Love Overboard

Chapter 21

FOUR MINUTES UNTIL THE BAND arrived. Lacey checked the strategically placed tables to make sure no one swiped the chairs. The glossy wooden dance floor gleamed in the sunlight, waiting for the twinkle-toed tourists.

“Someone was asking for you.” Abby sidled up with a mischievous expression.

Lacey’s breath caught, and she searched the deck for that familiar pair of broad shoulders. Passengers milled around in various stages of undress, from shorts and T-shirts to string bikinis. But no handsome cruise directors.

“Here he comes,” Abby singsonged and pointed.

Lacey looked to her right. Her breathing returned to normal. Ricardo bounced across the deck with a small paper box.

“Hermosa!” He slid to a stop and held out his gift with both hands. “We did not get the churros you wanted on our date. I baked these for you.”

“That’s so nice.” Lacey took the box and peeked under the lid at the skinny, sugar-covered treats. Why did she feel more excited about the churros than Ricardo? “I hope you didn’t use all the flour again.”

Ricardo’s smile wavered, then he laughed. “No. We have enough now.”

A six-piece band tromped onto the small stage beside them and unpacked their instruments. Passengers wandered over and settled on chairs to enjoy the show. A not-so-shy couple dashed onto the dance floor in front of the musicians and launched into a rumba before the music even started. The piano player churned his arm like a windmill for the others to hurry. The guitarist plugged his instrument into the amp, and the band gave the dancers a lively beat to show off their moves to.

“It’s crowded here.” Abby grinned at Lacey like a kid with a secret candy stash. “Later, alligator.”

Ricardo placed his palm at the small of Lacey’s back and urged her past the crowd to stand at the railing. He balled two fists at chest height and wiggled his torso. “Would you care to dance?”

“Pass.” Lacey shook her head.

Ricardo put a hand on either side of her and rested them on the deck rail. He leaned close enough to pierce her personal-space bubble. Lacey blinked and settled her gaze on the mouth that drew ever closer to hers.

“Your assistance with my laundry was so sweet.” A smattering of black stubble covered his upper lip.

“I’m glad I could help you out.” Lacey cleared her throat. “This one time.”

He tilted his head to the right and moved in. Her fingers tightened on the churro box. Lacey jerked away. Ricardo’s mouth grazed the side of her cheek as her eyes connected with a pair of dark ones on the balcony above. Jon stood overlooking the lido deck, near enough she saw the muscle jumping in his jaw. His easy smile was absent. Lacey stiffened. Ricardo bent to nuzzle her neck, and she squirmed from his arms.

“I don’t … that is … there’s somewhere I have to be.” She tottered to the side in her haste to escape. “See you later.”

Lacey took off toward the elevators without another word. Not that she was running from Ricardo—or Jon. She spared a quick glance, but he hadn’t followed. An elevator was closing, and Lacey hurried to catch it. She pressed the call button, the doors parted again, and she stepped inside—right next to Emily Windsor. Lacey’s first instinct was to run back out, but that would be cowardly. She stayed put, and the two faced the doors as they shut.

“Hello, Lacey.”

She saw Emily’s reflection in the shiny metal doors, watching her. “Hello.”

“Isn’t it a beautiful day?”

“Lovely.” Lacey smoothed the front of her hostess jacket and tucked a stray hair in place.

The matchmaker’s reflection contemplated every movement. “I heard you’re dating Ricardo Montoya.”

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t that a hasty decision?”

Lacey observed Reflection Emily. “Ms. Paroo told me I should make more memories.”

Emily met her head-on. “There’s a difference between memories and mistakes. Make sure you know which is which.”

Lacey squared her shoulders. She had just opened her mouth to answer when the elevator paused. The doors slid open, and a group of teenagers walked between them. Emily and Lacey stared at each other through the group of kids silently texting on their phones. The teens got off at the next floor, leaving an awkward chasm between the two remaining riders.

Lacey stopped the door as it began to close. “We need to talk.” She held it open and motioned for Emily to go first.

“I agree.” Emily exited and led her to an outside deck along the side of the ship.

A breeze hit them as they walked through the double doors. The older woman moved to the railing and rested her arms on the top. Lacey started to speak, but Emily interrupted her.

“Save yourself the lecture, dear. I’m interfering in your life. You want me to butt out. Is that about the gist?”

Lacey’s lips twitched. “I approve your choice of words.”

“Message received.” Emily tilted her head and let the wind whip her gray curls.

“It’s supposed to turn chilly today.” Lacey joined her at the railing. “Should I get you a blanket?”

“I’m wonderful. Enjoying the smell of the sea.” Her eyelids drooped, and she inhaled.

Lacey recognized the look. She’d seen it on Emily’s face many times when she’d stood at the rail. “You love it, don’t you?”

“It reminds me of home. I grew up by the ocean.”

“Do you miss your friends and family?”

