‘Tell me, Tori,’ Amy says coolly when Robert and I arrive for breakfast the next day. ‘Are you planning on joining in withanyof the group activities, or are you determined to carry on being this stubbornly independent?’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘The disco. I distinctly remember saying thateveryonewas expected to attend but, yet again, there was absolutely no sign of you.’ Next to her, Stuart is also shooting daggers at me, but Idon’t think that’s got anything to do with me missing the disco. He’ll have to wait his turn.
‘Let it go, Amy,’ Lily urges her. ‘It doesn’t matter, does it? We all had a lovely time.’
‘It matters,’ Amy says firmly, ‘because it feels like Tori is deliberately tearing up everything I’ve organised and throwing it back in my face. I’ve tried to be flexible, but this is getting beyond a joke.’
‘Amy,’ I begin with a sigh. ‘I do appreciate the work you’ve put in. But, as I’ve told you before, this is my holiday too and, when I’m on holiday, I decide what I’m going to do.’
‘Mm-hmm? And what was sorivetinglast night that you decided you couldn’t even be bothered to turn up to a simple disco? Was it something to do with your pianist?’
‘As it happens, it was. He took me out to dinner.’
‘What’s the point of staying in an all-inclusive resort if you keep going out? You’re effectively paying for your meals twice.’
‘Well, not really, because Gabriel bought me dinner, but I’m also getting a taste of the real Jamaica, beyond the confines of the resort.’
‘What did you have?’ Lily asks, evidently keen to steer the conversation away from my supposed truancy and failure to understand how all-inclusives work.
‘Jerk chicken, callaloo and rice and peas. The chicken practically took my head off, I can tell you. I had to drink nearly a whole cow in milk to put out the fire. It was amazing though.’
‘Pah,’ Amy says dismissively. ‘I’ve had the jerk chicken here a few times and it’s not that bad. Honestly, Tori, you just need to educate your palate a bit. I love spicy food, don’t I, Stewie?’
‘Umm.’ Stuart’s mind has obviously been elsewhere as I can see the panicked expression on his face as he tries to figure out how to ask what we’re talking about without giving away the fact that he wasn’t listening.
‘When we get a curry, I almost always order a madras. The spicier the better,’ Amy continues boastfully as Stuart sags with relief.
‘She does,’ he agrees.
Fascinating as Amy’s dietary habits are, I’m keen to capitalise on the idea I had while talking to Robert last night.
‘Lily,’ I begin. ‘Were you and Dan planning to go to church anywhere on Sunday?’
‘We have discussed it, but we’re not really sure which type is the closest to what we’re used to. Why?’
‘Gabriel’s invited me to go to his family church with him,’ I tell her. This isn’t strictly true as, although I know he’s going, he hasn’t invited me. I’m sure he won’t mind though. ‘I wondered if you and Dan would like to come too.’
‘Oh, wow. Do you know what sort of church it is?’
‘It’s the Church of God, which is part of the Pentecostal movement. Gabriel’s brothers both sing in the choir and, from what I’ve heard, it’s pretty lively.’
‘Sounds fun. What do you think, Dan?’
‘Yes, absolutely.’
‘OK, let me talk to Gabriel, find out the times and everything and I’ll let you know.’
‘Aren’t you going to invite Stewie and me?’ Amy asks petulantly.
Shit. The whole plan was to have a morning with Lily away from them. ‘You’re more than welcome to come, I’m sure,’ I tell her. ‘I just didn’t think it was your thing.’
‘Stewie and I may not belong to any organised religious groups, but I’ve always believed there was something out there, haven’t I, babe?’
‘Have you?’ Stuart looks nonplussed. This is obviously the first he’s heard of it.
‘Yeah, don’t you remember I was reading that article to you the other month – the one about spirit guides – and I said to you that I reckoned my spirit guide was the soul of Barney, our pet labrador when I was a child.’
