A deep, throaty chuckle rippled from Phoenix as she released the card into Mary’s open palm. “I think his life partner would have issues. What we want–”
“We think you need to have an out-clause.” Jenn leaned on the black speckled granite counter.
“Out-clause?” The card crunched between Mary’s fingers as her mouth dropped open.
“Considering he arranged this cruise to act out a sex-with-stranger fantasy, odds are he will try to get to you.” Kim’s no nonsense tone vibrated through the room. “Don’t get nervous, Mary, but we think since your ex-boyfriend continues to be on the lam and considered dangerous by the cops, you might want to have an escape route if he should show up at one of the ports where you dock.”
Mary fell onto the seat of the red plaid sofa. “Conrad would not go on a ship. He’ll be caught by the police for sure.”
Jenn snapped her gum. “Mary, I love you, so don’t take this the wrong way, but you always choose handsome but stupid boyfriends. Most definitely Raddy-Boy would be likely to follow you on the cruise or wait for you to disembark and try to–”
“Jenn!” Phoenix shouted. She sat beside Mary. Phoenix’s lips relaxed and her eyes softened, almost giving the impression of intense sympathy. Mary’s heart rate escalated, she didn’t want to hear what was to come. “Honey, we’re your best friends and we have to tell you over the years you’ve selected…not the brightest guys to date.”
“Bill, the pothead,” Jenn said.
“Pete, the fertilizer salesman.” Kim sighed.
“Jeremiah, the poet. Thomas, the artist.” Phoenix patted Mary’s hand.
“Tom and I were in the same design class. He wasn’t dumb.” Mary had to at least defend one of her choices.
“Austin, the waiter, was definitely the most handsome of all of them.” Jenn spit her gum into a piece of paper and zeroed in on the shiny silver trash container a few feet away.
No one spoke. What were they waiting for? Did they think she’d agree her partner choices were idiot pretty-boys? She threw her shoulders forward and took a deep breath. Yes, she had chosen wrong.
“Clearly Conrad wasn’t brainless. It took some intelligence to arrange to steal a million dollars of uncut diamonds and point the blame at me.” Heat rose to Mary’s face. She hated saying the words out loud. Her friends had kindly ignored the subject during dinner and most of the night.
“Oh, honey.” Phoenix wrapped her arm around Mary’s shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze.
Her goal, to become the most sought-after jewelry designer in Keefe, South Carolina, had been achieved. She’d stayed at the top for a mere year, until she met Conrad Peabody. How could someone with such a proper name have fooled her so severely? Her mistakes didn’t deserve tears.
“Conrad was hot. I adored how his bright blond hair constantly fell onto his forehead. I loved his dimples, a charming set resting on the top corners of his mouth. He was built, perfect V.” Mary leaned against the sofa.
Phoenix shifted, before her arm got trapped.
“How can you possibly talk about him in a positive way? Andre is still in the hospital, with a complex concussion. You had to shut down your store while the investigation is going on, because Peabody stole your jewels.” Kim slurped the sunrise until nothing was left but crushed pink ice. “Thank God your grandfather arrived a few minutes after the robbery, or you’d have been tied up until a customer came in, or Lisa.”
“I don’t know, I guess because Conrad was beautiful. Maybe he was forced into stealing.” This thought had been recurring since the entire ordeal began. The incident had to have been some sort of mistake. Didn’t it?
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Jenn stood in front of Mary, looking a bit like a dark Peter Pan. “He was the leader.”
“We’d been together for almost a year. Other than ditching me a couple of times, he was a perfect gentleman.” Mary had to breathe. Her heart tapped little beats against her chest. “I loved him. I thought he loved me too.”
“Hello, part of the con-artist personality. Get in, pretend to be someone else, steal and escape. I thought you understood that by now?” Jenn’s snarky tone must have alerted her to the need for a new jolt of nicotine because she stomped away and withdrew another patch from her purse. As an attorney’s office assistant, her knowledge of criminal activity and the law was priceless, but it came with a lot of stress. In addition, she and her husband had decided to start a family, which had encouraged Jenn to stop smoking.
