stand in some long line to shake the guy’s hand, either. What a strange custom. How many pilots had travelers met? This was simply a bigger ship. He shrugged and left the room. Guess it made as much sense as throwing confetti overboard.
Maybe Paul was right. He’d lost his sense of humor. Everyone else had seemed caught up in the departure ritual. All but Michelle, he remembered, as he entered the dining room and pressed his way through sequins and satin. Maybe he’d been wrong about her. If she hadn’t changed tables, he’d do his best to make amends.
Across the room he spotted Millie and Hazel already seated, along with the lovebirds. They’d all assumed the same places. It reminded him of the one time he’d served on jury duty. The jurors had always taken the same seats in the deliberation room. He wondered what havoc he’d wreak if he sat in a different chair. The only one left now was Michelle’s. If he wanted to start fresh with the woman, that probably wasn’t the way to begin. Millie waved excitedly as he approached.
“My, don’t you ladies look gorgeous!” he said. They did, each in their own way. “I guess I’m a little underdressed.”
“You look very handsome, Kevin.” Millie smiled coyly, then lowered her gaze. Hazel reached over and patted his hand reassuringly. Maybe they thought he couldn’t afford formal attire, which was just as well. He’d hate to think how much more active their obvious matchmaking efforts would be if they knew the truth.
“Did you meet Captain Olson?” Hazel asked.
“No, I’m afraid I didn’t.”
“Sis and I arrived early and were near the front of the line. He’s soooo charming, don’t you think, Millie?”
“Oh, yes.” She hunched her narrow shoulders and wiggled them. “I’ve always loved a man in uniform, all epaulets and braid, every crease to perfection.” She winked at Kevin and he couldn’t help but smile. “Kevin, tell us about your day—” Her gaze suddenly left his as she stopped in midsentence and stared openmouthed at the space behind his left shoulder. “Oh, my, my, my!”
Curious, Kevin turned in his chair, his face just inches away from ample cleavage squeezed firmly in place by a shimmering silver strapless gown. His jaw dropped as his gaze traveled north, stopping at the most beautiful green eyes he’d ever seen. “Michelle?” His voice cracked like an adolescent’s.
She held out her hand to him. “Kevin?”
He didn’t miss the instant replay of their first meeting, but he was too dumbstruck for a clever retort. He didn’t know whether to shake her hand or kiss it. Instead, he held on to it and stood up, his gaze never leaving hers.
Finally he closed his mouth and pulled out her chair. She sat gracefully, then eyed him evenly when he rejoined the table.
“Thank you, Kevin,” she said with a smile. “It’s a lovely evening, isn’t it?”
He nodded, not sure what to make of this poised and polite stranger beside him. Could this possibly be the same creature who had nearly assaulted him at breakfast, deserved as that might have been?
“Did you enjoy your day at sea?” she asked, still smiling.
Not really. He’d wasted most of it trying to avoid her. Why—looking at her now—he hadn’t a clue. Before he could answer, Hazel leaned in and talked around him.
“I love your hair that way, dear. Did you do it yourself?”
Kevin looked at the burnished curls swept atop her head, a few strategic tendrils gracing her temples and long neck. He could picture her in a whirlpool full of bubbles with her hair like that, the ends wet above those perfect bare shoulders. An alarm went off in his head and he looked away.
“No,” Michelle answered. “I treated myself to the works today. Hair, nails, even a massage—which I highly recommend. It was heavenly.”
Millie’s eyebrows shot up. “Masseur or masseuse?”
“Millie!” Hazel sent a warning glare, but Michelle found the question amusing and laughed.
“It was a woman,” she answered.
“Oh.” Millie seemed disappointed.
Kevin felt relieved. Though he wasn’t sure why he should care.
Millie shifted her attention back to him. “Now, Kevin. You were about to tell us about your day.”
He shrugged. “Not much to tell. I read a little, walked a lot. And you two?”
Hazel burst in. “We won a hundred and fifty dollars between us at the blackjack tables. It was so exciting.”
“Of course, we lost most of it at the roulette wheel, but it was fun anyway,” Millie added.
Kevin noticed no one asked the honeymooners about their day. There were whisker burns on the bride’s neck, and their lips looked like recent collagen recipients. Go for it, he thought and smiled. You never know how long…
The waiter appeared and took drink orders, cutting into his petulant thoughts. This time, when Michelle ordered a Virgin Mary he didn’t laugh. Apparently she wasn’t much of a drinker. Later, when the groom ordered a bottle of champagne for the table, Kevin noticed she still refrained. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if she was a reformed alcoholic, but then he let the suspicion pass. With a body like hers, she was probably a health nut. When dessert was served and she waved it off, he remembered she hadn’t eaten any last night, either. Nothing wrong with that, he decided. He’d seen enough clogged arteries to appreciate a good diet.
Millie wiped her mouth daintily with the comer of her napkin before speaking. “Hazel and I were thinking of going to…to…What was the name of it, dear?”
“Checkers Cabaret.”
“That’s it. They’re supposed to have exotic coffees and after-dinner drinks.plus music for dancing.” Kevin noticed her gaze darted between him and Michelle, a hopeful expression on her frail little face. He lifted his champagne glass and stalled, hoping Michelle would answer first, which she did.
“I think I’ll just take a stroll around deck and then call it a night,” she said. “But thanks for asking, ladies. Maybe another time.” She pushed out her chair and stood, the slit up her right side exposing a well-formed thigh sheathed in silky sheer hose.
Kevin tried not to stare, but he knew she caught his glance.
Hazel said, “Maybe we’ll run into each other at the shore excursion desk tomorrow.” She looked up at Michelle. “You are going to St. Martin Tuesday, aren’t you, dear?”
Michelle clutched the back of her chair and smiled demurely. “I don’t think so. Unless I change my mind, I was thinking of staying aboard.” The sisters moaned in perfect unison. “I’ve been to St. Martin before, but this is my first cruise,” Michelle added. “I thought I might enjoy roaming the ship when it wasn’t so crowded.”
Millie was now staring at Kevin, who refused to take the bait. He didn’t know what he would be doing ten minutes from now, let alone day after tomorrow. Right now, a walk with Michelle had its appeal, but not under the close scrutiny of the well-intentioned matchmakers. They didn’t need any encouragement.
