by Ellen Wilder
“I was with Gramma one day, and she was on the phone with Carol trying to teach her how to use a computer.” Manda smiled. “We ended up going over to her house, and she was standing in front of a window trying to find the button to push.”
“Seriously?”
Manda chuckled. “Seriously. She had no clue what Gramma was talking about.”
“That’s hilarious.” Hunter shook his head. “She always takes things so literally.”
Manda picked up her phone and scanned through the pictures for one to show Hunter.
“Sitting with the girls eating bonbons.” Hunter chuckled. “I send her a box every month and always get a note back that says, ‘Thanks, but I still don’t date younger guys.’”
Manda snorted and covered her mouth. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For distracting me enough to get me to calm down.”
“My older sister suffered from panic attacks. I got used to being the funny one who could distract her.” Hunter grinned, and Manda’s cheeks reddened.
Hunter leaned forward. “I’m singing at the costume ball tomorrow night. Are you planning on going?”
“I guess. I don’t have a costume, though.”
“They have a room of costumes somewhere on deck. I’m thinking Cinderella would work for you.”
“Ha, more like one of the stepsisters, remember?”
“Nah.” Hunter shook his head. “You’re definitely Cinderella.”
There was a knock on the door. Manda stiffened, and her hands shook. Hunter leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Trust your husband to get the door?”
Manda giggled, and she relaxed as Hunter walked to the door and opened it.
A tall man with long, dark hair stalked into the room. “Where the hell have you been?”
Manda looked anxiously between the two of them.
“Manda, this is my manager, J.J., and this is Manda Reilly. We’ve been having a nice conversation.” Hunter winked at her.
“Sure.” J.J. held his hands up. “You have rehearsal in ten minutes. Everyone’s been looking for you.”
“Let the band check out the acoustics. I’m busy tonight.”
J.J. glanced at Manda. She smiled and laughed. “Is he going to the costume party?”
Hunter raised an eyebrow.
J.J. shook his head. “I wasn’t planning on it. Why?”
“I wonder if there’s a Phantom costume on board.” Manda bit her lip.
“Phantom? What’s that have to do with Cinderella?” Hunter frowned.
“Not for me.” Manda laughed. “You know why Diana set us up, right?”
“Yeah? She said you two made a deal to find each other a date.” Hunter sat down on the couch.
“Right. And she told me she has a thing for the Phantom of the Opera.”
“Ohhh.” Hunter hit himself in the head with his palm. “I get you. You want to set Diana up with J.J.”
Manda nodded excitedly. “Yes. Have him show up at the costume party as the Phantom and meet Diana that way.”
“Hmm. That could work.” Hunter chuckled. “What is Diana dressing as?”
“Diana the Huntress.”
“Niiiice.” J.J. smirked.
“She’s a good friend. I’ve known her family forever.” Hunter nodded.
“Okay. I’m game.” J.J. shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“Oh.” Hunter snatched a paper and pen off the dresser and walked over to J.J. He scrawled a list and handed it to his manager. “I need these things before the costume party tomorrow. Money’s no object.”
J.J. raised an eyebrow. “You do realize we’re on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean, right?”
“You’ll figure it out.” Hunter grinned.
J.J. shook his head again. “This is one of those times I’m thankful this is my last gig with you.”
Hunter laughed. “You’ll miss me when you’re gone.”
“I know.” J.J. let out a sigh. “So you’re not going to practice tonight?”
“Nope.” Hunter walked over and opened the door. “Have fun. I’m busy. See you later.”
“He asks me to do things for me then he kicks me out.” J.J. laughed. “Have a good night you two.”
Hunter closed the door behind his friend and walked back to the couch. “Care to take a stroll with your husband?”
“You don’t have to keep saying that. We were, what, seven or eight at the time?”
“Something like that, but hey, they say you never forget your first kiss.” He winked.
“No way was I your first kiss.”
“We were eight. Of course, you were my first kiss.” Hunter laughed. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”
“Only if I can wear flats.” Manda tossed her shoes in the corner and grabbed her flip flops out of her bag.
“If we were on the beach, I’d say we could go barefoot.” Hunter wiggled his toes in his own sandals. “I seem to remember you hating shoes even back then.”
“First thing I do when I sit at my desk at work is kick off my shoes.”
“I walk around the recording studios barefoot all the time. It drives the producers nuts.” Hunter held out his hand to her.
She took it, and they strolled out of her cabin together. “So we were discussing the costume party.”
“We were. You’ll go with me?”
“You’ll be singing. Exactly how am I supposed to go with you?”
“Well, you can stay backstage, and I’ll take a break or two to make sure you get to dance.”
Manda grinned. “All right. I’ll check out the costume room tomorrow and find something to wear.”
“I wish I wasn’t rehearsing tomorrow, I’d hang out with you before that.” Hunter intertwined his fingers with hers. “We could spend more time catching up.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine by myself.”
