Chapter 3
Ore
Ore was hoping that she might be able to sneak around the boat unnoticed, but almost immediately she spotted the one person she had most wished to avoid. He seemed as startled as her when they caught sight of each other across the deck. For a moment she thought she could see him deciding whether to turn around. In the end he strode towards her, arm outstretched.
‘I don’t think I introduced myself properly earlier,’ he said briskly, shaking her hand firmly. ‘My name is Daniel, Daniel Wilsons.’
‘Ahh, so you’re no longer “CaptainWilsons” then?’ she asked playfully.
He looked down. Ore was enjoying his embarrassment; he was cute when he was disarmed.
‘You must be Ore? Am I pronouncing that right?’ He hadn’t pronounced it right, splitting the word awkwardly into two distinct syllables: ‘or-ray’. She was forgiving though. It was difficult to master in an American accent.
‘Almost right,’ she chirped. ‘It’s Ore, like “oar” actually but don’t worry at all, it’s totally fine – it happens all the time.’ She was babbling, which she had a tendency to do wheninteracting with attractive people. Luckily for her, most of the time people found it endearing.
He was wearing all white, and had he not been as tall or broad, the captain’s uniform might have looked costume-like. As it stood, with the dark skin of his face and forearms glistening in the bright sunshine, he looked almost regal.
‘I should also apologise for earlier.’ She giggled, and cringed a little at how girlish she sounded. ‘I see you managed to restore that impeccable polish.’ She motioned to his once more spotless shoes. He smiled shyly. ‘Chuck has told me all about you,’ she continued, breathless. ‘Apparently you’re “the best in the business”.’ That smile, and an awkward chuckle.
‘I’m not sure about that … Mr Regas has a tendency to exaggerate—’ He cut himself off suddenly, as if realising he had said too much. Even without the insight from Daniel, she could have guessed that American billionaires with names like ‘Chuck’ probably did tend toward aggrandisement. But she made a mental note: from that reaction and Vicky’s reticence earlier, she concluded that the staff must have been prepped to remain tight-lipped.
‘Well that’s good to know.’ She was teasing him really, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. ‘What else does he have a tendency towards?’ She caught Daniel’s eye and held it. He squirmed under her questioning, burying his hands in his pockets and shrugging.
‘I think that’s your job, isn’t it? To find out what he’s like?’Touché,she thought.
‘Yes, but also to ask questions,’ she retorted.
The nervous chuckle again, and then he collected himself. ‘Well there will be plenty of time for all that.’ They stood fora moment, Ore hoping he might reveal something else, if only for something to say to fill the silence – but he wasn’t caving.
Already she was feeling the buzz of adrenaline and raw curiosity that she thrived off whenever she was investigating a story. It also served to distract her from the lingering nausea and the jet lag.
After a beat Daniel decided on: ‘Would you like me to give you the tour? I know Mr Regas wanted to meet you off the chopper and show you around himself but he’s tied up in meetings until later this evening, I believe.’
That was twice now he’d referred to his employer by his surname, as Vicky had. Ore wondered if ‘just call me Chuck’ had different rules for his staff, or maybe in this case, the formality was just a symptom of Daniel’s Southern upbringing.
‘That would be great. I’ve been dying to take a proper look around,’ Ore replied eagerly.
