Mandy unclamped the curling iron for the final time and brushed out the curl. Her short bob didn’t allow for large ringlets, but she could add some wave and body to the fine gold strands with enough product and time. She sprayed her hair one last time, bouncing the bottom of it to make sure the spray set in. Surveying herself in the mirror, she added one more layer of red lipstick, and smoothed down her long gold sequined gown. Her matching rhinestone heels added three inches to her height. She always dressed up for the ship’s formal nights, but tonight she took extra care to make sure her appearance was flawless.

She knocked on Alice’s door, and Alice opened it immediately.

“Your dress is beautiful,” Mandy said as she admired the fuchsia-colored dress accented with white shoes and a long string of brilliantly white pearls.

Alice beamed at her. “Harold loves this dress. We went to a big band swing charity dance last month, and I decided to get something new for it. We’ve gone dancing two other times since.”

“He sounds like a keeper.”

Alice gave a fast wink. “I think so too.”

They took the elevator to the Starlight Restaurant on deck three.

Alice linked arms with Mandy as they exited the elevator. They meandered around the mid-ship area, and Mandy took some pictures of Alice in front of the entrance to the formal restaurant where a bronzed statue of a ship stood on a pedestal.

Mandy loved shooting portrait mode on her camera. It gave a buttery softness to the background that made the subject pop. “Okay, Alice. Get ready to be a little crazy.” She lifted a brow as she peeked over her camera. “Make a silly face.” She waited as Alice made moose ears on herself. Mandy laughed and took a few more pictures of Alice in different poses.

“All right, final one. Strike a pose,” Mandy said.

Alice put her hands down flared outward and tilted her head. Mandy could see Alice as a ringleted school-girl in a faded black and white.

“What are you doing?” A dangerous voice sounded much too close to her ear.

Mandy jerked upright from her crouched position, nearly knocking straight into Derek. He had a knack for making her heart jump around erratically in her chest. He needed to stop that. “We’re just…” What were they doing?

“We’re taking pictures, dear, what does it look like we’re doing?” Alice rolled her eyes in a loving grandmother sort of way.

“It looks like you’re making a fool out of my grandmother.” He didn’t remove his eyes from Mandy.

Mandy glanced at Alice, and her expression said Alice was thinking what Mandy was. Derek would be the camera’s next victim. “You’re up next.” Derek’s hair was styled in a sculpted, messy sort of way that made Mandy want to run her fingers through it. His tux was perfectly tailored to show off his physique and he walked with the confidence of owning the room and everyone’s attention.

He folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t want my picture taken.”

“Why not? You look handsome.” Mandy could feel her cheeks heat as the words left her mouth.

He gave and crooked smile and leaned forward. “You think I’m handsome?”

Mandy forced her tight throat to swallow, then made shooing motions to move him into place where Alice stood. “You clean up nice. And the tux does you several favors.”

He put a hand in one pocket, resting his thumb on the outside, and put the other on his lapel, showing his profile to the camera, and gave a slight smile. “Put it on the record. Amanda Jones thinks I’m handsome.”

“You don’t need a bigger ego. Besides. My opinion is hardly worth bragging about.” Hopefully that knocked him down a peg or two. “Okay. I’m running you through the same pictures. Smile regularly.”

Derek obliged, giving the camera a smoldering look. She took the picture and he added a winning smile to the pose. She was grateful her camera blocked her face as she stared at him through the viewfinder.

“Now give me a silly face,” she said.

Derek scrunched up half of his face and tilted his head to the side.

She zoomed in, taking in all of his features. “Is that the best you can do?”

“You don’t like my silly face?”

“I think you can be a little more creative than that,” Mandy said.

He made the ‘thinking pose’ and she captured it, though it was hardly silly. He took a vocal breath, crossed his eyes, blew out his cheeks and pulled out his ears.

“A monkey in a monkey suit. Clever.” She took another picture. “Okay now laugh.” She was determined to break down the walls on Derek and these silly pictures seemed to do that.

Derek’s laugh looked painfully forced. He was trying too hard.

Mandy started giggling. “No. Not like that. A belly laugh. Try it like this.” She demonstrated an exaggerated laugh as she threw her head to the side, and let her cheeks scrunch up to her half-closed eyes.

She heard a digital click, and opened her eyes. He had caught her with his cell phone. “Hey wait—”

“Are you the only one allowed to take pictures?” He raised his eyebrows.

“No, but—”

“My settings may not be as fancy, but this works for me,” he said.

She pulled the phone away from him, and looked at the picture with a critical eye. It turned out surprisingly nice.

“Fine. But you can use my camera. Then I can have copies of them.”

He took the camera from her hands. “Laugh again.”

She did and he took a few pictures.

He looked around the camera. “Okay, now do the rest of the silly and goofy and posed or whatever the last one was.”

Mandy followed his instructions, then took her camera back and inspected the pictures he took.

As she placed the cover on the lens, the ship’s photographer came up to take a picture. Mandy moved so that Alice and Derek could get a picture in front of the statue together. She smiled as they took a picture together. “And now you, miss.” He motioned for her to move toward them.

“Oh, it’s all right. I don’t need to be in it.” But the photographer insisted. She moved to stand by Alice, but apparently that was throwing off the photographer’s groove too.

“No. On the other side. Yes. Man in the middle. Arms around two ladies. This is a perfect picture,” he said, adjusting the camera settings.