“Okay, we know he had attributes. But overall, he stole from your place of business and made it appear you were to blame.” Phoenix rubbed Mary’s arm, gentle little circles that reminded Mary of how she soothed Kim’s girls when they’d been hurt.
Mary put her drink on the side table and held her palms to her eyes, pressing so the pain would stay away. Everything her friends said was factual. She had to admit the truth and move past this entire ordeal. “Which is why this sperm-seeking cruise will be perfect. I’ll get a baby without the blind fallacy of love.”
“You’ll need to hear the rest of the out-clause before you leave to jump on the boat.” Kim withdrew a notebook from the sofa table. “Phoenix, you have the best penmanship. Write down the donor list and what the acronym stands for.”
Kim met Mary’s gaze as if she sought the truth. “Do you still want to have a child?”
Mary lowered her hands to rest on the top of her thighs. Last chance kept repeating in her head. “You all know my grandfather’s edict. I haven’t saved enough money to buy my house. It’s the only thing of value left from my parents. The job, I can get one anywhere. I’d miss being my own boss and I love the store, but the building isn’t as important as the memories inside my home. If I want to keep my life the way it is, then yes. I need to have a baby and hope Grandfather won’t care about the marriage first.”
“Okay then. You’ll leave from Port Authority in about an hour. After the second full day, you’ll disembark at Kingston. Then, you’ll stop at the big island. I think it’s called Port Yama. You’ll find out straightaway if slime ball is on the ship because he’ll find you. If he is, you jump ship at Kingston, seek out Sasha Framee. His name and phone number are on the back of this card.” Kim handed Mary the card. “He’ll get you on a plane or boat to Vermont.”
“Go to my brother’s house in Cage, and he’ll hide you in his guest cottage.” Phoenix sat down on the edge of the sofa. “Once we’re notified you had to run, we’ll go to Jenn’s friend, Hotel Director Stubbing, who works on the ship. He can let us know what happened. As hard as it’ll be for all of us, we’ll have to stay away because Conrad had a partner and we don’t know what he looks like…right?”
“Right, no one knows who he was. Conrad kept at my back the entire time and I didn’t see any skin on the accomplice, just black clothing from head to toe. I recognized Conrad’s voice, scent, and then the molar shaped mole on his hand. The hidden camera showed Conrad, but not a clear view of the other guy. They did get a voice imprint from the store’s security equipment. He sounds a little like Darth Vader.” Her throat had closed, making breathing difficult.
The entire situation was really too much. She should stay at home and hide out like she’d been doing for the last several hours. Why hadn’t she canceled the cruise after Conrad betrayed her, stole from her and left her blind-folded and tied to a chair?
“James Earl Jones is the voice. Deep. Husky, kinda sexy,” Jenn said, “like a smoker. God, I wish I had a cigarette.” She jumped up and paced to the edge of the family room and then to the white board.
Phoenix handed Mary the diary containing the donor list. “Calculate the averages and select the best candidate. You have four days for optimum fertilization. Make them count. Probably research the top of your list for two days, select the father for your baby, and let the little spearheads swim the next two days.”
“You’re going to have to act a part, Mary. You can’t be prissy or let guilt ride you. Most importan
t of all, send snap shots of the finalist if you get a chance.” Kim winked.
“I’m not sure I can be a scientist like you, Kim. I do feel guilt and I’m not sure I can select a guy to impregnate me using such a cold and callous scientific method.”
“How do you think women select a sperm donor from a bank?” Jenn asked. “The only difference is you get to see the real guy. Unfortunately, you have to do the screening process. Also, having unprotected sex with a near stranger will be risky.”
Mary slipped Dane Bushard’s business card inside the journal and pressed it against her chest. “Maybe I shouldn’t go. My destiny might not include children or love.”
Kim was right on with the guilt comment. She couldn’t tell the candidate her intentions or they might not perform, thinking she had ulterior motives. Yeah, she had motivation–she wanted a child. Did this make her an unlikable person?
“Sweetie, we didn’t mean for you to abandon the donor project. We simply want you to be safe,” Phoenix said, sincerity flooding her words. “We included an escape bag with a pay-as-you-go phone inside in your luggage.”
