by Deb Julienne
“I’m not speaking to her at the moment. She ditched me for some guy.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Yeah. She blew me off for a quick lay in Tahoe.”
J.J. watched the banter between the two. It was obvious they knew each other well, but a part of him was jealous. The only saving grace was that she seemed to have no interest in Hunter other than to give him grief and tease him like a brother. He only hoped he was reading the relationship correctly.
“Well, if you’re game, I’m going to go get Manda and bring her here. I’d really like to introduce you guys tonight so you’re both comfortable at the ball tomorrow.”
“We’ve got practice tonight, but bring her by.”
“Will you have some time to spend with Manda later in the week?”
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
Even as Hunter asked, J.J. overlooked the fact that Hunter claimed he planned to spend time with him. He, on the other hand, had his brain working overtime trying to figure out how to get some alone time with Diana. Maybe he and Hunter would have to finagle something.
Diana looked at her watch. “I better go find Manda or my plan won’t work.” She turned and waved good-bye.
“Wait a minute—plans for what?” Hunter hollered, but Diana was gone.
J.J. stood with his mouth opened, arm in the air waving good-bye, and nothing coming out. “What was that?”
“Diana. She’s like a cross between a Tasmanian devil and Mardi Gras—exciting, dangerous, and no telling what the hell will happen next. But damn, she’s a blast.”
J.J. had to find a way to talk to Diana, maybe her friend Manda could set something up. When they returned, he’d get Manda alone and see what he could work out.
Chapter Five
Diana raced to her room as she attempted to curtail her erratically beating heart. The overly ambitious task took more than half an hour, which included a cold shower and a long talk with her reflection in the mirror, forcing her focus on Manda and Hunter, and trying to ignore the magnetic link her body had with J.J.
It didn’t work.
The only thing that stopped the racing of her heart was the fact that J.J. was a part of the band. She didn’t want a musician for a boyfriend, too many tempting women on the road, and J.J. was the manager. The same went for him. There was nothing like taking the hot guy off the table to cool a girl’s ardor.
When she finally felt like herself again, she went in search of her friend. She couldn’t find Manda anywhere, so she made her way to Manda’s room and knocked. It was time for her fairy tale to begin.
Manda opened the door with a book in her hand. “I thought you forgot about me, so I came back to my room. Come on in.” Manda turned around then plopped back down on the couch.
“Not hardly.” Diana smiled, clapping her hands. “Ready to meet your date?”
“Wait, what? I figured I’d have until tomorrow, at least.” Manda looked down loungewear. “I can’t go like this.”
“Well then go get dressed, because you’re about to meet the man of your dreams.” Diana’s eyebrows raised in measure to her smile.
Manda hurried to her suitcase then ran into the bathroom.
The girl would flip out when she was introduced to Hunter. And yet, the bigger question in Diana’s mind was who she would end up with. She almost hoped Manda would be too busy with Hunter and she’d be off the hook.
It was no big deal, not really. She’d go to the ball, listen to a set or two, and hopefully during the trip acquire enough information to recommend or reject the idea of buying the cruise line. What she’d seen so far had her leaning toward the purchase.
What weighed her father’s decisions most were all the disasters that could plague a cruise ship. There had certainly been several incidents lately. But then again, her father had standards. And those standards were mighty high which for a cruise ship certainly made sense. If only she could get her father to drop the notion that he had a say in who she’d marry.
“Hurry up, girl. We don’t want to keep him waiting now, do we?”
Manda yelled from the bathroom, “I’m not so sure about this.”
Laughter bubbled from Diana, she couldn’t wait to see Hunter and Manda together. “I am—and he has my vote of confidence. You have nothing to worry about.”
“What’s he like? Who is he?”
“Nope. I’m not telling. Just hurry up.”
Manda opened the bathroom door wearing the most exquisite sheath of a turquoise dress. “Do I look okay?” She bit her bottom lip then hurried to her suitcase pulling another dress out.
“You look positively gorgeous. Man, oh man. He is so in trouble. Put on some lipstick, and let’s go. This is going to be so much fun. That dress and your hair—you’re going to knock his socks off.” Diana pranced around the room trying to move Manda toward the door.
Manda fussed with her hair and added a rhinestone clip, so her hair cascaded down her back in a burnished fall. Then Manda slipped on a pair of black heels. “Are you sure we have to do this?”
Diana smiled and nodded. “Believe me. You’re going to be glad you did.” She opened the door, anxious for the merriment to commence.
Manda took a deep breath and walked out her stateroom door and continued down the hallway. At the elevator, Diana pushed the button for the Promenade Deck. When the doors opened, Diana stepped out and headed for the Princess Theatre which was reserved for the evening’s entertainment.
“Diana, where are we going?”
“I’m going to introduce you to your date.” Diana grinned. “Ready or not, welcome to your fairy tale.”
They reached a door marked ‘Private.’
“Wait a minute—cruise workers and passengers aren’t allowed to date. I went through the rules online when I was trying to figure out who I could set you up with.”
“Ahh. But he doesn’t work for the cruise line.” Diana stopped.
