“I know, I probably shouldn’t have, but let me say how impressed I am that you invented War Raiders. I’m a huge fan.”
“You play video games?” Drew asked.
“Yeah, I’m a social outcast. Into Star Venture and video games. If you looked up “nerd” in the dictionary, my photo would be there.” Angelica laughed, and it came out as an annoying twittery sound.
“Nerd” wasn’t the word that came to Miranda’s mind when she looked at Angelica. Miranda picked up her drink and took a big gulp, the bubbles stinging as they went down her throat.
“Wait, what?” Zachary asked. “You invented War Raiders, the largest online video game since . . . ever?”
Drew tugged at his collar. “Yeah.”
“With all that merchandizing, you’ve got to be a millionaire,” Zachary said.
“Billionaire, actually,” Miranda said. Drew shot her a Why’d-you-say-that? look. She shot him back an Angelica-would-already-know-since-she-googled-you look.
Zachary slapped the table. “Get out.”
“Drew’s working on a new game right now.”
Drew’s eyes widened, and she regretted saying anything.
“Oh, you have to tell us about it.” Angelica rested her hand on Drew’s arm.
Miranda couldn’t draw her eyes away from Angelica’s hand. For some stupid reason, she wanted to march around the table and rip it off.
“Um, well I haven’t gotten very far on it yet. It’s really still early in the development stages.”
Guilt constricted Miranda’s throat. She knew Drew was struggling with the new game. He kept asking her about story concepts. Why had she brought it up?
Angelica snuggled closer to Drew. “What’s it about?”
Drew swallowed and gave Miranda a pleading look. Shoot. She had to fix her mistake. She leaned forward, conspiratorially. “I think there’s some kind of non-disclosure agreement, because Drew won’t even tell me about it.” Miranda swirled her straw around her Diet Coke. The ice clinked against the glass. She shot Drew a smile, hoping he forgave her.
Angelica pouted for a second, then tugged on Drew’s arm as a fast song started up. “Let’s go dance.”
Miranda wanted to say, “You do know he has a girlfriend, right?” but kept her lips together.
“Sure.” Drew slid off his stool and walked to the dance floor with Angelica.
Miranda stared at them. Since when could Drew dance? She tried to remember and came up blank. He had gone to senior prom, right? Her memories were centered around Barry, her date. She couldn’t even remember Drew there.
Zachary stood and extended his hand. “Let’s join the party.”
She nodded and slid off her stool, even though she didn’t feel like dancing anymore. Zachary led her out onto the floor and she tried to smile as she pretended she was having fun. Why couldn’t she just dance and forget about Drew and Angelica? Why was she glancing over at them every ten seconds?
Maybe she should have called it a night and gone to bed.
***
The next morning Miranda stared at her reflection in the mirror. Why did she stay up so late? Now she had bags under her eyes. She combed through her wet hair. It was Drew’s fault. If he hadn’t been dancing so close to Angelica the whole night, she wouldn’t have felt like she needed to stay and chaperone them. What would Shelly say if she saw what Miranda had seen last night?
Was she supposed to ignore the way Drew had been with Angelica? Or should she speak up? She hadn’t even met Shelly, but she felt a bond with her. She trusted Miranda with Drew. Miranda felt like she owed it to the woman to protect her man.
Her comb caught and she yanked on it. Ouch. Not a great idea. Now her scalp hurt. She worked out the knotted strands and plugged in her hairdryer.
When she was done getting ready, she knocked on Drew’s door. Her palms grew sweaty and she wiped them on her jeans. Stupid rebound emotions. She swallowed her nerves.
Drew opened the door. “You ready to go to breakfast?”
“Yep.” She had suggested last night that they catch breakfast at the buffet, but Drew had insisted it was better to eat at their assigned table. Probably because he wanted to eat with Angelica. Ugh, just thinking her name made Miranda’s stomach sour.
Drew stepped out into the hallway. Of course he looked like a billionaire fashion model. She almost suggested he put his glasses back on, but bit back the words. He might suspect something. “You sleep well?” she asked instead.
