“Humph …” Jason said, slouching down in his chair. “Ok, then how about Summer Lovin’ or You’re the One That I Want from Grease?”
“Oh, I get to be Sandy,” Susie said, bouncing in her chair. “Great idea! I want Summer Lovin’. It’ll be so much fun! All of you guys have to do it with us.”
“No way,” Madalyn said, shaking her head with conviction. “I can’t sing for shit.”
Susie looked hurt by Madalyn’s swift rejection.
“But I can play the piano for you,” she offered to take out the sting.
“Really?” Susie said, perking up. “You know how to play the piano?”
“Sure,” Madalyn said, shrugging her shoulders. “Friday night was always musical night at my house growing up. TV, movies, plays—you name it, I can play it. I can’t sing, so my contribution was playing piano. I started when I was five.”
Royce squeezed Madalyn’s leg and smiled down at her, “Well count me in Susie. I’ll sing back up for Jason. What about you Paul?”
Paul looked over to the boss … Andrea was nodding her head vigorously. “We’re in,” he said. “Susie’s going to need some back up too.”
Susie clapped her hands, excited at the prospect of being Sandy. “Oh, I wish we had some poodle skirts to wear.” She bit her lip in thought. “Maybe they have costumes for the entertainment staff we can borrow?”
“I don’t know,” Jason said. “It’s unlikely they’ll let us use them. But I’m sure most of the guys have a pair of jeans and either a white or black t-shirt.”
“Let me see what I can do,” Royce said, winking at Susie.
“You’re killing me, Royce,” Jason said, flipping him off. “Don’t go stealing my thunder here.”
Royce surrendered and threw his hands up in the air. “I’m just trying to help you fulfill your woman’s dream.”
“Read ‘em and weep!” Mike shouted, jumping up and high fiving Liz across the table. “We win, baby!” They each slammed down their shot of whiskey and hooted loudly.
“Good game,” JT said, shaking hands with Mike.
Liz gave Jordan a hug and playfully thanked her for the winnings. Everyone stood up to stretch and chat about next steps. They agreed to get some food at the buffet and then head over together to practice in the theatre.
As everyone turned to leave for the buffet, Royce pulled Madalyn into his embrace. “I need to remember to keep you tipsy,” he said, smirking down at her. “Can you really play piano so well?”
“Yes,” she said, reaching up to kiss him softly. “Why? Are you going to sing a love song to me?”
“As you wish,” he said, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss, oblivious to their surroundings.
• • •
Royce and Madalyn were the last to arrive at the dining room table again. She sat down and waved her hands to everyone. Her cheeks were still flushed from Royce’s skilled manipulation of her body before dinner. Dale arrived on their heels, ready to take their orders.
“Surprise us. Whatever is the favorite dish of the chef,” Royce said to Dale and then stood and pulled him over to the side for a moment. Madalyn watched them, and wondered what they were talking about.
“Sorry we’re late,” Madalyn said, looking over at the others. “We lost track of time practicing for the talent show tomorrow.”
Andrea cocked her brow. She had been there practicing too.
“After you all left, Royce was able to convince the cruise director to let you girls borrow poodle skirts for our skit.”
“Really?” Jordan clapped her hands in excitement. “That’s great! It’ll look so much better if we’re in costume.”
“What’re ya’ll talking about?” Jennie asked with a look of confusion.
“Oh,” Madalyn said. “I forgot you two left the tournament early. We’re entering the talent show tomorrow with my other friends. They’re going to perform Summer Lovin’ from the movie Grease.”
“That’ll be fun!” Jennie said. “We have to go watch, Ben.”
“Sure,” he said, “so long as you don’t expect me to get up there.” Jennie shook her head at him.
“I love your dress,” Jordan said, turning to Madalyn. “It brings out the color of your eyes.”
“Thank you,” Madalyn smiled. “Stand up, Jordan. I‘m dying to see your entire dress. That deep tangerine color is gorgeous with your hair color.”
