friends,” Denise said as the man returned with their drinks. “Or, better yet, you get a bunch of your friends to go along with you and you all book rooms next to each other. You’d be planning your own floating retirement community.”
Catherine smiled. “Now, there’s an idea.” Except you’d never see your children.
She decided to keep that thought to herself. Denise would be sure to make some snide comment in light of her kids’ poor holiday behavior.
“There’s someone I’d invite to the neighborhood.”
Catherine was in the middle of reaching for her drink and made the mistake of looking to see who her friend had spotted. And there it went, tipping over on the little table, splashing her in the process.
“Oh, no,” she said, brushing at her slacks. “I can’t believe I just did that.”
“Thank you, girlfriend. That was like a psychic signal. He’s coming our way.”
Catherine was embarrassed, then flustered, as a tall man with tanned skin, salt-and-pepper hair and a finely chiseled face approached them. He had a younger woman in tow, somewhere in her forties, perhaps, with dark hair and pretty eyes. Wife or daughter? He was fit enough looking, probably in his sixties but one of those super agers, so it could be either.
“What a shame,” he said as their server mopped up the spill. “Let’s get you another drink What are you having?”
What she was having didn’t seem very impressive. Catherine should have been drinking champagne or a martini like Denise. “Just a rum and Coke. I’m not much of a drinker,” she told the stranger.
“No champagne?” he suggested.
“A little too sour for my taste,” she admitted. Plebian her.
“Not all of it,” he said. “Let me introduce you to something I think you’ll like.”
Food was included in the price of the cruise. So was any wine or beer passengers drank with their meals. Drinks in the bar were a different story.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” Catherine protested. Judging from the expression on her face, the young woman with the stranger agreed.
“I could,” said Denise.
He smiled at Catherine. The man had a beautiful smile. “Looks like you’re outvoted,” he said, and spoke to their server.
“Really, you shouldn’t have,” Catherine protested as their server left.
“I think I should,” he said easily. “Do you ladies mind if we join you?”
“Not at all,” said Denise. She was practically purring.
The man sat down in a chair opposite Catherine and crossed his legs. His slacks were expensive. So were his shoes. He leaned back in his chair, ready for a nice, long visit. The woman, also well dressed in black leggings, stylish half boots and a black cashmere sweater, took a chair and perched on the end of it, ready to leave as soon as it was socially acceptable.
Which she would have to do soon if she wanted to find another place to sit. The lounge was starting to fill up, people staking out seats and munching on sandwiches, ordering drinks, getting acquainted. Another half an hour and it would be very hard to find a place to sit.
“I’m Rudy Nichols,” he said. “This is my daughter, Athena.”
“Nice to meet you,” Denise said. “I’m Denise and this is my friend Catherine. We’re doing a girlfriend trip,” she added, and lifted a hand to slip a lock of hair behind her ear. The left hand with the bare ring finger. Oh, brother.
“Do you ladies cruise very much?” Rudy asked.
“I’ve done the Mediterranean, both sides of the Caribbean and the Hawaiian Islands. This is my first river cruise,” Denise told him.
He nodded, smiled, then turned expectantly to Catherine.
“This is my first cruise ever,” she confessed. “My husband and I had talked about taking one, but...” She could feel her throat closing up and her eyes starting to sting with tears. “He died.” She probably sounded pathetic. But losing your mate was pathetic.
Rudy’s easy smile turned sober. “I’m so sorry. It’s hard to lose someone you love. I lost my wife six years ago. I still miss her.”
“Oh, I am sorry,” Catherine said, seeing the pain in his eyes.
Thankfully, their server arrived with a bottle of champagne and several glasses on a tray.
“Shall we toast to better times ahead?” Rudy suggested once their flutes were filled with sparkling bubbles.
Catherine nodded and tried not to think about what was waiting for her in January. “To better times.”
They’d just taken their first sip when two women approached. Catherine remembered seeing them in the milling crowd down below, both slender and attractive, one with light brown hair cut in a