“Yes.”
They started toward the elevators. She desperately wanted to say something about Angelica, but it wasn’t her place, so she decided to clamp her lips together and hold it in. When they got to the table, Drew motioned to the couple sitting there.
“Miranda, this is Ivan and Nadiya. They’re from Orlando. This is Miranda, the woman I was telling you about.”
Miranda shook hands and wondered what Drew had said about her. “Did you go to the cast party last night?” Miranda asked them.
Nadiya nodded and curled her black hair over her ear. She looked like she could be an actress. So exotic looking, and her skin was flawless. “We had a great time.”
Angelica appeared and took a seat next to Drew. “Good morning, sweetie.” She leaned over and pecked his cheek.
Miranda had had enough. She picked up her napkin and turned to Drew. “How’s Shelly doing?”
Drew swallowed and turned two shades of red. “She’s fine.”
Angelica settled into her seat. “Who’s Shelly?”
“His girlfriend,” Miranda said, immensely satisfied at the way Angelica frowned at the news.
“You didn’t say you had a girlfriend.”
Drew looked extremely uncomfortable, and a shot of guilt went through Miranda, but she swallowed it down. If Drew wanted to break up with Shelly, that was fine. It was his life. But it wasn’t cool to cheat on her. Not that dancing had been cheating, but there was a fine line.
“Is Carol feeling better?” Drew asked.
“Yes. She’s coming. Apparently the motion sickness pills they have on the boat really knocked her out. She was dead asleep all morning.” Angelica glanced behind her. “Here she is.”
A woman approached the table. She was tall and had short, dark hair. She smiled as she sat down. “You must be Miranda. Drew told us about you.”
Unable to restrain herself, Miranda asked, “What did he say?”
No one said anything, and it began to get awkward. Ivan finally spoke up. “He said you two are friends, and he came with you to get your mind off the guy you just broke up with.”
So he had told them about Walt. Figures. At least Ivan said the guy she’d broken up with, instead of the guy who dumped her right before her wedding. She didn’t want to know if Drew had told them that part. A change of subject was in order. “What’s everyone ordering this morning?”
They chatted for a while about food, ordered their breakfast, and then started talking about the day. Miranda couldn’t help noticing how close Angelica was sitting to Drew. She laughed at everything he said, and even put her hand on his arm a few times. Why was she still flirting with him after learning about Shelly?
She swallowed her disgust. Maybe she was taking things the wrong way. Drew was a nice guy. Maybe he was simply being a gentleman and Angelica was making assumptions.
A man carrying a large teddy bear weaved his way through the crowd. The man stopped at their table and looked around, his gaze pausing on her. “Are you Miranda?”
“Yes.”
“This is for you.” He handed the bear to her.
“Wow, thank you.” She didn’t know what to say.
Angelica squealed. “Is that from Zachary Dunham?”
Miranda found a card tucked in the red ribbon around its neck. She pulled it out and opened the envelope. I enjoyed my time with you yesterday. Love, Zachary
Her cheeks felt warm. “Yes.”
“Ooh, that’s so sweet,” Angelica said.
Dr
ew frowned, but didn’t say anything. Miranda wondered why Zachary was giving her so much attention. There was a ship full of beautiful women. Why was he sending her a teddy bear?
“What are you going to do today, Miranda?” Angelica asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.
She set the bear down at her feet. “I want to attend the panel discussion this afternoon.”
“Yes, that looks good. I don’t want to miss that. But what are you going to do this morning? I was thinking I’d go to the spa and get a massage or something.”
“Oh, yes,” Carol said. “Let’s do.”
“I’ve never gotten a massage.” The words were out before she could police them.
Angelica’s eyes grew wide. “You should come with us, then. You really need to try one.”
Nadiya lifted her fork and pointed it at her. “You haven’t lived until you’ve gotten a Swedish massage.”
Drew nudged her arm. “That’s a great idea. You really should go with the girls; you need to pamper yourself.”
