Unchartered Curves (Cruisin’ With Curves)

2. Duane

Chapter two

Duane

I ’m glad Gill made me stop looking at my notes for our next book on my phone. Receptions like this aren’t usually my thing,

“Duane,” he’d said. “Next you’ll be reviewing your syllabi for your fall courses.”

“To adventure,” I said now, as I clinked my glass with the woman who’d intrigued me with her wit and kindness when she’d been in my course a couple years before. She still smiled and said hello and asked how I was whenever we crossed paths.

“What brings you to the Infinity Voyager?” Gill asked.

“Well,” she said, taking a sip of the champagne. “I’m celebrating finishing my MBA.”

“Congratulations!” I said, clinking my glass with hers again.

“I’m on my own,” she said, answering the question I was thinking. “My ex was supposed to come with me, but happily he took himself off in November. So I’ve had time to get used to this idea.”

What an idiot, I thought. Of course, my ex-wife, Marisa, was also a terrific woman. She fell for one of her co-workers, though we were all friendly now, and I liked visiting her preschool-aged twins, Ethan and Stephen. I was even Godfather for one of them.

“Good choice,” Gill said. “I’m sure you’ll have a terrific time.”

“Have you guys been on here before?”

I glanced at Gill, wondering if she meant that we were together.

“We have done a few cruises with dates before, and Duane went on one with his ex-wife, right?”

I didn’t mind so much that Gill was bringing up my ex. I think he meant to let her know that he and I weren’t a couple.

My mind went back over the discussion we’d had off and on during our drive down here. We were brainstorming the next in our thriller series. Those books made us both rich, but the effort to keep up with the promotion and keep up full teaching schedules was taking its toll on both of us. This trip was supposed to give us a break and help us figure out what we wanted to do next.

But it wasn’t our book discussions that I was remembering. Gill brought up dating someone together, something we’d talked about more and more recently.

“I really think we should do it. We’d be a family,” Gill said. “Our detectives in the books are brothers, and I feel like you’re one of my brothers.”

“I feel the same, man, but where would we find a woman who would accept that?”

I knew Anisa had gone to Hopeton University. The area town was known for having all sorts of polyamory arrangements. But if she was talking about a single ex, she might not be interested.

Or maybe she hadn’t met the right pair of guys yet.

We talked for a while, then agreed to have dinner together at the Golden Sunset Sushi Bar

“I can’t remember the last time I had sushi,” she said as Gill held out her chair. I handed her a menu.

“We get some things automatically here, right?” Anisa bit her lip.

We’d opted for that plan for the trip, too, as there were always too many choices for dining. I thought that would help us with meals like this one. We could easily treat her, but I didn’t want to push it with her.

“Tell us about your work,” I said. “I remember you worked at a non-profit, correct?”

“That’s right. I do the marketing,” she said, smiling. “I love the people but will likely have to find something better paying if I’m going to stay in my Hopeton condo and pay for my grad school loans. I might be able to pick up some more social media marketing gigs. I did that freelance a little when I had time.”We had a virtual assistant who was quitting in three months, who marketed our books.

I met Gill’s gaze, and he nodded slightly. But it wasn’t social media marketing exclusively that I wanted from Anisa.

My gaze was drawn to her lips, especially as she expertly used chopsticks to eat her sushi. I wanted her.

“I’m going to gain five pounds on this ship!” Anisa said as we walked out.

“It will be worth it. Want to go for a walk on the deck?” I asked, not wanting the night to end.

I caught a flash of Gill’s teeth as he grinned. He knew that I didn’t always take the initiative, and liked to move slowly, but I also knew what I wanted.

“It is so lovely up here. I think I could sleep up here!” Anisa said, her hair blowing back behind her.

I loved how she was enjoying everything, from the food to the scenery. I wish I could take a picture of her closing her eyes against the slight breeze from the ocean, her lovely face and lush body pressed against the railing.

“I’ll bet we could,” I said, gesturing towards some of the lounge chairs, where others were stretched out.

“Not sure my old back could take that,” Gill said.

I wondered how much older we were than her. Maybe ten years? She seemed mature, though. I couldn’t remember the last date I’d had, but I was already having more fun than the women I met on a dating app.

Anisa laughed. “Nor mine, either. I think I’m permanently hunched over from working over a computer than doing my papers and projects for class.”

We were standing on either side of her. I had a sense that we would be here like this again.