Carolina stands next to me calmly, watching the scene play out as curious resort guests start to look over. I start to feel a bit panicky. I’m supposed to be the solution person, and I don’t have the first clue how to solve this, but what I do know is we need to shut this show down before someone gets out their mobile phone and records what is brewing to be a very strange and likely comical physical altercation.
“Okay, okay,” I say, raising my voice as I get between the two men. “Thank you, Serge. I’ll take it from here.”
He gives Vincent a long glare, then storms off while I do my best to look as though I know exactly what to do. “All right, Vincent, let’s take a step back. Tell me what the ideal lighting conditions are for filming outside.”
“How is that going to help? Are you a weather goddess or something?”
“No, but I’m a person who believes every problem has a solution. There has to be some way to create the conditions you need. What if we film only during certain hours of the day?”
“That would mean we’d be here for several months, and no offense, but I need to get the hell out of this place as soon as possible.”
I don’t like Vincent very much. I offer him an easy smile anyway. “Gotcha. So, let’s go back to your suggestion of blocking out the sun. Maybe we can figure something out.”
Pointing straight above his head, he yells, “The sun is way up there, and in case you hadn’t noticed, itmoves!”
“So we need something tall that we can move.” I tap my chin with one finger, do a slow spin while I think, and when I’m facing the ocean, a sailboat in the distance catches my eye. “Like a sail from a yacht perhaps?”
“What are you going to do? Park a yacht on the pool deck?” Vincent scoffs. “Okay, genius.”
“No, but what if we just use the sail? Maybe on wheels?”
Looking slightly deflated, Vincent says, “And where are you going to get a sail on such short notice?”
Harrison.
* * *
Four hours later, the main sail has been removed from theWaltzing Matilda, the Banks’ family yacht. Sergio, Harrison, and a few of the crew members managed to rig up a makeshift rolling cart for it. Vincent, who went to lie down, and Carolina, who returned to her room to work, are just arriving back at the beach bar.
I know it’s not time to take my victory lap yet, but this has got to help balance what happened this morning with Awful Oakley. Harrison, whom I doubt has talked to Rosy based on how friendly he’s been to me today, told me he’s very impressed by my ingenuity.So there, Oakley! Suck on that.
I can almost smell the salty air at my cottage… probably because I can actually smell the sea air, being only steps away from the beach, but still…
When Vincent gets out of the golf cart, his jaw drops. I smile. “Tall enough to block the sun and portable so it’ll move where you need it to.”
He rushes over to it, looking like he’s going to kiss the sail. “You did it! I can’t believe you did it.”
Pointing to the people who did the work, I say, “They did it. I just thought of it.”
He rushes over and gives me a big hug, then proceeds to shake hands with the rest of the group. I stand back and watch, feeling like I should be wearing a cape, because I feel a lot like Wonder Woman at the moment.
Carolina approaches me. “Well done. This is very good.”
“Thanks. I’m glad I could help.”
“I appreciate it. Vincent is wonderful at his job—extremely passionate—which is what makes him so brilliant. It also makes him challenging at times, but that’s what it is to work with a genius.”
I don’t want to agree with her, so I say nothing.
After a moment, she says, “Listen, I know it’s none of my business, but I understand you’ve been spending some time with Paz Castillo.”
My cheeks flame, and I am instantly defensive. “No more than the other contestants, although Paz and I did have a lengthy conversation about how he ended up in his current profession.”
“Oh yes, the whole attorney thing.”
Of course she’d think being an attorney is low class. Everything must seem to be beneath you when you’re born stinking rich. “A noble calling,” I tell her. “If he hadn’t had to support his family straight out of school.”
“I’d caution you to take what Paz says with a grain of salt.”