Oh, no. How had she fallen into that trap? She didn’t want to spend the morning with Angelica. But she didn’t want to be rude, either. She swallowed, trying to think of what to say. “I don’t know, it’s pretty expensive.”
“I’ll pay for it,” Drew said.
She shot him a Gee, thanks look.
“It’s settled then,” Angelica said. “We’ll go visit the spa after breakfast.”
Carol clapped her hands together. “We’ll have a great time.”
Miranda forced a smile. Yeah. A great time.
Chapter 9
The cold tile floor sent a shiver up Miranda’s spine. She couldn’t believe she was standing there in a towel. Only a towel. Angelica had convinced her she needed the works, whatever that meant. And of course, the girls had insisted they all be in the same place so they could chat. The last thing Miranda wanted to do was be naked in a room full of people. She was self-conscious about the scar that ran down her back.
She walked into the massage area and Angelica waved at her. Both girls lay face-down, with a large sheet covering them. Carol was on the far table.
“You’re going to love this,” Angelica said. “Get on the table and put the sheet over you.”
Miranda looked at the waist-high table and wondered how she was going to do that without totally giving everyone an eyeful. She lifted her knee and placed it on the table, sliding her foot under the sheet. That wasn’t so bad. She let go of her towel and grabbed the table. Just a little jump and she’d be fine. The towel slipped a little, but it was still covering her.
Just as she was lifting her other leg, the door opened and a man entered, startling her. The towel came undone and Miranda yelped, lifting her hand to close it back over her. Unfortunately, that shifted her weight and she fell off the other side of the table. Her backside hit the cold tile floor. The towel hit the floor next to her. She scrambled to get it back around her as the girls laughed.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the massage therapist said. “I’ll let you get situated and I’ll come back.” He left the room.
Miranda quickly climbed up on the table and tugged the sheet over her. Heat assaulted her as she turned red in a full-body blush. Had anyone seen her scar? What would Angelica think?
“Don’t worry about it,” Carol said. “I did that once. But it was a woman massage therapist, so it wasn’t so bad.”
“Once I fell asleep while getting a massage,” Angelica said. “I woke up and I had drool down my chin. So embarrassing!”
Miranda felt a little better as the girls talked about their embarrassing moments. And no one asked about her scar, so maybe no one saw it. She did have her back toward the door, not the girls. The massage therapist knocked, and when Miranda called for him to enter, he came back in. Two other therapists followed him, both female. Of course, the man came to stand by her table. She felt another blush come over her. Great.
He rubbed some oil on his hands and moved the sheet down to expose her shoulders. “Let me know if you’d like more or less pressure, okay?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice. He began working her muscles. His hands were warm, and the oil felt wonderful on her skin. He didn’t say anything about her scar either. Soothing music played over the speakers, and soon she relaxed.
“This feels amazing,” Angelica said.
“I agree.” Miranda hadn’t realized a massage could feel so nice. Sure, some of the time the pressure kind of hurt, but in a good way, if that made any sense.
She closed her eyes and listened to the music for a few minutes. The cruise ship softly rocked back and forth. It would be easy to fall asleep.
“So, Miranda,” Angelica said. “What’s the deal with Drew?”
What did she mean by that? Miranda turned her head to look at Angelica. “What?”
“Is he serious with this girlfriend?”
Annoyance tightened her shoulders. Her massage therapist pushed a little harder on her back. “You need to relax,” he said.
Miranda put her head back down and closed her eyes, trying to do as he said. “He’s been dating her for a year. I think it’s serious.”
“It’s just so strange. Why didn’t he bring her on the cruise?”
“It was a last-minute thing.”
“Huh.”
Miranda waited to see if Angelica would expound on that. When she didn’t say anything else, Miranda said, “What?”
Angelica lay there, her eyes closed. “It’s just weird, don’t you think?” she said in a relaxed tone. “He talked about you almost constantly, but never once mentioned Shelly.”
Wait, he talked about her? Constantly? Her heart pounded. “When did he talk about me?”
“Miss, you must relax,” her therapist said again.
“Oh, sorry.” Miranda made a conscious effort to relax her muscles, but it wasn’t easy.
