Page 14 of Hearts Aweigh
Emily scowled while poor Daisy wilted like an overheated orchid.
The man rested a hand on the couch. “I’d hardly call Daisy an authority on the subject.”
Gerry raised her pointy chin and glared at him with all the fervor of a retired librarian. “Young man, your mother has helped bring together more than one happy couple.”
“Too bad she never used this so-called expertise in her own marriage. Does your little club charge people?”
“Pish-tosh!” Emily stood and tossed her bingo card on the table. “We do it out of the goodness of our hearts.”
“Goodness?” He disregarded the older women and addressed Abby. “I can’t speak for Daisy’s friends, but you’d do well to steer clear of any romantic help offered by my mother.”
Abby clenched the remaining invitations. She’d been the cause of the current disharmony, but she wasn’t sure how to fix it. “Please—”
Ding.
Mr. Masterson checked his phone, fetched his coat from the back of the couch, and shoved the cell in his pocket. “If you’ll excuse me, the governess is still unwell and wants to visit the infirmary. I need to relieve her and take care of my daughter.”
He pivoted to Abby. She craned her neck to make eye contact with the imposing man. Was this how David felt when he faced Goliath?
She pointed at the card. “Don’t forget. We’d love to see Madeleine at our jamboree.”
A short incline of his head was his only answer before he walked away.
Abby released a dramatic breath and turned to the Shippers. “I’m sorry about the slipup. I didn’t realize revealing your matchmaking would put Mr. Masterson in such a snit. I mean—”
“Everything puts my son in a snit,” Daisy said. “There’s no need to apologize for his incivility.”
“He’s not that bad.”
Emily cocked her head. “He’s not?”
“I mean, sure.” Abby tugged at her sash. “He’s not the friendliest person, but he obviously cares for his daughter. And he left right away so his sick employee could visit the doctor. That counts for something.”
Gerry scribbled in a small leather notebook, and Abby tried to read over her shoulder. Before she could make out the words, Gerry snapped it shut. The woman gave a quick nod to their leader.
Abby waggled her eyebrows at Emily. “So when do you start setting me up with eligible bachelors?”
The boss Shipper’s lips curved upward. “You can rest assured, dear. We’re considering every angle.”
CHAPTER 6
EMILY WAITED BY THE ENTRANCEof the starboard-side lounge, tapping her black three-ring binder against her chin. A family of four entered. The mother and father gushed about the previous evening’s buffet dinner while their two boys hunched over their game consoles. Behind them stood a young couple.
Correction.Halfa young couple.
The man’s close-cropped brown hair hinted of gray at the scalp, where his dye job was growing out. A woman in her twenties wrapped around his waist like a second belt. From the way she giggled and cooed, Emily wondered if they were May–December newlyweds. She checked the woman’s left hand. No diamonds. But on the man’s ring finger was a slightly lighter band of flesh.
Emily studied him—the wary way his eyes darted around the room as if searching for anyone he knew. The couple sidled off to a secluded table behind a potted plant. Emily shook her head.
“Yep.” Althea slid beside her. “A cheater if I ever saw one. I wonder if his poor wife is sitting at home, believing he’s on a business trip.”
Daisy arrived on Emily’s other side. “Perhaps he’s recently divorced.”
A familiar snort came from Gerry as she joined the party. “Perhaps that’s his real hair color too.”
“Let’s ignore the shameful choices of others, girls.” Emily gathered her friends and pushed them toward the windows. “We’ve got a real romance to arrange.”
The Shippers picked a table away from the pedestrian traffic for their strategy meeting.
