Page 20 of Matched with Her Runaway Groom

“The beach house.”

Dani’s jaw drops open. “Are you kidding me? You need to get a life, buddy.”

I glance over the deck and then continue moving toward where I hope my room is.

“Why do you look all jumpy?” she asks, taking my upper arm and turning me slightly to the right as we walk toward the rooms and past the pool deck.

With a quick breath out, I try to settle the emotions inside me. “Because my first cruise was supposed to be with Rachelle.”

There is a split second of sympathy on her face and then all the weaknesses shore up and she shakes her head.

“Well, that’s your own fault, right?”

“Yes,” I say, with more of an edge to it. “I fully understand that I screwed things up. Can you ease up a bit?”

She raises her hands in surrender. “All right. But you’ve seen her randomly twice this week and if you don’t do something soon, you’re going to screw it up again. The minute we dock back in Boston, I’ll be the burr in your saddle.”

I laugh, easing the tension in my body. “Dani, have you ever actually ridden a horse?”

“No, but I make sure to have lovely little phrases prepared to annoy you. I’m pulling the Younger Sister card on this trip.”

“Just remember who your favorite brother is,” I say as I wait for her to open up the room.

“You mean my only brother?” she pushes the door open so I can walk inside the cabin. It’s small, but there’s a view of the ocean, so I think I’ll be okay. Not like a claustrophobic feeling, which might have happened if we were in an inside room. With four sisters, I’ve had several nightmares about the possibilities if we’d been on the Titanic. And no, I don’t think the scene where they’re on the front of the ship is romantic.

“I’ve got the bed to the right. Looks like there are a ton of activities on this ship for us.”

I set my bag down in the small compartment near the door and walk over to where she’s holding up an itinerary with the name of the company on the top.

“Well, at least we don’t have to do much until dinner. Why don’t you show me all the exploring you’ve done since you got here?”

“I can do that.” She goes to step into the hallway but stops, turning around. “I almost forgot. There’s a big giveaway from a company called Love, Austen. If you sign up for the app, you can win another trip to anywhere in the US and it includes a shopping spree.”

“What is Love, Austen?” I ask, only half-listening.

She walks back over to the small nightstand and picks up a brochure. I take it from her, noting a daisy on the front with the words Love, Austen Matchmaker.

I shake my head. “Nope, not a chance. I’m not signing up for an app to get other girls. There’s only one I want.”

Dani grins. “As much as I love to hear that, I need another vacation. Sign up so I have another chance to win.” It’s not so much a request as a demand.

I blink at her several times. “You need another vacation when you’re just starting this one?”

Her expression turns sheepish. “True, but a girl can never have too many clothes.” She pulls my phone out of my pocket and opens the camera to scan the QR code, pulling up the app.

“How do they know to put you in for the trip if you register there?”

“From the promo code, duh,” Dani says, pointing to the words on the brochure. “And I wanted to let you know that I’ve got ideas of how to get Rachelle back once we get home.”

I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. “Please tell me there’s no falling from the sky action, or even eating things that no human should be eating.”

We used to watch the television showFear Factorgrowing up and Dani had talked about trying out some things they’d shown the contestants doing on there. Eating buffalo intestines? No thanks.

“I don’t have that on there, but it might be the ultimate test of how sorry you are,” she says, holding out her hands to the side.

Shaking my head, I open the door and stalk down the hallway. “Not going to happen, Dani. Let’s just enjoy this trip and we’ll talk about Rachelle when we get back.”

A woman walks across the ship from where we come out onto the deck. Have I been thinking so much about her that she’s here? I can only see her from the back, but she’s got the figure and hair color of Rachelle.

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