Title Wave Read Online Free Page B

complied.
    Although quiet music issued from the speakers, it wasn’t enough to mask the harsh whispers coming from EM and her assistant.
Well, at least they aren’t shouting
, Tricia thought, and sipped her wine.
    Ginny, who was sitting directly behind EM, could obviously hear every word. She leaned forward. “If she doesn’t shut up, someone is going to murder her. And it might just be me!”
    Tricia caught sight of a woman across the aisle, who’d obviously heard Ginny. She nodded in that direction, and Ginny glanced that way. Caught, she smiled sweetly and then quickly looked away.
    Cristophano returned. “Are you ready to order?” he asked.
    â€œExtremely ready,” Ginny grated.
    Cristophano wrote down their dinner preferences, retrieved the menu folders, and then turned away.
    â€œWhy did you pick the diet dinner?” Angelica asked Tricia.
    â€œDiet?”
    â€œYes, the spa offering is the diet meal. Didn’t you see the calories and fat grams listed?”
    Tricia shrugged. “Lamb just appealed to me tonight.”
    Angelica shook her head. “If I can reintroduce a topic,” she began. “What’s everybody going to do first thing in the morning?”
    â€œI want to check out the library. I heard they’ve got something like six thousand books available for checkout,” Tricia said. “Although Ihave a feeling it’ll concentrate on bestsellers—and probably heavier on those from the U.K. and Europe.”
    â€œIt would have been nice if we could have boarded earlier and done a walk-through of the ship,” Angelica agreed. “But we’ve got two days at sea before we reach Bermuda.”
    â€œI was hoping to do a little poolside reading,” Ginny said, “but it won’t be warm enough until we get farther south. I’m going to check out the Daily Program tonight and then make my decision. Besides lectures, there are supposed to be some author signings, as well as a number of interesting panel discussions. Just being away from the pressures of the job will be nice.”
    â€œBut I thought you enjoyed your work,” Angelica said, sounding genuinely concerned. After all, Ginny worked for her—at least in her Nigela Ricita capacity.
    â€œI
do
love it,” she insisted. “But working with a baby—even with spectacular day care—is a lot harder than I thought it would be.”
    â€œWell, you’re doing a very good job,” Angelica said, which made Antonio beam as well.
    Their dinners arrived and everyone dug in. The food was superb, and they were engrossed in their entrées when the dinner plates arrived at EM’s table. Tricia tried not to look like she was taking an interest, but after the drama they’d already witnessed, she found it hard to take her eyes off the back of EM’s head. She watched as the woman took her first bite—and then spit it out on her plate.
    â€œYou call this lobster? It tastes like sashimi—and cheap sashimi, at that!” EM declared.
    â€œYou’re making yet another scene,” the woman across from her grated.
    â€œWaiter!” EM called. A chagrined female server returned to stand before the tactless author. “Take this away.”
    â€œI’m so sorry you’re displeased. What may I bring you?”
    â€œBring me a bowl of soup—and some bread. You can’t screw up bread, can you?”
    â€œNo, madam.” The server quickly removed the plate and hurried away from the table.
    The woman across from EM took a bite of her dinner. “I told you to get the beef. Mine is excellent.”
    â€œYou have an unsophisticated palate.
I’m
the gourmand here.”
    As though in defiance, the woman shoveled an enormous forkful into her mouth and chewed.
    A nervous Cristophano showed up at the table. “Is everything to your liking? May I get you anything?”
    â€œI don’t know about the