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“Where are the guys?” Claudia asked Emily as she returned to the table. The chairs they had been sitting in were unoccupied. At some point when Claudia wasn’t looking, they must have gotten up and left..
“They’re in line for the buffet,” Emily replied through a mouthful of chocolate cake. “They want more chocolate.”
“I thought Scott said he was too full - oh, never mind. We need to talk,” Claudia said, grateful for the opportunity to finally get Emily alone.
Emily set her fork down and eyed Claudia warily. “About what?”
Claudia sat down at the table across from her best friend. She knew she didn’t have much time before Kyle returned, so she needed to speak quickly. There was no time to sugarcoat things or beat around the bush. She needed to get to the point.
“Kyle hasn’t told the whole truth about the night Chad died,” Claudia said. “He and Chad parted ways outside the restaurant like he said, but they met up again later. Down by the gift shop. I know because I spoke with a gift shop employee who saw them.”
“I know,” Emily replied, seemingly unfazed.
“You - wait, what? You know?” Claudia asked in astonishment.
“Yeah. Kyle eventually told me what really happened. He kept it to himself at first because he felt like it made him look bad. He said Chad found him after their fistfight and tried to apologize. Kyle was still furious and didn’t want to hear it. He refused to speak to Chad...had some choice words for him, too. They nearly got into another fight before Kyle stormed off.”
Claudia let that sink in for a moment. “So Kyle lied because he...feels guilty?”
“I mean, wouldn’t you feel guilty? He rejected his cousin’s apology and then Chad wound up dead. Kyle wishes now, more than anything, that he and Chad had made up first. It’s been weighing heavily on him.”
“Oh? Kyle doesn’t act like anything is bothering him. I’d have never suspected.”
Emily looked at Claudia for a long moment before responding. “He tries to put on a brave front. You barely know him, so of course you don’t know what he’s thinking or how he’s feeling.”
“I guess that’s true,” Claudia agreed.
“Were you about to insist that Kyle killed Chad?” Emily asked knowingly.
“Maybe,” Claudia admitted quietly. “Probably.”
“Well you’re wrong,” Emily told her firmly. “But I don’t want to argue about that again.”
“Neither do I. And for the record, now I’m less sure about it. Maybe he didn’t do it.”
“He didn’t, trust me. I know you mean well,” Emily sighed. “To be honest, I think I was so defensive the day of our argument because you hit a nerve. Deep down, I know I did rush into this marriage. It hit me hard a day or so after the wedding, and I panicked.”
“So you’re having second thoughts about marrying Kyle?” Claudia asked in surprise.
Scott and Kyle walked over, their plates loaded high with chocolate pastries. Claudia caught Scott’s eye. He gave her a questioning look. She responded by subtly shaking her head. He immediately said something to Kyle and the two men changed course, heading outside instead of sitting at the table.
Claudia breathed a sigh of relief. She was grateful Scott had interpreted her signal correctly.
She turned her attention back to Emily. “Are you having second thoughts about marrying Kyle?” she asked again.
“No, not exactly. I’m...I don’t know. Our romance was a whirlwind and I got completely caught up in everything,” Emily tried to explain. “Now that the dust has settled, the enormity of what I’ve done has hit me. Marriage is a big deal. A huge deal! I’m not sure I thought it through.”
“But you love him, right?”
“Yes,” Emily confirmed without hesitation.
“And he loves you?”
“He does.”
“I had no idea you were feeling that way. I shouldn’t have put more doubts into your head,” Claudia said regretfully. “Especially when my suspicions about Kyle were little more than hunches. I suppose maybe I’ve been biased when it comes to him.”
“You really dislike him that much?”
“I don’t dislike him,” Claudia insisted. “It’s like you said...I don’t know him.”
“You should get to know him,” Emily suggested.
“So should you.”
Emily stared at Claudia in surprise. Then she began to laugh. “Yeah,” she agreed, her shoulders shaking as she giggled. “I should. I mean, I’m married to him! Gosh, that still sounds so strange to say. But it’s the truth. I’m married to Kyle! So now I’d better figure out who it is I married.”
“I hope Kyle is as amazing as you think he is,” Claudia told her best friend with sincerity. “I hope he deserves you. I really do, Emily. If anyone deserves to find happiness and true love, it’s you.”
“And you,” Emily replied. “Look, that stuff I said about you being desperate for a proposal was really ugly and uncalled for. There was no reason for me to say it, and I’m ashamed that I did. I was feeling insecure, so I lashed out. What I said was utter nonsense.”
“There may have been a tiny bit of truth to it,” Claudia confessed. “That’s why I got so mad.”
“Scott adores you,” Emily assured her. “He’s a little slow on the uptake sometimes because, well, because he’s Scott. Want me to smack him upside the head and tell him to hurry up and pop the question already? Because I totally will.”
“It’s okay,” Claudia chuckled. “But I appreciate the offer.”
Just then, Fatima walked up to them.
“Thank you,” Fatima told Claudia. “Had you not been so observant, Rosa may not have been caught. And I would have been out of a job.”
“So what happened?” Claudia asked curiously.
“When our boss confronted her, Rosa confessed to everything. She bribed a security guard to disable the ship’s surveillance cameras. That way, she couldn’t be linked to the thefts. She’s been fired. She’s going to be escorted off the ship and put on a plane home as soon as the local authorities allow us to disembark.”
“What about all the stolen property?”
“Management is always reluctant to involve the authorities. They prefer to sweep things under the rug because, you know, bad publicity. So Rosa won’t be charged with any crime. But she will be blacklisted in the cruise industry. A search of her room found a number of items that had been reported missing. They will be returned to their rightful owners.”
“I suppose that’s as good an outcome as we could have hoped for,” Claudia remarked.
Shortly after Fatima left, Stan strode into view. He was walking with purpose and, when he spotted Claudia, his arm shot up. He waved and then, when she didn’t immediately respond, he began calling her name.
“Someone’s trying to get your attention,” Emily said helpfully.
“I know,” Claudia groaned, averting her eyes.
“Do you know him?” Emily asked.
“I made the mistake of being friendly and now he seems to be a little too interested, if you know what I mean. And before you ask, yes, he knows about Scott. It doesn’t seem to deter him,” Claudia sighed.
“Should I tell him to kick rocks?” Emily offered.
“No,” Claudia said quickly. “Stan is a harmless, lonely guy who really, really wants to meet someone special. He hasn’t had the easiest time of things. He’s his elderly father’s caregiver and, as I understand it, that’s consumed much of his life. I feel sorry for him.”
“Well he’s headed this way.”
“Will you do me a favor?” Claudia asked.
“What?”
“Can you leave and then call me in, oh, about five minutes?”
“Ah,” Emily nodded, immediately catching on. “I’ll call and tell you there’s some urgent matter that needs your attention. That way you’ll be able to end your conversation without being rude or hurtful.”
“Exactly.”
Emily stood up and gave a little salute before leaving. “You can count on me.”
“Claudia!” Stan said breathlessly when he reached her. “Our paths keep crossing, huh?”
Claudia forced a polite smile. Their paths kept crossing because Stan kept searching the ship for her - that much was obvious. But she didn’t say what was on her mind. There was no point hurting the guy’s feelings. But she wished he would get a clue.
As Stan sucked her into yet another conversation she didn’t care to have, Claudia counted down the minutes until Emily called her with a made-up emergency. The phone call couldn’t come soon enough, as far as she was concerned.
She hoped her best friend wouldn’t get distracted and forget.
