Dead Calm Read Free

cheek.
    Bringing Freya, not even a year old yet, had been another of Bev’s worries, but these days she was the most placid, easily pleased child imaginable. She was breathtakingly beautiful too. Beneath lids closed in sleep, she had huge dark eyes that were completely at odds with her cherubic blond curls. Teenage boys weren’t noted for their love of babies but even Luke was enthralled with her.
    Vicky grinned and nodded in Dylan’s direction. “He’ll be asleep in a minute too.”
    Realising he was being talked about, Dylan looked up. “What?”
    “I thought you were falling asleep, but you look as tense as a coiled spring,” Vicky said. “Calm down.”
    “I am calm.” He sat back on the bench and stretched his legs in front of him.
    Bev knew he was far from calm. It would be a long time before she forgot his panicked expression as he’d raced into the sun lounge early that morning.
    If she’d tried to reach their cabin only to find police and security men barring the way, she would have panicked too. Especially if a worried-looking crew member had asked for her cabin number.
    “I wonder what did happen on the ship this morning,” she said.
    “I bet it was a bomb scare.” Luke wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his coat. No matter how many times she scolded him, he still considered his clothes the best place for cleaning hands and face. She had visions of him doing it when he was thirty.
    “It could have been,” Dylan said, but Bev could see from his expression that he didn’t believe it.
    She didn’t either. If that were the case, they would have ushered everyone off the ship pretty damn quick, not kept them on it.
    “It was obviously nothing important.” Whatever it was, she refused to let it spoil her holiday. “Shall we check out the museum?”
    They strolled along the streets with Luke lagging behind to take dozens of photos of colourful buildings against an obliging blue sky. The people, some locals, many more tourists, looked happy and relaxed.
    Bev was determined to look equally relaxed when they returned to England. Her friend Lucy had been on half a dozen cruises and always claimed that, apart from the entertainment and the terrific odds for meeting unattached men, the best part was having nothing to do. Admittedly, Lucy had cruised to hot and sunny parts of the world, but even if Bev was amid the dark and cold, she could appreciate it. She didn’t have to worry about buying food, preparing it, washing up, cleaning the house, marking kids’ homework or anything at all. On board, she could stay in her cabin and read with no distractions, she could attend the lectures, eat or drink in one of the bars, take a dip in the pool, visit the gym or anything else she chose.
    The arrangements had worked out well. Dylan’s mum and Luke were sharing a cabin which left her, Dylan and Freya to share another. It was great having Vicky along, especially as Luke got on so well with her. The two were soul mates, which really wasn’t surprising. As Dylan often said, they had the same mental age.
    Vicky, born to travel, would enjoy every second of this cruise. The smoking arrangements might throw up the odd problem but she’d find a way round them. She didn’t smoke marijuana in front of Luke, but he knew his gran was a pothead. Smoking was only permitted on a small area of the deck though so she’d either shiver outside or come up with another solution. Bev would bet on the latter.
    As for Dylan, she wasn’t sure what he’d make of it but she was looking forward to spending time with him. With an eager babysitter in Vicky, they’d be able to share precious time alone. It would be fun behaving like newlyweds.
    He was walking ahead of them and she thought how little he’d changed in the fifteen years they’d been married. If you looked closely, you might spot a grey hair mixed in with the dark but, other than that, he hadn’t changed. She still fancied him like mad.
    He nodded, smiled and said