He glanced at the photographs.
That was when I noticed something I had missed.
They were not all pictures of me.
In several, someone else appeared near the edge.
In one photograph, he was standing behind me at embarkation.
In another, he was two tables away at breakfast.
In a third, he was near the elevators while I waited alone.
He called again two days later.
I mentioned it to my daughter, Claire.
She became furious when I told her I had confirmed my address before realizing something was wrong.
“I told her I handled it.”
Because six days earlier, when Richard sat beside me at dinner and complained that cruise ships somehow managed to serve both too much food and nothing he actually wanted, I thought it was chance.
When he appeared at breakfast the next morning, I thought maybe he was hoping to see me.
When he asked whether I’d like to walk the promenade, I thought I had been chosen.
Now I wasn’t sure I had been.
She explained everything again, more formally.
They had been watching three suspected individuals.
Jason had entered my cabin after obtaining access through what they believed was an illegally copied card.
They had expected him to steal valuables.
Instead, he took my entire suitcase.
Claire was waiting at the terminal.
I knew she’d flown down because she was scared.
The moment she saw me, she ran toward me.
Then I said, “You and I are going to have an enormous argument.”
And this time, he answered.
We’ve been seeing each other for nine months now.
He still consults with the fraud task force, although I told him if I ever find my photograph pinned to another wall, we’re finished.
Claire and I also changed.
She stopped tracking my location.
I changed the passwords on everything.
I froze my credit for a while.
I replaced my locks at home.
He was hiding the fact that our meeting had never been accidental.
For a while, that nearly ruined everything.
But nine months later, Richard still takes me to dinner.
He still orders champagne on special occasions.
And every time he raises his glass, he asks:
I always give him the same answer.
If you were Margaret, could you still pursue a relationship with Richard after learning that your first meeting had been arranged?
If this story kept you hooked, here’s another one for you: A stranger demanded that a boy give up his bus seat for an adult. Seconds later, one unexpected reveal silenced everyone. Click here to read the full story.
