Chapter 5
Daniel
Dan. He hated it when Chuck called him that. The very first time they’d met, he had been taken aback by the familiarity of it, the presumptuousness. No one had called him Dan since he was in middle school. But he hadn’t had the presence of mind to correct Chuck then, and so now he never would. Daniel consoled himself with the fact that this was just ‘one last gig’ before he joined the Hartfords, andtheyalways called him Captain Wilsons, which he appreciated.
Stood outside the dining room, he felt uncharacteristically curious about what conversations were happening on the other side of that door. Usually he prided himself on his ability to stay out of the guests’ business. He hadn’t gotten to where he was by meddling in other people’s affairs. The mega rich did not like to hire snoops. But this time he was intrigued. Why would Chuck want a reporter on board? It seemed nonsensical. The whole point of yachting around these parts was to be unreachable, unobservable, surely?
He didn’t like to admit it, but he was also thinking about Ore. He’d embarrassed himself earlier, assuming she was a stewardess. It was unlike him, to not know the ins and outs of everything going on aboard the boat. He had heard Agathamention something about a journalist a couple of days back, but he’d not been briefed on any specifics. He’d have to have a word with her later. For now, he headed back down to the mess to find Vicky.
She was standing at the head of the long table addressing the gaggle of fresh stewardesses and deckhands in front of her.
‘Personal laundry is to be done out of hours, so that’s between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. I don’t want to have to worry about finding a musty pair of boxers among Mr Regas’ linens.’ A titter spread around the table, as one by one the new recruits realised they were allowed to laugh. Vicky raised a single discerning eyebrow when one of the girls – and they were girls, some barely out of their teens – raised her hand.
‘Yes?’ Vicky sounded stern, but Daniel knew it was all an act; as soon as she had terrified them all into compliance, she would soften up. They had all been on board for three days, whilst Vicky had been getting the hospitality crew ready, Daniel had spent most of that time with the engineers and his first officer, Ollie Dudley, getting to grips with the immensity ofLady Thalassa. It was easily the biggest vessel he’d ever captained.
Chuck had arrived that morning, so now it was time to make sure the junior crew were all up to scratch.
‘I need to use a silk pillowcase, because my acne plays up otherwise, and I usually hand-wash it every afternoon so that it dries in time. Could I maybe just pop in quickly around three to do that?’ Daniel was standing quietly in the corner, behind Vicky, but he imagined the withering look.
Vicky took a deep breath, and Daniel watched as the young stewardess realised her mistake and looked down.
‘Let me get one thing straight, kids: this is not a holiday. You are here to work, and to be honest with you, from here on in, your time is no longer your own.’ Vicky took off her rectangular, dark-framed glasses and ran a hand through her sharp black bob. ‘The thing about people like Mr Regas is that they expect a certain level of service, the kind that makes him forget that you’re all real people with lives and hopes and dreams, the kind of service where he comes to think of you as “the way to get XYZ done” as efficiently and pleasantly as possible. You are a means to an end for him, and if you’re not around to get something done for him because you’re holed up in the laundry room handwashing your silk pillowcases …’ Vicky paused, allowing the silence to absorb the brunt of the bluntness ‘… that would not make him happy, and that’s rule number one: keep Chuck happy.’
The bewildered faces began nodding fervently, and the poor girl who had asked the question picked anxiously at her cuticles.
‘Vicky, can I have a word?’ Daniel watched a wave of relief wash over everyone at the table. Vicky turned sharply, only just noticing him.
‘Christ, Daniel, you really have a way of creeping up on people.’ She put her glasses back on and turned back. ‘OK back to work, everyone. Amanda and Nicole, be sure to check if Carlos is on track with the starters, and then one of you can take over from Oscar in the dining room.’
As the crew scattered, Vicky took a seat and leant back with her arms crossed. Daniel found himself thinking that she looked tired.
‘What can I do for you, Captain?’
