Chapter Ten

Dana tried not to let her hurt show as she walked into the restaurant. It was a mix between fine dining and a jazz club. Live musicians played above a small dance floor, and the surrounding tables were dressed in white tablecloths with flickering candles. It was a sensual atmosphere, and it only reminded her of the heat between her and Cole.

It flared hot and quickly, only to be doused just as rapidly with his cold insult. Pushing it away, she tried to enjoy the experience. She knew she looked good in her dress, and she’d never let the opinion of anyone else bring her down. She wasn’t about to start now.

Cole stopped at the host station. “Parker. Party of two.” His eyes scanned the crowd as the beautiful woman in the sequined dress greeted them and grabbed their menus.

“Who are you looking for?” Dana asked in a quick voice. Cole looked at her sharply but didn’t answer. Feeling even more like an outsider, she tried not to cry as a young man in a tux pulled out her seat.

“My lady. You look lovely this evening,” he complimented Dana as he placed the menu in front of her. The hostess batted her eyes at Cole before she returned to the stand, and the waiter started pouring their water. “My name is Mack, and I’ll be your server this evening. I’ll give you some time to look over the menu, but I must say that our stuffed flounder has been a huge hit today. If you’re a fan of gouda cheese with crabmeat and spinach, I would highly recommend it. Would you like to order some wine?”

“A bottle of your oakiest champagne,” Cole said dismissively. “Two glasses.”

Dana opened her mouth to remind him that she didn’t drink, but he shook his head in warning. Annoyed, she sat back and picked up her menu. The flounder actually sounded pretty good, but she was in a steak kind of mood.

Oh yeah. Steak and potatoes. Now they were speaking her language.

“Just so you know, you can’t burn incense in the room,” he said suddenly. “It’s a fire hazard.”

Puzzled by the sudden jump, she glanced up. “I know that. I didn’t pack any incense.”

“I’m just reminding you.”

“I feel like you’re patronizing me,” she snapped. “I thought this was supposed to be a romantic evening. First I’m not tanned enough for you, and now you apparently think I’m too dumb to realize the dangers of lighting something in our cabin.”

“Calm down,” he said in a tight voice. “I don’t want you to cause a scene. I was trying to start a conversation with you.”

“You could have literally picked a thousand other things. Like maybe asked me if I’ve ever been on a cruise ship. Can I swim? Do I have an aversion to water? Do I have any food allergies? Will I become a raging alcoholic if you continue to shove alcohol in my hands?”

He blinked. “I’m aware that you had an alcohol problem. I’m sure you’re strong enough to stick to your goals while on the ship.”

“Had an alcohol problem?” She almost threw something at him. “What would make you say that?”

“You had a DUI on your record.”

Indignation boiled inside her. “I wasn’t drinking, you idiot,” she hissed. “How dare you think I’m the type of person to drink and then get behind the wheel of a car. I was on a new medication, and it impaired my driving. I made an illegal U-turn in my neighborhood to go back home when the cop pulled me over. The charges never stuck!”

He lifted an eyebrow. “And those trespassing charges?”

“The guy who I was dating at the time told me that his parents owned the cabin by the lake. I didn’t realize he was lying until they were arresting us.” Of course he would have done a complete background check on her, but why hadn’t he said something before? Did he hire her because he thought she was some reckless criminal?

“That’s awfully convenient.”

Horrified, she gripped the arms of her chair and pushed it back. As she stood, he reached out and grabbed her arms. “You can’t leave,” he said coldly. “That won’t look good.”

“I don’t care,” she snapped. “Nothing is worth putting up with you for seven days. Not if this is how you’re going to treat me. I thought you were cold, but I didn’t realize that you were cruel.”

“I’m sorry.”

At his apology, she stopped and stared at him. Even though she knew how easily lying came to him, he looked sincere. The waiter returned with the bottle of wine, and he looked at her questioningly. “Miss? Can I help you with anything?”

Taking a deep breath, she sat back down. “No, thank you. I will not, however, be taking that wineglass.”

She clenched her jaw when he looked to confirm that with Cole, but when he nodded, she relaxed a little. Maybe all it took was just to put her foot down. After all, it wasn’t like he could hire anyone else to be his girlfriend. They were stuck on a cruise, and the press already had her name. If he wanted to make their relationship appear stable, he was going to have to learn the art of giving and taking.

Maybe it was time someone taught Cole what the real world was really like.

Cole couldn’t help but smile when he watched her lean back with satisfaction. The juices from her medium-rare steak still covered the plate, but she’d eaten every bite. Putting her hands over her belly, she moaned. “I think that was the best steak I’ve ever had.”

It was so easy to please her. He adored it seeing that smile on her face, especially when an hour ago, she was ready to get up and leave. He’d never felt such panic than when he thought she might walk away from him.

It’s just because you don’t want any rumors to start, right?

Unbeknownst to her, Kathryn Wellington was eating by herself three tables behind them. He’d finally figured out his approach, and he smiled at Dana. “Does this mean you don’t want dessert?”

“That’s a hard one,” she groaned. “I might die if I have dessert, but I know I’ll regret it if I don’t. What’s a girl to do? Can we take some to go?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” He pushed his chair back and smiled. “I’ll get the dessert menu. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Now? Cole, I’m sure they’ll bring us one when they clear our plates!”

