Free Beauty & the Beast by Nancy Holder Page A

just can’t imagine one without the other.”
    Cat glanced in surprise at Vincent and he smiled and shrugged good-naturedly, moving up beside her. The woman, whose nametag proclaimed her “D ANA C USHING , C RUISE D IRECTOR ,” arranged Cat’s lei on her shoulders, then stood on tiptoe in an attempt to do the same to Vincent. He bent down and lowered his head.
    “Is this by chance your honeymoon?” the woman asked. “You’re both just glowing. ”
    “Actually, yes,” Cat said. “We’ve been married for a while, but we had trouble getting away.”
    The woman held up a cautioning finger. “Words like ‘trouble’ are not to be spoken aboard your floating paradise. We’re here to melt your cares away, and cater to your every whim.” She led them to the scenic backdrop. “Put your arms around her. Good. Smile at each other.” She half-turned her head and waved at a man dressed in a coral flowered shirt and navy blue trousers. He stood behind a small camera attached to a tripod.
    “Kimo, can you get them both in? I’m sorry. I mean, Cecilio? We had a last-minute substitution for our photographer,” she told Vincent and Cat.
    “You two look great.” Cecilio nodded at them and depressed a button on his camera. “Fantastic.”
    “Your pictures will be displayed in the Majestic Memories shop every afternoon. Pick the ones you want and they’ll be added to your room charges,” Dana told them.
    “Thank you,” Cat said. As they made way for the next guest’s Kodak moment, she added under her breath, “We’re going to have to watch it. It looks like paradise could get expensive.”
    His eyes gleamed as he gazed down at her. “No, Mrs. Keller,” he said softly. “Paradise is free.”
    “Aloha.” A man balancing a stack of colorful folders on top of a clipboard smiled at the two of them. His nametag said R OBERTO . “The Kellers, am I right?”
    “You are,” Vincent said. “We’re in stateroom twenty-one on the Maui deck.”
    “Not anymore,” Roberto shot back. “You’ve been upgraded to the honeymoon suite, compliments of the Sea Majesty. It’s number one, Kuuipo Deck. Kuuipo means sweetheart in Hawaiian.” He smiled and lifted the top folder off the stack. “Your passkey swipe cards, maps, and information are here. Your data is encoded onto your swipe cards, but if you lose one, please let us know right away.”
    “Upgraded?” Cat echoed. She slid a glance toward Vincent. “Did you do this? Champagne, roses…?”
    “No.” He turned to Roberto. “Do you know who informed you that this is our honeymoon?”
    “No, sir.” Roberto’s smile never faltered. “Would you prefer not to be upgraded? The honeymoon suite is quite luxurious. It has a beautiful view. You’ll see dolphins, maybe even whales. You have an in-room whirlpool bath and a Baja shower surrounded by plumeria and pikake plants, a movie and sound system, and all the furnishings are handcrafted from native Hawaiian koa wood. It’s often booked as much as a year in advance. It was sheer luck that it was available at such short notice.” He paused. “But if you don’t want it, I’m sure we can move you back into a room on par with Maui twenty-one.”
    “No, no, upgrading is good. Right?” Vincent turned to Cat, and she nodded eagerly.
    “Upgrading is great,” Cat replied. “I’m all for it.” She grinned at Vincent. “Double aloha.”
    “Triple.”
    Cat took the folder and looked inside. There were two wood-grain passkeys, one with Catherine embossed in gold and the other, Vincent. Catherine showed them to her husband. “I doubt we’ll ever be apart long enough to need a separate key, but just in case…”
    “Just in case,” he agreed.
    “I’ll escort you to your suite and introduce you to your steward,” Roberto said. “He’ll show you around your home away from home.”
    Vincent laced his fingers through hers. “Let’s explore paradise.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    Rubbing her temple, Tess sat at her desk,