It’s all very abrupt. Garry seems agitated and keen to get rid of me. ‘What island? And what about the roster? I’m down for cleaning and then babysitting Emir. He wants to play chess today.’
Garry shakes his head. ‘It’s like you’ve forgotten your training,’ he says pompously. ‘We are here to dowhateverit takes to make sureallof the guests have the best time ever. That’s what makesmehappy so that’s what makesyouhappy.’ He prods his finger dangerously close to my chest as though he’s the star in his own mafia film. ‘Got it?’
He turns to talk to Shaun, Tiffany and Astrid who have just arrived in a cloud of frostiness. Garry shakes his head in a disappointed fashion. ‘Which one of you wants to go with clever clogs here on the kayak safari excursion today?’
‘Well, I can’t because I’m doing an afternoontavlasession in the dining room. Turkish people are so obsessed with backgammon,’ says Tiffany in a bored tone.
‘And I can’t because I’m taking the fishing group out. It’ll be a six-hour round trip,’ says Shaun.
‘Why can’t you go with Maddie on the kayak safari?Exploringsounds like the sort of thing you’d enjoy,’ Astrid asks Garry. Although the dark circles under her eyes remain, she has a little more colour to her cheeks as she forces a bright smile.
‘Fuck no,’ he snaps. ‘Why would I want to get lost in the forest on some uninhabited island only to be found weeks later eaten alive by wild… what do they have on those islands?’ He looks around at blank stares. It’s as though none of them have bothered to do a bare modicum of research into Turkey’s natural habitat.
‘Rabbits… The odd squirrel at a push?’ I say. He really is incredibly self-centred. ‘Nothing that’ll rip your lungs out, Garry.’
His cheeks colour as the other three immediately snort with laughter. ‘Okay, clever clogs. If you know so much about flora and fauna, you take the lead, and Astrid can accompany you. I’m sure the brat will enjoy it.’
I’m immediately incensed. He literally makes my blood boil. ‘One, he’s not a brat, and two’ – I mimic his ridiculous voice – ‘what happened to “for me it’s all about doing whatever it takes to make sureallthe guests have the best time ever. That’s what makesmehappy.”’
This does not go down well.
‘Okay,’ Garry shouts, clapping his hands together. ‘That’s sorted then. Astrid and clever clogs, kayaking. Shaun, fishing.’ Garry raises his eyebrow as though to warn Shaun to keep his libido in check. ‘Tiff, you’ll also need to supervise lunch here. And don’t forget to get the kitchen to do all the packed lunches for the two excursions.’
But before I can ask what the heck Garry will be doing, other than skiving, a herd of guests begins stampeding up the stairs and flying past the magnificent finger-food breakfast buffet, ignoring the tables laden with bitesize vine rolls, stuffed aubergines, mini feta cheese pastries, tacos of finely diced salad and minced lamb pittas, platters of grilled savoury tarts, toasted breads with hummus and baba ghanoush. They charge straight to the seating area to be waited on hand and foot. Garry flings an apron at me with an evil grin on his face. ‘Off you go, Clogsy. Chop chop.’
21
Breakfast is nothing short of a perfect storm of guests clicking their fingers to be served and not enough staff running around like lunatics or watching where they are going. With the rush finally over, I’m just about to grab a plate of olives, cucumber, tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs when Emir comes running over. His face is lit up with excitement.
‘Good morning,’ I say, pleased to see his cute little face. ‘How are you this morning? Did you sleep well?’
‘Chess?’ he squeals. ‘Can we play chess today? With Jackson?’
Garry’s head whips round, his eyes laser-focused on Emir and what he’s about to reveal.
‘Um, Mr… erm…’Lord, what is Jackson’s surname? Did he ever say? Goodness, we’ve been so intimate and yet…I clear my throat, realising that I have disappeared off into an untimely trance and that we have gathered an audience. ‘You mean when Jackson came here to… when he was briefly doing his staff spot checks. Yes. Yes, he did witness us playing chess.’
‘Give it up, Clogsy. You’re a terrible liar. What was Jackson doing here? What were you two talking about?’ Before I can complain about my new and unsolicited nickname, Garry looks at Astrid and Shaun. ‘Did either of you two see him?’
Talk about looking guilty. Shaun is the first to say that he was at Akmars watching the belly dancing show all night.
‘As was I,’ chimes in Astrid. ‘Sitting at the back with the guests, remember?’
Emir looks from Shaun to Astrid and back again. ‘But…’ he says as I pull discreetly on his hand for him to stop talking.
‘Oh yeah, right, right,’ says Garry, making out he was also at Akmars andnothaving a clandestine meeting with Erika. I listen as the three of them try to elucidate how busy they were working, how hard it was, how demanding the guests were. I make a mental note to enter each of them for the Emmy’s.
‘How was it?’ I can’t help stirring the pot.
‘How was what?’
‘The show.’
Garry hitches up his pervert shorts, reacting in an over-the-top defensive way. ‘As good as any other. Jesus, what is this? The Spanish execution? Now, can you please stop yakking and get on with the clean up? Don’t you have some guests to sort out for kayaking? Chop chop, Clogsy. Come on.’
‘Inquisition.’
‘What?’ Garry says, scrunching his face in an exasperated way.
