Page 16 of Hearts Aweigh

He reached around her body, his arm close enough it almost brushed her waist, and pushed the elevator’s call button. His face came level with hers in the process.

Abby blinked, moved away, and took Madeleine by the hand. “Did you like the dinner?”

His daughter grimaced. “Not really.”

Why did she confide in Abby and not him? Spencer considered the woman at his side. What was it about this pint-size princess that made people want to tell her their secrets? And not just Madeleine. Spencer might unburden all sorts of information if she ever asked.

But she wouldn’t.

She was busy dating the minister. Abigail O’Brien showed zero interest in Spencer as a man or even as a human being. If it weren’t for his daughter, he imagined Abby would never speak to him.

Logic and order regulated his life. Anything outside of the plan was unacceptable. So how had he found himself on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean? His friend Gideon had warned him when he became a Christian—God had a way of interrupting the course a man planned with unexpected detours.

Was this woman one of those? Or was she an ill-advised distraction he’d do best to dismiss?

Mr. Masterson’s body in no way touched her own, yet Abby experienced the same tingle as her first slow dance with a boy in high school.

When her new employer stood this close, she caught again the tiniest hint of his cologne.

Not overpowering, it teased her senses and begged her to lean closer for a good sniff.

Ding!

Abby skittered to the side as the elevator arrived. She and Madeleine entered the car, followed by Spencer. The doors closed, and he pressed the button for the suite’s floor.

Abby lowered herself to the little girl’s level. “What didn’t you like about the food, sweetie?”

Madeleine whispered in her ear. Spencer eyed the communication jealously. Abby grinned as she stood.

“Well?” he asked. “What was it?”

“The steak was too rare.”

“What?”

She placed a soft hand on the girl’s head. “As Maddie put it, she doesn’t like food that’s bleeding.”

“Oh.” His bewildered expression shaved a degree of snootiness off his demeanor. He looked at his daughter. “I’m … I’m sorry the food was bleeding. We’ll order whatever you like when we get to the room.”

The elevator door opened, and they walked down the hallway to his apartment. Spencer waved his key card in front of the automatic lock and entered the Imperial Suite. Abby and Maddie followed him.

A large sitting area with pristine white couches and chairs flowed into a dining room with a full-length glass table.

At the end sat a compact kitchen with marble countertops and an island.

A staircase to the left led up to what Abby assumed was the bedrooms, with a balcony that overlooked the room below.

I wonder where the butler sleeps.

Spencer pointed to a phone on the end table. “Could you please find out what Madeleine prefers to eat and order room service? And feel free to choose something for yourself. Alfredo, perhaps?”

Abby stared. Was he making a joke? It would be totally out of character.

He removed his suit jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair, rolled his sleeves to the elbow, and picked up a pile of documents from the dining room table. “I’ll get some work done while you take care of supper.” He made his way to the office and shut the door behind him.

Abby looked at Madeleine. “Hungry?”

“Yes, ma’am.” She nodded at hyperspeed. “I’m super hungry.”

“So am I.” Abby grabbed the phone. “Your daddy wants you to eat healthy. We need to make sure you get enough fruit in your diet. How do you feel about pizza?”

“I love it!” Maddie’s forehead crinkled. “Is pizza a fruit?”

“Not exactly.” Abby waggled her eyebrows. “But there’s a certain fruit that tastes really good on it. Do you like pineapple?”

“I think so.”

“Yay! My last roommate hated the stuff on pizza, so I never ordered it when we shared. I’m so glad you like it too.”

Maddie positively glowed at the affirmation.

They spent the next two hours stuffing themselves with Hawaiian pizza, playing tag barefoot around the swanky living room, and watching cartoons on the giant flat-screen TV.

When Mr. Masterson finally exited his office with a file folder in hand, Abby slipped her dress shoes back on and met him at the dining room table.

“We saved you some food.”

He looked at the dishes with a frown. “Pizza? Weren’t there any healthier options?”

“I thought it was better to offer Maddie something tempting to erase the memory of that rare steak.”

Spencer rubbed the back of his neck. “I should have realized she wouldn’t enjoy that type of food. Because of me she was unhappy.”

Abby leaned her hand against a dining room chair and rotated her foot. High heels were not for work hours.

Spencer’s attention zeroed in on her shoes. “And your break was cut short. I apologize.”

“No biggie. There’s always tomorrow.”

“Until we interrupted, how was your date going?”

Abby blinked, surprised he’d asked. “Norville was … attentive.”

“Cloying?”

This man was quick on the uptake. She’d better be careful how she phrased things. “I wouldn’t put it that way.”

“Even if it’s true?”

“Norville was sweet.” Abby felt the need to defend her escort.

After all, the man was a minister. “He brought me flowers. And held the door for me. At the restaurant, when I sat in the chair with my back to the wall, he kindly let me know proper etiquette dictates the man faces outward toward the room. It has something to do with keeping watch for danger. He was super mannerly.”

Spencer’s mouth curled. “Real manners let the lady sit where she pleases.”

Abby returned to Maddie’s side and dropped onto the plush settee with a moan. “I admit I had the setting sun in my eyes for the first five minutes.” She bent and rubbed the toes peeking from the flirty straps of her sandals.

Spencer sat in the chair opposite her and regarded the shoes. “Was he worth the four-inch heels?”

“I didn’t even need the boost.” She straightened. “Our heights are very compatible.”

“If this works out, you can spend the rest of your life squinting at a man on the same eye level as you.”

“Are you normally this curious about your employees’ love lives?”

“Is it love already?” He thumbed through the folder.

Abby ignored his question and focused on Maddie. The child’s head rested on the arm of the couch. Her long golden lashes drooped.

Abby bent and patted her on the back. “Would you like to go to bed?”

Maddie’s chin bobbed, but the rest of her body didn’t move. Her father sat and studied his folder, absorbed in his work. He’d be no help.

“Looks like someone’s too sleepy to walk.” Abby placed gentle hands under the girl’s arms and lifted her up.

Maddie cuddled close. Her breath regulated as she fell asleep in an instant. A pleasant ache in Abby’s heart caused her to squeeze the child tight.

It was good she’d sought help from the Shippers. Good that she’d gone on the date with Norville, even if he was a little fastidious. The sooner she married, the sooner she could have a baby of her own to assuage the longing inside.

Until then, she’d pour her love into this precious girl.