I nod. ‘I guess,’ I answer reluctantly. I can’tnotgo, not while I’m on an all-expenses paid Great Barrier Reef trip. That would be criminal. But night diving is terrifying, and I’ve only done it once before, with Millie, who made me go. I was scared the entire time. The ocean is sodark.You can’t see anything around you. I felt like I was inches away from a shark or an eel (they have surprisingly strong and dangerous jaws) at every moment.
I want to ask if Hugh is going. Miguel will most likely be assigned to Derek again. I don’t want to dive if he isn’t. He’s knowledgeable and good at diving, and he did manage to come between me and a shark. Plus, I’m worried that the other girls won’t want to go, and I don’t want to be partners with Andrew, who can’t control his buoyancy, or Derek, who gets so easily distracted. I watch as Miguel approaches Hugh and Natalie. When Hugh nods excitedly, my shoulders relax with relief.
Pippa walks over to me, her eyes flitting to Hugh and back again. ‘Gosh, you haveallthe fun!’ she laments dramatically.
‘What are you talking about now?’ I look pointedly towards the ocean, hoping to direct her attention away from Hugh.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t work. ‘Miguel and Hugh! Hotties! I knew there would be a hot American on this boat and turns out there’s a hot Colombian and Australian too! It’s like an internationalLove Island.’
‘Natalie is hot,’ I agree glumly.
‘No dummy,’ Pippa swats at my arm playfully. ‘You!’
I stare at her blankly.
‘Don’t play that game with me. Your hair is brilliant. Those curls are to die for. And your cheekbones! It’s no wonder Miguel and Hugh are falling all over you.’
‘They are not.’
She ignores me. ‘Which one are you gonna pick? When I came over here you were watching Hugh like a shark!’
‘Ugh.’ I shudder. ‘Too soon.’
‘OK fine, a lioness. Now fill me in.’
‘There isnothingto fill you in on,’ I say definitively, making it as clear as possible that whatever she is putting on the table should come off it.
‘You had a cheeky moment over there before.’ Pippa raises one eyebrow at me.
‘Pippa, be serious. I’m here for work,’ I say, although my voice lacks conviction.
‘You know what they say,’ she reminds me. ‘All work and no play . . .’
‘Hugh thinks he knowseverything, and he’s stubborn. Plus, he’s trying to sabotage me.’
Pippa raises an eyebrow again.
‘I’m serious!’ I say. ‘The only reason he is paying me any attention is because I’m trying to find this fish, and he’s trying to prove it’s extinct. He’s trying to get in my head on purpose.’
‘For starters, you can’t say you don’t like someone just because they don’t agree with you. And give yourself more credit. Hugh could be into you just because you’re hot and brilliant, and not because of some dumb fish.’
‘Mhm,’ I grunt.
‘He’s not that bad, you know. Andrew quite likes him. And he’s cute.’
‘We’ve known him for, like, one day. And he’s not that cute.’
Pippa smirks. ‘Millie, you have the same eyes as the rest of us.’
What is with these Commonwealth people and their smirking?
‘Incoming,’ Pippa says under her breath. Hugh is walking towards us, leaving Natalie standing by the railing, talking to Miguel.
‘Ladies,’ Hugh says, looking right at me.
‘I’m gonna grab my water,’ Pippa says, with a glint in her eye.
I try to glare at her as she walks away – I know she’s trying to play matchmaker – but she avoids my gaze.
