She replayed the conversation they’d just had. She had basically revealed her whole investigation to him, and now he would tell Chuck, and she’d be off the boat in no time. She could kiss goodbye to herNew York Heraldexclusive and a contract job. All because of a handsome captain.
Ore was no longer interested in trying to talk to Agatha, so she was grateful when Nicole came to join them, chatting obliviously about the dramas of the day: how stressed Carlos had been, how they’d had to do three trips to the dinghy. Ore and Agatha made the appropriate interjections: ‘oh, no!’, ‘really?’, ‘what a nightmare’. It was in this way that an awkward silence was kept at bay until the men returned.
Ore felt her pulse quicken as she spotted Claude and Chuck walking ahead of the pack, talking in furtive tones. When Claude looked up and caught her eye, her blood curdled and she quickly averted her gaze, fumbling to fill up her glass and appear nonchalant. Had he told Chuck? She held her breath when Chuck cleared his throat to address the party.
‘I believe it is that time of day, everyone …’ Chuck was smiling widely, but the men behind him groaned and Agatha rolled her eyes.
Nicole stood up and started clearing the table. Agatha turned to Ore. ‘Did you bring a swimsuit?’
She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it wasn’t that.
‘Um, no, why?’
It was Richard who answered her. ‘Chuck likes to embarrass everyone by making us play games … What is it called again?’
‘Chicken fight, or shoulder wars.’ Ore imagined Agatha in a classroom, hand ever outstretched, barely able to hold in the answer until the teacher picked on her.
‘I’m sure we can make something work.’ Richard winked at Ore, and she wondered how all these men had managed to make it to the pinnacle of their industries without being brought down by a slew of sexual misconduct allegations.