“While we were eating dinner,” Angelica said, sounding half-asleep. “And while we were dancing. Pretty much all the time we were together. I think he has a thing for you.”
Miranda whipped her head up. Her massage therapist sighed and moved on to her legs. What did Angelica mean, Drew had a thing for her?
Carol changed the subject before Miranda could respond. “We should do this again on our other day at sea. Don’t you think this is relaxing, Miranda?”
“Sure.”
“I mean, I haven’t felt this good in a long time. And I read that massages have medicinal value, too.”
Why was Carol talking to her? She wanted to ask Angelica what she meant. “Oh?”
“Yes. I read that they help with headaches, insomnia, and all kinds of things.”
Miranda felt a headache coming on, and doubted her massage would help. And Carol kept talking. Why wouldn’t she shut up? After five minutes, Carol finally took a breath, and Miranda saw her chance.
“Huh. Hey, Angelica, back to Drew. Why do you say he’s got a thing for me?”
Angelica didn’t answer.
“Angelica?”
“I think she’s asleep,” the therapist working on Angelica said.
Miranda laid her head down, but couldn’t force herself to relax. Angelica must be mistaken. Drew didn’t have a thing for her. He’d always been nothing but a friend to her. A good friend, who listened when she needed him. He was dating Shelly.
But as she thought about it, Angelica was right. Drew hardly ever talked about Shelly. The only time he said anything was when she asked him about her, and even then, he was vague. The only thing she knew about Shelly was that she liked to cuddle with him on the couch, and Drew complained once that she ate off his plate. He rarely gave her details. She had to pull them out of him. He never wanted to talk about her.
As she lay there, she tried to figure out what that meant.
***
Drew walked into the theater. People were already claiming seats for the panel discussion that was going to happen in forty-five minutes. He found a row near the front that hadn’t be
en taken yet and set his jacket across several chairs, then sat next to it. Miranda made him promise he’d save her a seat, and Angelica had jumped on that, saying she and Carol would join them.
He wasn’t sure what to think of Angelica. She was cute, and it was kind of fun having a girl flirt with him so openly. The funny thing was, each time he paid attention to Angelica, Miranda looked like she was going to explode. Could she really be getting jealous of Angelica?
It was amusing, for sure. She was acting like a schoolkid, jealous of someone else spending time with her friend. When they got back to Kansas, he would have to tease her about it.
He pulled out his phone and checked for messages. When no important emails came up, he fired off a quick note to his assistant, asking how things were going with Shelly.
Miranda entered the theater with Angelica and Carol. She spotted him and pointed to the seats, then led them down the aisle. “Thanks,” she said, gathering up his coat and sitting next to him. Angelica looked disgruntled, but settled in beside Miranda, with Carol on the end.
“Did you enjoy the spa?” Drew asked.
Miranda made a face, but Angelica nodded and answered for her. “It was glorious. I swear, I need to start going weekly.”
Drew was too curious to let it go. He nudged Miranda’s leg. “What about you?”
“It was fine,” she said, blushing.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.” Her blush deepened.
“Something totally happened. You’re turning such a lovely shade of red.”
Miranda’s hands flew to her cheeks. “I fell off the massage table. Naked. In front of the guy who was going to massage me.”
Angelica and Carol laughed.
Drew could imagine how embarrassing that was for Miranda, and got annoyed at the girls for being so callous. He tried to think of something consoling to say. Miranda glanced up at him. “Go ahead. Laugh.”
“It’s too soon. We’ll laugh about it later. Right now I just want to give you a hug.”
Miranda’s eyes shone and she blinked. “Oh my gosh, you’re the perfect friend.”
The word “friend” made him want to stab himself, but he pushed that away. They stood and Miranda threw herself into his arms. He hugged her close, breathing in the smell of her. He could feel her heart beating, or maybe that was his own pounding heart. He wasn’t sure. He kissed the top of her head gently, silently hoping she didn’t notice. “Thanks, Drew,” she whispered.
Her Big Fat Foxy Billionaire Best Friend Page 6
