Page 72 of Revenge Honeymoon

“Oh?” Better to play stupid in this scenario.

Donna picked up one of the empty wine glasses on the table and signaled to the sommelier to fill it. “When will you have the release form signed? We’d really like to lock this down before the cruise ends. We can’t let the perfect girl get away.”

Max’s mind immediately jumped to Emily. Yes, he couldn’t let her get away. The fact she’d agreed to his date invitation against all odds had him calculating how he could avoid squandering the opportunity. He needed to lay all his cards on the table.

“Max?” Diana asked.

The sommelier appeared with a bottle of red and poured a glass for Donna. “Would you like me to send the server to your table for your dinner selections?”

“No,” Max said.

“Yes,” the twins answered in unison.

The sommelier’s eyes popped open. “Uh, very good.” He finished pouring the wine and disappeared.

“Well?” Diana tapped a long red fingernail on the clean white tablecloth. “When?”

The twins scooted their chairs closer and boxed him in. His heart pounded. Sylvia’s face floated in his mind. She said she’d ruin him if he couldn’t do as she asked.

Could she?

Did he really want another cruise ship job? Maybe Sylvia didn’t have the power to destroy his fledgling photography career, but these two high-powered women did. Their family owned the cruise line. They were millionaires many times over. If he screwed this up, what hope did he have of salvaging his reputation? His show had been a bomb, the cruise had not been the fun escape he hoped for, and now he was backed into a corner.

“I have a meeting with them tomorrow night.” Sure, it was a date not a meeting, and it was with Emily, not Ruby, but maybe he could subtly bring up the topic?

Was it hot in here?

Sweat prickled around his collar.

“Perfect.” Donna clapped her hands and then shoved back her chair. “I’m sure you can manage to fix this. We had no doubts, did we, Di?”

Diana drank the last swig of wine in her glass. “No doubts at all. We’ll expect the signed contract in Sylvia’s hands by five p.m. the day we dock in Cozumel. Good?”

Max closed his eyes briefly. What had he done? “Yes, good.”

Chapter19

The Elevator

Emily took a deep breath. Confession time. It was—she checked her phone for the time—an hour before her date with Max. She’d been trying all day on their second day-at-sea to find the perfect moment to tell Ruby about her date and her plan. But every time they sat down for a drink, went to a show, or grabbed a snack, Emily lost her courage.

“That’s like the hundredth time you’ve checked your phone. What’s going on?” Ruby kicked off her sandals and plopped down on the bed. “By the way, thanks for suggesting the buffet for dinner. All those little desserts? Oh, my God, adorable. And delicious.” She laid back against the pillows and rubbed her flat stomach.

Emily’s nerves had plagued her all day. But maybe she should be nervous more often—she’d hardly eaten a thing. How did Ruby not notice her usual Hoover vacuum bestie when it came to buffets could barely finish a scoop of macaroni and cheese and steamed broccoli? “I have to tell you something, Rubes.”

Emily took a deep breath and planted her feet on the carpet decorated with little anchors.

“Okay, lay it on me.” Ruby folded her arms and rested them behind her head.

“I might have accepted a date from Max yesterday.” She nibbled on the inside of her cheek.

Ruby’s eyebrows shot up. “What? The Peeping Tom creeper?”

“I don’t know if I’d call him a Peeping Tom. I mean, we were in a public place and everyone else on the deck saw us in our bathing suits.” Why was she trying to rationalize this? Emily held up a hand. “Okay, let me start over. I know how you feel about him, Ruby.”

“Thank you.” The former bride gave a curt nod.

“I accepted the date because I have a plan to fix this whole thing.”

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