Deceived by Patricia H. Rushford Read Free Book Online Page A

murmured, “you are going to the Caribbean. A dream vacation. And you are going to forget about everything that’s happened and have a great time.”
    Jennie shoved the disturbing thoughts about her father and the break-in out of her mind. Determined to make Lisa’s birthday present the best ever, Jennie finished packing.

7
    Late the next afternoon Jennie, Lisa, J.B., and Gram stood at the rail of the
Caribbean Dreamer
, a newly commissioned luxury cruise ship, tossing streamers into the warm Miami wind.
    â€œOh, wow!” Lisa pulled a pink streamer from her fiery curls that seemed to pick up the glow of the sunset. “Isn’t this fantastic?”
    Jennie smiled and nodded. Despite the depressing time she’d been through in the last few days, she’d begun to share Lisa’s excitement. She felt something else too. Jennie had the oddest sensation that she was being watched.
    â€œJennie, Lisa. Smile.” Gram snapped a photo as they turned toward her.
    â€œHey, that wasn’t fair. My eyes were closed. Take another one.” Lisa posed against the rail. The wind lifted her hair when she tossed her head back and laughed. “C’mon, Jennie, stand beside me.”
    Jennie leaned against the railing, crossed her eyes, and stuck out her tongue.
    Lisa elbowed her. “You nut.”
    â€œSmile,” Gram crooned.
    Jennie complied, but the smile froze on her face when she noticed Gram wasn’t the only one taking pictures. A man, maybe in his late forties, wearing sunglasses, a straw hat, and a blue and white tropical print shirt, had aimed his camera straight at them. She started to tell Gram, then stopped.
    Gram would probably tell her she was imagining it. Most likely, the guy was just trying to get a picture of the sunset. Or, he could be one of the ship’s photographers. By the time Gram snapped her picture, the man had disappeared in the bon voyage crowd.
    Lisa nudged her. “Take a look at those guys down by the pool. Aren’t they gorgeous?”
    Jennie glanced down to the lower deck where Lisa was pointing. Twin swimming pools separated by twin Jacuzzis glistened like aquamarine gemstones in the late afternoon sun. She scanned the deck chairs surrounding the pool area and finally spotted them. One thing about her cousin, she did have great taste in men.
    â€œI want the blond. You can have the other one.”
    â€œLisa, stop pointing. What if they see us?”
    â€œThat’s the point, silly. Let’s go swimming so we can meet them.”
    â€œUm…I’ll need to change,” Jennie said, hoping to delay long enough to make an escape. She wasn’t really in the mood to meet guys. She turned to tell her cousin that, but Lisa had already headed down to the lower deck. Jennie shrugged and turned back to the railing. She watched the taller and darker of the two young men walk from his lounge chair to the pool and slip into the turquoise water. His muscles rippled as he lifted his shoulders and rubbed the back of his head. He had a foreign look to him, Jennie decided. Spanish maybe—or Italian.
    He ducked under the surface and shot back up, shook the water from his hair, and climbed out. The water looked so cool and inviting Jennie felt the urge to swim a few laps. Maybe she’d even talk to the guy. Maybe not.
    He toweled off and, as if sensing her presence, glanced up in her direction. His dark, penetrating gaze leveled her before she had a chance to breathe.
    He broke eye contact, acting as if he hadn’t seen her.
    Maybe he hadn’t, yet in those brief few seconds, Jennie felt as though she’d been thoroughly inspected and rejected. “Creep,” she muttered and turned away. “Who needs you?”
    â€œDid you say something, dear?” Gram, who’d been talking to some of the other passengers, looked over at her.
    â€œAh…no. I was just…”
    â€œJennie,” Lisa called from a deck