“You’re not going to participate in any of the events the cruise line has scheduled?”
“I don’t know. It’s hard to psych myself up for things like that when I know I’m going to have to be social tomorrow night.” Manda took a deep breath.
Hunter squeezed her hand. “With strangers, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“On a singles cruise. How many of these people are here simply for a hookup? I don’t know how much I can deal with people like that.”
“How did you end up on this cruise?”
“Did you ever meet my cousin Alexis? She lived next door to me. Her brother was Jaxon.”
“I remember you and your brothers. The rest of the lot?” Hunter shrugged.
Manda laughed. “There were a lot of us around.” She paused as they walked around the corner and into one of the hallways lined with shops. “Alexis was supposed to come with me, but canceled at the last minute.”
“And what made you decide to come anyway?”
“I work for a children’s hospital as their development director. We’re always talking about different ideas for fundraisers and charity events. One of the events we’ve discussed is a cruise, and when she bailed, Alexis convinced me to turn this into more of a business trip. Scope out the ship and amenities.”
“That’s a really great idea. Although, I would think the costs would be a little high for an event of that magnitude.”
“It’s definitely expensive, but if you saw a cruise where every ticket sold gave a donation to the hospital, you wouldn’t take that cruise?”
“Well, when you say it like that.” Hunter laughed. “How do you do it? With your panic attacks, I mean.” He cocked his head and held up his hands. “Wait, that came out wrong. I’m not questioning your ability to do your job.”
Manda touched his arm. Sparks flew from the contact, and she flinched.
Hunter covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.”
He ran his thumb over the back of her hand as they walked past the shops.
&nb
sp; “It took a lot of medication at the beginning of the job, but as I learned the ropes and got comfortable, it got better. Now it’s second nature, and I don’t have to prepare myself as much or take nearly as much medication.”
“Would you be up for dinner?” Hunter stopped. “We have a special dining area for entertainers. Or we could order room service.”
A group of people came down the hall behind them. “I heard Hunter Cross was wandering around this part of the ship.”
“He’s so drool-worthy.”
“I wonder if we can get his autograph.”
Manda felt her heart rate speed up and squeezed Hunter’s hand.
“This way,” he whispered as he ducked into a side corridor.
Another group approached from the other end of the hallway. “Did I hear someone mention Hunter Cross was on the ship? I know he’s playing tomorrow night.”
Hunter pulled Manda into a stairwell. She was breathing heavily now, and her hands shook. He smoothed her hair and placed a butterfly kiss on her forehead.
“Calm down.” He lowered his head toward hers, cupped her neck with his hand, and tipped her chin up. His lips brushed hers, and his eyes drifted closed as his mouth settled on hers. Manda put her hands on his chest and the stress melted from her body replaced by warmth from his perfect mouth.
When the fans had passed, Hunter broke contact and touched her forehead with his. “That was quite a kiss.”
Manda blushed and looked down at her feet. “It was. Would you be upset if I suggested we do the room service thing?”
“Not at all. Your cabin or mine?”
“Mine if you’re okay with it.” She bit her lip.
“Wherever you're more comfortable.” Hunter put his arm around her waist. “Come on, let’s get back before more fans try to find me.”
Hunter skirted the more popular areas of the ship as he led Manda back to her room, his stomach rumbling as they reached her door. “Sorry, I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“I ate a little at dinner and had a glass of red wine.”
Hunter laughed. “That may have had something to do with the panic attack.”
“Probably.”
He handed her a menu from the counter. “What are you up for?”
“The firecracker shrimp sounds wonderful.”
“A spicy lover, huh?”
“Probably because my life doesn’t get that spicy.” Manda laughed.
“I feel like that’s about to change.” Hunter jumped over to the phone and dialed room service.
Chapter Three
The ship's horn woke Manda from a deep sleep. She kicked the covers off as she stretched. Who knew she’d run into someone from her past in the middle of the ocean? What a wonderful night.
Manda and Hunter had finished their room service right before his manager, J.J., called insisting Hunter come to the rehearsal hall. Hunter tried to convince Manda to go with him, but she figured it would be smarter to stay in and recover a bit more from her panic attack.
A knock on the door brought her out of the memory. Manda stood and headed into the other room, grabbing her robe as she went.
“Can I help you?” she called through the door. Who would be at her door this early? Hunter said he was busy most of the day getting ready for the concert that evening, so it shouldn’t be him.
A muffled voice came through the door. “Room service.”
Manda raised an eyebrow but opened the door.
“Your breakfast, ma’am.”
“Umm, hi. Thank you.” Manda moved out of the way so the room service attendant could wheel the cart inside.
He nodded and left the room.
She glanced down at the cart, a card perched in the middle begging for Manda to open.
Eat a good breakfast.
You have a long day ahead of you.
Enjoy, Hunter.
Manda smiled and traced the letters with her fingers. She’d known him for so long, but they’d been pre-teens the last time they saw each other. Things had definitely changed. He wasn’t the same boy she knew. She plucked out her phone and sent Alexis a quick text.
