‘This is really important, guys,’ Vanessa says through clenched teeth. ‘I cannot lose you. I am responsible for your safety.’
‘I know.’ I hang my head. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Vanessa huffs air out sharply through her teeth. ‘If everyone can’t keep up, we’ll have to separate.’ She shakes her head, staring out at sea. ‘Miguel will take the slow group,’ she finishes quietly, almost to herself, ‘as punishment for whatever he’s doing right now.’
‘That’s not necessary,’ I rush to say, ‘it won’t happen aga—’
‘We ran into a shark,’ Hugh says, talking over me. ‘Millie got a little flustered, I had to turn back to help her. It won’t happen again for me. I can keep up with the fast group.’
Hugh speaks louder than I do, and Vanessa nods at him in something that looks like belief, before turning the brunt of her gaze on me. She doesn’t say anything but she doesn’t have to for me to know what she’s thinking – I can’t handle a shark, and she’ll put me in the slow group because of it. Before I can plead my case further, she swims away from us, shouting for Aaron to lower the bucket for fins.
My mouth gapes open as I watch her go and I choke back a surprised gasp. It took Hugh less than sixty seconds to blame the whole thing on me. Although he isn’t technically lying, he did tactfully omit that we were already falling behind Vanessa before the whole shark incident. And he did it so thathecould get ahead. So much fornice.
‘You’re gonna blame everything on me?’ I hiss at Hugh, narrowing my eyes. ‘We were losing them before we even saw the shark!’
‘I don’t see how you can be upset with me for telling the truth. You didn’t expect me to go in the slower group because you couldn’t handle a shark, did you?’
‘It wasn’t my fault we fell behind Vanessa! I need more time to look for the wrasse!’
‘Well . . .’ Hugh trails off. ‘It kind of was your fault.’
‘We were already losing her before we saw the shark.’
‘I guess.’ Hugh shrugs. He starts to make his way towards the ladder. We’ve been making our way back to the boat, kicking back from the point where we ascended. Vanessa has already clambered up.
‘Bloody hell!’ Andrew pipes in. ‘You saw a shark?’
I huff. From the deck, Vanessa is shouting at Aaron to look for Miguel, Natalie and Derek. She’s furious that Miguel let them get so far behind. Pippa has already wrapped herself in a towel.
‘That wasn’t cool,’ I say to Hugh.
‘Hey—’ Hugh throws his hands up in mock surrender ‘—I didn’t do anything except tell the truth. Honestly, I should have let you face the shark yourself. We’re not exactly searching for the same thing here, remember?’ He adjusts his life vest casually, shifting his shoulders back so he sits a little straighter in the water.
‘That doesn’t mean you get to throw me under the bus to Vanessa!’ I hiss. ‘Don’t take away my shot to prove you wrong because you think that I will. That just makes you cowardly, don’t you think?’
I can’t remember the last time I was so angry. I’m seeing red. I get a mouthful of seawater because I’m too busy glowering at Hugh to pay attention to the waves. He stares down his nose at me. I’m forced to break eye contact when I turn to the side to cough out the water that went up my nose. So much for looking like I know what I’m doing. By the time my gaze comes back to Hugh, he’s stifling laughter.
He takes a deep breath before speaking. ‘Point taken,’ he says calmly, ‘I’ll be better next time.’
‘Next time? There’s not gonna be a next time! I’m going back to Miguel.’
‘So youdowant to be in the slow group?’ A wicked smile plays across Hugh’s lips.
‘Ugh!’ I groan.
I haul myself up the ladder and out of the water as fast as I can. I don’t want to be in it and next to Hugh another second. I’m embarrassed at how much he’s getting into my head. I won’t be able to bear it if I have to return home to Millie empty-handed, especially if the reason has anything to do with Hugh Harris.
I grab my towel and stalk downstairs to the safety of my cabin. Only once I’m inside do I remember I share it with Hugh. ‘Ugh!’ I yell at the wall.
Chapter 11
Seven dives to go
I wish more than anything I could talk to Millie. Her surgery is in ten hours. It’s all I can think about. I check the time on my phone so frequently during dinner that Pippa whispers to me, ‘What’s going on?’ She knows I have no service – none of us do – so my obsession with my phone is notable. I quickly tuck my phone back into the pocket of my jean shorts and reply, ‘Nothing.’ She shoots me a curious look but returns to her meal.
We are huddled around the table in the belly of the boat, eating fried black bean burgers with the leftovers from lunch. There is a U-shaped bench around the table which most of us have squeezed onto, and four chairs surround the table on the opposite half. I marvel at the ability to fit functional furniture into such a small space. Everything is a little worn down by the sea but all of it works, and the bench is comfortable despite the gentle back and forth of the sea.
The group is silent apart from sounds of chewing. I’m not sure if Aaron is the best cook I’ve ever met or if we’re all just starving from the activity. Judging by the way everyone else is shovelling food into their mouths I’m assuming it’s the latter.
