Page 6 of Love Overboard
“Phooey.” Althea rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a stickler. A cruise line can’t dictate who to love. If she fell for him, she could get a new job.”
Daisy placed a gentle hand on Gerry’s arm before the two could get into another verbal skirmish. “But Lacey takes longer than most to warm up. She has a better chance of forming an attachment with a man she already knows. Wouldn’t you agree, Althea?” She gestured for her roommate to answer.
Althea shrugged and crossed her arms. “I suppose.” She turned to Emily. “Daisy brings up a good point. Lacey already knows Ricardo. Why are you in such an all-fired hurry to switch him with a stranger?”
“We know Ricardo was raised Catholic, but I’m not sure he still attends church. If Jon has a closer relationship with the Almighty, I’d prefer a man like that for my girl.” Emily tapped the chart with her index finger. “We observed her interactions with each candidate, and every time, she remained friendly but professional. I adore Lacey. There isn’t a kinder, more considerate person on this ship, but when it comes to romance, the girl is an ice princess. The only reason we settled on the pastry chef is because she loves his cherry tarts.”
“I could go for one of those tarts.” Althea moaned and rubbed her extended belly. “When do we eat?”
“It’s a cruise ship,” Gerry said. “You can eat whenever the urge hits.”
“But I can’t go alone.” Althea’s eyebrows flew high as the Gateway Arch while her lower lip jutted out.
“Althea. Gerry. Please focus.” Emily tapped the list one more time. “As I was saying, Lacey showed zero interest in the other men, but you should’ve been in that hallway an hour ago. They needed a fire extinguisher for the sparks those two were throwing around. They definitely seemed familiar with each other, already on a first-name basis. And Jon made a telling comment about knowing Lacey’s softer side. I’d give all my cruiser reward points to know what he meant!”
“It appears they have a history.” Daisy took a packet of peanuts from her purse and passed them to Althea. “How do you think they became acquainted?”
“I overheard Lacey mention he was good at his job.” Emily walked to the end of the long paper and picked at the tape holding it on the wall. “She’s worked for Monarch for over four years. The logical assumption is they sailed together on a different ship in the past.”
The scent of peanuts wafted through the air as Althea crunched. “You know how workers on a cruise ship can be. It’s like a dating reality show from the moment we leave port.”
“Small wonder,” said Gerry. “They spend day and night in close quarters for a six-month stretch. It would be difficult not to grow attached to someone with that much togetherness.”
“Or get sick of someone.” Althea twisted her lips, and Gerry stuck out her tongue in response. Althea ignored her and turned her attention back to their fearless leader. “What type is this new man? How does he look?”
Emily sighed dreamily. “He reminds me of the classic Hollywood movies when men wore suits and stood up as a lady came to the table. Tall, dark, and every other cliché you can imagine. Jonathan King’s shoulders stretch for miles, and his easy way of talking exudes confidence.”
“Yes, please.” Althea clapped.
“But more importantly, the man is smitten. He kept his eyes glued to Lacey no matter how fast she marched without sparing him a glance. He’s the one.” Emily’s chin bobbed as she pulled the last bit of tape off the old candidate list and crumpled it. She tossed the wad into the waste can by the desk and motioned to the woman beside it. “Daisy, get me that roll of butcher paper in the closet. Time to make a new battle plan. This match will be our crowning achievement. I feel it deep down in my bones.”
Gerry took out her laptop, and the Shippers settled in to chart a new course for Lacey’s love life, whether she wanted it or not.
Their little club name came about a few weeks into their friendship. Althea had said every team required a proper moniker. Her first husband played hockey, and she suggested the Wedding Ringers—referring to players who can turn the tide of a game with their skills. A casual observer might dismiss Emily and her friends as the sweet little old ladies on the boat, but they were the ones making things happen.
Daisy had protested that the termringerwas a little crass. They were in the romance business, not a sports franchise. It was Gerry who brainstormed the name that stuck: the Shippers, because they were all about relationships. It sounded nautical and didn’t give their true purpose away.
Emily didn’t care what they were called so long as they got the job done. And intuition told her she’d found the right match for Lacey Anderson.
Handsome, mannerly, and charismatic, with an honest smile. A man with nothing to hide.
He was perfect.
CHAPTER 3
“CRUISE DIRECTOR IS THE PERFECT COVER.” The man lounging across from Jon tugged on the front of his wrinkled Hawaiian shirt as its buttons made a valiant attempt to join the overextended fabric. He threaded a hand through his graying hair and leaned back in the office chair. Reid Collins looked more like a retired accountant from Baltimore than a now-private detective who’d spent thirty years in the FBI.
Jon forced his attention away from the white T-shirt peekabooing from the gaping holes in the man’s outfit—though he was grateful for the barrier it offered from the skin beneath—and adjusted the stapler on his desk. “Not that I object to the job, but why is it perfect?”
“You have the run of the ship, and no one will question you for being up in people’s business. Watch for the warning signs. People traveling alone. Passengers arriving from a day in port with large amounts of luggage. Jumpy crew members.”
Jon typed into his computer. “Have you noticed anyone suspicious?”
“Lots.” Collins popped a piece of gum in his mouth. “You can’t dismiss anyone. I remember one drug ring I busted on a cruise ship in ’99 was headed by a seventy-year-old grandma. She tried to plead senility.”
Jon made another note. “I met a woman like that today. She lives on board the ship.”
“Did you catch her name?”