Mary forced a smile. “Who knows the man in Kingston?”
“I do.” Jenn had added a new piece of gum and chomped. “He’s an old friend. Quite a nice guy. Clean, good looking, family dates back to the early Jamaicans…and the organs were all in working order.”
Kim laughed. Phoenix’s body jiggled with suppressed mirth.
“What?” Jenn’s expression was one of surprise. “She only has two days on the ship before she ports, she might need a last chance.” Jenn pressed her lips together as if in thought or recapturing a memory. “He’s not blond, but he’s hot, handsome, and quite skilled with his tool. He has the sexiest wink, slow and deliberate. I get orgasmic just thinking about him.”
“Thanks, Jenn, I’ll keep that in mind.” Mary glanced at the board and then her friends. What if she couldn’t get pregnant? Being the last member of the Keefe family might not be too bad. The town’s name, Keefe, would last forever even if the descendants died off.
When she reached thirty, she’d inherit her trust money and could adopt a baby. She stood. A guy to hold at night, to kiss, and take to dinner or the movies–she didn’t need one. Abandoning the cruise would be very easy to do.
“Don’t, Mary.” Phoenix’s low tone drew everyone’s attention.
Of all Mary’s fabulous friends, Phoenix knew her the best and had always delved into her mind and found her weak points. Mary started for the door, notebook in hand, handbag in sight.
“Don’t what?” Jenn asked between snaps and crackles.
Phoenix must have known Mary was ready to bolt. “She thinking of canceling. Get her luggage, Jenn. Kim, gather her purse, wrap, and make sure she has sun screen. Mary, is your cell fully charged? We’re taking you to the ship and getting you on board early.”
Kim twisted Mary around, grabbed both her arms and shook her. “Mary, you’ve had a rough way to go so far, losing your parents in that horrible manner and then being used by Conrad. Why not take control of your life, your future? You want a child, right?”
The mention of her parents brought a fresh pain to her heart, and her stomach muscles clenched.
“Yes.” She lowered her gaze. Selfishness wasn’t something she was comfortable with or wanted, but she needed a baby to make her life whole again.
“Forget everything then. Don’t think twice about commitment and your usual strict values. Look past the blonds. And as always, we’ll be here for you.” Kim hugged her.
Jenn’s arms circled her from behind. Phoenix came from her side and pushed her cheek against Mary’s. Excitement and fear shocked her heart into beating at a scary-fast rate. If she couldn’t conceive a baby, at least she’d have the most caring friends on earth.
“Let’s go.” Jenn stepped back and tugged Mary’s vest.
“Okay, but we say good-bye in the car. You drop me off. I’ll find my way to the cabin. I’ll keep in touch daily. When possible, photos will be sent.” Nauseous saliva wet her mouth. She swallowed, trying to keep everything in place as they rushed from the house and piled into Kim’s van.
A traffic accident on the highway made the short drive much longer. Police vehicles and fire trucks blocked the street at nine PM. There wasn’t an alternate route. The ship sailed at ten, and while they chewed their fingernails waiting for the emergency squads to leave, they reviewed the donor requirements. Finally the road patrol created a round-about and they rushed to the dock. Kim drove her vehicle as close as possible to the structure, hoping the Port Authority would not give her a ticket.
“Any minute that horn’s going to blow. You’ll to need to hustle. Too bad you wore the sexy five-inchers, your feet are going to hurt like hell.”
“Jenn, seriously, is it time for another patch?” Phoenix asked, as she climbed into the rear of the van and extracted Mary’s luggage.
“Thank you, all. I love you. Wish me luck!” Mary slid from the seat, holding her large purse close to her side, knowing the shield wouldn’t protect her from the future.
Phoenix set the suitcases on the ground, and then hugged her. “Don’t worry, it’ll all work out. You’ll be happy,” she whispered before she let her go.
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Mary asked. The towering ships rising above the outline of the buildings were ominous. She grabbed her bags, gathered courage, and entered the check-in station. The passenger terminal was an outdated structure, beige covered with rust, not what Mary had expected from one of the most beautiful harbors on the coast.
