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“That’s sweet, Doris.” Sylvie tapped her thigh. “I mean, don’t ever tell her that or she’ll work you over, but it’s sweet. Keep praying for her.”
Doris winked. “I pray for all of you.”
“Well, if you’re gonna pray for me today, pray this Montezuma’s Revenge passes quickly. Damn it. I gotta go again.”
My intestines burned, and the urgency caused me to jump up and hurry toward the bathrooms below deck.
“I told you not to drink the water!” Sylvie called after me. Her laughter comingled with Doris’s and was the last sound I heard before I made it down the stairs.
Shehadtold me not to drink the water. I, on the other hand, had told her I was no pansy and my stomach could handle whatever I threw at it. It seemed I was, in fact, very wrong.
After I finished up in the bathroom, I wandered around the boat until I found the widows all sitting in their seats in the dining area listening to the safety lecture I’d forgotten was scheduled.
“What did I miss?” I asked as I slipped in next to Alice.
“Don’t get eaten,” she deadpanned.
“There’s more than that,” Sylvie said with a chuckle. “I’ll fill you in later on what you missed.”
I looked up to see the man giving the speech at the front of the boat. “Whoa,” I said. “I’m not one to ogle a man, but that is one handsome instructor.”
“Right?” Sylvie bumped me with her shoulder. “Dr. Tremblay. A Marine Biologist from France. He’s our main instructor and divemaster. Holy handsome, right?”
I blew out a quick breath. “Yes indeedy.” I glanced over at Alice and got ready to say what I normally would have, then bit my tongue. But quickly, I remembered her request not to hold back, so I leaned in and whispered, “I bet you could toss a saddle on him and ride him like a dolphin.”
As I waggled my eyebrows at her and she didn’t quip back immediately, I started to panic that I’d gone too far. But a moment later, she lifted an eyebrow.
“A saddle? Please. Saddles are for amateurs. I can stay on bareback.”
We shared a quick look, and I caught the ‘thank you’ in her stare before we burst into laughter. Our loud outburst stopped Dr. Tremblay, and he glanced at us.
“Sorry,” I grunted out between chuckles. “Go on.”
He smiled, and his gaze traveled to Alice, lighting up when it locked with hers as all men’s seemed to. “So, as I was saying,” he went on, and this time, we sat quietly and listened to his spiel about the sharks and our safety.
When he finished his presentation, the widows and I, along with the other twenty guests, followed him up to the top deck where we gathered for cocktails and appetizers for the meet and greet. We met a couple from Amsterdam, a pair of Sisters from Scottsdale, and a variety of world travelers here just for this experience. As we mingled and gathered, Dr. Tremblay worked around between us, answering questions and telling us all about his incredible shark experiences.
But even though he spread his attention between everyone, his eyes were always traveling to Alice.
“I think he likes you,” I whispered to her.
“Of course, he likes me. What’s not to like?” she answered, and it was the first time I’d heard her usual confident comebacks since we’d gotten off that cruise ship. It sounded good to hear them again.
“You gonna go for it?” I asked.
She paused, then shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”
I had to keep my eyes from bulging out of my head. A handsome, young doctor was interested in Alice, and she wasn’t going to take him for a spin.
“You sure you’re okay?” I asked. “I know we’re acting like nothing happened, but if you change your mind and want to talk about it, the door is always open.”
“Thanks, Marge.” She smiled. “I will be fine. But for now, I think I need a little break from men. I’d rather just focus on having fun with you girls for the rest of the trip.”
“Well, we are more interesting than any man, I’ll give you that.”
“Exactly. As of this moment, I’m on a man ban.”
“Hey, I’m on one too. A permanent one. And if you ever decide you want to give up on men and switch teams, I know plenty of ladies who’d love to have you.” I grinned wide and waggled my eyebrows.
