Sofia watched them in disbelief, glancing over at Brian, who seemed completely unbothered by the interaction. He was gazing out at the sea.
‘Ah hum.’ Sofia cleared her throat to catch Jack’s attention and bring this embarrassing episode to an end.
‘Harlow, how nice of you to join us. ‘He gave her an admiring once-over, and suddenly she felt like maybe she should have asked to borrow one of Petra’s polos instead.
‘Oooh yay, Sofia, you’re coming! Love this colour on you. Doesn’t she look lovely?’ Milly turned to Brian and then to Jack. Sofia flushed furiously.
‘She does indeed,’ said Jack, his eyes holding Sofia’s.
‘Right then, shall we go before I have to file a workplace harassment claim?’ She bit her tongue. That was certainly not professional or civil, and she’d said it in front of the guests.
Milly burst out laughing. ‘Oh I like her. You tell him, girl!’ She squealed and clapped her hands girlishly. ‘This is going to fun, isn’t it, boys?’
Brian grunted his assent and Sofia climbed into the boat, strapping up her life vest.
‘All aboard?’ asked Jack as he started the engine.
Milly settled herself on the lounger seat at the bow of the boat, in front of where Jack was driving. Brian sat near the stern staring out at the wake. Sofia sat behind Jack. It was surprisingly spacious, and with the sun shining as they motored through sea spray, Sofia felt like she was on holiday.
They zoomed towards the coast, and then alongside it. The water was breathtakingly blue, a deep turquoise and clear as glass. The shore was jagged with castles of cliff, topped with green. Milly could not stop taking photos.
‘Could you stop here a moment, Jack?’ she shouted over the sound of the engine.
‘We’re on a bit of a tight schedule,’ he replied.
She was crossing her arms sulkily when Brian interjected, ‘Surely a minute or two can’t hurt?’ It was kind of romantic really, thought Sofia, how well he knew her, and how willing he was to step in to make sure she was having the best time.
Jack seemed a little irritated, but he hid it with a showman’s smile. ‘Of course, not a problem.’ He cut the engine.
Brian knew the drill. When he got up to walk to Milly she was already holding out her phone for him to take it.
‘So I think one with those hills in the background. If I lean like this can you see the water behind me as well?’
‘Tilt your head back a bit. Your necklaces are in shadow.’
She obliged, and Sofia marvelled at them. For the next few minutes they were utterly focused on the task at hand.
‘Try one with your hands under your head. Yep that’s it, you look great, baby. Now sit up, try a laugh, shoulder back. No, the other one. Perfect.’
Sofia looked over at Jack, who was getting agitated. ‘Are we almost done?’
This is their job,Sofia thought. She could tell that Jack thought it was all frivolous, but Milly and Brian were professionals making a living just like they were.
‘OK,’ said Brian, snapping another few photos. ‘All done, thanks, man.’ Brian leant down to hand Milly back her phone and give her a kiss. Sofia found herself transfixed by the tenderness in it, the way they looked at each other, and then she felt like she was intruding and busied herself trying to find the champagne.
As she rummaged under seats to find the fridge, she realised with a punch of dread that the hamper was not there. Her mind raced, reversing through the last hour. She had not brought it onto the boat with her. Sofia briefly considered throwing herself overboard, then she collected herself.
‘All good, Harlow? I need you to take a seat, really, before we set off. Don’t want to send you flying.’ He winked at her. ‘Well not yet.’
‘Jack, I need a quick word,’ she said in a stage whisper, jerking her head to the side to indicate that he should follow her to the other end of the boat. There was hardly very much privacy, but Brian and Milly seemed distracted enough for the moment.
‘Um I don’t really know how to say this.’ She couldn’t even look at him.
His patience was running low and they were already behind schedule. ‘Spit it out, Harlow.’
‘The hamper is not here?’ She tried to soften the blow by phrasing it as a question.
‘What?’ Sofia flinched. He was angry. He was shaking his head. ‘I knew this was a bad idea,’ he muttered to himself. ‘So what you’re telling me is that you forgot the hamper. It didn’t magically disappear, did it?’ His tone was scathing.