Jordan stood and gave her best impression of a model on a catwalk, turning every which way so Madalyn could see it from all angles. The one shoulder dress was form-fitted with ruching at the left side of her waist. Three large golden circles were linked vertically where the ruche came together. A provocative oblong oval cutout of the right shoulder revealed her tanned skin beneath. It was stunning.
“I love it!” Madalyn gushed. The way Jordan wore her hair swept up to the side showcased the dress.
Royce took his seat next to Madalyn and beamed at the group. “Are you ready for the topic of the evening? We’re going to play the Newlywed Game,” he revealed and pulled eight small sheets of paper out of the inside pocket of his jacket and passed them around. Ben started to voice his objection, but Royce cut him off. “I’ve asked Dale to come up with three questions. That way you can’t accuse us of cheating.”
“Fair enough,” JT said, smiling over at Jordan and playfully bumping shoulders with her. “This is our chance to win today.”
“Yeah,” she said. “We better win. We’ve known each other since we were kids. How is this going to work?”
Royce pulled eight short pencils out of his pocket.
“Everyone will write the questions and their answer on this piece of paper and then fold it in half,” Royce said. “We’ll give the paper to the person next to us. Not your spouse! And then each person has to say their answers out loud which will be checked against your spouse’s response. This will keep everyone honest.”
Dale arrived with their appetizers and announced the three questions. What is your spouse’s favorite color, dream car, and subject in high school?
Everyone scribbled the questions down quickly and pondered over their responses. Madalyn furrowed her brow. She had absolutely no clue! Crap. She shrugged it off and gave it her best shot. Blue … for the color of her eyes. Porsche … because everyone loves a Porsche. And social studies, because it was the epitome of useless knowledge and Royce had a penchant for useless knowledge. She folded her paper and exchanged it with JT.
Madalyn opened JT’s paper and turned to Jordan. “Ok, you’re first. Let’s see how well JT knows you.”
“Well,” Jordan said tentatively. “My favorite color is blue, my dream car is a Camaro and my favorite subject in school was English.”
Madalyn opened her mouth and pointed inside it with her finger while making a gagging noise. “Perfect score!”
“Yeah, baby!” JT said, kissing Jordan. “Your turn, Royce.”
Madalyn’s stomach clenched and she wiped her sweaty palms against her chair. This was going to be so embarrassing.
“Blue for the color of my wife’s stunning eyes,” he said, smiling at her. Madalyn’s heart leapt for joy. She knew he would say that. “Bugatti for my dream car,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “If we’re allowed to dream, then I may as well dream big.” Madalyn’s shoulders slumped. Oh well. “And social studies,” he laughed. “For all the useless knowledge I soaked up like a sponge that I can’t seem to get out of my head!”
“Two out of three,” JT said, waving the paper in the air like a white flag. “Not good enough to beat us.”
“We’ll see,” Madalyn said, smiling at Royce.
The rest of the table took turns. Jennie looked like she wanted to punch Ben for only getting one answer correct when she had gotten all three of his right. How could he not know that drama had been her favorite subject, or that pink was her favorite color? Andrea and Paul each missed one. Not bad. It was down to Royce and Jordan to determine who would win.
Madalyn
smiled at Royce and crossed her fingers. “Green for the color of my husband’s eyes, Corvette for the greatest sports car ever invented in the heart of the Motor City, and math because if you follow the rules you will always get the right answer.”
“Perfect score!” Jennie shouted, clapping her hands for Royce.
“Oh, the pressure,” Paul said, goading JT on.
JT rubbed his hands together and wasted no time in giving his answers. “Green for the grass and leaves of summer.” Andrea nodded her head. One correct.
“Mustang,” he said, poking Madalyn in her side with his elbow, “for the greatest sports car ever invented in the heart of the Motor City.” Andrea nodded her head. Two correct.
“And math because Mr. Scott was the coolest teacher I ever had!”
Andrea smiled, shaking her head in disbelief. “Perfect score.”
JT and Jordan high fived. “So what did we win?”
“The satisfaction of knowing that you married your soul mate,” Royce said with his penetrating gaze fixed on Madalyn.
