Page 47 of Revenge Honeymoon

“Hi. So good to see you again,” said one of the twins. “You remember us?” She pointed at her sister. Both dressed identically once again, but this time in matching silk dresses.

Expensive.

If nothing else had been gained from his last relationship, Penny had taught him how to identify designer clothing.

Max scanned each twin’s face and scrunched up his eyes. “You’re Diana.” He pointed at the twin on the left. “And you’re Donna?”

One of the twins covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. “I’m Donna. But even our husbands mix us up, so all is forgiven.”

“Can I do something for you two?” Although he wanted to be on the way to Emily and Ruby’s cabin and make his apology, he had an in-born need to remain polite. He was, after all, on a working vacation.

“We were hoping we could buy a copy of the photo you took of us at the pool,” Diana-possibly-Donna said.

Was he allowed to sell those photos? Sylvia had claimed they were for marketing purposes, but any photos he sold resulted in money made for both the cruise line and himself. It didn’t seem like a conflict.

“Certainly. Would you like to meet me down at the studio in the morning, and I could show you some proofs?”

“Couldn’t we look at them tonight?” One of the sisters clasped her hands together in prayer formation, her jade bracelets clacking together.

The other smiled as widely as a shark about to devour a baby seal.

His heart sank. Emily and Ruby would have to wait.

* * *

Emily’s stomach rolled and writhed as if she were Kane in the movieAlienwith a creature about to burst from it. “I shouldn’t have eaten the crème brûlée.” Oh, but it had been delicious. Right now she might be regretting her choice, but every bite had been divine.

“What was this stuff again?” Ruby pointed with a sunburn-cream-laden finger to an empty appetizer plate. “I could eat a whole bowl of that sauce.”

Emily rolled on her side to view the plate with only a few crumbs and streak of straw-colored sauce left on it. “I don’t remember.” She surveyed the two trays of dirty dishware and used cloth napkins. “Maybe we can figure it out from the receipt?”

The former bride lay on her back, stared at the ceiling, and burped.

Emily burst out laughing. “Oh, my God, Rubes, are you sure you weren’t a construction worker in a previous life?”

Ruby giggled. “It hurts to laugh.” She touched her cream-covered cheeks. “How long does it take for a sunburn to heal?”

“Probably longer than our ten-day cruise.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know, but we better be careful next time we’re in the sun.” Emily picked up her phone and clicked on the cruise app. “What excursion did you and Tyler sign up for on Jamaica?”

Please don’t let it be a day on the beach. Please, please, please.

“I don’t know. Tyler picked everything out.”

“You didn’t even look?”

“We have—had—the same adventurous spirit.” Her voice cracked. “I trusted his judgment.”

Emily reached out a hand to her sunburned bestie. “I’m sorry I asked. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Why couldn’t she learn to stop blurting out the first thought that popped into her head?

“It’s okay. I need to move past this.” She sniffed and almost rubbed her nose with the back of her hand before she remembered it was coated with cream. “My life does not revolve around Tyler Hardy.”

Ruby was making progress. By the end of the cruise, maybe she will have gotten over the horror of her ruined wedding.

“That’s right.” Emily scrolled to tomorrow’s activities list. “River rafting.” Whew. Thank God. “That sounds jungle-y and shady, right?” She clicked on the activity to read a description. “Relax with a refreshing white water rafting ride down the Rio Bueno.”

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