Chapter Eight #2
I wouldn’t have had the wonderful chances to talk with him that I’ve had!”
“And we have had some great chats!” Edward said. “Okay, table, surround and sit! Oh, yeah, the last seats are for the McClintock
brothers. They should be here any minute!”
“Not to worry,” Wes said lightly. “We’ll be, um, ten, I think—George, Edward, Celia, Jeff, Daniel, Broderick, Sally, Amelia,
Chloe and me! And it’s a table for ten. We’ll all be good and only take a seat per person!”
“Oh, he’s a funny guy!” Jeff groaned, his tone teasing.
Laughter followed his words; then they saw the last members of their group, Daniel, Broderick and Amelia heading in, and they
all waved, showing them where they were.
Coming to the table early had been good; Sally and George had taken the chairs that were on either side of Edward.
Greetings went around and next up was choosing from the gourmet seafood entrées that were available.
“Lobster!” Edward announced.
“The cockroach of the sea!” Celia warned him.
“I’ll take my chances.”
“New England scrod—with the best buttery crumb topping known to man? I must try that!” Chloe announced.
“Hey, did you know that they’re having a cooking class tomorrow?” Celia asked. “Don’t worry, Edward, it’s not during my class
time. And Amelia and I are in. Chloe, you should come and take that class with us! Oh, um, you, too, Sally!” she added politely.
Sally smiled, but Wes thought she knew that Celia didn’t really care if she opted in or not—she wasn’t young and up and coming.
“Oh, I’ve done my share of cooking,” Sally said. “I’m thinking about lying around the adults-only pool, maybe hopping in and
out of the whirlpool. What do you think you’ll be up to, Edward?” she asked.
“Lounging around!” Edward said, smiling at her.
Sally might have had him by a few years, but it was evident he returned her feelings. They had something. Maybe just friendship.
He didn’t know.
And who the hell was he to judge?
So long as she isn’t a killer—the only thing that really matters on this cruise!
“So, how was lunch in Montego Bay?” Wes asked, looking from Edward and George to Amelia and Sally. “Good, I’m assuming.”
“Charming! We had the sweetest waitress ever!” Sally said. “Jamaicans are truly nice people!”
Edward laughed. “Well, for the most part, Jamaicans are nice people! No matter where you go, people are human beings and we’re
all a bit different, right? Still, a truly charming lunch was had by all. Right, George?”
“I enjoyed it very much,” George said.
“Amelia?” Chloe asked lightly.
“Um, yeah. It was fine. I guess I’d been hoping to get a little more done with Edward on the business side of things—” Amelia
began.
“Business!” Edward groaned. “Amelia, I’m—we, all of us at Milestones—are so grateful to all of you for being on the cruise,
for talking to people, helping, giving so much! But, come on, sometimes, we need to let it go. And I told you, I’m not the
one in charge of the promo media department. You need to speak with Jonathan Martin about that.”
“Right, right, I’m sorry, so sorry!” Amelia said. “Lobster! Cockroach of the sea! Sounds delicious to me. I’m rhyming here,
but, seriously, lobster? It’s delicious!”
Amelia was good, quick to joke and join in the flow. But Wes couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration again.
It seemed that they had cleared only one of their six suspects—and had they really cleared him?
All of their questions just led to more questions rather than answers.
“So, how was the day at Dunn’s River Falls?” Edward asked. “Well, of course, other than Celia getting her little boo-boo!”
“The falls are absolutely beautiful. It was a great day!” Chloe assured him. “Well, we managed to miss lunch, which, in my
mind, is going to make dinner all the more delicious!”
His partner leaned close to him, smiling, her face just inches from his own.
“That’s what we’ve decided. Right, my love?” she asked.
He looked around at the others, grinning. “As she wishes. Always!”
“Ouch! We share in the same wishes! Always,” Chloe protested.
Jeff groaned. “No, no, no, the answer to a happy marriage is always making sure that the Buttercup bride gets what she wishes! Isn’t that right, dear?” he asked Celia.
Celia made a face and grinned. “As you wish, dear,” she told her husband.
“If only!” Jeff said.
And once again, laughter went around the table.
They ordered their food and drinks and spoke about the island, the ship and then how the classes were going.
“They’re amazing!” Chloe said. “I mean, I’m independent, a small business, but I love what I do. I’m an art fanatic, and I
especially love to promote my artists, so this has been wonderful for me. Promote them, of course, without putting them into
danger!” she added, nodding sagely to Daniel and Broderick.
