Page 57 of Revenge Honeymoon

Both Emily and Ruby turned at the same time to see a middle-aged woman in tight sporty leggings and a hot pink rash guard smiling widely at them.

“Model?” Ruby asked with a quizzical twist of her lips.

An identical-looking woman in identical athletic wear, only in blue, joined the stranger. “Yes, it’s her.” She nodded emphatically. “I’d recognize that gorgeous hair anywhere.”

Ruby touched a lock of hair and gave Emily a confused look.

“Bob, it’s the girl we were telling you about.” The woman in pink called to a fit-looking older man with a completely bald head and a goatee. “Isn’t she perfect?”

Ruby blushed.

“Perfect for what?” But as Emily asked the question, she knew the answer. The release form. She took a quick glance toward Max, and their gazes met.

His face paled.

He knew. He knew who these women were, and he knew what they were asking.

“For the marketing photos. Didn’t the photographer tell you?” The twin in blue, elbowed her sister. “I told you he didn’t even ask. There was something odd about that guy.”

“There’s nothing odd about him.”Crap.Why was she defending Max? Beautiful Max who turned into Creepy Max who was now walking in their direction?

“Max, darling,” Pink Twin said overly loud and with totally faked friendliness when she spied the handsome photographer. “We found your model.” She grabbed hold of Ruby’s hands before she could react. “And she’s perfect. We want her. Whatever we have to pay, isn’t that right, Donna?”

Ruby grimaced and yanked back her hands.

“Dolphins follow me! Our buses are waiting.” The crew member with the sign headed toward the far right side of the theater, leading his group of about twenty honeymoon cruisers to the exit. “Let’s stick together, folks.”

“Donna, Diana, nice to see you again.” Max smiled a very forced, weird smile.

What was up? Why had he been up on the stage with Sylvia? Maybe what Ruby believed had been true after all? Was Max merely looking out for his best interests? Had he been friendly only because he’d been interested in Ruby as his model?

* * *

Ruby did the only thing that made sense in an awkward situation, she ignored the questions of the Weird Twins, grabbed Emily’s arm, and dragged her down the aisle toward the crew member with the dolphin sign.

They passed right by Max whose face was as red as the sunburn on Emily’s stomach. A stomach that hadn’t seen the light of day since she was eight years old and caught skinny dipping in her neighbor’s pool one hot August evening.

“Miss,” Pink Twin said in a clipped tone, waving a hand at Ruby. “Oh, miss, we would like to talk to you, please.”

“Keep walking,” Ruby said in a harsh whisper. The same sort of whisper a mother used when a child made a ruckus during the church service. That whisper meant blind obedience without question. A do-it-or-else sort of tone.

“Right.” Emily kept her gaze focused on the cartoon dolphin on the sign. It smiled a goofy smile with a lot of white teeth.

Wait, did dolphins have teeth?

That didn’t seem anatomically correct. She’d have to ask the crew member about the accuracy of the sign.

When they’d made it to the bottom of the aisle in front of the stage, Emily sneaked a quick glance back at Max, the twins, and their respective new husbands. There was a lot of pointing at Ruby and hand gesturing. The ladies were displeased. Max touched his temple and closed his eyes.

Oof.

Not good for Max.

Her throat ached.

She wasn’t supposed to care about him anymore. He was a creep. A cruise voyeur, if there was such a thing, who liked taking pictures of women in swimwear.

Hm, but didn’t photographers take photos of women in swimwear all the time? Was that so wrong?

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