“Let’s go look at the pretties,” Denise said.
Catherine half feared that if she went over to look Rudy would feel the need to buy her something, and she didn’t want him to think she was the kind of woman who came on a trip like this looking for a wallet.
“You go ahead. I’ll help Trevor hold seats for everyone,” Catherine told her.
Trevor had thrown a coat over a couple of seats and was sprawled across the love seat. He looked relieved to see Catherine.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he greeted her. “People were starting to give me dirty looks.”
“We can’t have that,” Catherine said, and settled into another chair. She’d brought her purse along just in case she felt tempted by something she saw, and she put that on the chair next to her.
“That was some meal, wasn’t it?” he said.
“Amazing.” Like the rest of the trip so far.
She wondered what the kids were doing. Did they miss her? She hadn’t had an email or text from either of them. Not that she expected one from William. Once he’d married he’d delegated the family chats to his wife. Although he’d been quick enough to ask for money when he needed it, Catherine thought with a frown. And Lila. It would have been nice to at least get a text asking if she’d arrived in Amsterdam in one piece.
But really, if the plane had crashed it would have been in the news, so texting to ask, “Are you all right?” would have been a little silly. Still...
Denise was right. Catherine’s kids were twits.
“You okay, Catherine?”
She recalled her wandering thoughts. “Hmm?”
“You okay?” Trevor repeated, looking at her in concern.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she said. “But I think I need a repeat of that fancy drink I had the night before.”
“You got it,” he said, and called over a waiter.
Five minutes later Catherine had her drink and was thanking Trevor for picking up the tab.
He waved away her thanks. “Gotta keep the ladies happy.”
“I think you’re doing a good job of that,” she said.
“I could do better,” he said, his easy smile looking a little less easy.
She followed his gaze to where the glass ornaments were laid out. Sophie had joined Rudy and Athena and was chatting happily.
“Don’t give up,” Catherine advised. “Sometimes it takes a while for things to sort themselves out.”
“You’re a wise woman, Catherine.”
“Not really,” she demurred.
“Yeah, you are. By the way, feel free to run interference for me,” he cracked.
“I’ll try my best.” Distracting Rudy from Sophie—tough job, but someone had to do it. Ha ha.
The others drifted over and found seats, Rudy taking one next to Catherine and Athena flanking his other side. Sierra and Denise both sat down, leaving the chair next to Trevor free.
“I have chocolate,” Trevor said to Sophie, patting the seat, and she dropped onto it.
“I couldn’t eat another thing,” she said. Then, as he pulled the bar from his shirt pocket, she added, “Maybe just one bite.”
“Anyone want to try the Catherine special, ladies?” he offered. “I’m buying.”
Sierra shook her head and murmured a “No, thanks.” She was such a subdued version of the woman who had joined them the first day of the cruise. Did it have something to do with the husband who hadn’t been able to join her?
Her sister seemed to be trying to balance the social scales with smiles and enthusiasm. “It looks fabulous. What was it called?” she asked Catherine.
“A Winter Wonderland,” Catherine said.
Trevor summoned the waiter back. “One of these for the rest of the ladies.”
“You don’t have to,” Athena protested.
“I know. I want to.”
“That’s really nice of you,” Catherine said to him.
“Nah. It’s really selfish. I like feeling like a big man.”
Generous, humble, fun-loving—Trevor was a gift from Santa, for sure. Catherine hoped Sophie woke up to that before the cruise ended and it was too late.
The demonstration began, the glassblower talking about glassblowing in general and his region of Germany specifically. He inspired many oohs and aahs as he blew an elegant, long-stemmed candleholder.
Catherine had been one of those doing the oohing and aahing, and when he was done, he asked her name.
“Catherine,” she said.
“The Great,” Trevor added, lifting his glass to her.
“Would you like this, Catherine the Great?” asked the glassblower.
“Oh, yes,” she said.
“Well, then, you may have it,” he said. “My assistant will box it up for you.”
“Lucky you,” Sophie said to her.
“I’ve never won anything,” she confessed. Here was another lovely memory to add to the ones she was collecting.
“Don’t let Lila see it,” Denise cautioned. “She’ll expect to get it for Christmas.”
The mention of Lila and Christmas in the same sentence dulled the shine of the moment. Catherine wouldn’t be with her daughter at Christmas. She wouldn’t be with either of her children.
If only this cruise went through December 25. She could stay busy seeing sights and drinking fancy cocktails. But it didn’t. In fact, the cruises stopped by then so crew members could be with their families.
Who needed family togetherness, anyway? Not her. She had...a glass candlestick.
* * *
Face facts, Sophie told herself. Rudy was not interested in being with a younger woman and he was smitten with Catherine. There would be no un-smittening him. Really, who could blame him? She was a nice lady.
