Not that she was experienced in that area, but there was no mistaking the smell of decomposing flesh.
Picking up the pace, she covered her mouth and nose as she rushed down the hallway and into her own apartment. Once inside, Avery slammed the door shut, fell back against it, and sucked in a long, cleansing breath.
After a few extra inhales, she went straight to her bathroom and splashed some cool water over her face. Patting her skin dry, she clutched the small towel in one fist as she rested her hands on the porcelain countertop.
Against her will, the image of Ms. Wilson’s body on that gurney resurfaced. Seconds later, Alex’s words from the bar rang through her head.
One of these days, you’re going to wake up and realize you’ve become the quintessential crazy cat lady.
Avery lifted her head, staring at her reflection. “No.” She shook her head. “I’m not.”
Leaving the towel in a ball on the sink, she flipped off her bathroom light and marched down the narrow hallway into her kitchen. Plopping down onto the barstool she typically used, she fired up her computer and began searching for the adventure her sister had dared her to find.
For the next forty-five minutes, Avery read about cave explorations, skydiving, and mountain climbing. But she was mildly claustrophobic and deathly afraid of heights, so all three of those options were out.
Fifteen minutes later, she was about to give up when she came across an ad for a last-minute cruise special.
Despite knowing she’d never go on a cruise by herself, Avery clicked on the link. Her screen was instantly filled with gorgeous pictures of clear, turquoise water and heart-stopping sunset views.
The site described it as a six-day, five-night seascape into paradise, and if the few images provided were to be believed, that was exactly what it appeared to be.
A tab labeledexcursionsin the top right corner caught her eye. With her sister’s voice echoing in her head, Avery clicked on the link to the cruise’s available offshore adventures.
Just as when she’d begun her initial search, Avery was inundated with choices. Everything from an all-inclusive day at the beach to dolphin swims and snorkeling adventures.
One activity allowed participants to swim with wild stingrays…and evenholdthem.
Hard pass, thank you very much!
Feeling as though this whole thing was a giant waste of time, Avery started to click out of the site when she saw another excursion that piqued her interest.
“Waterfalls of Damajagua and off-road buggy combo,” she read the bold heading to herself.
Promising herself that this was the last one she’d look at before taking a shower and calling it a night, she clicked on the link.
Avery wasn’t sure what she expected to see, but images of down and dirty dune buggy drivers and riders splashing through a creek bed wasn’t it. Even she had to admit, it looked like fun.
As she scrolled through the different pictures and read the excursion details, she became more and more interested.
Not only did those who registered for the six-hour adventure get to ride through the Dominican countryside and villages, they were then led on a forty-minute hike through the gorgeous landscape.
The day ended with a river walk and trips down several small, naturally formed waterfalls.
Avery couldn’t help but notice how happy everyone seemed. Even in the pictures uploaded by individuals who’d gone back to the site after their day of fun to leave reviews, each person was smiling from ear to ear.
But then she sighed, noticing how everyone in the pictures were with other people. Happy couples. Parents and kids. Friends.
She’d probably be the first person in history to sign up for something like that alone.
Baby steps, Aves. Baby steps.
Exiting out of the excursion tab, she went back to the cruise line’s main page.
The thought of being stuck on a giant ship in the middle of the ocean for an entire week…by herself…was mildly terrifying. On the other hand, it would force her to follow-through with the crazy idea.
After all, it wasn’t like she’d be able to change her mind after a day or two and Uber back home.
But the more she thought about it, having to spend even one night with Ronald made her cringe even more than being a loner on an exciting cruise vacation.