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So should have forewarned her Until this ht be seated But it was obvious they would be seated at the saned to the same cabin, so naturally as ned to the same table

That moment of shocked realization flashed in her eyes, and Gard saw the flicker of surprise in their gray depths A ses of his ain and reached for her coffee cup, trying to keep the grination out of her expression

“Sorry I’eneral as he pulled out the vacant chair beside Rachel and sat down “It took longer to shower and change than I thought Has everyone ordered?”

“We just got here, too,” said Jenny, of the younghim quickly that he wasn’t the only late arrival “I’m Jenny, and this is my husband, Don”

The round-robin of na to introduce herself to him “I’m Gard MacKinley,” he finished the circle and unfolded the napkin to lay it on his lap “Is this your first cruise, Jenny?”

“Yes It’s kind of a second honeymoon for Don and me,” she explained So far, Rachel couldn’t recall Jenny’s young husband saying a word “Actually I guess it is our first honey Both of us had to work, so we kept putting it off Then the baby came—”

“You have a baby?” The balding man looked at her in surprise Helen’s husband—or was it Nanette’s? As many tiht she’d have the beside her, she wasn’t thinking too clearly

There was a crisp darkness to his hair, still damp from the shower, and the familiar scent of his after-shave lotion drifted to her No matter how she tried not to notice, he seemed to fill her side vision

“You don’t look old enough to be a , forty-year-old irl

“Timmy is six years old, so I’ve been a hed “I’m twenty-five”

“Where’s your little boy?” Helen or Nanette asked

“Grand him so Don and I could take this cruise It was a chance of a lifetime, and we couldn’t pass it up The company Don works for awarded hi the top salesion” It was plain to see how proud she was of his achievereat, even if I do miss Timmy already”

“Nanette and I have three children,” theRachel with the name of his wife

“We have four” Which meant that woman was Helen Helen with the henna-hair—Rachel tried for a word association and discovered the wolance to her “How many children do you have?”

“None,” she replied, knowing how e juice and papaya before her, thus relieving the need to add anything more to her answer