Celia made a face and grinned. “As you wish, dear,” she told her husband.
“If only!” Jeff said.
And once again, laughter went around the table.
They ordered their food and drinks and spoke about the island, the ship and then how the classes were going.
“They’re amazing!” Chloe said. “I mean, I’m independent, a small business, but I love what I do. I’m an art fanatic, and I especially love to promote my artists, so this has been wonderful for me. Promote them, of course, without putting them into danger!” she added, nodding sagely to Daniel and Broderick.
“Safety is key,” Broderick said. “Many of our great—and even not so great—American politicians, military advisors and more have stated now—and years ago as well—that the internet would be our undoing. That’s why I love the way we’ve entered into the field. Security is everything.”
“Ah, yes! Security is important, extremely important!” Celia agreed. “But social media is here to stay. And, as you were saying, it’s important to besecure, but for many people, it’s the best way to put themselves out there. All kinds of people have found jobs—their livelihoods—as influencers. And many, many people have found the love of their lives! So, yes, security is important. But so is learning how to manage the zillions of apps that are out there, how not to put oneself in harm’s way—and still enjoy all there is to offer. Hey. We never know if another pandemic will hit. And at its best, the internet kept us all connected when it wasn’t possible to be social in a physical way!”
“True,” Wes murmured. “Different apps helped us all through a difficult time.” He shrugged. “It’s like everythingin this world. The internet offers the very, very good—and it offers some severe difficulties, as well.”
“Aha! But not so much when you know all about security!” Daniel announced.
They all laughed.
Their food was served; Wes had decided on the scrod with Chloe, and it was excellent; one thing about the cruise, it did offer wonderful food. Couldn’t complain about that.
When the meal ended, Broderick announced that he was heading to the casino and Celia turned to Jeff and said, “Ah, come on, I know you’re tired! But... a wee bit of dancing!”
Wes leaned forward jokingly. “Ah, come on, as she wishes!” he teased.
“Hey, I may even hit the casino!” Edward said. “George—”
“Not a gambler, but I’ll happily watch you throw your money away!” George told him.
Wes slipped his arm around Chloe’s shoulders as they headed out of the dining room.
“Dancing first!” Celia said.
Chloe laughed softly. “I’m pretty beat from today, too, but a dance or two and...”
“Casino!” Wes said.
“As you wish!” she told him.
They headed to the large lounge where a band was playing and couples were already whisking around on the floor or chatting at more of the circle tables.
The band was good.
They were playing a swing number as they entered, and Chloe looked at him with an arched brow.
He smiled and took her by the hand.
Thanks to his mother’s obsession with ballroom dancing, he’d been dragged to a studio since he’d been about ten years old.
He could arch a brow at her in turn.
And it worked! Apparently, someone had dragged Chloe to a dance studio, too. They fell into step easily; he led, and she followed, perfectly, to a tee.
He swept her into an impressive dip as the song came to an end, grinning down into her face as he held her.
There were others on the floor, of course, but he was glad when he saw that Jeff and Celia had been dancing near them and were then staring at them.
“Wow, that was impressive!” Jeff said.
