‘A chessboard queen, as per the brief – and long enough to hide my trainers underneath.’
‘Ideal if you fancy a quick jog around the running track between courses.’
I laughed. I felt so much better about everything all of a sudden and my stress headache had subsided. ‘Leave everything here and you can come back tomorrow to get ready,’ Barb said, untangling the remaining necklaces and hanging them on the doorknob.
‘Thank you so much,’ I said, hugging her hard. ‘You’re a lifesaver – and it wasn’t just about the dress.’
‘It never is sweetheart.’ She bopped me on the nose with a long green talon. ‘You’ll fit right in, don’t panic.’
I was such an open book. I tried to breathe the tension out and smiled. I’d been holding on tight to the panic in my stomach, and I couldn’t believe it had been so easily sorted. Thank God for Barb, she’d seen right through me.
‘It’s nice to have a friend on board. Let me know if I can ever return the favour.’
Eight
Friday 25th June
I lay on the top bunk, gearing myself up for the dreaded pre-dinner small talk. Barbie Queue had been so kind and generous with her time, and I wondered if there was a way to work this feeling of relief into the pitch. She could easily have walked on by and ignored my distress, but she’d gone out of her way to help me out. I barely knew her, yet I felt genuinely cared about. There was a kernel of an idea in there about the connections people make on a cruise. A transient group who know nothing about each other, holidaying together for a fortnight and all the shared experiences before you disembark and go your separate ways. I closed my eyes to think. A cruise was so many things. A million different realities, every type of holiday in one, the cruise-connection, the fortnight-family… my head was spinning with ideas as I drifted off to sleep.
I woke with a start and my Apple watch was blank, with no USB point to charge it in the bedroom. I scrabbled about for my phone which said 18.35 and gave me just enoughtime to get ready and down to dinner if not quite as early as Heidi’s plan. She’d taken her outfit to the hairdresser’s to get ready after her appointment. I nipped along the corridor to Barbie Queue’s dressing room to change, then made my way down to the fine dining restaurant. A pair of suited men in white gloves opened the double doors to reveal the bustle of pre-dinner drinks in full swing. A bevy of black and white dresses surrounded by men in penguin suits engaged in vibrant conversation and laughter.
‘Uh-oh, someone’s in trouble!’ Leo said, overtaking me with a smirk, immaculately dressed in a white suit and bow tie. ‘Although that someone is looking a million dollars tonight, hey?’
‘Oh… thanks,’ I said, automatically breathing in. ‘Do you mean me?’
He stopped and looked me up and down. ‘Of course I mean you.’
‘Why am I in trouble?’
‘I’ll give you a hint – Thiago is about to make his evening speech.’
My stomach flipped. ‘Is he? Really? I’m not late, am I?’ I hurried after Leo, checking my phone which flicked from 18.59 to 19.00 as the grandfather clock started to chime.
I felt the heat from Heidi’s glare zapping me across the room on the eighth bong and I gave her a confused smile.
Leo shrugged. ‘I’d call it perfectly on time, but Heidi’s on the warpath for some reason. That woman is never satisfied.’
A deep voice sounded over the microphone. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats for dinner.’
Shitttt. So much for being early and cornering Brooke. I pushed through all the Champagne Charlies and made it to the captain’s table, with Leo in tow, as the second mate tapped his fork against a glass. Heidi gaped at my dress, beaming at first, as if I were a guest, and then giving it a double take when she realised it was me wrapped in cream silk.
‘Wherethe hellhave you been?’ she hissed as I slid in next to her. Our tag-team approach on Brooke would have to wait.
‘I’m so sorry, my phone must still be on London time,’ I whispered, sounding like a twelve-year-old who hadn’t done their homework. She glared at me as Thiago cleared his throat.
‘At least you look the part,’ she muttered. ‘Where have you been hiding that?’
‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,’ Thiago started, and I was grateful for the distraction. ‘I hope you have all had a wonderful first day aboard theEsmeralda. My team are here for you day and night, around the clock, to ensure you have the best holiday of your life.’ He stopped with a smile to acknowledge the smattering of applause. ‘We have three days of sailing to enjoy before we reach Terceira Island and we should reach the port in time for breakfast on Monday morning.’ There were lots of oohs and aahs, and a tinkling of champagne flutes in appreciation. ‘For now, please enjoy your dinner.As we say in Portuguese,saúde, or in English…cheers,’ he said, raising his glass. The crowd chorused back with a mash-up ofsaúde,andcheersand the humdrum of chatter continued.
I sensed Heidi side-eyeing my dress. The knowing of a woman being watched. But I hadn’t expected to catch Leo’seyes on my neckline from across the table as well. After all this time. Men could nevereverget away with a sneaky look at the cleavage; theyalwaysgot clocked. Although who could blame him?Ivywas pristine and the girls were bursting out of the bodice nicely. I caught his eye and raised my eyebrows, and he quickly turned to Brooke, his button nose in the air. His profile had barely changed in ten years. I’d zoomed in on a much younger version of that face when he’d updated his LinkedIn with the Engelman job, scribbling non-stop in my diary:Why??? What has he got that I haven’t?I was a straight-A student, with a gold Duke of Edinburgh award, no less. I’d taken guitar lessons and learnt recreational Spanish. I’d done everything my teacher had suggested to make sure my application stood out.Prove you’re fully rounded,she’d said.That you’re accomplished as well as academic; that you have a personality.By the end of the process, I had an entirely new personality, and it was as round as a freshly grown peach.
‘Why are you staring at Leo like that?’ Heidi asked, interrupting my thoughts as the red mist started to swirl.
‘Sorry,’ I said, shaking myself out of it.
She nodded towards Brooke. ‘Time for some client schmooze,’ she said and I whirred into action like some kind of sleeper cell PR bot. Brooke was laughing with Leo, and I leant over and joined in, planting myself in the middle of the conversation.
Brooke stopped in surprise. ‘Are you OK, Kat?’
