AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sorry, man. We didn’t know,” Troy said softly, regret coloring his words.
Damian met Troy’s gaze and heaved a deep sigh. “I know.”
“I’ll be happy to talk to Karen when we get back tomorrow and tell her it was our fault,” Kyle added.
A member of the crew came over to let them know it was time to leave. Collecting their belongings, they followed the man back to the boat, boarded and made the short trip in silence. Then they hailed a taxi to transport them to the hotel where they would spend the night. The lavish hotel had every amenity imaginable, along with activities for the single crowd unmatched by any other hotel. However, the only thing on Damian’s mind was Karen and how he would convince her to continue what they had started beyond the cruise.
* * *
Karen slept for another hour after Damian left, then got up and took a long soak in the Jacuzzi. Her muscles were a little sore from the intense workout they’d had. She leaned her head against the towel she’d rolled up and relaxed under the powerful jets.
A smile played around the corners of her mouth. The man knew his way around a woman’s body, and she was glad to be on the receiving end. She remembered him saying it had been a while since he was intimate with a woman and briefly wondered why. Had he gotten his heart broken, too? Although they were only enjoying each other’s company for the duration of the cruise, she wouldn’t mind keeping in touch with him. They seemed to have several things in common, and most important, he hadn’t ridiculed her career choice. Karen didn’t know whether he was on the same page, but she thought she might casually bring it up over dinner this evening.
She completed her bath, dressed and went to meet her friends. Only Donovan and Terrence’s two other friends, Audrey and Brad, had arrived at the designated meeting spot.
“What’s up, Karen?” Donovan said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
“Hey, Donovan.”
“Terrence and Janae are going to be a few minutes late.”
“Surprise, surprise,” she said with a laugh. She spoke to Audrey and Brad. “Are you guys enjoying the cruise?”
“Most definitely.” Audrey stared at her husband, her blue eyes shining with love. Brad brushed his hand across her cheek and placed a tender kiss on her lips.
“All right, you two, knock it off,” Donovan muttered. “You’re as bad as Terrence and Janae.”
Karen laughed, but inside she wished a man looked at her with the love Brad had for Audrey. The look in Damian’s eyes when he wiped her tears at last night’s show surfaced in her mind. For a split second, she felt something, thought she saw something other than their obvious physical attraction. Probably just my imagination and wishful thinking. Devin’s voice broke into her thoughts.
“Morning, everybody.” There was another round of greetings. “I guess we’re waiting for the newlyweds, again?”
“Yep,” she said. The group chatted amiably for several minutes before Karen spotted Janae and Terrence approaching. “It’s about time.”
“Sorry. We sort of lost track of time,” Terrence said with a sheepish grin.
Karen met Janae’s smiling face and nodded knowingly. “Uh-huh.”
“Now that Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have graced us with their presence, let’s get this party started,” Donovan said.
Karen took pictures as they walked through the Welcome Center to downtown Nassau. “The kids are going to love these photos.” They entered a small shop.
“Girl, I know. Are you getting any souvenirs?” Janae asked.
She nodded. “I picked up something for them in Jamaica.”
“You bought something for all thirty-four students?”
“I did. I have such a good class this year. They’ve been working hard, and their test scores show it. So I decided to reward them.”
“And that’s why you’re the favorite teacher at the school...and why Nikki is always trying to one-up you.”
“Please don’t remind me about that woman.” Nikki Fleming taught another fourth-grade class, and for the past two years had tried to undermine Karen at every turn. If Karen suggested a strategy to improve test scores or ways to engage the students, Nikki made it her business to come up with a reason why it couldn’t work. “I don’t know what her problem is. She’s gotten even worse this year, if that’s possible.”
“Maybe she’ll get an offer to teach in another state,” Janae said wryly.