Studying her, Sophie detected sadness in her eyes. With the demonstration over, people moved to the display tables to get serious about purchasing the various goodies. Catherine stayed seated and Sophie remained with her.
“Catherine, are you okay?”
“Me? I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You don’t look fine.”
“You’re sweet to ask. I just get a little blue sometimes.”
“You miss your husband?”
“I do. Not that our marriage was perfect—no marriage is—but I miss the companionship.”
“You have kids, though, right?”
“Oh, yes, but they have lives of their own.”
Sophie thought of how close she was with her parents. She and her brother and sister had lives of their own, of course, but their mom and dad were still an integral part of those lives. Why weren’t Catherine’s kids on this cruise with her?
Any number of reasons. Maybe they couldn’t afford it. Maybe Catherine couldn’t afford to take them.
“I bet they think you’re fabulous,” Sophie said, determined to cheer her up. She sure wanted to cheer up someone.
“Oh, I don’t know about that.”
“Well, I think you’re fabulous. Hey, want to adopt me?”
That did bring a smile. “I doubt your mother would want to share.”
“Sure she would. Anyway, you can’t have too many moms, right?”
“Oh, yes, you can,” said Athena, who had returned in time to eavesdrop.
Catherine’s smile vanished. “I’m feeling a little tired. I think I’ll say good-night,” she said.
“Don’t go, Catherine,” Sophie urged.
“No, really. It’s been a long day. I’ll see you in the morning,” Catherine said, then got up and threaded her way through the throng of shoppers.
“That was classy,” Sophie said.
Athena pretended not to hear. Bitch.
Sophie left her to sit by her bitchy self and went to join her sister at the display table.
&n
bsp; Trevor slipped in next to her. “Find anything you like?”
“Found something I didn’t like,” she said, glaring across the room at Athena. “That woman leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
“We’d better put something good in it, then. Fancy another drink?”
“May as well,” she said.
There was sure no point trying to talk to Rudy. He was all about Catherine. And anyway, look what came with him. Would she want to be related to Athena?
“Want to join us?” Trevor asked Sierra, who was half-heartedly fingering a paperweight.
“Nah. You two go ahead and enjoy yourselves. I’m going to head back to the room.”
To mope. “Already? Why don’t you hang out with us for a while,” Sophie urged.
“I want to be rested up for Heidelberg. I’ll see you later.”
“I hope she doesn’t just go to the room and text Mark,” Sophie said, watching her go.
“Mark?”
Sophie bit her lip. She shouldn’t have been voicing her thoughts out loud.
“Hey, none of my business,” Trevor said easily. He pointed to the glass art in front of them. “Anything catch your eye?”
“Nope,” Sophie said, and picked up the paperweight.
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s for my sister.” As if a paperweight could counter the heavy weight on Sierra’s heart. Sophie bought it, anyway.
“Trevor,” someone called, and she turned to see his number one fan moving in their direction.
Trevor was suddenly deaf. “Come on,” he said to Sophie, “I see a seat in the corner.” He put a hand to the small of her back and steered her away.
“You can run but you can’t hide,” she joked.
“I can try,” he said.
As they settled in Sophie did a quick scan of the room, looking for the girl. She’d been waylaid by a husky guy in jeans and a T-shirt. It looked like Trevor was safe for a while.
“I think you dodged the bullet,” she said.
“I hope so.”
“It’s got to be tough to have women throwing themselves at you all the time,” she teased.
“Funny.” He shook his head. “What is it with people always going after someone who’s not right for them?”
“Maybe you’re right for her and you don’t know it.”
“I’m way too old for her,” he said in disgust.
“Not necessarily. After a certain point, age doesn’t really matter,” Sophie argued.
“And after a certain point it does again. Age gaps don’t matter so much in the middle of life, but they do in the early part and they do again at the end. You kinda want to reach the finish line together.”
There was that. But still. “Lots of people manage quite well in spite of their age difference.”
“You think so, huh?”
“I do,” she insisted.
A waiter arrived and Trevor ordered drinks for them—beer for him and a Winter Wonderland for Sophie.
“There’s something to be said for being with someone who grew up listening to the same music, watching the same TV shows, experiencing the same events in history. It’s a bonding thing.”
“There are all kinds of ways to bond,” she argued. “Shared hobbies, similar values.”
“So, what do you value, Sophie Miles?” he asked.
“Family, friends. I think it’s important to be loyal,” she added, thinking of her sister and her husband. “If you’re in a relationship you owe it to the other person to really be there for that person.”
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “Once you make that commitment you stick to it. Which is more than I can say for my dad,” he added. “Are your parents still together?”
“Oh, yes. Happily.”
“Lucky you. Are they the same age?”
“Daddy’s two years older.”
“Same generation, though.”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“There you have it,” he said. The server arrived with their drinks and Trevor took a slug of his.