Thank you for the cruise, and thank you for canceling on me. Had a wonderful time last night.
That should confuse her cousin. She leaned forward and began to pick through the offerings when her phone chimed.
Wait. What? What do you mean you had a wonderful time? Did you get kidnapped?
Manda laughed.
No, but I met an amazing guy, and we had a great time talking.
She thought about telling Alexis about Hunter, but it would be more fun to keep her in the dark for a bit. Her cousin did cancel on her at the last minute. No need to spill the details just yet.
Talking, suuure. I bet that’s what you did. How are you feeling about Richard?
Richard who?
Manda smiled as she grabbed a piece of fruit off the tray and popped it in her mouth. It had been over a month since she’d last seen Richard, and all he’d done was spike her anxiety. This was different. And who said it had to be anything permanent? Wouldn’t it just be fun to catch up with an old friend?
Good for you! Hope you continue to have a great time.
I will!
Manda put her phone down and rested her head on the back of the couch. Today was going to be a good day. She grabbed her phone again and sent a quick text to Diana.
Find the Phantom at the costume party tonight. He’s your date.
Another chime sounded from her phone, this time from Facebook. She opened the app and pulled up her notifications. A tag from Hunter Cross. She clicked on it to see a picture of him with one of her shoes. She frowned and read the caption.
Ran into an old friend last night. She’s grown into an amazing woman. Dinner and a long talk. She lost one of her shoes though. Hoping to find her again and give it back.
She looked at the comments section. Five hundred comments. He’d never see hers if she responded. She clicked the comment button anyway.
Had a great time, but don’t remember losing my shoe.
Had he really taken her shoe? Manda stood and walked over to where she’d taken her shoes off the night before. Sure enough, only one of them was still there. She laughed and shook her head. What was he up to?
Another chime. A reply to her comment. Several replies to her comment. She scanned through the replies, most of which were about being drunk. One even called her a whore. She sunk onto the couch. If this turned into something, dating would not be on the easy list.
Another comment appeared. This one from Hunter.
Forgot how rude people can be. Sorry, Manda. Don’t let their negativity get to you. Promise I’ll make up for it later.
Her room phone rang, and she leapt to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Hey, sorry about the Facebook thing. I didn’t think people would be so rude about it.” He sounded rushed.
“If I hadn’t have responded, they wouldn’t have been so rude. I need to remember you’re a celebrity now.”
“True, but we’re going to be spending time together so I should be able to post what I want. I’ll have my publicist go through and get rid of the negative comments. You shouldn’t be forced to see those.”
A voice in the background called his name.
“I’m not going to read them, Hunter. Don’t worry about it.” Manda put down her cell phone. “I thought you had rehearsal. You sound busy.”
“I am, but I wanted to make sure you were all right. I got your message and had to respond.” He chuckled.
“I didn’t think you’d see it. With all those comments, I figured it would be a long time before you even checked your phone.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve been checking every five minutes in hopes you’d answer. J.J.’s ready to kill me. Send me a pm with your number so I can contact you there.”
Manda picked up her phone again and did as requested. “Sent.” She smiled. “I have to know. How did I really los
e my shoe?”
“You’ll have to wait and find out tonight.”
“Come on, Hunter, we need to finish this rehearsal,” a male voice called from the background.
“I have to go. Diana is going to come find you in a bit. She said something about a spa day.”
“I look forward to seeing her.” Manda bit her lip. “And I can’t wait to see you.”
“I can’t wait either. Seven o’clock can’t get here soon enough.”
“Later.”
“Later.”
Manda hung up the phone and smiled. Yes, today was going to be a great day.
Diana caught up with Manda as she walked down the corridor. “I heard you and Hunter got on well last night.”
Manda tried not to break into a face-splitting smile. “It was fun. We talked and had dinner.”
“Great. And what’s up with my date? Your text was kind of cryptic.”
“He said he’ll find you. All you need to know is he’s gorgeous, and you’re going to love him. I promise.” Manda winked.
“A mystery. I like it.” Diana grinned and grabbed Manda’s arm. “Come on, we’ve got an appointment at the spa. Massage, mani-pedi, a quick trip to the salon for our hair appointments, and then off to the big dressing room.”
“The big dressing room?”
“Yep. We’ll get dressed for the party there.”
“But I haven’t found a costume yet.” Manda glanced over her shoulder at the costume room they had just passed.
“They have some there, don’t worry.” Diana towed her to the spa. “Now, let’s go get our glam on.”
Manda bit her lip. What had she gotten herself into?
Manda stepped into the large dressing area and quickly walked to the mirror. Her hair looked incredible. Gorgeous wavy curls fell from the french twist the stylist had chosen and rhinestones shimmered throughout. She turned to Diana, whose blonde hair was stunning in loosely teased curls with a gold-leafed crown nestled on top.