He lowered her carefully into her wheelchair, placing another sweet kiss on her lips before stepping back. Mary maneuvered to the closet where she’d hung her dinner outfit.
She glanced at the bathroom. “Why don’t you shower while I get dressed?”
Understanding she needed privacy, he nodded. By the time he finished, she had dressed herself. Bert stared at her beauty. The blouse was deep blue, elegant without being formal. Her hair curled about her shoulders, and her makeup was subtle and made her eyes luminous.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, meaning it with every fiber of his being.
“You clean up pretty well,” Mary replied, taking in his slacks and button-down. “Ready to face the masses?”
“With you? Always.”
Dinner was in the main dining room, just like every night, but now it felt different. Tonight, they weren’t just playing roles. They were together, in love, and figuring out how to be a couple while simultaneously working a case.
They were seated at a table with Eleanor, Thomas, Carolyn, and another couple Mary had met briefly. The conversation flowed easily, helped along by good wine and excellent food. Bert found himself genuinely enjoying the company, the kind of relaxed social interaction that had felt difficult since leaving the military, but somehow came naturally with Mary beside him.
But he kept one eye on the nearby table where Colin and Diane sat with George and another passenger. Diane seemed bright and engaged, laughing at appropriate moments.
Colin was the perfect attentive nephew, cutting Diane’s meat before she could ask, refilling her water glass, and gently steering the conversation away when topics got too complicated. To anyone not looking for it, he seemed caring and devoted. But Bert saw the control underneath, the way Colin managed every aspect of Diane’s experience.
“So,” Carolyn said, drawing Bert’s attention back to their table. “Have you two set a wedding date yet? We keep asking Mary, but she says you’re both too busy with work to plan.”
Mary shot Bert a look that was part amusement, and he squeezed her hand under the table.
Bert improvised. “We’ll need some time to plan something meaningful rather than rushing. Mary deserves a wedding she’ll remember.”
“Spring is lovely for weddings,” Eleanor agreed. “Will you marry in Montana? I imagine the mountains would make a beautiful backdrop.”
“That’s the idea,” Mary said, warming to the fiction they were creating. “Something small and intimate. Just close friends and family.”
“Smart choice,” Thomas said. “Carolyn and I had a huge wedding. Three hundred guests, most of whom we barely knew. If we could do it over, we’d elope.”
“You would not,” Carolyn protested with affection. “You loved every minute of that wedding.”
“I loved marrying you,” Thomas corrected, taking her hand. “The wedding itself was just expensive chaos.”
The conversation drifted to wedding stories, relationship advice, the kind of gentle nosiness that came from passengers who’d gotten to know each other over several days of close quarters. Bert played his part, answering questions and weaving their cover story with enough detail to be convincing but not so much that they’d trip themselves up later.
After dinner, passengers dispersed to various evening activities. Colin and Diane headed to the salon to join the other bridge players.
Bert and Mary excused themselves, seemingly to retreat to their stateroom.
“Are you sure you won’t join us?” Diane asked, her expression hopeful.
Mary just shook her head with a smile. “I’m not a bridge player, and?—”
“Oh… you’re not?”
Bert noticed Mary jolted ever so slightly before she replied, “I have a headache and think we’ll turn in early.”
With goodbyes said, they headed to their stateroom. The moment the door closed, Bert said, “I take it that Diane knows you don’t play cards?”
“I haven’t played cards since being on the trip. And yes, I had told Diane that I didn’t play.” She reached out and took his hand. “She’s definitely forgetting things.”
Bert stood. “I want to see what medication Diane is on.”
“How?”
Lifting a brow, he retrieved his tactical kit. “I can get inside any room.”