“Safety is key,” Broderick said. “Many of our great—and even not so great—American politicians, military advisors and more
have stated now—and years ago as well—that the internet would be our undoing. That’s why I love the way we’ve entered into
the field. Security is everything.”
“Ah, yes! Security is important, extremely important!” Celia agreed. “But social media is here to stay. And, as you were saying,
it’s important to be secure, but for many people, it’s the best way to put themselves out there. All kinds of people have found jobs—their livelihoods—as
influencers. And many, many people have found the love of their lives! So, yes, security is important. But so is learning
how to manage the zillions of apps that are out there, how not to put oneself in harm’s way—and still enjoy all there is to
offer. Hey. We never know if another pandemic will hit. And at its best, the internet kept us all connected when it wasn’t
possible to be social in a physical way!”
“True,” Wes murmured. “Different apps helped us all through a difficult time.” He shrugged. “It’s like everything in this world. The internet offers the very, very good—and it offers some severe difficulties, as well.”
“Aha! But not so much when you know all about security!” Daniel announced.
They all laughed.
Their food was served; Wes had decided on the scrod with Chloe, and it was excellent; one thing about the cruise, it did offer
wonderful food. Couldn’t complain about that.
When the meal ended, Broderick announced that he was heading to the casino and Celia turned to Jeff and said, “Ah, come on,
I know you’re tired! But . . . a wee bit of dancing!”
Wes leaned forward jokingly. “Ah, come on, as she wishes!” he teased.
“Hey, I may even hit the casino!” Edward said. “George—”
“Not a gambler, but I’ll happily watch you throw your money away!” George told him.
Wes slipped his arm around Chloe’s shoulders as they headed out of the dining room.
“Dancing first!” Celia said.
Chloe laughed softly. “I’m pretty beat from today, too, but a dance or two and . . .”
“Casino!” Wes said.
“As you wish!” she told him.
They headed to the large lounge where a band was playing and couples were already whisking around on the floor or chatting
at more of the circle tables.
The band was good.
They were playing a swing number as they entered, and Chloe looked at him with an arched brow.
He smiled and took her by the hand.
Thanks to his mother’s obsession with ballroom dancing, he’d been dragged to a studio since he’d been about ten years old.
He could arch a brow at her in turn.
And it worked! Apparently, someone had dragged Chloe to a dance studio, too. They fell into step easily; he led, and she followed,
perfectly, to a tee.
He swept her into an impressive dip as the song came to an end, grinning down into her face as he held her.
There were others on the floor, of course, but he was glad when he saw that Jeff and Celia had been dancing near them and
were then staring at them.
“Wow, that was impressive!” Jeff said.
“Very,” Celia agreed.
“Well, you know,” Chloe said, smiling as she looked over at Wes, “practice makes perfect. Except, oh, we’re far from perfect.”
Celia laughed. “Well, practice makes you two look pretty damned good! But, hey, listen! Isn’t that a tango coming up?”
“A tango!” Chloe said.
Wes shrugged. He’d never thought he’d have been quite so grateful for his mother’s obsession.
But he could tango.
And so, they stepped out on the floor again. Once more, he knew that he could lead, and once more, he was certain Chloe had
also been dragged into taking dance lessons herself. Maybe she hadn’t been dragged.
But it was rather incredible, and certainly convenient. They could appear to be a couple who had known one another, learned
about one another, and just what they could do together as a couple.
The tango ended with them alone on the floor and actually receiving applause along with the band.
“I’ll bet you two can rumba, samba, Viennese waltz . . . I lose Jeff when it gets too complicated,” Celia said.
“Hey, I was a great lineman in high school and college! I didn’t have time to dig into the local Fred Astaire or Arthur Murray studios!”
“And now we play football every day!” Celia said dryly. “Hm, and they’re coming up next with a foxtrot!”
Jeff groaned.
“Hey! Wes will take you out on the floor,” Chloe said. “I’ll sit this one out with Jeff for a minute or two. I’m a little
muscle weary, anyway.”
“Sure!” Wes said. “Happy to oblige.”
He swept Celia out on the floor.
She wasn’t the partner Chloe had been, but she did know the dance and they moved along easily enough.
He wasn’t sure what conversation Chloe would have with Jeff, but since he had Celia, he decided to press her on the day.
“You really got nothing but a scrape, right?” he asked her.
She groaned as she moved about. “I keep telling everyone that I’m fine!”
“I know, I know. I was just hoping you didn’t get a twisted muscle that you’re barely feeling now, but that might hurt tomorrow.”
“No twisted muscles, thanks to you, my savior!”
“Well, it is slippery up there. And we were kind of bunched together.”