the ship. But stepping ashore and exploring an unfamiliar town without Martin required another kind of courage.
Wasn’t taking the cruise enough?
Then I reread his penciled clue in the margin.
Go on, love. It’s only lunch.
I carefully folded the map.
I’d try, just that one café.
The following morning, I stood at the top of the gangway for five full minutes.
Passengers flowed around me like water around a stone.
“Ma’am, can I help you find something?”
A young crew member in a spotless white shirt was watching me with concern.
“The harbor café,” I said. “The one with the blue awning?”
He pointed along the quay.
“Ten minutes’ walk. You can’t miss it.”
Ten minutes.
I could manage that. Martin had walked the same route countless times.
The café occupied a corner overlooking the water, with seagulls circling overhead and salt hanging in the air.
