Page 19 of Honeymoon for Seven

“Wait. What?” His back was already disappearing from view. She did not agree to sing, only that the poor guy on stage was lousy. Heaving out a sigh, she shook her head. Now what was she going to do?

Two more people came up to sing a duet of Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You, Babe.” That had to be one of the most sung karaoke songs in the world, right after “I Will Survive.” At least these two weren’t half bad. The woman had a stronger voice that drowned out her cohort. Maybe if Ginnie got up with Nick and just moved her lips, no one would notice. After all, the guy was pretty good-looking. At least all the women in the place would be watching him, not her.

The waiter retrieved her empty glass. “Would you like another drink?”

“Yes, thank you.” She might need the liquid encouragement if she was really going to get up and do this. Was she? Closing her eyes, she shook her head at no one. Nope. There was no reason for her to punish the audience with her lack of vocal skills.

Signing for her drink, she recognized the first notes of one of her mother’s favorite Michael Bublé songs, “Sway”. Tipping the waiter more than she probably should, she smiled at the man and turned her attention to the stage. Good grief, Nick was standing, watching the screen with the lyrics, waiting for the right notes. Her heart skipped a beat and she’d swear her palms began to sweat.

She was more nervous for him than she would be for herself and yet, despite the anxiousness, she found her fingers tapping on the table’s edge, waiting for his first note. By the time Nick got to the line about the ocean hugging the shore, her mouth hung wide open. His voice was absolutely magical. Every note resonated deep inside her.

When his eyes lifted and his gaze met hers, she sucked in a deep breath. His eyes were as dreamy as his voice. She couldn’t help but smile up at him. Even if he wasn’t really singing to her—after all, they’d never danced, heck, they technically barely knew each other—and yet, it felt like she was the only person in the room and he was singing directly to her. As long as the song lasted, she was going to savor this moment. Her toes tapped the same beat as her fingertips and one shoulder shifted up and down until she was doing exactly as the song said. Yes, she was savoring every note; later she could figure out a way to get out of making a fool of herself.

As Nick placed the microphone back into the stand, he glanced up one more time at Ginnie, up on her feet and clapping so hard her hands probably hurt. He wasn’t really sure what made him pick that song, he’d been mulling over two or three other options when he spotted that song and instantly decided that was what he was going to sing.

The only downside was that all through the song he kept wishing he could walk out into the audience, take hold of Ginnie’s hand, and dance with her. Now wasn’t that ridiculous. There had been a lot of attractive, stunning, and seductive women who had crossed his path. He’d have had to be dumb and blind not to notice them, or want to get a little bit more up close and personal. But never had he wanted to simply enjoy their company, their laugh, their smile, and hold them in his arms and sway to the music.

It had to be the ship’s air. Or maybe his sister’s sappy honeymoon mood was contagious. Even if Theresa wasn’t on the ship. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t remember feeling this content with just being than he was right now. Taking his time to cross the lounge and rejoin Ginnie, he considered what to do next. Should he invite her to go dancing? Could he coax her into singing a duet with him? Maybe he could sneak in a stroll on deck before the kid’s movie night was over.

“Did we mention that tonight’s singers are being entered into a random drawing for a dinner at the specialty steakhouse?” the staffer who had been trying to coax passengers to participate announced, waving a certificate in the air.

Nick wasn’t positive, but he thought he saw a sudden spark of interest in Ginnie’s eyes as he moved closer.

“You were great.” Her smile beamed and his heart swelled at the sight.

“Thanks. I’m a fan of old crooners, but they didn’t have a whole lot of Frank Sinatra tunes on the list of choices.”

“We were raised on Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Mario Lanza, Lou Monte…”

Nick couldn’t help but laugh. “‘Dominick the Donkey’.”

“Yes. You know the song?”

“It’s one of my mother’s favorite Christmas songs from her youth. It plays every year, and often.”

“I knew our mothers would get along if they met. My mom was good friends with the son of one of the composers of that song.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope. Mom met him several times. Ray Allen. Wonderful musician and excellent entertainer.”

“Wow. You tell my mother that and she’ll love you and your mother for all eternity.” That gave him a thought. “What are the odds that they have ‘Dominick the Donkey’ on karaoke?”

“Doubtful,” Ginnie laughed softly.

“You’re probably right.” Glancing over her shoulder, he considered his next words. “Do you like steak?”

“Card carrying carnivore.”

Which explained the sparkle in her eyes at the mention of a steakhouse prize. “So, are we going to look at the duets?”

Tipping her head back, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I could just make a reservation.”

“You could,” he agreed. Then he turned his attention to a couple on the stage—the first note reached his ear and he winced at the sour sound. “Or we could get up there and show those two how it’s done and maybe get a free dinner.”

“What if I sound like nails on a chalkboard?”

“Do you?”

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