Love Overboard

Chapter 26

“I PEEKED IN THE DOORWAY, and there they were.” Emily pressed her hands together as she filled her friends in over a midnight supper. “Cuddled like a pair of puppies.”

“Doing what?” Gerry seized her notebook from the table and lifted her pen.

“Lacey was sleeping away on his shoulder, and he was sitting there on the floor, grinning like a besotted fool. My poor heart almost burst from joy.”

“What happened next?” Althea leaned so far forward her pendant necklace slipped into her soup bowl.

Emily motioned to it with her finger while she continued her story. “Nothing much. The weather calmed, and the tender boat was there before we knew it. We loaded up and returned to the ship.”

“Awww.” Althea’s lower lip stuck out. “What a wasted opportunity.”

“But progress.” Emily shrugged. “Count the small victories as well as the big ones.”

Daisy reached to pull the necklace out of Althea’s tomato bisque and cleaned it with her napkin. She picked a piece of lint off her own bolero jacket and eyed a family two tables away. Every member from the dad to the toddler wore baseball caps. “Why do people insist on wearing sports attire in a formal setting?”

“The days of dressing up are gone.” Gerry set her notebook on the table and grabbed her fork.

“Yes.” Daisy nodded. “Proper cruise attire is all too rare these days.”

Each Shipper sat in her own version of dressed up. Emily wore a beaded gold blazer with matching pants. A vintage-style faux fur wrapped around Gerry, and a knit beret with silver sequins tilted on her head. Althea filled out a shiny red spaghetti-strap number with a flowered silk shawl. And Daisy wore her requisite black. Underneath her bolero jacket, ruffles spilled from the neckline, and the billowing sleeves of her poet blouse never once dipped into the food as she dined.

Gerry took a bite of her salad. “If Lacey is warming to Jon, then perhaps we should back off. Let nature take its course, as they say.”

“Who says?” Emily scoffed. “Whoever ‘they’ are haven’t met Lacey. I’ve analyzed that girl for over a year. The only way she’ll fall in love is if we give her a good, hard push.”

Daisy tipped her bowl forward by the rim and scooped the last bit of soup with her spoon. “But pushy people can also push others away.”

“I’m with Emily.” Althea took her second dinner roll from the basket, broke it in half, and slathered butter on each piece. “Lacey requires … encouragement.”

Emily placed both hands on the table and observed her colleagues. “Consider Jon’s feelings. The poor man has been pining after Lacey for years.”

“He doesn’t look to me like he’s pining.” Gerry pointed across the room with her fork.

Jon’s head bent back as he laughed with a large group of passengers at the entrance. His dark-blue suit jacket accentuated his tapered build. He noted the women tracking him and made his way to their table.

“Hello, my lady Shippers.” His smile was fully charged. “What a lovely picture you make.”

Althea preened as she smoothed her shawl. “Thank you for noticing.”

“Are you here alone?” Emily glanced past him.

He walked around the table and stopped at her chair. “Worried about me? Don’t be. I’ve already eaten, and I’m making a few goodwill rounds before I turn in for the night.”

Gerry elbowed Emily and motioned with her chin to where Lacey had entered. The young woman wove through the dining area, coming close to their table. When she noticed their group, she took an abrupt left and wandered around the pockets of diners, staying as far away from the Shippers as possible.

“That’s strange.” Emily’s eyes narrowed at Jon. “You two seemed pretty friendly on Nevis.”

He dropped his gaze and fiddled with a button on his sleeve. “Crisis draws people together.” He waved at a couple who were gesturing to him. “If you ladies will excuse me, a guest is trying to get my attention. We return to Galveston tomorrow, but I assume I’ll see you all on the next cruise. Be sure to check out the revamped evening show. They’ve added a rap number.”

“Thanks for warning us,” said Gerry.

He nodded and left to greet the passengers at a nearby table.

“Did you hear what he said?” Emily shoved her chair back. “We need a new crisis to throw him and Lacey together.”

Daisy dabbed her lips with a napkin. “Somehow I doubt that’s what he meant.”

Emily placed one elbow on the table and cupped her chin in her hand. “Lacey won’t fall for another fake emergency. It has to appear completely coincidental. Where should we start?”

The group fell silent. Cutlery clinked against fine china. Other diners chatted and enjoyed the meal, but the Shippers’ supper had transformed into a strategy meeting.

Daisy sighed. “Why is romance so difficult?”

Althea peered over Gerry’s shoulder, and her full red lips lifted. “It’s not so difficult for some. Here comes romance now.”

“Do my Irish eyes deceive me?” a thick brogue exclaimed.

The other ladies’ heads turned to find Seamus O’Riley dressed in the same style of white tie and tails he wore for his show. He walked round the table until he stood by Gerry.

“Ah, it’s herself—the fairest flower in this floating MS Buckingham garden.”

Gerry grimaced. “That metaphor makes no sense.”

Daisy cringed and whispered, “Gerry, be nice.”

“Think nothing of it.” Seamus clasped his hands behind his back. “Every word she speaks to me is a point in my favor. I’ll win the fair lady yet.” He rocked on his heels. “Will y’be coming to my show when the new cruise starts?”

“We have work to do,” said Emily. “Perhaps another time.”

“You’re crushin’ me poor spirit.” Seamus patted his chest. “But I’ll hold you to that promise, and I’ll say good night till it be morrow.” He left with a twinkle.

Althea swooned. “That was poetic.”

“Shakespeare probably thought as much when he wrote it,” said Gerry.

“I know it’s from Romeo and Juliet. I’m not an idiot. But I’m not sure about you. Why don’t you date him?”

“He looks like he’s part leprechaun.”

“I think he’s cute.” Althea’s eyebrows dipped. “Snatch him up while he’s still interested.”

“He’s shorter than me.” Gerry pulled a book from under her napkin, snapped it open, and blocked her face.

“Too bad he didn’t take a shine to me first.” Althea lifted a little from her chair as she watched the magician cross the room. “I’d like to go international for husband number four. Get a little Irish cream in my diet.”

“You do that.” Gerry lowered her book. “I’ll be your bridesmaid.”

Emily ignored her friends picking at each other as she calculated their next move in Operation Ambush. Her bones told her success was imminent. She stabbed a russet potato with her fork, sliced it down the middle, and smiled. “Ladies, we may be close to clinching another satisfied match. If we can devise a good scheme, one more voyage should do it.”