“I’m going to embarrass myself,” Manda mumbled.
Diana shook her head and proceeded to knock on a door.
“Just a moment—”
Manda’s face turned red, and she started doing breathing exercises. “I—I—can’t—breathe.”
“Calm down. This is supposed to be fun, not stressful. Relax, and let it happen. I guarantee you’ll have a great time.”
“You can’t do that, even I know that.” Manda bent over and put her head down. She looked ready to collapse.
Diana grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her upright. “He’s a good friend of mine.” She pushed the hair out of Manda’s eyes. “You two will get along famously.”
“It’s not that. I’m just neurotic and have a hard time meeting people.” Manda let out a deep breath.
The door opened, and Hunter Cross stepped out of the dressing room with a huge smile on his face.
Manda took one look at the man, and her mouth dropped open.
Hunter hugged Diana, and they both turned to look at Manda.
Manda’s breathing became erratic.
Hunter flashed a smile. “Hi.”
Manda’s cheeks were infused in various shades of red.
Diana began the introductions. “Manda, this is Hunter Cross. Hunter, this is Manda Reilly, your number one fan.”
Manda extended her hand and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She nodded, clamping her mouth shut.
Hunter clasped her hand and said, “Manda Reilly.” The way he repeated her name was almost as if he’d heard it before. He turned to her. “Diana, thank you for the intro, but get lost.”
“What?” Diana’s mouth fell open. Did he just kick her out?
He kissed her cheek and gently shoved her toward the door. “Go find someone else to bug for awhile.” He leaned closer and whispered, “Thank you.”
That was odd. She stepped out the door and turned to glance at Manda. “We have manicures and pedicures set for nine in the morning.” Her date. “And don’t forget about my date.”
H
unter shut the door in her face.
Diana stood rooted, staring at the closed door and laughed. “I’ll get even with you for that one, you just wait and see.”
On a high worthy of Viv, Diana sauntered off toward the perfect place to end her first night on the ship. Once she was seated at the bar, she ordered a double. No telling who she’d end up with during the costume ball. Either way, it was bound to be a night to remember; or in her case a night to forget.
And while she was at it, she might as well do some dirty work for Daddy.
Diana got into a curious conversation with Chris, the bartender, about what it was like working onboard a ship. The information was invaluable and amusing.
She checked her watch, noting she had thirty minutes until she had to call her father with her first real update.
Chapter Six
Diana considered the introduction of Manda to Hunter a huge success. The fact that they spent the entire evening together was like whipped cream on her sundae. They were a perfect match.
She was even more pleasantly surprised to receive Manda’s text message that she’d found her a date and would get to meet him at the ball.
That night, she strolled on the deck alone, letting the warm breeze caress her body. She’d done three laps before she was finally relaxed enough to try to get some sleep.
The next morning, as she made her way to the dining room for breakfast, she eyed each man she passed wondering if he was her potential suitor.
What would he be like? Would he be taller than her? Would he have a sense of humor, or would he be another dud?
In a perfect world, she’d simply have a few dances with whoever Manda chose for her and the rest of her trip she’d finish the job and report back to her father.
Daddy.
Grayson Alexander Tolliver, CEO of Tolliver Enterprises. What was it going to take to make him truly happy? Nothing within her power, that’s for sure. The man was impossible. He had control issues, flying issues, hell, he had more issues than she could ever hope to handle.
In fact, when she called him for their nightly update she was barely two minutes late, and she’d have thought it was more like an hour the way he ranted about wasting his valuable time. On top of it, he threatened her position with the company if she continued to fail to provide him with more relevant information other than uniforms for the male employees.
Why couldn’t he be more like his father? Charles Hamilton Tolliver started the business forty-three years ago with the first Tolliver hotel, followed by thirty more over the next few years, all across the United States.
If it hadn’t been for Grandpa Tolliver, she’d have been a lost cause after her mother passed away when she was barely fourteen. It was her grandfather who instilled in her that there was nothing she couldn’t do just because she was a girl. Too bad he couldn’t encourage that kind of forward thinking into his own son.
Her father spent every moment of his waking life expanding Tolliver Towers into Tolliver Enterprises, and he’d all but forgotten about her. She’d gone to school, receiving her MBA in Business Communications just so she could work with him and be a part of his life, such that it was.
While she waited for Manda to join her, she put her mind to good use, coming up with a few ideas to test the staff. She hated this part of the job; testing an employee’s ability to handle change or annoying customers, finding out who had the spirit to make sure the customer is always right. It was a necessary evil, and she’d feel guilty as hell, but it had to be done. Cruise ships and the service industry were about giving the customer the ultimate vacation of their dreams.
She was jotting down notes while intermittently scanning the crowd in line for the buffet table. Diana gave up and ordered her breakfast.
She sent it back twice. First, her complaint was the eggs were too runny. The second time overcooked. They’d been perfect in both cases. The waitress handled it like a pro. She smiled, removed the plate, and delivered the new one with the finesse of a saint.
When Diana finished eating, she made her way to Manda’s room to collect her for their spa day.
