Chapter 200
Elle’s POV
I was still processing Sophia’s incredible confrontation with Lester when she returned to our group, her silver–gray hair slightly disheveled but her posture radiating a new kind of confidence.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, studying her face for any signs of distress.
Like I can finally breathe,” Sophia said with a genuine smile. “I should have done that years ago.”
Before I could respond, Malcolm’s voice boomed across the deck, drawing everyone’s attention. He was practically bouncing on his feet with excitement, his face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” he announced to our little group. “I just heard the ship’s announcement – they’re hosting a family cooking competition! The judges are going to be the ship’s international chefs, and the first prize…” He paused dramatically. “A brand new Porsche!”
Sophia’s eyes immediately lit up with interest. “A Porsche? Well, that changes things.” She turned to me with a mischievous grin. “Elle, you have to enter for
me! I just had to turn my car back over to the pack, so you could win me a new one!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm. After everything Sophia had been through with Lester, seeing her excited about something as simple as a cooking competition made my heart warm. “You really want me to compete for a car?”
‘Susan’s cooking is absolutely the best,” Malcolm chimed in, beaming at my mother. “With all of us working together, we can’t lose!”
I looked at Susan, who was blushing at the compliment.
‘You know what?” I said, surprising myself with how quickly the decision came. “Let’s do it. Susan, you’ll be head chef. I’ll be your sous chef. Sophia and Abigail can help with prep, and Malcolm can handle all the heavy lifting.”
Everyone’s faces lit up, and before I knew it, we were all putting our hands together in a circle like some kind of sports team.
“Victory!‘ we shouted in unison, and I burst into laughter.
As we walked toward the registration table, I felt something I hadn’t experienced in… well, ever. Pure, uncomplicated happiness. This was it – this was what
I’d dreamed of as a little girl. Playing games with Susan.
I could remember being seven years old, watching other families at the school carnival. Kids running between game booths with their parents, laughing and
competing together. I’d always stood on the sidelines, watching Susan work double shifts just to keep us afloat in the human community. There had never been time for games, never been money for fun.
High school had been the same. While other kids talked about family game nights and cooking together, I was helping Susan with the endless housework that Grace demanded. College hadn’t been any different – I was too busy working part–time jobs to afford textbooks to even think about fun family
activities.
But here we were, at twenty–three, finally getting to be a team. Finally getting to play together.
I glanced at the ship around us, noting the obvious luxury and the cheerful staff. Maybe the captain wasn’t so bad after all. Anyone who organized events
that brought families together couldn’t be completely terrible, right?
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Chapter 200
“Elle, you’re glowing. Abigail observed with a warm smile.
This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this with my mom,” I admitted. I feel like I’m finally getting to be a kid.
Susan squeezed my hand, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I always wanted to do things like this with you, sweetheart. I’m so glad we finally can
The registration line was surprisingly long, with families chattering excitedly about their strategies. Susan and I signed us up officially, listing all our team members. The registration staff was incredibly organized and enthusiastic.
When we finished signing up, we gathered in a circle to plan our menu.
“What about that roasted chicken dish you used to make?” I suggested. “The one with the ‘herb crust?”
“Oh, that’s a good one,” Susan said thoughtfully. “But for a competition, maybe we should aim for something more impressive.”
Sophia and Abigail had their phones out, scrolling through recipe websites.
The Porsche prize had clearly motivated half the ship.
“This is going to be intense,” I laughed.
–
even passengers without proper The next morning, our ship docked at a foreign port for ingredient shopping. I was amazed by the captain’s influence travel documents were allowed to disembark in a designated shopping area. The local government had actually set up a temporary market just for us.
“Damn,” I whispered to Abigail as we walked down the gangplank. “This captain has some serious connections. Even Raymond Carter couldn’t pull something
like this off.”
The two assistants Harper had insisted I bring flanked me protectively as we joined the crowd of competitive shoppers. Susan took charge immediately, examining produce with the expert eye of someone who’d stretched every grocery dollar for decades.
“We need the freshest herbs,” she said, moving between stalls with purpose. “And the meat has to be perfect.”
I followed behind her, my job simply to pay for whatever she selected. When we reached a particularly expensive spice vendor, I hesitated, calculating costs in my head the way I’d been trained to do my entire life.
That’s when Abigail appeared at my elbow, pressing a thick roll of cash into my hands. “Here. Use this. Don’t even think about the cost.”
‘Abigail, this has to be over two thousand dollars,” I protested.
“So? It’s a cooking competition, not a budget challenge. Buy whatever Susan wants.“/
The gesture hit me harder than it should have. After years of counting every penny, having someone tell me not to worry about money felt surreal.
We ended up buying enough ingredients to feed an army, nearly spending every dollar Abigail had given me. By the time we headed back to the ship, we were all carrying multiple bags, looking like we’d raided a gourmet market.
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Oh my god, Elle, you’re going to love this! Sophia practically skipped toward us as we returned to the ship. The captain has set up individual kitchens for each family team. We get our own refrigerator and everything! It’s like being on a cooking show!”
As she described the setup, I found myself unconsciously turning to look toward the ship’s bridge. And there he was.
The captain stood silhouetted against the afternoon sky, his posture commanding even from this distance. He was watching the returning passengers, but
when his gare found mine, everything else seemed to fade away.
Without conscious thought, I lifted my right hand and extended it toward him, as if reaching across the impossible distance between us.
To my amazement, he mirrored the gesture, his own hand reaching out as if to touch mine.
Elle? What are you looking at?”
Abigail’s voice snapped me back to reality. I blinked, suddenly aware that I was still reaching toward the bridge, my hand extended like I was trying to grab
something from thin air.
“Nothing,” I said quickly, dropping my hand. Just… admiring the view.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