“What about you?” she asked. “What do you value?”
“I’d say pretty much the same thing as you. Family first, loyalty.”
“Must be willing to watch romantic comedies,” she challenged.
“Must like going to car shows.”
“Must be willing to play games with the family.”
“Must like chocolate.”
“That’s easy,” she scoffed.
“How about the car shows?”
“Oh, yes.” She’d gone to a few of those with her dad and brother and had enjoyed seeing all the restored cars.
“Hiking?”
“You could get stung and have an allergic reaction.” She’d gotten stung once when her parents rented a cabin on Lake Crescent. Granted, she hadn’t gone into anaphylactic shock. But she could have!
“That’s what antihistamines are for.”
“You have an answer for everything, don’t you,” she said, frowning at him.
“Not really. Just some things. How about this for a requirement? Want to be with someone who makes you laugh?”
“For sure,” she said.
“Okay, let me see if I can think of a joke.” He paused a minute, as if thinking. “Never mind. I’ll just give you another drink and then everything I say will be funny.”
“I’ll just get myself another drink and then you won’t have to try so hard.”
And she did get another drink, and insisted on paying for one for him, too.
“I hate when women buy me drinks,” he said after the server left. “It makes me feel so cheap. Are you trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me?”
She snickered. “You are good at making people laugh.”
“After you’ve finished that you’ll think I’m hilarious,” he predicted.
She was getting a buzz. It was a pleasant buzz, though, so she kept right on enjoying herself.
He finally said, “We’d better get you back to your room while you can still walk there on your feet instead of your face.”
“I’m fine,” she said, waving away his concern. Then she stood and, whoa, was the ship spinning in circles?
“Here, let me help you,” he said, slipping an arm around her.
“I am not drunk,” she informed him.
“No, but you’re definitely buzzed.”
“Buzz, buzz,” she said happily. “I hope you have some antihistamine with you for in case I sting you.” Ha ha, wasn’t that funny?
“There is no cure for what I’m coming down with,” he said. “You’d better down a big glass of water before you conk out for the night or you’re going to have a monster headache in the morning.”
“Yes, doctor,” she said. Doctor. “I need a doctor.”
“You feel sick already?”
“No, I mean I need to be with a doctor.”
“Do you have some disease?”
“Well, no. But I tend to get sick.”
“Ah. Well, that doesn’t mean you need to be with a doctor. It just means you need to be with someone who will take you to the doctor.”
Good point. “That’s what my sister says.” Her poor sister.
“Your sister’s a very smart woman,” he said.
“Not that smart.” She’d picked Mark.
They reached the room and Sophie leaned her dizzy self against the door and studied him. Those eyes. They were almost too pretty for a man. Big and brown with lots of lashes. She knew women who paid a lot for lashes like those. And that jaw, it was so...manly. So was his chest.
She tapped it with her finger. “Do you work out?”
“Gotta work off the chocolate.”
He leaned an arm against the wall and smiled down at her. Trevor March
had a beautiful smile. Trevor March had a beautiful everything.
“Has anyone ever told you that you are very, very gorgeous?”
She was cute, but gorgeous was stretching it. “Think so?”
“Yes, I do.” He was looking at her lips.
“Do you want to kiss me?” she asked.
“Yes, I do,” he said.
“I’d like that, but after all those drinks...”
“Worried you won’t be able to feel your lips? Let’s see.” He moved in closer, threaded a hand through her hair and kissed her. Beautifully. But...
“How was that?” he whispered.
“I feel...” She’d had way too much to eat. And drink. “I think I’m going to... Oh, no! My room key.” She fished the card out of her bra where she’d stuck it and quickly turned to the door.
“You okay?” he asked.
She barely got out the word “Norovirus!” before dashing into the room and to the bathroom.
11
Sophie wasn’t at breakfast the next morning but her sister was. “Where’s the sis?” Trevor asked.
“Hungover,” Sierra said. “How much did she drink last night after I left?”
“Only two, I swear,” he said.
“That on top of the wine she had at dinner, plus the drink before the glassblower started talking.” Sierra shook her head. “She’s not a big drinker.”
“I’ll remember that in the future and just buy her pop,” Trevor promised.
Sierra cocked her head and studied him. “Thinking of a future with my sister?” she asked with a smile.
“Maybe,” he said, smiling back. “She’s pretty amazing.”
“Yes, she is.”
“Think she’s going to be up to seeing Heidelberg?”
“I don’t know. Right now she’s in bed and sure she’s dying.”
“Asking for a doctor?”
“How’d you guess?”
Trevor grinned. “Did I mention I took a first aid course in college? I know a couple of cures for a hangover.”
“I bet you do.” Sierra reached around and pulled a key card out of the back pocket of her jeggings. “She’s going to be pissed if she misses seeing Heidelberg. See what you can do, doc.”
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