Diana didn’t remember much of the conversation they shared at the spa. Instead, she relished the massage, mani/pedi, and shampoo, rinse, and styling of her hair. She hadn’t been pampered in ages.
Hell, she and Viv had been so busy there had been little spare time to play.
After almost three hours of relaxation, while others took care of her needs, she and Manda decided to go to the costume shop before all the good ones were taken.
There wasn’t much for her to choose from that would suit her height, but after a few minutes, she spied a shimmery, pewter, toga-like dress…viola…Diana the Huntress at your service. In a matter of minutes, she was done.
Finding what Manda wanted was a bit harder. Her heart was set on Cinderella, but from the looks of things and the way the ball gowns had been picked over, all the other women had the same idea.
“Who’d have thought it would be so hard to find a blue dress?” Diana asked.
A gentleman stepped into the costume area and coughed. “Are either of you Manda Reilly?”
“I am,” Manda acknowledged, and the guy proceeded to escort her to a large dressing room.Manda’s hands covered her pink cheeks. Her smile was magnificent, and her jaw was going to ache if she didn’t calm down.
“I’m going to change. If you need help, yell.” Diana slipped into the next dressing room.
Leave it to Hunter to have thought of everything. He must have worked with the people organizing the costume ball and had them select everything Manda could want.
The expression on Manda’s face when she realized what Hunter had done for her touched Diana deeply. Hunter really was a great guy and perfect for Manda.
Seeing such happiness on Manda’s face and the appreciation for what he’d done for her, was grand on every scale.
When Diana walked out of her dressing room, she noticed Hunter helping Manda tie up her dress. Since he had things under control, Diana left to head back to her room and set up her next situation for the crew.
At the same time, depression set in. She’d never be one of those lucky women to find a match made in heaven. No, that kind of thing only happened to women like Manda. In her case, it was like her and Viv’s game. There was no such thing as a Mr. Right—only Mr. Right Now.
Diana no longer wanted to go to the party. She wouldn’t be able to hide the dysfunctional attitude she was feeling. And while the guy was probably nice enough, she was sure her behavior would make him feel as if he did something wrong. No one deserved that.
Diana was in desperate need of an attitude adjustment.
She’d been so miserable lately. Her relationship with her father seemed to have soured even more. It was time to figure out what she really wanted out of life; and if that decision meant she no longer worked for her father, then that’s how it had to be.
Could she actually quit?
Would she throw everything she’d worked for away?
It was definitely something she would have to consider.
She’d put everything into her job. Her heart and soul were heavily invested in Tolliver Enterprises, but no matter how hard she worked, it would never be enough.
It was time to cut her losses.
She’d do this one last job for her father, and when she returned, if he still couldn’t see her as a senior staff member, she’d turn in her resignation.
It was hard to believe, but taking the cruise had led her to the only conclusion she could think of—one that actually made her feel better.
Of course, convincing Viv was another thing. Viv would go along, but she’d make it difficult. They were a team—two for the price of one, and worth every penny.
Viv was the innovative one. When it came to testing employees, she was the best.
Once back in her room, Diana put on her Viv-like thinking cap and proceeded to clog the toilet. She called facilities, timing them on how long it took
to get to her room and clean up the mess. Barely fifteen minutes later, Diana was back on the phone to housekeeping to come get the spider on her wall.
From there, she went to the concierge and kept the poor woman busy for two hours, during which she changed her mind about excursions several times, only to cancel everything at the end. The woman was tight-lipped with her response, but smiled and said to let her know if she changed her mind.
She joined the afternoon activity of shuffleboard on deck and then followed it up with observing high tea in the garden room. She wasn’t a tea person, but they did present a beautiful experience, and the tea and pastries were decadent.
High tea was served in delicate Royal Albert Old Country Rose cup and saucers with a matching dessert plate for the delicacies. She tried one of each to get an idea of the chef’s taste buds.
The chef served the usual crustless chicken curry and cucumber mint sandwiches, as well as scones with Devonshire cream. Also, the chef played off the cooking shows and delivered a variety of intricately decorated cookies too pretty to eat, colorful petit fours, stuffed macaroons, and cupcakes.
The staff even brought a tiramisu served in a martini glass. The chef put every bit of panache and finesse into the food as the servers put into presentation.
When she was full, she made her way to the kitchen to offer her compliments to the chef.
Chapter Seven
J.J. didn’t know what to make of Diana Clay.
At breakfast that morning, she sat by herself at one of the many tables in the dining room with a writing tablet and pen. If she was writing a letter, someone was about to get a good scolding, the way her hand flew briskly across the page. She seemed to alternate between a state of agitation in a frenzy of writing and looking confused, biting on the end of the pen as she contemplated the page. Her facial expressions changed just as quickly.
The hour he spent hiding behind various food stations, ducking behind planters of flowers and walls, and blending in among the crowds as he followed Diana from afar, did nothing for him except to make him hungrier. He kept waiting for Manda to join Diana at any moment. The wait left him starving as the smell of food enveloped him. He was ready to get in line for the buffet table and join her. But that would ruin his plans for the evening.