made breakfast for her? She thought it was when the kids were in fourth and sixth grade. They’d brought her cereal on a tray for Mother’s Day. Now she got a card from her daughter and chocolate-dipped strawberries delivered from her son. Would it be tacky to ask them to come over the next Mother’s Day and bring her cereal in bed?
If she had a next Mother’s Day.
Denise had already helped herself to some yogurt and fruit and scoped out a table for them. A waiter showed up with coffee just as Catherine sat down, asking if they’d like some.
“Yes, please,” she said to him. “It’s such a luxury to have someone wait on you,” she told Denise. “I think I could get used to being pampered.”
“I think you should. When was the last time that happened?”
Hard to remember. Catherine was always the one taking care of others—starting with when she was a teenager taking on cooking for her two younger brothers and her father after her mother died. She’d been seventeen. After two years of college, she’d married, and in another few years she was taking care of her own family. Eventually, her father had moved in with them and she took care of him before he died. Then it had been Bill’s parents who needed help. It seemed she’d always been watching over someone. But now, who was watching over her?
Her friends, she reminded herself. Thank God for them.
“Feel free to join us,” Denise offered as Rudy approached, his daughter trailing him like a shadow. He held a plate with cold cuts, cheese and a crusty roll in one hand and a small glass container of yogurt in the other.
Athena was carrying only a bowl with hot cereal. Like Denise, not a big eater, which explained the fact that she was equally as svelte. Catherine looked down at her own breakfast. In addition to her omelet she’d gotten a pastry, yogurt, some cheese and cold cuts. Oink.
Well, it was a cruise. And hadn’t Denise just advised her to live life to the fullest?
“This is quite the breakfast, isn’t it?” Rudy said to Catherine as he slipped into the seat on the other side of her.
She’d just stuffed a chunk of pastry in her mouth so all she could do was chew and nod. What a sparkling conversationalist.
“We were just saying how nice it is to be waited on,” Denise said, speaking for both of them. “It’s a real treat for Catherine, who’s always doing for everyone but herself,” she added, singing Catherine’s praises like a true best friend.
Rudy smiled at Catherine. “Everyone deserves to be waited on once in a while.”
“How did you sleep?” Denise asked him.
“Great,” he said. “And you?”
“I was out like a light,” Denise said. “So were you,” she told Catherine.
“I was tired,” Catherine confessed.
“Adjusting to the time difference can be tough,” said Rudy.
“Yes, but you know what they say about that,” Denise said. “When the going gets tough...”
He nodded. “The tough get going.”
“No, the other ‘you know what they say’—the tough go shopping. I’m going to do that when we hit Cologne. I read it’s got one of the world’s biggest Christmas markets.”
“We’ll have to check that out, won’t we?” Rudy said to his daughter. “Some blown glass, perhaps? Or some Christmas decorations for your tree.”
“I want to buy a cuckoo clock when we get to the Black Forest,” said Denise.
“Me, too,” said Catherine. “I always wanted a cuckoo clock.” Maybe she’d have to get herself one. Merry Christmas to her from her. “But that’s jumping pretty far ahead. I think I’ll just concentrate on enjoying today.” To the fullest, like Denise advised. If she concentrated hard enough on today, maybe she could dodge the shadow of an uncertain tomorrow.
“I’m sure we will,” Rudy said, and the smile he gave her made her heart do the jingle bell rock.
Shipboard romance, what would that be like? Outside of a movie or a book she hadn’t enjoyed much romance since the night Bill proposed.
They’d left Seattle and driven out into the country, far from city lights where they could find clear skies and stargaze. He’d taken her to a park on the edge of a lake, laid out a blanket and produced a bottle of champagne and two plastic cups. Then he’d told her she was the most important thing in his world and promised to love her for the rest of his life.
He’d kept his promise. And if his idea of love was mowing the