Smooth Sailing

Book excerpt: Opening a new theme park is not for kids. Laurie Nielsen is so overworked and overstressed that she's forced to take a vacation--on one of her companies' kid-centric cruise ships. It's a slow torture, but she eventually makes the best of it and gets off the boat in St. Maarten. There, Laurie meets and insults Kaatje Hoogaboom, a woman who has very little of Laurie's work obsession. But they still manage to hit it off--to her great surprise. Once Laurie returns home they stay in touch, getting to know each other via phone calls and e-mails. But Laurie isn't an ideal girlfriend. Work is at the top of her priority list and toppling it might be more than Kaatje is able, or even willing to do. Kaatje and Laurie both have to do a lot of soul searching; what do each of them want and need, and how far is each willing to compromise? They're both strong-minded women who've adjusted to being single. The adjustment to being coupled can be just as, if not more, trying.