He pulled up a chair. ‘Well, as you saw, I got myself into an … awkward situation this morning. I had no idea that the reporter was arriving today, and I mistook her for a stewardess.’
Vicky’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You thought that woman was here to work on a boat? She was wearing wedge heels for Christ’s sake!’
Daniel was still getting used to Vicky’s brashness, but he appreciated her straightforwardness.
‘Well, now you mention it, I don’t know what I was thinking,’ he conceded, and thought he spotted a shadow of a smile flash across Vicky’s face. ‘But it would have been nice to be brought up to speed.’
‘There’s no point pointing fingers at me, Daniel, I had no idea what the plan was until she was vomiting in the hallway, either.’ Vicky sounded defensive, but Daniel understood that, like him, she was frustrated about being left out of the loop. ‘It seems like another one of Agatha’s little surprises.’
They exchanged a knowing look. In such small quarters it was always dangerous to bad-mouth anyone explicitly. You never knew who was lurking. Having both worked on boats for over a decade, they knew the drill. And anyway, nothing needed to be said.
Daniel had only known Agatha for a couple of weeks, and only met her in person this morning, but he had immediately understood that she was a woman who knew what she was doing. She was not averse to power games, and she could play Chuck like a fiddle. Daniel was perversely impressed by it, although he had personally always found that the simplest way to get things done was to work hard and be honest.
‘I don’t understand why Chuck would agree to this?’ Daniel mused, genuinely confused.
Vicky rolled her eyes. ‘It’s a puff piece. Agatha has probably just handpicked the least discerning journalist in America and fed her with a load of PR spiel.’
Daniel wasn’t so sure. Ore seemed sharp and observant. He had felt agitated talking to her, those dark probing eyes and disarming smile perfectly primed to extract some damning comment from him.
‘Hmm, I don’t know, Vicky. We shouldn’t underestimate her. Maybe Agatha’s misjudged this one.’
‘Well it wouldn’t be the first time …’ Vicky’s tone was conspiratorial but Daniel had no idea what she was talking about. He decided to leave it, reminding himself that this was a last-minute gig. He wasn’t invested in these people, and he should really not get involved in any drama. Vicky seemed to sense his unreceptiveness to the gossip and changed the subject. ‘Anyway I would recommend saying as little as possible to her. Chuck, i.e. Agatha, is going to want to feed her the story, so it’s best if we don’t interfere with the “big scoop”.’ This last part she bookended in air quotes. ‘None of it makes sense to me but the inner workings of the mind of a billionaire is not something that we mere mortals can ever hope to understand. He’s impulsive, and Agatha is persuasive, so I’m sure they’ve come up with some kind of reason to convince themselves it’s a good idea.’
Daniel sensed that Vicky had more to say. After a pause and a slightly unnerving amount of eye contact, she continued. ‘I’ve been working on this boat for five years, and working in yachting for almost fifteen. I spent a long time questioningthe whims of the people I’ve worked for, but in the end it’ll drive you mad. Keep your head down, their glasses full and the beds made; that’s my motto.’
He didn’t know what to say. He’d seen so many people grow tired of this life, but for him, being out at sea was still as exciting as it had been a decade ago when he first stepped on a yacht as a green deckhand. Sure the clients could be crazy, but there was something about facing each day, not knowing what it would bring, but knowing that you could handle it, that made him feel proud. He liked being good at his job.
‘I gave Ore a tour of the boat,’ he said after a while. ‘Do you think that was the right move?’ He trusted Vicky’s instincts.
‘Keep your enemies close, eh?’ was all she said. Daniel didn’t know if that was exactly approval, but it reassured him to know that he was being upfront.
‘This has been a lovely little chat, Captain, but some of us have work to do.’ Vicky slapped her thighs emphatically as she stood up. As Daniel arranged the chairs exactly back where they had been, Vicky eyed him curiously. ‘I think we’re going to get along well, Daniel.’ He smiled and she turned and walked out without another word.