Derek’s fingers brushed along her arm and she wanted to lean into him. His expensive cologne filled her senses, but the photographer took the picture and he immediately dropped his hand.

Mandy quickly whispered, “Okay, on this photo, make your silly face.” It was an animal picture. Alice was a moose, Derek stayed with the monkey, and Mandy made a fish face. The photographer laughed and took the picture.

They went into dinner and for the first time since they’d arrived on the ship, dinner went by too quickly. Derek’s conversational mood surprised Mandy. He seemed all interested to the point of borderline nosy. What was up with that?

* * *

After dinner, Alice, Derek, and Mandy went to the grand ballroom. The oldies music played louder than Mandy would have guessed. Spencer scooted around the perimeter toward her and greeted her with a lingering handshake. “Surprised to see you here,” he said but smiled broadly.

“Yes. I haven’t done this before, though I’ve enjoyed the music from outside the room. Alice was in the dancing mood tonight, so we thought we’d check it out.”

He nodded. “How nice that your companion this time likes different things.”

“It has been a nice trip so far.”

Derek moved toward them.

“And you remember Derek?” She lifted her eyebrow toward Derek as he approached.

Spencer gave a thin-lipped smile that bordered on a frown but dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “Of course. If you’ll excuse me.”

Alice took a seat and watched the band play as a few couples swayed to the music. She closed her eyes and a smile crossed her lips. Mandy joined her, enjoying the music she knew by heart from time spent with her own grandma. “You are my Sunshine” came on, and she felt the pull on her heart of the memories she wished she could remember with clarity.

Derek extended his hand. “Will you do me the honor?” A twinkle sparkled in his eye.

Mandy smiled. Dancing was something she did often enough in college. She’d been on the ballroom team. But it’d been a few years since she’d spun around the floor for anything but a competition.

“I’d love to, dear. You’re so thoughtful,” Alice spoke the words, putting her wrinkled hand inside Derek’s.

Mandy sucked in a breath, grateful she hadn’t embarrassed herself by taking his hand first. Of course he would dance with his grandma. She watched them as they moved around the dance floor. He was a courteous grandson. That was good. The way Alice’s face lit up as he spun her in a few circles made it obvious she cherished him.

Mandy took a few pictures of them dancing. Alice had mentioned that Derek worked a lot. Though Mandy was Alice’s companion, there had to be some way that Mandy could make sure Alice and Derek spent more time together. It was what they both needed. Maybe if she came up with a baby gift idea for Caden, Derek could focus on time with Alice. It was something Mandy wished she had.

Her gaze swept over the room, and she spotted Spencer looking over the spread of cheeses, meats, and gourmet crackers. She headed in his direction.

“This is a fun party,” she said.

Spencer nodded. “You’ll have to make this part of your regular routine with other companions.”

Likely Alice wouldn’t have come without Derek. This wasn’t a singles cruise full of eligible partners, though Mandy noticed a few seemed unattached. She took a drink from the silver platter he held out to her. “I’ll think about it.”

“Will you be dancing this evening?” He smiled at her.

Mandy laughed. “Is that your way of asking me to dance?”

He shook his head. “Ah. If my duties allowed it, we’d already be dancing.” He spread out a few more napkins and gave instructions to the crew in charge of the food. “But, as it is…” He shrugged.

“Thanks for being a knight anyway. This drink is what I needed.” She grabbed a small plate of the finger foods. She turned back to the dance floor, reaching her original place as the second song Derek and Alice danced to finished.

Mandy caught the words, “Love you, Grams,” as Derek hugged Alice.

“Love you. Thanks for the dances. Your grandfather taught you well.”

Derek nodded. “I’ll get you a plate of food.”

Alice pulled out a tissue from her purse and blotted her eyes, before they focused on Mandy. “My late husband took me dancing every week. Those last two songs were his favorites.”

Mandy nodded and squeezed Alice’s hand. “Your grandson dances very well.” The words came out more wistful than she planned as she followed Derek’s movement over to the food.

Alice gave a small smile. “My husband taught him. He’d come with us dancing occasionally. He was always the center of attention among all the older folks. So polite. And he’d wear a three-piece suit and slicked back hair. He’d dance with everyone.” She chuckled. “All my friends were jealous my grandson was interested in dancing.”

Mandy giggled, trying to see Derek as the child Alice described. “He sounds like a charmer.”

The look in Alice’s eye changed, and she raised an eyebrow. “Do you like dancing?” she asked just as Derek returned with two plates of food balanced on top of two drinks.

From the corner of her eye Mandy saw Derek watching her and her cheeks heated. Their friendship was still a tenuous one and she couldn’t let Derek think that she pushed Alice to come dancing or that somehow Mandy was willing to neglect her job duties while being Alice’s companion. Mandy laughed, though even to her own ears it sounded strained. “Once upon a time I did. But I’m too rusty now.” She took a gulp of the carbonated punch and the bubbles burned down her throat.

“Nonsense. Dancing is the cure for rusty dancing. Derek, take her for a spin on the floor.”

Derek’s eyes widened, as he looked between her and Alice.

Before he could respond, Mandy said, “Oh, that’s all right, Alice. I’m here to be your companion, not to dance.” She gave her a smile. Besides, turning Derek down before he made an excuse to Alice’s suggestion avoided rejection. Mandy had saved them both from a dance neither of them wanted.