He pretended that he couldn’t hear her as he walked away. As he walked by Kathryn’s table, he kept his eyes trained on the host stand. He heard her little gasp and knew that she recognized him, but it wasn’t until he had the dessert menu in hand and was walking back to Dana that he allowed their eyes to meet.

Stopping short, he widened his eyes. “Kathryn?”

“Cole.” She forced a smile. She was clearly not happy to see him here. “I didn’t take you for the type to go on cruises.”

“I’m not. This is more for Dana than myself.” He looked over at his table. “Let me drop this off for her, and I’ll be right back. She adores her food, and I’m a dead man if I stand in the way of her and her dessert. Plus, I’m sure she’ll want to say hello.”

Kathryn nodded reluctantly, and he moved back to his table and leaned down. “Kathryn Wellington is sitting several tables behind us. When the waiter comes back, order whatever you want and then come say hello. Give me at least ten minutes alone with her though, okay?”

“Kathryn?” Dana frowned. “Did you know that she was going to be here?”

“Just do as I say.” In case Kathryn was watching, he kissed Dana gently before heading back to the table. Sliding in the open chair, he shook his head. “What are the odds of both of us being on the same ship together?”

“If it wasn’t for your girlfriend, I’d say slim,” Kathryn said in a dry voice as she sipped her champagne. “Unfortunately for me, it seems that quite a few of Daddy’s friends are on this ship. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that he sent them to keep an eye on me.”

“Why? Are you here alone?”

“I am. This is supposed to be a trip for me to relax and rejuvenate. I needed some serious alone time.”

Cole could sympathize. “I envy you. It’s almost impossible for me to find some alone time these days,” he admitted. “If I were you, I’d just ignore them. Do what you came here to do.”

She looked surprised, and a genuine smile crossed her face. “So, this is just a trip of pleasure for you, or are you here to rub a few elbows while you’re at it?”

Cole tried to look contrite. “I told Dana this trip would be all about her, but she understands that there are some important people here. She’s independent enough that she doesn’t mind a little alone time to herself. I think the trip will be good for us.”

“Really?” Kathryn leaned across the table on her elbows with an eager look on her face. She was easily hooked. “And why do you say that?”

“Things have been stressful lately. Work is a little crazy, and I’ve been trying to keep her from the worst of the press. I feel like things might be a little strained between us.” Taking a deep breath, he ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t do relationships well, but I’m trying with her.”

Lie, lie, lie. Even as he leaned into the role to set Kathryn up, he felt the guilt eating away at him. Once again, he reminded himself that this was her father’s doing and not his. If he had his way, he wouldn’t have even gotten the woman involved.

“I tell you what,” Kathryn said with a mischievous twinkle. “We haven’t even been here a day, and I’m already a little bored. If you’ve got some plans to meet with these important people, you let me know, and I’ll spend some time with Dana. I’ll get the skinny on her perspective of your relationship.”

What? The last thing that he wanted was for her to be friends with Dana. Maybe he’d done too good of a job with her makeover. If she’d seen Dana with her wild hair and ridiculously misshapen pantsuit, she wouldn’t even bother. “Oh, I can’t ask you to spy on me. That doesn’t feel right, and I wouldn’t want to intrude on your alone time.”

“Whose alone time?” Dana showed up at the worst time and flashed Kathryn a big grin. “When Cole told me you were here, I just couldn’t believe it. What a small world, right?”

“We were just talking about you!” Kathryn exclaimed. “Dana, I’m so glad you’re here. We must hang out. Surely Cole isn’t going to monopolize all your time, is he?”

“He’d hate that,” she joked. “I would love to hang out. I’m not really sure of Cole’s schedule, but we’re in room 1-97.”

“Perfect! I’m in room 1-34, so we’re just a couple of halls away from each other. If Cole abandons you, have the concierge hunt me down, and we’ll definitely get together! I actually have a spa date tomorrow afternoon. It’s supposed to be a couple’s spa, so you can join if you’d like!”

Dana turned and cocked her head. “Cole? Would you mind that?”

Cole wanted to tell her no, but there was hope in her eyes. Was she so eager to get away from him that she’d rather spend time with a woman who wouldn’t normally give her the time of day? “I guess that’d be okay,” he said slowly. Later tonight, he’d set her straight. He couldn’t have her ruining his plan.

“That sounds amazing. I’ll meet you at your room at three.” Kathryn clapped her hands in excitement. “Now, I don’t want to take up any more of your time. Cole, why don’t you take your girl dancing? She looks amazing in that dress, and she deserves to be shown off on the dance floor.”

What was happening here? How was he losing control of the situation so quickly? He looked up and tried to communicate with Dana to say no, but she looked at the band with shining eyes. “That’s a great idea. I’ll work off some of this steak and have more room for dessert!”

“Wonderful,” he muttered and rose. “Kathryn, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

She winked at him. “And you enjoy the rest of your romantic evening.”

Her meaning was hard to miss, and he sighed as he took Dana’s hand and led her to the dance floor. It was going to be hard to seduce Kathryn when she was so gung ho about saving his relationship with Dana.