“I couldn’t agree more.”
I walked to the wall that separated our room from Gilly’s and gave it a few good slaps.“Are you all ready?”I called.
“Yep,” Gilly shouted back.“I’ll check on Pippa.”
“I heard you!”Pippa bellowed from two suites away.“We’re ready.Meet you in the hall.”
Ezra chuckled.“Paper-thin walls.”
“Yep,” I agreed with a shake of my head.“Paper-thin walls.”
Our friends were waiting when we stepped into the hallway, and they looked stunning.Gilly’s dress was a fire-engine red sequin number that fit like it had been tailored just for her, and Pippa wore a sleek pearl dress with a thigh slit that screamed Old Hollywood.Jordy had swapped his usual jeans for black slacks and a black button-down shirt with pearl buttons, and the sleeves rolled up just enough to look effortlessly cool.Scott wore charcoal gray pants with an open-collar tuxedo shirt.His eyes stayed locked on Gilly, who was pretending not to notice but was absolutely soaking it up.
Between the six of us, we looked like a group straight out of a heist movie.Three couples dressed to thrill, both figuratively and possibly literally.
Tonight was the night.We were either going to find the killer or force them into a mistake.And if that didn’t work, I’d have to take a page from Elsa’s playbook and let it go.
The grand ballroom on deck five was just as extravagant as the name promised.Chandeliers sparkled overhead, casting a warm glow over the polished wood floors.The walls were lined with rich, heavy drapes in deep burgundy and gold, adding to the upscale atmosphere.Round tables with neatly pressed white linens sat along the edges of the room.
A grand piano rested in the corner by a main stage, its black surface reflecting the soft lighting, and at the far end, a smaller stage stood ready for live music later in the evening.
When we made our entrance, heads turned.People paused what they were doing to watch us, some whispering, others just staring.
Unfortunately,it wasn’t because we looked like movie stars.It was because we were ridiculously overdressed.The ballroom had listed “cocktail attire” as the dress code, but, apparently, that didn’t apply to dance lessons.Most of the other passengers were in cargo shorts, sundresses, and cruise ship merch.
Ah well.I glanced at my friends and shrugged.“I say we own it.”
“Damn straight,” Gilly said, tossing her chocolate brown hair over her shoulder like a queen.
“Let’s light this place on fire,” Pippa added, grinning.
Jordy chuckled.“Should we be afraid?”
Scott didn’t answer, still too focused on Gilly.
Ezra shook his head slowly, smiling as he took my hand.“No.But everyone else should be.”
ChapterFourteen
“Welcome, welcome, my friends!”Ramone greeted, his voice warm and inviting as more people trickled into the ballroom.
I was pleasantly surprised when Augusta and Carl arrived—I’d missed them at dinner.Even more shocking was the appearance of Helena and Jasper.It was starting to feel like a main dining room reunion special.
At exactly six-thirty, Ramone had the ballroom doors closed and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.“Tonight,” he announced with a flourish, “we will be learning the cha-cha!Now, tell me, does anyone here already know how to cha-cha?”
I nudged Ezra with my elbow.“Well, stud?”I teased.“Do you?”
After learning that he had done West Coast Swing in his twenties, I was both intrigued and annoyed that we hadn’t gone dancing before.The thought of watching him in action was more than a little exciting.
“Why don’t you show us how it’s done, Ezra?”I suggested, grinning.
Gilly caught on immediately.“Yeah, Easy,” she chimed in.“Why don’t you show us?”
Not to be left out, Pippa added, “Yeah, shake that groove thing!”
I shot her a look.For someone in her thirties, she had a real talent for sounding like a Gen X-er—or even a borderline Boomer—with the way she talked.
Ezra shook his head, smirking.“I don’t want to show up the teacher,” he said smoothly.“I’ll let him demonstrate.”