“There’s not much family left to speak of since my husband passed away. And I have plenty of friends right here.” She leaned over and nudged her. “Present company included.”

How could Lacey help but love this frustrating, adorable lady? Would it be unprofessional to wrap her arms around the frail woman beside her?

Emily smiled. “Besides, who’d help rescue lonely cases like yourself if I returned home?”

The hugging urge evaporated.

“You can stop helping.” Lacey scooted to the right. “I’m dating Ricardo.”

Emily’s hands slid across the metal railing as she moved closer. “You may require more help than you realize.”

“Ricardo is a great guy. He’s sweet.”

“Yes, he is.”

“And attractive.”

“Bottle his looks, and you’d make a fortune.”

“And … and he cooks well.”

“Especially his cherry tarts.”

“He’s”—Lacey searched for a new word—“sweet.”

“So you said.” Emily stared out at the ocean. “But I can’t give him the unconditional Shipper stamp of approval. I admit we used to think Ricardo was a viable match, but now we’ve witnessed you with Jon …” She turned to Lacey and shook her head. “Ricardo isn’t right for you. Jon is the one.”

“The one?” Lacey scoffed. “Do you really believe there’s only one somebody for each person in the world?”

“No.” Emily smiled. “I believe there’s only one somebody for some people in this world. And you’re one of those people.”

The words dropped into Lacey like a coin in a fountain. Plunk! They floated deep down until they rested on top of her soul.

But she’d be older than Emily before she’d admit how the romantic declaration affected her.

Lacey steeled herself against the sentiment. “What makes you think that?”

“Because I’m one of those people too.” Emily’s eyes wandered, looking into a distant past. “I dated a surplus of boys—first, in high school. Then college. The navy kept a fresh crop of fun-loving sailors floating through town. We went to parties and dances and movies. I was quite the belle of the ball.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Lacey imagined a young, vivacious Emily holding court over a besotted group of admirers.

“Dressing up for a date gave me butterflies in my tummy, but the butterflies never reached my heart. Not until I met my husband. Bill walked into church one Sunday morning in his dress whites, cap in hand. I was sitting in the choir loft, so I had a good view. One glance, and that was it.”

“Did he feel the same way?”

“He asked me to marry him two weeks later.”

A jumble of emotions flitted across the older woman’s face. Pride. Happiness. A tinge of sorrow. Nostalgia softened the lines around her mouth and hinted at the girl she used to be.

Lacey hoped her own life would boast such sweet memories one day.

But how can it if you never allow yourself to love?A voice whispered inside of her with a salient but disagreeable point. She tried to ignore it by focusing on Emily.

“How long before you said yes to your eager suitor?”

“A year.”

“What?” Her eyebrows snapped together. “I thought you said he was the one.”

“He was.” Emily’s gaze sharpened on Lacey. “I knew it, and he knew it. But the reality of marrying him scared me. Living in a navy town, I knew what it meant committing to life as a military wife—always shuffling around every few years, planting roots in a new place, then having them ripped up at the government’s whim. I wanted stability and routine.”

Stability.

Routine.

Two of Lacey’s favorite words.

“What changed your mind?”

It wasn’t a casual question. She truly wanted to know. Needed to know. How did a person develop the courage to trade the familiar for the uncertain?

“Bill got orders for a two-year stint in Japan and gave me an ultimatum. Either I went with him as his wife, or it was the end. Life without him sounded worse than any instability imaginable. So I put my faith in God and took the leap.” Emily placed her hands together and mimed diving into the water.

Lacey envied the woman who’d already jumped into the scary ocean of love and lived to tell about it. “Did you sink or swim?”

“The Lord has a sense of humor. I grew to love our many adventures around the world. Bill and I saw places other people only read about in books. He was my somebody.” Emily smacked the railing. “And Jon is yours. Running doesn’t work, Lacey. You have to accept the truth.”

“The truth?” Lacey wrapped her arms around herself. “The truth is, I don’t want to entrust my life to somebody … anybody. I’d rather keep control, even if it means being alone.”

“But you said you’re dating Ricardo. Does that still count as alone?”

She broke eye contact and polished the gold buttons of her uniform jacket with her sleeve.

Emily bent her body until her eyes met Lacey’s. “Besides, the one you should really turn control over to isn’t Jon. It’s the Good Lord up there.” She pointed to the sky. “Do you ever pray about the things that bother you?”

“Of course I do.” Lacey straightened. “But I just … I get busy.”

“Talking to God is never a waste of time. Why don’t you ask him what he thinks of Ricardo?” Emily placed a cashmere-soft palm on Lacey’s cheek. “I’m not sure what locked you up inside, dear. But don’t waste your time on a man with no key.” She walked back inside, leaving Lacey with her thoughts and the wind. It tore her hair from its carefully styled bun and lashed her cheeks with the flyaway strands.

It was true.

Dating Ricardo was the same thing as being alone.