Shell Game (10 page)

“Good morning, sunshine.” Sophia patted the seat next to her.

Sharla looked up from her electronic reader, raised her lips in a quick smile before returning her attention to her book, and Luke felt his breath clog. She had no right to be so damn sexy in a baggy cover-up, a ponytail and no makeup. He had it bad. And somehow he was going to have to get over it. He was not a permanent kind of guy, and Sharla had
commitment required
oozing from every pore.

Besides, even if he were looking for that special someone to come home to after a mission, Sharla had already determined his career path was not acceptable. All he had to do was remind himself of that whenever the urge crept up to pull her into his arms. Of course the smarter thing to do would be to simply walk away before he got to know her any better and before she worked her way deeper under his skin. But today he wasn’t in the mood to be smart.

“All ready for the trivia this morning?” he asked.

“Always.” Sophia flashed a sly smile that suddenly shifted wide and bright.

Luke didn’t have to turn around to know that Herbie had to be approaching.

Rather than sit across from Sophia in the vacant seat, Herbie pulled over a stool and sat beside her. “Morning, ladies.”

Sophia’s eyes sparked at the gesture, and Luke bit back a smile of his own. It was nice to know someday, when he was ready, there would still be a nice old gal willing to take on his dowdy old self. Plaid shorts and all. Luke cleared his throat to remind Herbie of his presence.

“And gentleman,” Herbie added.

“Done.” Sharla slid her e-reader into the fabric pouch beside her. “Sorry about that. I only had the epilogue left, and I really didn’t want to wait to finish.”

“My late wife always had her nose in a book. The stack of paperbacks by the bed often multiplied into two or three piles.” His gaze dropped, and, when he glanced back up, sadness lingered. “She read through almost every last one in the end.”

Sophia’s small hand slipped over his and squeezed.

When the moment passed, Luke noticed Sophia hadn’t let go. By the time the trivia game was ready to start, Herbie had woven his fingers with hers.

When Sharla returned with the multiple pencils and sheets of papers, the older couple’s hands were still linked together. The frown that dipped to the bridge of her nose was brief, but he’d caught it. From everything Kate had said last night about Herbie Klein, Sharla didn’t have a thing to worry about. The guy was as stand-up as they came.

This morning’s trivia went much like yesterday afternoon’s. There was only one question which nobody had any idea about.
What is the traditional five-year-anniversary gift
?

Answer sheets had already been exchanged among the teams with one answer left to check, when Gloria came sauntering into the lounge area and practically slithered into the empty chair. “Am I very late?”

Sharla coughed. Sophia blinked. Herbie scowled, and Luke wondered if Gloria’s grasp of time was any better for her masseuse and stylist appointments.

“Last answer to the last question,” Jose, on the crew staff, announced. “What is the traditional fifth anniversary present?”

“Wood,” Gloria answered in chorus with Jose, oblivious to the daggers Sophia’s glare cast in her direction.

Luke was surprised the time challenged woman knew anything aside from the diamond and platinum anniversaries.

As the pages were returned to the rightful teams, George strode over and pulled up a stool beside Herbie.

“Glad you could join us.” The sarcasm in Gloria’s voice belied the sweet expression, though Luke was more intrigued at the implication that she’d been waiting for more than thirty seconds.

“Business is business, dear.”

Herbie stiffened in his seat, and Luke wished Kate had been able to provide more information on Mr. George Bailey.

As Sophia sprang up to collect her prize for seventeen correct responses, Luke turned to George. “What business are you in?”

“Real estate.” George leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Smartest move I ever made. Glory and I are set for life.” With that, George sat back and waited.

But not for long, as Sophia stood over them, handing out the game-winning prizes: highlighters.

Herbie propped his ankle across his knee and, with a
tsk
ing noise, added, “Must be nice. My portfolio barely trickles in.”

Gloria asked Sharla about the book she had just finished.

Another surprise since Luke hadn’t expected Gloria to be the sort to have a hobby other than shopping. While Sophia interjected a comment here or there, Luke could tell her attention weighed more heavily on the conversation between Herbie and George.

“So your current investment isn’t your first resort to buy into?” Herbie asked.

George puffed up and shook his head. “No. First time I invested in a start-up resort was about five years ago. Turks and Caicos. Beautiful spot. Glory and I were staying at the same hotel as the land developer. I barely got in on the bottom floor of that one.”

“Very fortuitous.” Luke studied George. If the guy was blowing smoke, he’d had a lot of practice. Didn’t flinch at the potentially double-edged comment. Could probably pass a lie detector if Luke had one handy.

“So you’ve invested in more than one?” Herbie signaled for the waiter. “What’ll you have?” he asked George, clearly planning to keep him talking.

“Thanks, scotch.”

Herbie looked to Luke.

“Make mine a Bud.” No way was he touching the hard stuff at this hour of the day. And didn’t that make him feel old. Damn, what was happening to him? Couldn’t keep up with a bunch of old ladies, couldn’t crawl out of bed bright and early, couldn’t get one blonde beauty out of his mind and now couldn’t handle a real drink at eleven in the morning.

Herbie leaned back again. “You were saying.”

“Next time around,” George continued, “we got in earlier and had a bigger piece of the deal. So much undeveloped land in Fiji. More and more people are wanting that exclusive escape vacation, and Fiji has everything to offer.”

That was one thing George had right. A few years back, after his first mission with Nick Harper’s EOD team, Luke and the boys had a chance for some R & R in French Polynesia.

“You been?” George asked Luke. “You’ve got an awfully big grin on your face.”

Herbie dropped his feet to the floor. “He’s probably thinking of a woman.”

“Probably,” Luke added softly, casting a quick glimpse at Sharla to see if she was listening.

