“What would you do if—” I’m about to lay out the whole business with Graeme, but the voice in the background bellows again, cutting me off.

“It’s push-up time, and you’re standing in the corner! Get moving!”

“Chill out, dude!” Christina roars back. “Jesus, I’m paying you to be here. Unbelievable.” She shakes her head. “What were you saying?”

I open my mouth to speak but hesitate. I’ll definitely need a long, in-person conversation with Christina to unpack everything happening on this cruise. Preferably over drinks. “Nothing, never mind. We’ll talk soon, okay?”

“Wait, how’s the proposal?”

I heft a sigh. “No bright ideas yet. Any suggestions for me?”

She nods thoughtfully. “I’d go back to basics. Think about what makes our cruise experience in the Galápagos special or different, then build an idea from there. You know Tory and I are standing by to help; just say the word.”

“Thanks, Christina. You’re the best.”

“I know.” She blows me an air kiss. “Talk soon. Geez, what are you standing around for? Are we doing push-ups or what?” she yells behind her before ending the call.

With a wobbly grin, I shuffle back inside. The three officers barely look up as I enter.

I resume my seat at the table and shove my feelings about Graeme aside. They’re far too complicated. I can examine them later. Pulling my notebook from my bag, I open a fresh page.

Go back to basics. I consider Christina’s words for several long minutes, then it hits me. Who knows the region better than the people who sail the ships?

“Excuse me, Captain?”

“¿Sí?”

“You’ve been to the Galápagos before, right?”

He chuckles. “Of course. Many times. I’m from Quito and my wife’s family is from Santa Cruz.”

“Captain Garcia is one of the most experienced cruise ship captains in Ecuador,” adds one of the junior officers.

Perfect. “So, what do you love about the Galápagos?”

“Hmmm.” He flashes me a wide grin. “How long were you planning to spend on the bridge?”

Clicking open my pen against the table, I poise it over my blank page. “As long as it takes,” I say with a smile.

14

Six in the morning doesn’t look good on anyone—except Walsh. Even fresh off the heels of a twenty-four-hour case of food poisoning, she still sparkles like a shooting star in the dim, predawn light. The color has returned to her cheeks and all traces of the milkshake debacle have vanished.

“Isn’t this exciting?” Walsh croons, bouncing on her toes.

I pull my baseball cap lower down my forehead to hide the purple smudges under my eyes. I stayed up way too late chatting with Captain Garcia and the other officers.