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“Thank you.”
“How is everything? How’s your—” He paused and looked uncertain.
“My girlfriend is fine,” I said. “Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” he asked. “Is she recovering?”
“She’s fine,” I said. “But I’d like to make her my fiancée.”
He cocked his head to the side. “That’s great news, but you don’t need my permission, son.”
I laughed. “No, I want to do it tonight after dinner. It’s a bit spur of the moment, but I want it to be special. I was wondering if there is any way I can get you to dress up that ballroom?”
His face lit up. “Well, I think you might be in luck. Our last cruise was supposed to be an anniversary party. We loaded up all the décor, along with enough champagne for a hundred people. The couple filed for divorce three days before we were supposed to set sail. I believe it’s all still down below.”
It was like the moon and stars were aligning after a rough patch. “That would be amazing,” I said. “I’ll gladly pay you for all the extra stuff.”
He grinned. “Don’t worry about it. They paid for it, and since they canceled on such short notice, their deposit was nonrefundable.”
“Well hell,” I said, laughing. “It’s all working out. Finally. I have to tell you, trying to catch this one has not been easy. I figure I’ll pop the question when we’re a thousand miles offshore. She can’t run then.”
“Good idea,” he said. “What about a ring? I don’t have anything on board, and it would take at least half a day to sail into port.”
“I’m good,” I said. “I’ve been carrying the damn thing around for weeks.”
“I’m happy to help,” he said. “I’ll get the DJ to put together some music. The chef can prepare something special for dinner.”
“I really appreciate it,” I said. “I’ve got a couple people I trust to help get the ballroom decorated. I’ll be busy keeping her distracted. This is going to be a surprise for her and my people. I want to make sure everything is perfect.”
“We’ll do what we can.”
I shook his hand and quickly returned to my room just as she was stirring in bed. “You’re already up?” she asked.
“I had to talk with the captain,” I said. “Go back to sleep.”
“I’m good,” she yawned. “I can sleep later. I’ve spent too much time in the room already. It’s not every day you get to sit on the deck of a private cruise ship. I want some sunshine.”
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
She held out her arm. I immediately saw the bruise that had appeared overnight. “Oh shit,” I said. “Oh shit,” I repeated when I saw the bruise on the inside of her thigh. “Are you sure you’re okay? Fuck. I didn’t know. I would have been far gentler last night.”
“Trust me, I’m not complaining about last night,” she said, grinning.
“Why don’t you shower and dress and I’ll take you to the doctor?”
“I’m fine, Jon.”
“He said he wanted to see you again,” I reminded her.
“I was hoping to lay out by the pool today, but these bruises are ugly,” she said.
“You look beautiful regardless of the bruises. Everyone knows what happened and is going to understand. Do you need any help getting up?”
She sat up and swung her legs over the edge. She carefully stood and then nodded. “Surprisingly, my ankle feels fine. It’s the rest of me that’s sore.”
I pulled her into my arms. “I’m so sorry. I hate that you’re hurting.”
“I’m just a little stiff. A hot shower will help.”
