Diana raced to her room as she attempted to curtail her erratically beating heart. The overly ambitious task took more than half an hour, which included a cold shower and a long talk with her reflection in the mirror, forcing her focus on Manda and Hunter, and trying to ignore the magnetic link her body had with J.J.

It didn’t work.

The only thing that stopped the racing of her heart was the fact that J.J. was a part of the band. She didn’t want a musician for a boyfriend, too many tempting women on the road, and J.J. was the manager. The same went for him. There was nothing like taking the hot guy off the table to cool a girl’s ardor.

When she finally felt like herself again, she went in search of her friend. She couldn’t find Manda anywhere, so she made her way to Manda’s room and knocked. It was time for her fairy tale to begin.

Manda opened the door with a book in her hand. “I thought you forgot about me, so I came back to my room. Come on in.” Manda turned around then plopped back down on the couch.

“Not hardly.” Diana smiled, clapping her hands. “Ready to meet your date?”

“Wait, what? I figured I’d have until tomorrow, at least.” Manda looked down loungewear. “I can’t go like this.”

“Well then go get dressed, because you’re about to meet the man of your dreams.” Diana’s eyebrows raised in measure to her smile.

Manda hurried to her suitcase then ran into the bathroom.

The girl would flip out when she was introduced to Hunter. And yet, the bigger question in Diana’s mind was who she would end up with. She almost hoped Manda would be too busy with Hunter and she’d be off the hook.

It was no big deal, not really. She’d go to the ball, listen to a set or two, and hopefully during the trip acquire enough information to recommend or reject the idea of buying the cruise line. What she’d seen so far had her leaning toward the purchase.

What weighed her father’s decisions most were all the disasters that could plague a cruise ship. There had certainly been several incidents lately. But then again, her father had standards. And those standards were mighty high which for a cruise ship certainly made sense. If only she could get her father to drop the notion that he had a say in who she’d marry.

“Hurry up, girl. We don’t want to keep him waiting now, do we?”

Manda yelled from the bathroom, “I’m not so sure about this.”

Laughter bubbled from Diana, she couldn’t wait to see Hunter and Manda together. “I am—and he has my vote of confidence. You have nothing to worry about.”

“What’s he like? Who is he?”

“Nope. I’m not telling. Just hurry up.”

Manda opened the bathroom door wearing the most exquisite sheath of a turquoise dress. “Do I look okay?” She bit her bottom lip then hurried to her suitcase pulling another dress out.

“You look positively gorgeous. Man, oh man. He is so in trouble. Put on some lipstick, and let’s go. This is going to be so much fun. That dress and your hair—you’re going to knock his socks off.” Diana pranced around the room trying to move Manda toward the door.

Manda fussed with her hair and added a rhinestone clip, so her hair cascaded down her back in a burnished fall. Then Manda slipped on a pair of black heels. “Are you sure we have to do this?”

Diana smiled and nodded. “Believe me. You’re going to be glad you did.” She opened the door, anxious for the merriment to commence.

Manda took a deep breath and walked out her stateroom door and continued down the hallway. At the elevator, Diana pushed the button for the Promenade Deck. When the doors opened, Diana stepped out and headed for the Princess Theatre which was reserved for the evening’s entertainment.

“Diana, where are we going?”

“I’m going to introduce you to your date.” Diana grinned. “Ready or not, welcome to your fairy tale.”

They reached a door marked ‘Private.’

“Wait a minute—cruise workers and passengers aren’t allowed to date. I went through the rules online when I was trying to figure out who I could set you up with.”

“Ahh. But he doesn’t work for the cruise line.” Diana stopped.

“I’m going to embarrass myself,” Manda mumbled.

Diana shook her head and proceeded to knock on a door.

“Just a moment—”

Manda’s face turned red, and she started doing breathing exercises. “I—I—can’t—breathe.”

“Calm down. This is supposed to be fun, not stressful. Relax, and let it happen. I guarantee you’ll have a great time.”

“You can’t do that, even I know that.” Manda bent over and put her head down. She looked ready to collapse.

Diana grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her upright. “He’s a good friend of mine.” She pushed the hair out of Manda’s eyes. “You two will get along famously.”

“It’s not that. I’m just neurotic and have a hard time meeting people.” Manda let out a deep breath.

The door opened, and Hunter Cross stepped out of the dressing room with a huge smile on his face.

Manda took one look at the man, and her mouth dropped open.

Hunter hugged Diana, and they both turned to look at Manda.

Manda’s breathing became erratic.

Hunter flashed a smile. “Hi.”

Manda’s cheeks were infused in various shades of red.

Diana began the introductions. “Manda, this is Hunter Cross. Hunter, this is Manda Reilly, your number one fan.”

Manda extended her hand and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She nodded, clamping her mouth shut.

Hunter clasped her hand and said, “Manda Reilly.” The way he repeated her name was almost as if he’d heard it before. He turned to her. “Diana, thank you for the intro, but get lost.”

“What?” Diana’s mouth fell open. Did he just kick her out?

He kissed her cheek and gently shoved her toward the door. “Go find someone else to bug for awhile.” He leaned closer and whispered, “Thank you.”

That was odd. She stepped out the door and turned to glance at Manda. “We have manicures and pedicures set for nine in the morning.” Her date. “And don’t forget about my date.”

Hunter shut the door in her face.

Diana stood rooted, staring at the closed door and laughed. “I’ll get even with you for that one, you just wait and see.”

On a high worthy of Viv, Diana sauntered off toward the perfect place to end her first night on the ship. Once she was seated at the bar, she ordered a double. No telling who she’d end up with during the costume ball. Either way, it was bound to be a night to remember; or in her case a night to forget.

And while she was at it, she might as well do some dirty work for Daddy.

Diana got into a curious conversation with Chris, the bartender, about what it was like working onboard a ship. The information was invaluable and amusing.

She checked her watch, noting she had thirty minutes until she had to call her father with her first real update.