Daphne followed the porter down the long hallway until they came to Cabin 562. "Here we are Miss Moon. I hope you enjoy your voyage with us."
She smiled at the porter as he unlocked the door, determined to have a good time on this cruise, no matter what the circumstances. Swallowing hard, she waited as he pushed open the door and the sight took her breath away. She'd never been on a cruise ship before and the brochure only showed a tiny view of the stateroom that she and John had so carefully chosen months before. But she never in her life imagined this.
She'd always imagined staterooms to be small and stuffy, but this room was far beyond her expectations. The room was surprisingly huge, even bigger than her room at Frasier's with a large bed, a sofa and a full size bathroom. Decorated in warm colors, it looked more like a luxury hotel room than a stateroom, save for the view of Puget Sound and the distant Seattle skyline out of the surprisingly large window. It was perfect for a honeymoon or a romantic vacation, which in fact-
"Will there be anything else, Miss Moon?"
The porter's voice startled her and she turned around, slightly embarrassed that she'd been day dreaming yet again. "What? Oh… No, that will be everything, thank you."
"Very well… Shall I escort Mr. Reynolds to the room when he arrives?"
She gasped at the sound of John's last name, and the familiar ache in her chest returned as the sudden reminder of the reason for this cruise hit her full force. And it was difficult to hide her tears, but she turned away, hoping he wouldn't notice. And her reply was barely a whisper. "No… he won't be coming after all. There was…. A change of plans."
He nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, my name is Richard and if you need anything don't hesitate to call."
She took the small blue card from him and smiled. "Thank you again. Oh… just a second." Dutifully she reached into her purse and removed a few dollars as a tip for his kindness. It was far less than what she should probably tip, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Enjoy your voyage, Miss Moon." He said politely.
"Thank you, Richard. I will."
He walked into the hallway and she was about to close the door when she heard her name. "Miss Moon?"
"Yes?"
He lowered his head as though embarrassed. "I'm sorry about…"
"It's all right. You couldn't have known."
He hesitated for a moment and then smiled. "Well, I'll leave you to unpack. Have a wonderful voyage."
"Thank you, Richard."
Daphne smiled at him once more, taking note of how handsome he was. If she looked at him intently enough he almost had the same jawline as John. But once she realized that, she quickly looked away and closed the door, standing against it to try and catch her breath. Bloody hell, she was here to forget about him, not to feel even more miserable. And yet that's exactly what had transpired.
She inhaled deeply and then let the air out slowly, taking a moment to absorb her surroundings. Perhaps she should have ignored Roz's advice on keeping the room and gotten a more modest one. This room practically screamed romance, something she definitely didn't want. But it was too late now. Just what she needed… a place to make her feel even lonelier.
Suppressing a sob, she walked around the room and glanced out of the window. At that moment a blast from the ship's horn sounded, jolting her, followed by the faint sounds of cheering. It could mean only one thing. The voyage was underway.
She knew that she should go onto the top deck and celebrate the beginning of the journey with everyone else, but she didn't feel like celebrating.
Even though it was technically a singles cruise, she shouldn't be here alone. She should be here with John, celebrating their one-year anniversary having the time of their lives as they sailed on a romantic cruise ship across the deep blue sea. But instead she was single again against her desires and even on a cruise ship with hundreds of people, she'd never felt more alone.
Roz was wrong. This trip was sure to be a complete disaster-even more than the ill-fated Titanic. At least on that voyage there were bound to be couples in love. On this ship there was nothing except isolation and heartache.
Hot tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, blurring the beautiful stateroom before her. And when the sadness became too much to take, she collapsed onto the large bed, sobbing an ocean of tears.