Free Anchors Aweigh - 6 by Kathleen Bacus Page A

long-awaited breakup! Hallelujah and pass the bubbly!
    I unzipped my bag and retrieved the über-carat ring from a small side pocket and handed it to Manny. Whew. I let out another long sigh. I felt like Frodo Baggins relinquishing possession of the Precious. Relief flowed over me. For all of three seconds. That was about the time it took for Manny to grab my left hand and slip the ring on my unsuspecting third finger.
    “We should fit in now. Sweethearts. Remember?” he said, and grabbed my hand and pulled me over to a group of three lucky couples.
    “Ahoy! Congratulations! Best wishes!” Manny broadcast, and snared a glass of what looked like champagne from a nearby waiter. He handed one to me and took a second. He raised his glass. “To new beginnings!” he toasted.
    I stared at him. This was also a side of Manny I’d never seen. Exuberant. Social.
    Out of his element.
    Out of his gourd.
    “Hear, hear!” That came from one-half of the same-sex couple. He gave Manny an appreciative look until his partner gave him an elbow in the ribs.
    “Name’s Manny. This is Tressa,” Manny said. He still had my left hand and raised it to show off the ring.
    “To Manny and Tressa!” a man in his late twenties or early thirties and who looked like the adorable Pillsbury Doughboy announced. “I’m Steve Kayser. This is my wife, Courtney,” he added, putting an arm around a short, chubby, blonde woman. “That’s Ben and Sherri Hall,” he said, pointing to another larger-than-life pair of similar age. “The four of us are celebrating our anniversaries. We had a double wedding five years ago and decided, as a group, we needed to make a dramatic change in our lifestyles, starting with diet and exercise. This cruise offered us a chance to do that.”
    “Sherri and Ben have been our best friends since high school,” Courtney Kayser explained. “We live in the same town on the same street! We figured this cruise was custom-made for us,” she added with a giggle.
    “Misery loves company, huh?” I said, and she giggled again. Cute, blonde and bubbly, Courtney had an energy and zest about her that her dark-haired friend, Sherri, didn’t possess. Ben was friendly and slapped Steve on the back a lot, while Sherri was quiet and pensive. I guess opposites do attract.
    Introductions were made all around. In addition to Steve, Courtney, Ben and Sherri, there was Vic and Naomi, who had just missed making The Biggest Loser last season and wanted to show the network they could lose the weight without its help; and Tariq and Monique, actors tired of just getting the fat roles. There was also Dolph and Major, who were on a voyage of self-discovery and identity following a civil union ceremony.
    I shook my head. None of these couples seemed like candidates for a murder-for-profit conspiracy. Still, I’d learned not to take anything at face value.
    “You look like a personal trainer, Manny,” Major, the fellow who’d eyed Manny earlier, observed. “Am I right?”
    Manny smiled. “Bodies by DeMarco,” he said. “Maybe you’ve heard of it. I’ve been on Oprah.”
    I looked over at Manny. God, he was good. Or maybe he had lots of practice at fibbing on the fly. I still hadn’t managed to figure out just what he did for a living. I’d convinced myself I was better off not knowing.
    “Bodies by DeMarco! Oh, wow! Sure. I’ve heard of you. Awesome!” Major exclaimed. “Right, Dolph? Will you be one of the trainers working with us this week, Manny?” he asked, his eyes growing large at the possibility.
    I did an exaggerated I’m-not-believing-this-B.S. eye roll.
    Manny smiled. “You never know,” he said.
    “So, what do you do?”
    I stood mute until I realized Courtney was speaking to me. “Oh? Me? I, uh, sell insurance,” I blurted. “Life insurance.”
    The group as a whole gasped and took one step back. Geez. A profession more hated than prying, snoopy reporters. Who knew?
    “Yes, yes, I sell life insurance. I