hayley nodded and swam off.

Olivia reached the surface took out her snorkel. She took a few deep breaths. She put her snorkel back in her mouth and swam along the reef toward shore. When the water was shallow enough, Olivia pulled off her fins and walked towards the beach. A wave of pain flooded her foot. Olivia lifted her foot off the sandy ocean floor and found a sea urchin spine embedded in her foot. She hobbled to her lounge chair next to Rachel.

“I got stung by a sea urchin!”

“Oh, no!” Rachel sat up. “Here, let me look.”

Olivia sat down and lifted her foot. Rachel pulled out the spine. “I got most of it, but there is a little dark spot. I think some might be still in there.”

“Darn it!”

Hayley walked out of the water. “What happened?”

“I stepped on a sea urchin spine. I didn’t see it there. Rachel got most of the spine out, but I think there is still some in there.”

“Oh Liv, that stinks.”

“Better me than you or Rachel. You have your show tonight. Hard to dance with a sea urchin spine in your foot. I hate to cut our afternoon short, but I think I had better get back to the ship.”

“Of course.”

They packed up their beach equipment and headed back to the ship.

Olivia shivered and her teeth chattered as they walked up the gangway.

Tristan greeted them as they flashed their crew passes. “Glad I ran into you. I wanted to tell you about the Christmas show we are going to do next cruise. Olivia, I need 15 minutes of Christmas themed magic for the Variety show.”

“Uh, okay. I’ll work on that.” Olivia rubbed her temple.

“The production show cast is going to open the show. Fernando has the notes from home office about what they want you to do. Can you get together with him, Hayley?”

“Sure.”

“Great! Rachel, now that you are the Dance Captain, can you work up the choreography?”

“Of course.”

“Splendid.” Tristan scanned their beach cover-ups and beach bags. He grinned at Hayley. “Did you ladies have an enjoyable time at the beach?”

“We did until Olivia stepped on a sea urchin spine.”

Tristan turned towards Olivia. “Better go see Dr. Kohli, Olivia.”

“I’ll be fine. I just need to soak it when I get to my cabin.”

“No, you don’t want it getting infected. Go see Dr. Kohli.”

“Listen to the cruise director, Livy.”

“Of course you would side with him. I’m sure it’ll be okay once I soak it.”

“Come on. I’ll walk you down.” Hayley took Olivia’s beach bag.

Olivia opened her mouth to protest, but another wave of shivers hit and her teeth chattered. “Fine. You win.”

“Rach, can you take our bags to your cabin and I’ll walk Olivia down to Dr. Kohli’s.” Hayley handed Rachel their bags.

“I am a grown woman. I can go by myself.”

“I am not taking any risks that you go to your cabin instead of Dr. Kohli’s as soon as you are out of sight.”

“You are a real pain, you know that.”

Hayley winked. “It’s one of my best qualities.”

Hayley headed towards the infirmary.“Hello, Olivia, Hayley. What brings you two here today?” Dr. Kohli tapped his chin. “Let me guess. Olivia pet something she shouldn’t have and got bit again. Did I guess correctly?”

“Very funny, Dr. Kohli. Not this time. I stepped on a sea urchin spine. Rachel tried to pull out the spine, but she thinks there is still some in my foot.”

Dr. Kohli patted Olivia’s shoulder. “Let me take a look. I am sure we can get it out very quickly and relatively painlessly.”

Olivia climbed up onto the table.

Dr. Kohli put on his glasses and pulled the magnifier in front of Olivia’s foot. “Ah yes, I see it.”

He reached for tweezers on his tray. “Hold still.”

Olivia looked away as he pulled out the spine. “Wowza. That wasn’t fun.”

“Sorry, my dear.” Dr. Kohli patted Olivia’s knee. “The worst is over. I will clean it and give you some salve to keep it from getting infected.”

“Thank you, Dr. Kohli.”

“Next time, wear water shoes, my dear.”

“Yes, sir.”