“I’d like to introduce you to my new cruise buddy, Vince Cargill,” Henry said. “Vince this is Sookie. She’s out here alone, but most of the time she runs with Minnie and Dotty, and the three of them are like me. They go from one cruise ship to another. It sure beats living in an old folks’ home.”
“Pleased to meet you, Vince,” Sookie said. “This is Ava Cargill. Y’all have the same last names. Reckon you are kinfolks?”
“Nice to meet you, Sookie,” Vince answered, “and yes, ma’am, Ava and I are married.”
“Are we?” Ava asked.
“Until you say we’re not, we are.” Vince gave them a brief nod and hurried down the hall. Ava heard a door open and close. Her heart thumped harder than it had after she’d run up and down the stairs, and her mouth went as dry as if she’d been sucking on a green persimmon. What did he mean when he said that their marriagewould be over when she said it was? She didn’t have that kind of power in the almighty Cargill family.
If you’ve got a second chance, don’t blow it!The voice in her head belonged to her sister, Carlene.
“I’m not the one that needs a second chance,” Ava muttered.
“What was that?” Sookie asked.
Ava whipped around to find Sookie sitting on the bottom step of the staircase. Henry was nowhere in sight.
“Where’s Henry?” she whispered. “Did I just imagine that he and Vince were right here?”
“He went on up the stairs. Said he was headed to the buffet for a piece of pie and asked me to join him after I turned him down for a dinner date. I’m beginning to think that he’s just lonely, and he’s wanting to join me and my friends for the company. It’s kind of a letdown. I thought I still had it.”
“Then I wasn’t hallucinating?” Ava asked.
“Of course not. What made you think that?”
Ava sat down on the step beside Sookie. “Vince was there and then gone so quick, I thought maybe my brain was oxygen-deprived from all the exercise.”
“They were here, but your ex sure made a hasty retreat. He looked confused and maybe even a little shocked to see you. What do you think he meant by that last statement? I thought he was the one who had the ball in his court.”
“I have no idea, but he’s never seen me lookinglike warmed-over sin on Sunday morning, so maybe he’s wishing that I will end our marriage.” Ava inhaled deeply again and got another whiff of his cologne. That expensive scent always sent sweet shivers down her spine. “Sookie, don’t ever doubt that you’ve still got what it takes to turn a man’s head. I want to grow up and be like you.”
“Well, thank you, darlin’.” Sookie patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about how you look. Letting your husband see you at your worst is a good place to start.”
“What does that mean?” Ava asked.
“Anything worth having is worth fighting for,” Sookie said. “If you want him back, this right here is a wonderful place to start, like I said. To win the battle against his mommy dearest, you’ve got to strategize. He saw you at your worst. Now it’s time to show him your best and to flirt a little.”
“I could never take him away from…” Ava started.
“All is fair in love and war with mothers-in-law, and I’m speaking from experience,” Sookie said. “The next step is to let him see you at your best, but we’ll build up to that.”
“What does that mean?” Ava asked.
“Tonight, we’ll go to the musical in the auditorium, and you’ll get all dressed up. But you’ll save your formal gown for the last night onboard when we have black tie. Because we’ve taken trips on this cruise line so many times, we have a captain’s pass that lets us go to the frontof the line for the dance and party. You can be my guest. That way, Vince can see you looking like a movie star.”
“He won’t have a pass,” Ava said. “We’ve never been on a cruise before.”
“I’m pretty sure Henry will invite him as a guest since he said they were cruise buddies.” Sookie’s grin got even bigger. “And if Henry doesn’t think of it himself, I’ll make sure he does. We may even invite him to sit at our table that night so that Vince can see you looking like the Cinderella you are. Now, it’s time to go take a shower, stretch out on your bed and relax, and then get ready for the musical.”
“Are we cruise buddies like Henry and Vince?” Ava asked.
Sookie patted her on the knee and then stood up. “Of course, we are.”
“But I don’t know where y’all call home when you’re not on a ship, or…” Ava started.
“That’s the joy of being buddies on a ship, darlin’,” Sookie said. “You don’t have to worry about sending us Christmas cards or coming to visit or even texting us once a week. We’re just sweet memories that you can keep in your heart for a while.”
“But what if I want to text you?” Ava got to her feet and followed Sookie down the hall.
