Page 44 of The Cruise

‘You didn’t need to do that.’ Dicky grinned and rubbed his stomach.

‘Everyone is missing you and hopes that you’ll be back in action very soon.’

Dicky nodded his head. He had every intention of being back in action sooner than Anne might think and decided to begin his charm offensive straight away. ‘Enough of me,’ he said. ‘Tell me, lovely lady, what have you been up to today?’

‘Not a lot, really, I’ve been very lazy and had a pamper session in the ship’s spa. It’s been a relaxing day.’

‘You don’t need any pampering and if you do, I will be the one to administer it.’ Dicky finished his drink and listened to Anne’s girlish giggle. ‘I think we should celebrate with champagne when we meet again, maybe a candlelit dinner for two?’

‘That sounds lovely, I’ll look forward to it, Dicky.’

‘What are your plans for this evening?’

‘I’m going ashore with my friends. There’s a festive meal at a restaurant in Fort-de-France – it should be good.’

‘If only I could be with you, but I’ll be beside you in spirit.’

‘Please rest up and if you need anything just leave me a message.’

‘Don’t think about me, go and enjoy yourself. Bye-bye, sweet girl.’

As Dicky ended the call, he punched the air again. ‘Cracked it!’ he called out and, rising to his feet, danced to the door to retrieve the tray that Anne had left.

* * *

In Hibiscus, Kath and Jane put the finishing touches to their outfits. There was much hilarity as the two stood in the bedroom, staring with wonder as they admired themselves in the floor-length mirrors that lined one wall. In the lounge, Anne sat on a sofa in conversation with Dicky. As she ended the call, she stared at the phone, her brow furrowed as she heard his closing sentiment.

‘Bye-bye, sweet girl…’ Anne spoke out loud, ‘Sweet girl?’ she repeated and shook her head.

‘Who’s a sweet girl?’ Kath asked, stepping into the lounge.

‘I am, it seems.’ Anne pulled a face. ‘But to be honest, I’d prefer to be anything but “sweet” – maybe sexy, seductive, stimulating, or spicy? “Sweet” makes me sound like a goody-two-shoes.’

‘Husband-hunting doesn’t always run smoothly, sweet girl.’ Jane grinned. She headed to the bar and poured ready-mixed cocktails into glasses, adding chunks of ice. ‘Surely you don’t still have Dicky Delaney on the list?’

‘He’s sort of hovering,’ Anne replied, taking a sip of a delicious mojito.

‘He looked a complete tit and deserves to be in quarantine for the rest of the cruise.’ Jane giggled. ‘You’re lucky you haven’t caught anything from him.’

‘It wasn’t his fault, he thought he had a remedy for his sunburn.’

‘I think he needs to be more careful about what medicines he takes.’ Kath was cautious in her opinion. ‘Things like that can be harmful.’

‘He must have plenty of money.’ Anne changed the subject. ‘He tours all over the world.’

‘And tells you that he is single and lives in a big debt-free house?’ Jane asked.

‘He’s not said as much but I’m sure that’s how things are.’

Anne wasn’t sure about Dicky’s finances, or his marital status and also agreed with Jane that Dicky had made a fool of himself. But she’d worry about that in the morning. They had an exciting evening ahead.

‘Well, I think that we’ve had a successful day at the spa and hair salon,’ Kath announced, ‘and we should toast ourselves for being brave and coming out of our comfort zones.’

‘Do you think anyone will notice a change?’ Jane asked.

Kath and Anne did a double-take and stared at Jane.

‘Shall we find out?’ Anne rose to her feet.

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