She and Gloria were deep in a discussion on the merits of romantic comedy in fiction versus on-screen.

Sophia was still only half listening to the ladies.

He simply didn’t know what to make of her.

“Hey, handsome.”

A familiar feminine voice came from behind Luke that caught Sharla’s notice.

Luke pushed to his feet and turned to last night’s singing group. “Morning, ladies.”

Ms. Wide-Brimmed Red Hat stopped in front of him. “Did you get enough sleep?”

He could feel everyone’s gazes burning into his back. There was no need to turn around. The sudden pause in the book discussion told him that he and Red Hat Lady had Sharla’s full attention.

“Yes, thanks. And you?”

“For sure. But I’m the one who should be thanking you. You were such a good sport taking up with an old woman like me.”

Silence lingered like an awkward waiter.

“Me too,” a shorter woman with gray hair chimed in. “The old goats on this boat are no fun, and they sure as heck couldn’t have kept up with the three of us the way you did.”

Someone at the table gasped, and he realized he needed to clarify the conversation for their audience. “I’m sorry to admit my vocal skills are seriously lacking, but anytime you ladies want to close down the piano bar again, just let me know.”

And, with that bit of explanation, the conversations behind him resumed. One bullet dodged.

“I don’t suppose you play whist?” Red Hat Lady asked.

“Sorry, ma’am.” He shook his head. “My mama never got past teaching me poker.”

“Now there’s an idea.”

Her eyes twinkled with mischief, and, not for the first time, Luke gave the woman a mental pat on the back. Way to grow older with grace and fun.

“We’d better sit before the rest of the girls get here and take the good seats.”

For just a second Luke wondered if older women ever stopped thinking of themselves as girls. He certainly hoped not.

* * *

Why did Sharla want to show her claws and scratch out the red-hat woman’s eyes? Sharla had no claim on Luke, and, by the end of the conversation, she realized neither did the woman who had to be at least fifteen years older than she looked. But that didn’t change the way Sharla felt.

Forcing her attention away from Luke, and who did or didn’t flirt with him, she caught a glimpse of Nana scoping out Gloria’s husband. And now here Sharla sat, only half listening to Gloria as Sharla checked out her grandmother only half listening to them while checking out the men’s conversation.
What in the name of hell was happening to her?

For the first time in years, Sharla had not only noticed a man but she was having one hell of a hard time resisting him. And now she was doing her best to look at the other men as potential marks, wondering what her grandmother found so interesting.

Maybe all Sharla needed was to get off the damn ship for some fresh air and a new perspective. Or maybe she needed to watch her grandmother like a hawk before they all wound up in the slammer.

Chapter Eleven

After the group-rousing interruption from Red Hat Lady, the conversation never returned to real estate. And later that afternoon, Gloria showed up solo for trivia. She explained that her husband was on a conference call.

Roaming rates on a cell phone from out in the middle of the ocean were not cheap, and reception was often iffy even in the biggest cities. That left Luke chewing on doubts about if this guy was legit or putting on a great show. Or, more likely, scouting for a better pigeon than Herbie.

But it was Sharla’s absence from the team that took up most of Luke’s thoughts. Not wanting to look anxious, he was delighted when Gloria quickly asked if Sharla would be joining them. Already in Trivia Queen mode, Sophia offhandedly made a comment about
hooked on a new book and soaking up the sun
before she settled into her routine for another round of high-stakes cruise ship trivia.

Winning again—not surprisingly—they were awarded the coveted cruise ship calendars…that expired in six months. So far Luke had amassed an impressive collection of ship brand junk.

Now he found himself primping at the mirror like a pimply faced teen hoping to score a date with the head cheerleader. How big a fool was he really?

Tossing down the comb, he ignored the impulse to take one last look and walked out the cabin door. Tonight would be his first night having dinner with Sophia and Sharla in the three-story dining room. And, as luck would have it, tonight was also the first formal dining night.

When Conway had insisted Luke pack a tux, he’d come close to laughing in his boss’ face. But a man didn’t spend eleven years in Uncle Sam’s Navy without getting used to wearing monkey suits. Though deep inside Luke wished he wore dress whites instead of the black tux.

Not that it mattered, but he’d yet to meet a lady who could resist a man in a dress uniform. Across the dining room he spotted his new table. Or more accurately he spotted Sharla. The red dress had a sheen to it, something like satin. Thin straps formed a square neckline that showed just enough cleavage to whet a man’s appetite and have him dreaming of possibilities. Not that it mattered.

* * *

Taking a sip as she glanced up from the table, Sharla almost breathed in her water. Damn, that man knew how to wear a tuxedo. “Herbie and Nana stopped to have their photos taken. They should be here any second.” Not that he’d asked, but she needed to say something besides
hot, hot, hot
.

He pulled out the seat beside her. “You look lovely.”

“Thank you. You look pretty good yourself.”

“You think?” One side of his mouth lifted in that know-it-all smile that made her stomach do strange things.

Rather than respond to his question, she buried her nose in the single-page menu. “The waiter recommends the chilled watermelon soup this evening.”

“Anything else?”

“Mmm. Rack of lamb and lemon meringue tart.”

He bobbed his head but kept his eyes on the menu.

The quiet lingered, and, when she’d finally made up her mind and set aside her menu, her gaze collided with his.

“Did you enjoy the book?”

She nodded. “Several of the books in my to-be-read pile are from my favorite authors. I’ve been anxious to start this one. It’s the first of a new series.” That answer was a lot easier to produce than
she didn’t have the strength to sit across from him at trivia and talk herself out of jumping his bones
.

“Tell me about your job.” He brought the glass of water to his lips without ever taking his eyes off her.