She inhaled sharply. Royce looked at her like a camel in the desert discovering an oasis for the first time. Her heartbeat throbbed in her chest and her mouth went dry. His gaze was too intense. She reached for her glass of wine and took a sip, breaking the spell. Tears suddenly welled in her eyes. This was true love. She could feel it, and it scared the hell out of her. Five days. Her head screamed that it simply wasn’t possible. But her heart remained calm and steady; it knew otherwise.
• • •
Madalyn rested her chin on Royce’s bare chest, trailing her finger lazily along the edge of his jaw. He caught it between his teeth, circling it with his tongue as she had circled him just moments before. A sly smile played on her lips. She loved the control she exerted over his body and how responsive he was to her touch. She plucked her finger out of his mouth and sucked on it, wanting to taste him.
“I had a wonderful evening with you, Royce. You sure know how to show a dame a good time.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said. He turned on his side to face her and then propped his head up on his hand.
“I’m looking forward to seeing our group pictures,” Madalyn said. “It will make a great souvenir. Everyone looked fabulous tonight.”
“Don’t you want one of just the two of us to remember this night?” Royce asked her quietly, his eyes speaking the words she wished would cross his lips.
“Of course I do,” Madalyn said and buried her face in his neck.
It took all of Madalyn’s strength to remain lighthearted. She wanted to melt into his arms and bare her soul to this man like a sinner in the confessional. But she couldn’t muster the courage to do it. Five blissful days! Was that enough to fall deeply in love with an utter stranger? Surely the signs were all there: his loving touch, the romantic trip to the Baths of Virgin Gorda, and most recently, his brazen gaze at her while he spoke of soul mates at dinner. Did he truly feel the same, or was he just fulfilling his promise to rock her world for the week?
She needed him to say it out loud and openly admit his feelings. And until that happened, she would play her part, hoping beyond all hope that he could love a woman that had callously dumped her long-term fiancé at the altar.
Royce kissed her head and reached over to turn out the light. “Sleep well, beautiful. Tomorrow is a big day.”
Chapter Twelve – Talent Show
The Red Sea Theatre buzzed with excitement in the early morning light. Preparations were well under way for the talent show set for three o’clock that afternoon. Madalyn sat back in her chair, watching the different groups and individuals gathered in various spots throughout the theatre. A tall, lanky man was juggling eight tiny balls on stage, his long arms rhythmically circling the air, while a young couple waited patiently on the sidelines to try out their act under the spotlight.
Madalyn scanned the room and spied a little girl, who certainly hadn’t reached the age of five yet, in the opposite corner working on a ballet routine. Her mother lovingly encouraged her, clapping at the end of each attempt. Cute little blond in a ruffled pink tutu—that could be a problem. Two teenage boys sat quietly in the center of the room working through a deck of cards. Her brow rose in contemplation of what their talent might be—a card trick perhaps? Up in the second tier, an older gentleman with a graying ponytail strummed quietly on his guitar, lost in his own music. If she listened carefully, she could just make out the melody. It sounded like Turn the Page. Who wouldn’t love a little Bob Seger? Madalyn groaned. They could only hope his voice didn’t match the quality of his playing.
Susie was in her element. She bounced around, barking orders, and arranging the women and men on opposing sides of the aisle, with her and Jason in the center. It really was the best solution. They couldn’t possibly recreate the setting of a lunchroom and stadium bleachers used in Grease.
The choreography was coming along nicely despite Paul fumbling around, and mostly because Royce, Jordan, and Andrea really looked like they knew what they were doing. But the costumes Royce procured with his irresistible charm might actually be their saving grace. Together with the piano and some good old nostalgia, she figured they had a fighting chance at winning.
Royce plopped down in the chair next to Madalyn with a face-splitting grin. She returned his smile, speculating that he was eating it all up and probably working hard not to overrun the production by taking the spotlight for himself.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said. “How’re we doing?”
“Better keep working,” Madalyn said, pointing to the little girl in the tutu. “We have stiff competition.”
