Page 61 of Love Overboard
Her mother joined them, and she stroked his arm. “She’s surprised, is all.”
“Iamsurprised.” Lacey tugged the hem of her jacket and touched a hand to her hair, then tucked a protruding pin into her bun. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you in the birthday card I sent to expect a surprise.” Ronald tucked his thumbs through his belt loops. “We got tired of waiting for you to come visit. So we used those cruise vouchers you sent us last Christmas.”
“That’s wonderful.” Lacey’s customer-service mask was in place. “Why don’t you relax in your cabin, and I’ll come visit you when I finish here?” She held both hands to the left. “You’ll find the elevators in that direction.”
“It’s good to see you.” Her mother bent forward but hesitated.
Regret surged through Lacey.I’m the meanest daughter on the planet.She gathered her mom in her arms. Her heart cracked a little at how fragile her mother felt. “It’s good to see you too. I missed you.”
Her father wrapped his arms around both of them. “About time the family got together again. Good thing I came up with the idea.”
Lacey’s throat ached. Pressure built behind her eyes, and she breathed deep before releasing her mother. “What’s your room number?”
They told her. She walked them to the elevators, and her parents entered the car. Her dad waved, and Lacey waved back with a smile. It lingered on her face when the doors slid shut. She returned to her duty station in the lobby and welcomed more passengers.
Always with a smile. Her mouth formed the expected pose without hesitation. She’d perfected her disguise a long time ago.
Jon pressed his lips together and rolled them inward as Lacey peeked out the skinny window by his office door. She lowered the blinds and sat on the chair facing his desk. A paper bag with the food she’d sneaked in sat on top.
“We’re having lunch,” he said. “Not holding a secret conference.”
Lacey pulled out a couple of hamburgers, handed one to Jon, and unwrapped the other. “Our lost-and-found escapade got the rumor mill spinning. Any public interaction adds more fodder. Besides”—she took a bite of her sandwich—“the Shippers probably have spies everywhere.”
“NowthatI can believe. But there’s an easy way to fix it. Reveal our relationship.”
Lacey choked. She set her burger down and pounded a fist against her chest. “Are you”—she coughed—“are you crazy?”
Jon grabbed a bottle of water, twisted off the cap, and passed it to her. “What’s crazy about wanting to brag about my beautiful girlfriend?”
Lacey drank a sip and wiped her mouth. “Give it a little more time.”
Her eyes begged him to understand. He wanted to try, even if it hurt. Jon sat back on his chair and picked up his burger, his fingers playing with the wrapper. He’d planned to tell her about the drug smugglers at lunch and ask for help, but the relationship issue derailed his plans. Now wasn’t the opportune moment.
They ate without talking. Only the rustle of food interrupted the silence. Voices passed in the hallway. Even if a coworker walked in on them, it looked more like a business meeting over lunch than a date.
He stared at the clock on his computer. Five more minutes before she had to leave. How could he fix this?
“My parents came aboard this morning,” Lacey said in a quiet voice, face pointed at the floor.
“Your parents? That’s great. I’d love to meet them.”
“No.” She jerked her head from side to side. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t say we’re together. I’ll introduce myself as the cruise director and—”
“Jon.” She reached across the desk and grabbed his hand. “I don’t want you to meet them.”
He stilled. “We can’t reveal our relationship to the crew. And I’m not allowed to meet your parents. Are you sure we’re really dating?”
“Of course we are.” Lacey avoided his gaze. She let go of his hand, opened a bag of potato chips, and shoved one in her mouth.
“Is this truly about teasing the Shippers?”
She finished crunching and swallowed. “What else?”
The hum of the air conditioner filled the room.
