‘Actually, geographically speaking, it might be more accurate to say “when in Naples”.’ At Stuart’s valiant attempt at a joke, the table laughed politely. Sofia noticed that Petra seemed genuinely amused, giggling a beat or so longer than anyone else.
The chiming of cutlery on china only amplified the lack of conversation, and it felt like whole minutes passed before Captain Mary had a go at instilling some team spirit.
‘I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Petra for today. As you may know, she had to make the difficult decision to send Tabitha home.’
‘Will she be replaced?’ Jack again. He seemed to feel comfortable questioning Captain Mary, even after yesterday’s reprimand.
‘Already in search of fresh blood, Jacky?’ He and Petra exchanged a look Sofia couldn’t quite decipher. It was tinged with familiarity. Jack winked at her, and Petra rolled her eyes.
‘I would say that – I’d never dream of coming between you and your new stewardess, but if I’m being honest, it’s exactly the sort of thing I dream about.’
Sofia choked on her mouthful of gumbo, but everyone else was laughing, including the captain.
Petra patted him on the shoulder. ‘Keep on dreaming, Jacky, and anyway it’s very presumptuous of you to assume it’ll be a girl.’ She looked over at the captain.
‘Woman,’ corrected the captain firmly. ‘But you’re quite right, I haven’t decided. I have a few candidates in mind, but I’ll have to let you know in the coming days.’
‘I’ll give you a hand with the dishes,’ offered Petra as Sofia started gathering them up.
In the kitchen Sofia’s curiosity got the better of her. It was always easier to ask probing questions when you were stood side by side – and they were shoulder to shoulder, just as Sofia had been with Declan when he dared to delve into her past.
‘So what’s the deal with Jack and the captain? They seem kind of... close.’
Petra seemed unfazed. ‘Oh yeah they go way back. I think she’s his godmother or something.’
So he was a child of nepotism. She couldn’t say she was entirely surprised.
‘His family, the Carters, they’re in books. I think his dad basically runs New York publishing.’ Petra glanced at Sofia out the side of her eye. ‘You’re not the internet-stalking type then?’
‘To be honest with you, this whole thing felt like a fever dream until I stepped on the boat. I couldn’t quite convince myself it was real, let alone think ahead.’
‘What made you want to try yachting?’
‘I think I felt stuck, and I wanted to get as far away from that feeling as possible. A boat – well, being at sea – it seemed like a good option.’ She shrugged, and they continued washing up in silence for a moment.
‘Similar to Jack then really,’ said Petra.
Sofia scoffed. ‘Hardly, my mum’s a schoolteacher and my dad works for the local council, and I don’t have godparents who can give me jobs on a whim.’
Petra laughed at her outburst. ‘Easy, comrade, Jack didn’t just become a first officer; he’s been on boats for years.’ She emptied the sink and began putting away cutlery. ‘But we’ve had conversations “about choosing this life”—’ she did air quotes as she said this ‘—and I remember him saying the same thing, about feeling stuck. I guess it’s the next best thing after running away with the circus.’
Sofia was not pleased with being compared to Jack. She tried to conceal her irritation. ‘So Captain Mary has been working with Jack for a long time?’
‘Since he started, so almost ten years.’ Petra lowered her voice, shifting her eyes from side to side, and Sofia knew she was about to get a juicy titbit. ‘I probably shouldn’t go spreading this around really but, since you asked, Captain Mary used to have a partner – Jean. This was before I met her, and I think they tried to have children, and it never happened for them. They split up just before I started working with her, and I think Jack has always been a sort of surrogate son.’
Sofia considered this information. It explained their dynamic, but she wasn’t best pleased by the idea of Jack as the object of Captain Mary’s misplaced maternal pride. She knew she shouldn’t push it, but she found herself asking: ‘What happened between Captain Mary and her wife?’
‘I think just the usual. It was too hard, as she said, life at sea and all that. It’s not exactly fertile ground for a functional relationship.’
‘We’re all doomed to die alone then?’ Sofia’s tone was light-hearted, but she felt the question settle somewhere uncomfortable in her consciousness.
‘Speak for yourself, honey. I’m planning on bagging myself a footballer and never working another day in my life. This—’ she waved her arms in the air ‘—it’s inspiration, not just aspiration.’
Sofia laughed. ‘Poor Milly better watch her back.’
‘Exactly,’ said Petra with a tone somewhere between sarcasm and sincerity, ‘and with that, I’m off to bed!’
Her first night on the open seas, Sofia slept like a log, her dreams softly lapping at the edges of her mind, indistinguishable but calming, like the tide.
