Page 6 of If They Knew

Before I forget why I came here in the first place, I turn my attention towards the library entrance and make my way inside, where it's so quiet that I catch myself still humming to the song. Looking around, I realize I'm alone, grateful to have the place to myself. After walking around the different sections, I stop in front of the Romance section. Without hesitation, I reach for The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. It's a comfort read for me and ranks among my top five books by him. I take the book to the large, round porthole window, which has a big bench with a soft and comfy cushion on it. Sitting down, I take in the stunning view—the cruise port is now in the distance, gradually fading away with each passing second. The white caps of small waves break across the rough water as far as I can see. Taking a deep breath, I open the book and escape to my happy place.

4

THEO

Standing on the bridge, I gaze out through the large glass windows.

“Steady, keep it steady. You’ve got this. You can all do this in your sleep by now,” shouts Captain Mark Whitaker.

I hope Whitaker can’t see how nervous I am right now. I know Whitaker is right; I can do this in my sleep. But this time feels different. This time, I’m in control of the ship my dad spent years building. Since this is my first time navigating this ship, I’m extra cautious; I don’t want to mess anything up. Whitaker walks over to me and places his hands on my shoulders.

“The day has finally arrived. Be proud of yourself. You've worked so hard for this, and I hope to see you as a captain someday. You have real potential, my boy,” he tells me. I take a deep breath and smile. Just like that, all my nerves fade away.

“Do you really mean that?” I ask, uncertain.

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn't mean it, son,” Whitaker says, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “Your father and I were friends well before you and your brother were born, and I’ve had the pleasure of watching you both grow into the men you’ve become today.” He lets out a deep breath, then puts his hands into his pockets. “It’s a real shame he’s not here with us today. He told everyone he knew how proud he was of you. Often.”

I clear my throat, keeping my eyes on the open water ahead of me. “Thank you,” I say quietly. I blink a few times as I quickly wipe away a stray tear. “We all thought we had more time.” Because he was so ill, Whitaker and I moved the date of our sailing forward several months and even arranged for a team of doctors and nurses to be on board to care for my dad so he could join us. But it was still too late.

Whitaker doesn't respond; he just stands there, looking out at the water, remembering his old friend, as I speak up. “You know, after he died...I almost quit.”

After a moment, Whitaker replies, “I didn’t know that.”

I look over at him, the knot in my chest squeezing a bit. “This was supposed to be his maiden voyage, not mine. Julie convinced me to take it.”

“Smart girl, that Julie. We all know this ship meant everything to him. He poured his heart and soul into building this company. Besides you and Tyler, this ship meant everything to him. So yes, Theo, you are meant to be here today, living out the dream for your father. And I want you to know I’m proud of you, too. I’m glad you’re here.” He grins at me, giving me a firm pat on the shoulder. “But, for now, I need you to focus and pay attention. You have a ship to command. Crashing it on the first day out would be terrible for our Yelp reviews,” he says with a laugh as he heads aft of the bridge.

I chuckle as I focus my eyes back on the water. I’m glad he told me that. Whitaker is more like family than my boss. Outside of work, Tyler and I call him Uncle Mark. When we were ten, a drunk driver hit our mom, and she didn’t survive. Mark was our dad’s best friend and was there during our dad’s lowest moments. That's when his idea of starting a cruise line was born. Growing up, we always went on cruises, which the whole family loved. Mark worked for a cruise line then as well, and often invited our family to join him whenever we could. Our dad loved being on the water and cruising so much that he told Mark he'd someday build a cruise business from scratch and wanted Mark to be the captain. Coming from a wealthy family, our dad had the means to make it happen, and he meant every word he said. I loved the water as much as my dad did. Given that he’d been my only living parent, everything he said meant the world to me, and I wanted to make him proud.

With my father being a widower, Tyler and I inherited the family company, Parrish Cruises. Tyler made it clear right away that he wanted nothing to do with owning the company. He and our dad didn’t have a good relationship, so Tyler signed everything over to me as soon as he could, giving me full ownership. I didn't know much about running a company, so I hired people who did. Parrish Cruises has an entire finance department, giving me the freedom to work on the ship as I always wanted, without the burden of everyday business responsibilities.

“Theo! Get your head out of the clouds,” shouts Logan, standing right next to me.

I startle, giving him a death stare for screaming in my ear, and he laughs. I fight the urge to punch him in the throat. Logan’s been giving me a hard time since the day we met. His dad was one of my dad’s childhood friends, so that's how he got the job. Logan is older with a military background, and has a higher rank than I do on the ship—something he never lets me forget. Thankfully he’s good at his job, which is his only true redeeming feature in my mind. He treats me like a child, especially when the captain steps away, leaving Logan in charge. When that happens, Logan does everything he can to make sure that I know he is the one calling the shots.

“Did you hear me?” shouts Logan again, flopping down into the captain’s chair.

“No, you didn't say it loud enough. What did you say?” I ask.

“It’s almost time for dinner, and since you're taking the first break, I need you to make sure everything is in order before you leave. Go over the checklist,” he demands, his tone sharp.

I ignore the attitude, refusing to let him ruin my evening. “Yeah, I got it covered. I’ll do it right now. Sir.” I fight back the urge to tell him he’s only in command because I allow it. But I bite my tongue and force a fake grin.

“Thank you. Have a good dinner. Say hello to Julie and Tyler for me. And don’t be gone forever, I'm starving,” he says with a grin, sitting back in the chair, propping his feet on the counter. Anyone else would think he’s joking, but I know he’s never missed a free meal in his life. If he isn't eating, he’s working out.

“Where's the checklist?” I ask teasingly, knowing the question will irritate him more.

“In the same spot as always. Damn, Theo, do I have to do everything for you?”

I laugh at his predictable irritation. “Relax, it was only a joke. I know where it is.” Logan stays silent, but the annoyed look on his face tells me I've pushed his buttons, which is precisely what I wanted. I walk toward the cabinet with the emergency gear and find the binder labeled ‘PROTOCOLS’. I flip to the page with a checklist of all the emergency equipment and walk around the bridge, checking each item to ensure nothing is missing. Hm, that’s weird. “Logan, do you know if the two survival rafts were moved? They're not here.”

“Dude, that’s not my job to know. Figure it out.” I clench my fist, ignoring his smart ass remarks and walk away to finish the checklist. I swear they were ordered with all the other emergency equipment, but I have no idea where they could be. I try not to worry—worse comes to worst, I’ll order more after this trip. There are plenty of lifeboats on the ship if needed.

I continue down the list. There are only a few more items to check off, then I can get some food. The process takes me about ten minutes. I stop at the last item on the list, which is to verify that the controls for the doors and locks are functioning properly.

“Have you seen this?” I ask Logan while staring at the control panel's screen, which flashes a large ‘ERROR’ message in bright red.

“Have I seen what?” he asks. I don't even know why I ask him. He is no help, just an asshole.