“Are you with Verbena Cruise?” a sweet round woman with merry blue eyes asked. Her white name badge had Mary embossed in black.
“Yes, I’m Mary Keefe. Sorry I’m late. There was an accident.”
Cruise Mary flipped through a stack of papers. “Good name. I’ll get you squared away and give you the key card to enter the ship and your stateroom, but you’ll need to carry on the luggage.”
A few moments later, her bag was going into a scan machine. The attendant sorted through several documents to verify Mary was who she claimed to be. Finally, the papers had been nodded over and approved. Her luggage had dropped off the conveyor belt. Before she could change her mind, she grabbed the bag and ascended the gangway. It felt more like walking the plank. A few stragglers were strolling along the ramp. Passengers leaned over the railing, waving to their friends and loved ones.
The larger than life whistle blasted, vibrating the wooden platform as she scanned her card and went onboard. On deck, she dropped her bag to the floor.
“Welcome to Verbena Cruise lines. May I have your name?” The uniformed attendant–Purity, according to her name badge–held a clipboard with pen in hand. Her voice sounded chipper, but her face looked angry. Maybe her expression was a result of the tight white uniform pulling apart at the bust line.
“Mary Keefe.” She held onto the railing as the gangway was disengaged from the ship.
“You’re on Deck Eight, Oceanview Ninety-eight. Take the elevator around the corner.” Purity pointed to her left. “Up one flight, turn right, four doors on the left.”
“Thanks.”
Mary snapped the handle of her wheeled case. The sound of it locking in place was lost in the noise of the ship’s motors grinding and whinnying. She tugged her luggage down the corridor, around to the elevator. Most of the passengers must have been unpacking or celebrating setting sail because no one waited on the lift and it arrived in a moment’s call. A finger to the Deck Eight button, and the doors closed.
A whoosh and ping later, she’d arrived. She glanced at the locator map on the outside of the elevator. Right looked to be the correct route. Handbag settled on the handle of her wheeled luggage, she started down the corridor. A pleasant baritone voice came over the speaker as the ship tilted toward the ocean. She double-stepped to the left.
The announcement became background noise as she rocked from one side of the aisle to the other. An older man sta
rted to exit a room when the ship shifted again. Mary took the opportunity to fly down the carpeted passageway until she located Ninety-eight. While dragging her purse closer, intending to remove her bag and snap the handle in to get a tighter grip on the luggage, the door opened. The ship tilted portside.
Mary jolted forward, smashing into something hard covered by soft cotton and smelling of spice. Propulsion sent both of them down, to land partially on the sofa. The thud of her plastic luggage hitting the wood floor blasted through the air. Mary glanced into his face. Handsome. Brown-black hair. Sharp cheekbones. Her purse clung to her forearm, snagging the tail of the guy’s shirt along the way and exposing a good portion of tight, dark beige skin. From the way his body fit snug against hers, they were equal in height. He weighed in at…a little heavy. Muscle mass? She’d have to wait and see him in a bathing suit to find out. He smelled delicious, like those hot cinnamon nuts she loved to eat.
Lifting her gaze to his face, she stared into his dark brown sparkling eyes. “Sorry, I guess I don’t have my sea legs yet.”
“Definitely off to a rock hard start,” he replied, but didn’t bother to separate from her.
Chapter 2
John couldn’t move. Somehow during the collision, her purse had attached itself to his shirt button, limiting his mobility. The woman’s softness sank into the length of his body. Lush curves and warm, succulent heat made him lose his focus on why he was aboard the ship. The fragrant scent of wisteria had filtered through the air as she’d hurled them onto the sofa. He had to keep both feet grounded to the floor.
Her eyes, the color of fresh seaweed, widened, then her glance connected with his. “I’m supposed to be in Ninety-eight.”
She waved her hand, the key card’s silver band shining under the artificial light.
He gave in and shifted to the side. Had she noticed the painful rise beneath his zipper?
The purse strap, wrapped around her wrist, followed. She gripped the chain and tugged, agitating the beast below. He grabbed her hand and flipped the room key around, placing the large writing in front of her eyes. “Mary Keefe, Stateroom Ninety-six, Deck Eight.”
Jewel Hiest Page 2
