‘Back to work,’ I said to Tommy, excusing myself.
There was a soft laugh at my back and I rounded on him.
‘Are you mocking me?’
‘Absolutely not,’ he said, hands raised. ‘But it’s hardly a grind, is it?’
‘Probably doesn’t seem like it to you, but I’ll have you know I’m very busy and important.’
Oops, I’d instinctually reverted to one of our in-jokes.
He smirked, that corner of his mouth hitching – this time forme. ‘Okay,Bridget.’
The years since we’d divorced fell away as our eyes met. It was all very well lusting after Tommy – well, it wasn’t, but you know what I mean – but there was no ignoring the impact of this well-practised routine.
These were actualfeelingsbubbling to the surface. My heart was thumping, my breath became shallow, and those stitches in my heart were no longer straining, they were starting to burst.
I couldn’t say whether it was perfect or imperfect timing, but Elsa appeared on deck, seemingly impatient to have a word with Tommy. I took the opportunity to escape, leaving them to yet another whispered conversation, then carefully made my way to the bow, keeping one hand on the boat like Tommy had told us.
I was tempted to glance back to see if he was watching, but I didn’t want to risk being caught. Despite the thoughts and emotions whipping through me, I was still aiming for an air of casual nonchalance.
Oh, hey, fancy running into you on this private island that I was invited to last minute and hadn’t even heard of until five days ago! What a fucking coincidence!
I had a better chance of winning the British Lottery.
I got to the bow pulpit and parked my arse on it, my hands resting on the railing. I inhaled deeply and plastered on a fake smile.
‘How’s this?’ I asked loudly.
‘Yeah, that’s great,’ Niki replied.
Following her directions, I kept one eye on Tommy and Elsa. Tommy glanced over, seeming unfazed, and that’s when it hit me. Maybe this wasn’t as difficult for him as it was for me. Maybe to Tommy, the past was in the past and his ex-wife showing up – as he’d said last night – was simply a complication.
‘Hey, Tom,’ Niki shouted from the dinghy. ‘Sorry to interrupt but…’
I watched closely as Elsa said something else to Tommy, then went back below deck. Perhaps she was a part-time vampire who could only tolerate five minutes of sunshine at a time.
‘How can I help?’ Tommy asked Niki.
‘Just thinking… can we get some pics of you and Ally?’
‘What?’ I blurted, panic rising. My eyes darted between her and Tommy. As if it wasn’t hard enough justbeingon this bloody boat, now she wanted us toposetogether?
‘Er…’ said Tommy, scratching the back of his neck. Wait, was he seriously considering sayingyes? ‘It might not be the best idea. Mr Cushing really wants the focus on our special guest here,’ he said, gesturing towards me.
I was part relieved, part peeved. Why did he have to sayour special guestwith such obvious disdain? It wasn’t my fault we were in this bizarre situation.
‘I can play with the depth of field,’ said Minh confidently. ‘You won’t be in focus – only Ally will be.’
No, no, no, no, no.Until then, I’d quite liked Minh. Now I wished that the dinghy would capsize, pitching him and all his camera equipment into the sea.
Tommy considered this and agreed, making his way to the bow, sure-footed and patently notholding on – not even once.
‘I thought you said to always have one hand on the boat,’ I chided as he approached. Yes, I was taking out my frustration on him, but so what? He deserved at least some of it.
He shrugged, seemingly unbothered, which was even more infuriating. ‘Not for experienced skippers.’
I rolled my eyes. Not that he could tell – I was wearing sunglasses – but it made me feel better. At least enough to get me through the next couple of hours.
