“Hey.” I act offended, though he’s not wrong.
Claire giggles, so I up the ante.
“Double or nothing, buddy.”
He arches graying eyebrows. “River cruise in San Antonio?”
Cruising along the Riverwalk in brightly painted flat-bottomed boats is more like a Disneyland ride than an actual cruise. However, it’s cheaper than the dinner he just paid for, and it would be a great excuse to hear Claire laugh some more. “You’re on.”
Desiree lifts her chin toward Claire. “We’re definitely going to prosper from their little gambling addiction.”
“Bet,” Claire jokes, already backing toward the hotel.
She can make me smile too. Her jokes do anyway. The leaving part not so much. “Good night, Claire,” I call after her.
She waves before turning her back. I could jog after her and join her for another elevator ride, but I’m the one who suggested walking along the cliff edge. Had she stayed, I might have even suggested we take the stairs down to the beach. Vincent and Desiree won’t go down there because Desiree’s bad knee makes the stairs too hard to climb.
I face the expanse of ocean. It has to be the best view of any overnight trip. “She doesn’t know what she’s missing.”
Silence. I glance toward the couple to find them glancing at each other.
“Are you talking about the view or time spent with you?” Desiree’s strong tone dips in challenge.
Not her too. I bestow a withering look. “The view, of course.”
“That’s good.” She waves a finger at me. “Because if you’re interested in anything else, I’d tell you to guard your heart. You don’t want it getting broken again.”
I rub a hand over my mouth to wipe away anything she might read into my expression. While I can make bets with Vincent straight faced, this would be my tell in the dating game. “She’s got a boyfriend, Desiree.”
“You never heard of unrequited love?”
Ouch. “We only met yesterday.”
“You never heard of love at first sight?”
“You’ve been watching too much Hallmark.”
Vincent chuckles. “True story.” He reaches for Desiree’s hand, pulling her toward the pathway. “Leave the boy alone. Rather than lecture him, let’s just show him what real romance is.”
They do make it look good. Easy. Effortless.
Meanwhile, my love life could be compared to that of a kindergartener with a crush on his teacher. But like I said, Claire and I met yesterday. This hollowness inside my chest isn’t because of her. It’s because there’s no one.
“You two go ahead. I think I’m done for the day too.”
“Aha!” Desiree grins triumphantly over her shoulder. “So you didn’t really want to go on a walk—you wanted to go on a walk withher.”
I narrow my eyes in mock indignation. “I just don’t want to be a third wheel.”
Her trill fades as the two continue past the pool, but her words echo in my soul. Who am I guarding my heart from? Nobody is trying to take it.
Some crew prefer late-night shifts so they don’t have to wake up at five in the morning, but when you start early, you get done early. For us, that means lunch is Tex-Mex on the Riverwalk in San Antonio.
The combination of steamy air, mariachi music, and the scent of spicymeats certainly seems to be good for Claire. She’s wearing her hair in a high ponytail today. It swishes whenever she turns her head, making her appear more laid-back than the bun does. She also forgot her normal sunglasses at home, so she picked up some cheapies at one of the many local souvenir vendors to keep from squinting. The lenses of her new shades are decorated with Texas state flags painted in the shape of hearts, and I can’t keep from laughing every time I look at her.
She sets her fruity drink on the iron table so she can gesticulate along with her story. “The baby cried all through takeoff until we were finally able to remove our seat belts and Desiree offered to hold her. We aren’t supposed to hold passengers’ babies unless it’s absolutely necessary, but I’m sure the whole plane would have agreed it was absolutely necessary. She’s a baby whisperer.”
Vincent nods at his wife’s natural maternal gift. “She’s had plenty of practice. Our infants knew how to make a racket.”
