Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 472

It had always been him, and yet, he had still lost her.

Some of the crewmen had taken photos and videos. They showed them to Emma, carefully asking for her permission to keep them. If she said no, they promised to delete them immediately.

Emma saw herself on their screens. Against the deep black of the night sea, a single light on the ship cast a spotlight on the deck. She was dancing in that circle of light, with only the sound of the wind and the harmonica in the world.

It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Not because her dancing was beautiful, but because of the atmosphere in the video. It was one of the most stunning stages she had ever performed on.

"Don't delete them! Thank you for capturing it so beautifully," Emma said, handing the phone back. She wished she could ask them to send her the video, but her own phone was gone.

"Hey, why don't we all dance together?" suggested the sailor who had given her the liquor.

The other crewmen laughed at him. "What kind of dancing do you know?"

"What do you mean? Back in my younger days on the ship, they called me the Dance King," the sailor retorted with a grin.

"Then show us what you've got!"

Soon, everyone was cheering him on.

The sailor, never one to be shy, turned to Theodore. "Hey, brother, play us a tune."

It had been a long time since Theodore had played the harmonica. He was rusty on anything but the most familiar songs. After a moment of hesitation, he began to play the cheerful tune of *The Doll and the Bear*.

As the lively music filled the air, the sailor began to dance, waddling and swaying like a clumsy bear. Emma burst out laughing and started to hop and jump along with him.

"Come on, come on! We're all big black bears!" the sailor called out, waving the other men over.

The ship glided slowly toward the port, the lights of the harbor already visible. Theodore walked over to Emma, his eyes on her face, flushed either from dancing or the liquor. "We're almost there," he said softly. "You're not scared anymore, are you?"

Emma was still a little out of breath from dancing, a light sheen of sweat on her skin. She didn't want to answer that question. Instead, she asked, "How are we getting back to Cresthaven?"

"We could stay the night…"

"No." The thought of spending a night in the same vicinity as him, even in separate rooms, was out of the question. "Do you know where my purse and phone are?"

Theodore shook his head slightly. "They're probably still in that car. We'll have to ask the police if they've found it yet."

Emma considered her options. Even without her phone or any money, she could take a cab home and pay the driver once she arrived.

"If you don't want to stay, we can get a cab back," Theodore said. "But we probably won't get home until morning."