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Instead of ilance at her husband “John, close your ears A husband shouldn’t hear the advice his wife gives to single women”

An indulgently amused smile twitched the corners of his mouth “I’m as deaf as a mouse in a bell tower,” he pro an interest elsewhere

Fan turned back to Rachel “What I’ a little more basic than romance,” she said “What you really need is a little sex; soain And that oods”

Advice like that had been offered before, but it was usually given by theher sexual partner If anyone else but her best friend had said that to her, Rachel would probably have thrown the orange drink in their face Instead she set the container on the ledge and stiffly stood up, waiting as Fan rose also

“My fires are burning nicely” At the er She had never considered herself to be a prude Lonely though she sometimes was, Rachel hadn’t become so desperate for love that she resorted to casual sex

Struggling against her rising agitation, she turned a cold shoulder to Fan Her forward-facing gaze looked into the glass front of the ter The shaded interior produced ait to reflect a faint i’s nize the tall, broad-shoulderedto one of the cruise staff

The sight of him, posed so nonchalantly with one hand casually thrust in the side pocket of his slacks, see fury that heated her blood Unquestionably he was sexy but not in any overt kind of way It was nized that and was impatient with herself because she did

While she unwillingly watched him, he was taken over and introduced to another staff reeted him familiarly Then he was personally escorted past the roped-off boarding area around the open doorway Her last gli silhouette outlined briefly in the rectangular patch of light ers had to wait until the appointed boarding ti escorted onto the ship She supposed it h places

“I know I probably sounded crude,” Fan continued, slightly defensive and apologetic “But it see a lover, the inity all over”

“Let’s just forget it” Severely controlling her voice, Rachel are that her friend’s advice ell intentioned She was just personally uncomfortable with it

There was a stirring of activity inside the terether and press forward against the ropes It appeared that the boarding process would commence shortly

Afraid that if she stayed Fan would continue on the same subject, Rachel decided that it would be better if she joined the other passengers inside before she lost her te with her best friend And somewhere she seemed to have lost her sense of humor She couldn’t turn aside the conversation with a joke that would h she kneas the best and the most diplomatic way to handle it

“They’ve started boarding,” she said “They aren’t aders are on the ship, so you two ht as ait here I’ll way”

“We’ll be there” John patted his breast pocket, where he had put their visitor passes

With that agreement voiced, Rachel left them and walked briskly to the entrance, her white reflection in the glass following and h the open doors It would be a slow process to board the hundreds of waiting passengers, but this was one tiive her a chance to si out like high-tension wires