I know you’re probably working. I know I should shut up and let you get on with it.
Then there’s a kooky emoji and:
But I can’t help myself!
Why do you have to be so far away!!!!
I want to see you right now! Can we FaceTime?
She can’t help laughing. This is what she likes about him – he finds it so easy to say what he’s feeling, which makes it easier for her to express herself too, even if she still is much more guarded than he is.
That message was over two hours ago. He’s probably fast asleep by now, seeing as the UK is five hours ahead of the Bahamas. She wouldloveto video call with him, but maybe not when the bags under her eyes would incur excess luggage fees.Instead, she scrolls down and continues to read.
Are you really not going to be home until April? That’s too long!
There’s ten minutes between the timestamp of that message and the next, and she gets the feeling he was thinking hard.
No, I really don’t think I can wait that long.
How much are flights to the Bahamas?
She sits up when she reads that one, almost bumping her head on the roof of the cabin. He can’t be serious, can he?
Not much. Well, not if I sell my car.
She can feel her heart pumping as she reads on.
I’d do it, you know. Just to see you again.
Just to see that smile.
I love that smile.
Her heart feels as if it’s inflating like a helium balloon. If he keeps going like this, it just might either pop or fly away.
You can’t!she types back.You’ll get fired.
Her phone pings almost immediately, making her jump. He’s still up!
Don’t care.
It would be worth it.
She holds the phone to her chest.Simon, Simon, Simon … Do you realize what you’re doing to me?Not even her mum has been to visit her when the yachting season’s been underway. She only gets a few days off now and then, and it’s a long way, and then who’s going to look after the charity while she’s gone?
But Simon would do that for her? It’s everything.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Present Day
I spin around to find Simon standing on a small podium at the other end of the room, a mic in his hand. I can tell just from the tone of his voice that he’s more than a little tipsy. A gaggle of his ushers stand nearby, includinghim,the best man, lurking at the back of the group, noticeable because of his black shirt and black jeans amid the denim and crisp white shirts. He looks like the vulture of doom. And if the groom is late to his own wedding-eve get together, then the best man must have had something to do with it, or – at the very least – should have prevented what did. How did they sneak in here without my noticing anyway?
I shoot Gil a death stare.You got him drunk?my look says.On a boat? The night before his wedding? What kind of idiot are you?
The vulture of doom meets my gaze and blinks nonchalantly. For a few seconds we play a game of chicken where neither of us wants to admit defeat and look away, but then Simon spots me. His face lights up and I so I unhook my gaze from his best man – what a misnomer that is! – and gratefully turn it towards theactualbest man in the room,my gorgeous groom. ‘There she is! Erin, light of my life, come up here …’
My face flushes as everyone turns to look at me. There’s something about being the centre of attention that makes me feel uncomfortable. I suppose I’m a get-on-with-it-quietly-in-the-background kind of girl, which is probably why the hospitality industry suits me so well. The crowd parts before me, and I dip my head as I walk through it. Moments later, I’m beside my groom. Someone hands me a glass of champagne.
