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faced Randy. “You didn’t know Cealie’s Aunt Sue used to be her Uncle Stu from our class?”
    Randy roared out a laugh. “I know you’re kidding me. The sexy woman who just left here could not be—” He chuckled, glancing at each of us. “No way am I going to believe that.”
    I was too upset with Sue to try to defend her. I didn’t know whether she wanted the truth told about her surgical transformation, or if she hid that information. With the way she’d come on to the man we had met on the Lido Deck, I figured she didn’t disclose her past to everyone.
    Waiters carried plates to our table. No wonder the toast smelled so appealing. It was Lost Bread. Gil’s mother had called it pain perdu . The bread was drenched in a mixture of egg, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon, then lightly browned in a skillet.
    I scanned the scrambled eggs, hash browns, Lost Bread, and boudin. My mouth watered. And then I spied Gil. On the opposite side of the dining room, he headed for the exit.
    I rushed after him.
    A few stragglers waited near the elevators. So did Gil. People smiled at him, probably recognizing him from his little talk at the mike in the dining room.
    He saw me coming. His smiled faded into a guarded expression.
    I strode up to him. “I’m sorry.”
    “It’s okay.” An elevator door clinked open behind him. He ignored it.
    “I had no idea you were coming on this ship or bringing one of your chefs.”
    “When you and I were in Gatlinburg, Cealie, I asked you to come on a trip with me.”
    “You wouldn’t say where you were going or how long you’d be.”
    “You didn’t give me a chance. You just said no.”
    “Aw, man,” the gray-haired woman behind Gil said. She frowned at me and shook her head, letting me know I had done a terrible thing.
    “I love him,” I told her, “and I believe he loves me. I’m just not quite ready to get tied down yet.”
    She skimmed my face and figure. “At your age?”
    I huffed, and her friend grabbed her arm and pointed toward the restroom. Both women headed there.
    Another door opened, revealing an empty elevator. Gil snagged me by the hand. “Let’s get in.” He tugged me inside.
    “So is it only a happy coincidence that you and I came on the same cruise?” I asked, still not ready to totally give in. “And neither of us knew the other one was coming to Alaska?”
    “When did you decide to take this trip?”
    “A few weeks ago. Jane Easterly is one of my best friends from high school. She invited me and said our gang was coming for a kind of class reunion. We’d all get to visit and especially help our buddy Tetter take care of a severe problem. Of course a major bonus for me is that I’ll get to see Tommy in Skagway.”
    Gil smiled. “I’m sure you’re happy about getting to see your son and his family.”
    “I can’t wait.”
    “But did you tell me anything about that invitation from your friend?”
    I shook my head. “Since you and I decided we weren’t going to stay together, we didn’t need to tell each other all of our plans.”
    “You made that decision.” He touched the tip of my nose, making a chill of excitement skitter to my heels. “I want to know everything about you. Where you go. Who you’re doing things with. Anything major that happens. Even small daily events.”
    The elevator door opened. We were gazing at each other. A rush of people stepped inside. We stepped out. Gil and I had entered the Grand Atrium. Gads of people surrounded us, some at the bar, scores of travelers moving across the floor. I glanced above. More of the same, an ant farm of people heading in and out of shops and up and down decks in elevators and on the winding stairs.
    Gil pressed close to me.
    I placed my hands against his chest to stop him from getting any nearer. “Something major happened on this ship last night. A man died.”
    “I know.” He gripped my hand and led the way toward a wall, one of the few spots away from others.
    “I saw him