Page 18 of Hearts Aweigh
“You didn’t have to.” Gideon laughed. “Your tone said it all when you described her in her ridiculous Cinderella costume.”
“And what tone was that?”
“Oh, I’d call it exasperated interest.”
Gideon’s perception had seen beyond Spencer’s social status and polite reserve to the wounded soul underneath. No use hiding his incomprehensible fascination from his friend. Or even himself.
He shrugged. “She’s … attractive … in a wholesome, compact way.”
“Compact, huh? You know what they say. Good things come in small packages.”
“She has no interest in me whatsoever. She keeps her attention focused on Madeleine. Always.” Spencer cleared his throat. “As it should be.”
He didn’t need a girlfriend. He needed a capable caretaker to watch over the most precious person in his life. Madeleine was all that mattered. Abigail O’Brien’s indifference to him was a blessing in disguise.
Abby released a breath the moment they entered the double glass doors of the Kids Kingdom. Parents seldom rattled her, but Madeleine Masterson’s father was anything but the usual passenger. His autocratic bearing declared there must be a king or two in his family tree—the kind who put peasants in the stocks. But it wasn’t his demeanor alone that flustered her. Not even his arrogance could hide the fact the man was smack-you-in-the-face stunning.
His thick black hair framed a strong forehead, and deep dark eyes glistened like the waves surrounding the MSBuckingham. Their depths might have been warm if not for the straight, suspicious brows looming over them. A chiseled jaw and a square chin dared her not to examine his features too long.
Did he sense her nervousness? Her physical reaction? The way her insides flittered when he turned his attention on her?
“Excuse me, ma’am,” the girl at her side said. “What do I do?”
What a wretch Abby was. Daydreaming about an off-limits parent when there was an adorable little girl who lacked love and attention. Abby bent to meet her eye-to-eye.
“We have so many choices. There’s the karaoke room, the ropes course, or the movie’s starting if you want to grab some popcorn.”
Maddie surveyed the large play area. A nearby group of children built a fortress with giant sponge blocks. Squeals echoed from the back room where others bounced on trampolines. An alcove with bookshelves and beanbag chairs sat off to one side. The girl pointed to the quiet space.
Abby clapped her hands. “I love reading too. Do you want me to help you choose a book?”
“No, thank you.”
Maddie padded to the alcove, slipped a story from the shelf, and sat in a beanbag chair with her dress spread around her like she was posing for a photo. Abby bit her lip. The child was too young to read more than picture books. Perhaps she’d tire of them soon and interact with the other children. Something about her upright posture prompted Abby to keep an eye on this darling child. She got the sense Madeleine Masterson was used to being forgotten. Abby intended to show her how special she was. Even if it was just for one day.
Abby’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and found a text from Emily.
What time do you get off? I have a surprise.
Her toes twitched inside her sneakers. If this meant what she thought it did—
A whoop left Abby’s mouth. Among the chatter and noise of the playroom, no one noticed. She mouthed a prayer of thanks that singlehood was almost finished. A few more hours, and she’d meet the man of her dreams.
CHAPTER 7
EMILY’S CANE TAPPED ALONG THEdeck. She scooted around a passel of oil-slicked sunbathers to a table near the railing, where her friends sat under a purple-and-gold umbrella. Gerry and Althea held playing cards close to their faces like a couple of gamblers in an old Western. Daisy stretched in a lounge chair behind them, studying something.
As Emily drew closer, she recognized the square-shaped note from the day before. Daisy fingered the card, picking at its corner in nervous agitation. She tucked it away in the pocket of her wide-legged black trousers.
“Hello, ladies.” Emily approached her fellow Shippers.
Althea waved. “You arrived in time to witness my victory.” She pushed her cards together and rapped them against the table. “Knock, knock. Who’s there?”
“Button it,” Gerry grumbled.
“Oh, you know who’s there.” Althea spread her cards. “It’s Mrs. Big Winner.”
While the two squabbled over their gin rummy game, Emily settled in the chair next to Daisy. She rubbed her aching knee. In the distance, a school of dolphins bounced above the waves, following the ship.
