I cut him off. ‘Don’t you come in here and try to mansplain.’
‘Me?’ He mimics the tinniness of my tone. Oh this guy is good!
‘Very funny.’ I exhale a breath to give myself a moment to recalibrate, and that’s when I notice his outfit is much more than just a black and white ensemble. ‘A-ha! What’s it like being wrapped up in polyester, Xavier? Would you like a towel to mop your brow?’ The man is sweating BULLETS.
‘If you could turn on the aircon, I’d appreciate that, Joji.’
I can’t help but feel smug, and also touched that Xavier is the type of man who cared enough about the feedback and his staff to experiment on himself this way. ‘So you admit that the front desk staff uniforms are not fit for their comfort?’
He falls onto the sofa, directly under the stream of cold air. ‘It’s hell on earth. Why didn’t they speak up? Mariola – any idea?’
Can this poor fool really be that dense? Mariola sighs. The woman is fed up, it’s written all over every line and plane of her face. Probably because Xavier is acting like she should have been the one to tell him his staff have been unhappy when he would likely brush away her feedback. Talk about sticking your head in the sand. ‘You make it hard for staff to speak up sometimes.’ I want to cheer her on for speaking so plainly.
‘How?’ He genuinely looks confused. How does he not see that he comes across superior when he acts so curtly around them?
‘Finger clicking, ring any bells?’ I helpfully add. ‘Who would speak up when their boss is impatiently clicking away at them and demanding not only that you need their attention, but you need it instantly? It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, does it?’
Joji hands Xavier a glass of wine that he knocks back without his usual grace. ‘Right. I’d presumed because most staff have known me since we were all kids that there wouldn’t be that divide and they’d confide in me if there were any issues.’
‘Did you boss them around when you were little too?’
He laughs. ‘Just the opposite. They bossed me around. I snuck the local kids into the pool and stoleladoband bonbon coco from the breakfast buffet for them. Although, looking back, I’m sure that my mum knew and let me believe I was getting away with it. A lot of those kids now work here.’
I soften a little, imagining Xavier as a child, willing to take a risk so the island kids could cool off and frolic in the pool, have sweet snacks on hand to share after. Not exactly a kid acting like he’s lord of the manor.
‘Well, in that case maybe it’s your delivery you have to work on?’
He blanches. ‘You really do tell it like it is, Harper. Did you say you were watchingThe White Lotus? How?’
Mariola and Joji exchange a sharp glance. ‘Harper has it downloaded on her laptop.’
First I’ve heard of this. From the urgent look in Mariola’s eyes I run with it. ‘Yes, my laptop. My downloads have come in very handy what with the terrible Wi-Fi in the staff area.’
‘Right.’ Xavier narrows his eyes.
‘Was there something you needed?’ I change the subject deftly as anything. Xavier is rarely seen in the staff area. I’m not sure where he lives in the resort but it’s not around here.
‘Yes, actually. I wanted to talk to you privately. Tomorrow? I’ll meet you in the bookshop before breakfast.’
Oh great. Another early meeting without the requisite caffeine intake. ‘Can you swing past Kiosk Coco Loco and grab us some coffee on your way in?’
He stops short like he’s going to argue but thinks better of it. ‘OK.’
‘And…’ Dare I risk asking him to pick me up a breakfast muffin too? Just as I’m about to try it, Michel appears. ‘I heard we’re watchingThe White Lotus! I’ve got a six-pack of SeyBrew, the only beer worth drinking, and yes, call me biased because it’s made in Seychelles—’ Michel stops abruptly when he spots Xavier on the sofa. ‘On second thought, I’ll take my beer and go elsewhere.’
‘Don’t go on my account.’ Xavier stands, pushing his shoulders back. He’s slightly taller than Michel, which I’m sure irks the macho pilot.
I roll my eyes at their theatrics. ‘We could talk instead?’ I gently broach. ‘About our feelings?’
Michel scoffs.
Xavier glares.
‘Or not?’ This is a testosterone-fest for the ages.
‘I’ll take “or not”. See you tomorrow, Harper.’ Xavier swaggers out like a god of war.
‘What the hell is going on with you two?’ I train my gaze squarely on Michel.