Royce cupped his chin in deep thought. “I’ll have to find a little boy to bombard her with spitballs … send her crying off the stage.”
“You wouldn’t!” She gaped at him with wide eyes and slapped his arm for good measure. “She’s just a little baby.”
He chuckled and shook his head, “It is so easy to get a rise out of you! I thought lawyers had more backbone than that.”
“I’m multifaceted,” she said, raising her chin a notch. “I’m capable of keeping my business and personal lives separate. My heart is stone-cold when it comes to defending against corporate injustice, but it bleeds for a little blond princess in a pink tutu.”
“Fair point,” Royce said and turned her chin towards him. “I would never do that to a little girl. It was a poor attempt at a joke.”
He leaned in and softly kissed her pouty lips. A sweet melody filled the room as Royce’s lips parted from hers. All heads turned to the stage, entranced by the deep baritone voice coming from a young man, which seemed oddly out of place in his small frame. But the lyrics to I’ve Had the Time of My Life, the theme song from Dirty Dancing, was as familiar as powder on a baby’s bare butt.
Royce leaned into Madalyn and quietly joined in singing. She turned to gaze into his eyes and summoned the courage to reciprocate. His eyes sparkled brightly and he jumped out of his seat, pulling her with him into the aisle. “No one puts Madalyn in a corner!”
She giggled as he wrapped her up in his arms and began moving their hips provocatively to the ensuing music, twirling and lifting her, lost in their own magical moment. He was a strong lead, his ballroom training and love for dance shining through every maneuver. Madalyn relaxed in his arms and smiled up at him, allowing him full control as they sashayed around the floor, and she tried to embellish her footwork. She must have seen the movie at least a hundred times.
Royce suddenly pulled her to a stop and held her close, gazing into her eyes as the music slowed, listening to the lingering words of love. He lifted Madalyn off the ground, crushing his mouth down on hers and he twirled her round and round. Her body melted with joy, molding itself to him as they kissed. When the music finally stopped they stood breathless and grinning stupidly at one another while the room exploded with applause.
Madalyn looked around. Everyone was staring at them in wonder. She felt a little silly and self-consci
ous until Royce raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, winking at her. Why should she feel embarrassed? He was so adventurous and their dance had been incredible!
“There goes Royce stealing the show again.” Jason grinned and shook his head. “You’re such a greedy bastard.”
The young couple on stage ran over and begged Royce and Madalyn to dance while they sang during the talent show.
“Absolutely not,” Susie roared while stomping her foot down.
Everyone turned and stared open-mouthed at her. It was quite an impressive display coming from a woman that was knee-high to a grasshopper! Susie paused, seemingly shocked by her own outburst, and collected herself. She delicately cleared her throat.
“What I meant to say is that we want to win this competition too.” She pointed to Royce and Madalyn and spoke with a clear, authoritative voice. “And they’re with us.”
Madalyn shrugged her shoulders in apology at the couple, “Great choice for a duet. Good luck.”
“Now back to work, people,” Susie commanded, clapping her hands sharply. “We have a talent show to win!”
• • •
Madalyn filled her last dinner plate of the cruise with as much food as she could pile on. Why the hell not? She convinced herself she was in the business of making memories. Her only consolation was that Royce seemed to have managed to outdo her. She giggled at his balancing act on their walk back to the line of tables they had set up on the Cairo Deck.
They grabbed the last two available chairs and smiled down at the official winners of the talent show. Susie was beaming at Jason and animatedly recalling her favorite part of the act. It had been a close call. There was no doubt about that. But in the end, the couples out-numbered and out-cheered the families, catapulting them over the little pink tutu.
“I can’t believe this is our last night on the ship,” Liz said before biting into her loaded cheeseburger. “I’m so glad we decided to eat our last meal together at the buffet. I’m going to miss all of you guys.”
Jordan smiled over at Susie. “We had a blast! We never would have entered a talent contest on our own.” JT shook his head vigorously in agreement, his mouth stuffed with fried chicken.
Little White Lies Page 14