Love Overboard

Chapter 38

JON MADE A QUICK HELLO circuit around the lido deck on the way to his office. A cruise director never lacked for friends. Total strangers called him by name and slapped him on the back as he passed.

His teeth ground together as he observed Collins stretched out on a deck chair. His paunch showed through the gaping holes between his shirt buttons, knobby white knees protruded below his shorts, and a straw hat rested over his face.

Jon approached the man and stood beside the chaise lounge. “Working hard?”

Collins tilted his hat back. “I contacted a friend of mine in the bureau for an update. He says the crew member they arrested on the MS Royal is ready to crack. Only a matter of time till they get the names of the ringleaders. All we got to do is wait.”

“Even so, do you suppose you might keep an eye on the passengers and crew here?” Jon tapped the top of the chair. “In case we missed someone.”

Collins rose with a grunt. He wandered away without a backward glance.

Jon spied Emily on the tier above the swimming pool. Her keen gaze took in the scene below. Her mouth moved, but there was no one beside her.

He took a detour up the stairs and approached the older woman. “Enjoying some alone time?”

“Not at all.” She lowered herself to a nearby chair. “I was talking to the Lord.”

Jon took the seat beside her. “Did my name come up in the conversation?”

“Naturally. And Lacey’s too.”

“That’s good. We could use some divine assistance.” His smile faltered. “I admit, I’ve been asking God for some extra help in the relationship department.”

Her brow crinkled. “Is there a problem?”

“Nope. Things are going well, but”—Jon rubbed a hand against his pants leg—“I thought things were going well two and a half years ago. Then Lacey disappeared without notice. If she did that again …” He shook his head.

“Worrying doesn’t fix anything, dear.” Emily reached over and patted his knee. “Talking to the Lord is the best thing you can do. And the second best is being honest with Lacey about your feelings. If you do that, everything will work out for the good.”

He hoped she was right. Since Lacey had introduced him to her parents, he felt a smidgen more secure in their relationship. But the word love had never once escaped her lips. A desperate desire for some sort of guarantee wrestled with his patience.

Emily and Jon sat for several seconds without saying anything. The sound of squeals and splashes drifted from the pool area. He studied the little matchmaker beside him. She wore a peaceful, relaxed expression.

“I haven’t seen much of you lately,” Jon said.

“Probably wouldn’t have noticed me anyway with those stars in your eyes.” Emily drummed her fingers on the armrest. “Have you made any headway on the drug case?”

“How—” He peered over his shoulder and lowered his voice. “How do you know about that?”

“We have our informants.” Emily raised her brows. “I assume you’ve told Lacey.”

“Yes. She’s been keeping a lookout for anyone suspicious.”

“Good. You can count on help from the Shippers. I visited the port myself to surveil the passengers. If we spot anything unusual, I’ll report it to you.”

Jon’s abdomen trembled from trying not to laugh. He wished Detective Collins had half this lady’s gumption. “Thank you, Emily.” He managed to say it without even a hint of laughter. “I appreciate your help. But I have to get going. I’ve got a—”

“Wait.” She lifted an authoritative hand. “While I’ve got you here, allow me to unburden my mind.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jon sat a little straighter.

“I’m serious. No one is happier than I am that you and Lacey found each other, but you’d better be careful. She may appear strong and resilient and, yes, a little prickly …”

He pinched two fingers close together. “A little.”

Emily laid her hand on his. “But her heart is fragile. It doesn’t take a lot to chip it.”

Jon placed his free hand over hers. “I’ll treat it with care.”

“Do you love her?” The faded blue eyes studied him.

“Since the moment she told me to pick up a piece of trash that wasn’t mine.”

“That’s my girl.” She bent forward. “You hurt Lacey, and there’s not a ship in the ocean you can hide on.” Her eyebrows climbed higher, and her chin puckered as she stared him down.

Jon leaned over and kissed her tissue-paper-soft cheek. She smelled of hair spray and butterscotch candy.

“You’re a marvel, Emily Windsor.”

“Pish-tosh.” She pushed him back.

Jon stood and winked at her. “I’ll save a front pew for the Shippers at the wedding.”

He stuck his hands in his pockets and whistled as he walked away.

Emily admired Jon like a doting grandmother might. When he was out of sight, she soaked in the sunshine and the lazy clouds floating overhead. “Lord, you did good work with that one.”

“Emily!” Gerry bustled up and dropped onto the chair beside her. “Carl emailed me.”

“Hmm?” Emily refocused on her friend. “Who?”

“Carl Paroo, my cousin, the detective.” Gerry waved a small stack of papers. “He plugged in the new information we sent him and hit pay dirt.”

Emily took the stack from Gerry. A picture of Jon in a graduation cap caught her attention first. Her smile disappeared as she read the words printed underneath. She glanced at Gerry, and her hands clenched. The paper crackled. “Is he sure about this?”

Gerry nodded. “I called him myself when I read his report.”

Emily shot to her feet. “This is bad.”

The ex-librarian’s lips sloped in a frown, and she nodded. “Lacey won’t like it. She’ll feel betrayed.”

“I can understand why.” Emily rubbed her fingers against her chest. “It … this is …” She balled up a fist and thumped it on her leg. “Things were going so well.”

Gerry pressed her forehead. “What do we do now?”

Emily dug her walkie-talkie from her purse and pushed the button. “Mayday. Mayday. All Shippers gather at HQ. And, Althea, if you’re in the bingo hall, you’d better get your behind to my cabin in five minutes. This is serious!”

Twenty minutes later, she was explaining the urgency of the situation to the cranky Shipper who had to leave her card behind when it was almost complete.

“I don’t get what the problem is,” Althea said. “The man has a buttload of money. What’s wrong with that?”

“The problem is”—Gerry’s hand had barely left her head since she learned the news—“he didn’t tell Lacey.” She massaged her right temple with her fingers. “You know she’ll hate it.”

“He must have his reasons.” Daisy sat on the edge of the couch, her posture ramrod straight. “People with money are still people.”

“I wish I could be that kind of people.” Althea’s gaze rose to the ceiling, and she pressed her palms together. “Give me a try, Lawd. I promise I’ll pay my tithes.”

“Please focus, Althea.” Emily sank onto the chair by the couch and pounded a fist on her rib cage to dislodge the tight sensation that plagued her. This case was giving her indigestion. “Lacey has trust issues. After meeting her father, I don’t blame her. But what can be done about it?”

“It appears there’s not much we can do,” Gerry said. “Number one, Jon’s rich. A fact we can’t change. Number two, he didn’t tell her. We can’t change that either.”

“Or can we?” Emily beat her chest a little harder. “The biggest problem is, he wasn’t honest with her. Our Prince Charming turned out to be an actual prince.” She snorted. “Or should I say ‘monarch.’ If we can convince him to tell Lacey immediately, it might soften the blow.”

Althea angled forward. “What do we do?”

Emily pushed herself from the chair. “Divide and conquer. Keep your walkie-talkies handy and scour the ship. Whoever spots Jon first alerts everyone. Between the four of us, we can help him make the right choice.”

The Shippers filed from the cabin and headed in four different directions. They had to find Jon before Lacey discovered she didn’t even know her boyfriend’s real last name.