‘Come on now, Zach – nothing says modern and fresh like an old man from the eighteen hundreds,’ Leo chipped in with a smile.
‘Go away, please. We’re just throwing ideas around.’ They were getting on my nerves.
Leo whistled. ‘Charming.’
‘Believe me, we don’t want to hang out with you either,’ Zach said, following Leo over to the window. ‘But it doesn’t look like we have much choice. Dahlia’s got the four of us whale-watching after lunch.’
‘Back together so soon,’ I said, drolly, but I could feel the excitement bubbling up. I’d never seen a whale before and couldn’t believe we would be so close to them. I’d always loved animals, marine life especially, and been devastated when my fairground goldfish had gone belly up. Goldy Lookin’ Fins had been off-colour for a few days and in my seven-year-old wisdom I’d popped half an aspirin in his water. Dad wouldn’t let me get another one after that, but once I had my own place, I bought a colourful tank and three fluttery goldfish to keep me company. They didn’t give much back, but they were the only pets I had space for. From that to this, I was beside myself.
‘Will they be blue whales?’ Heidi asked.
I nearly choked on my cappuccino. ‘They’ll be blue, but nottheblue whale.’
‘Of course not,’ she said, quickly.
‘An accidental flick of the tail and we’d be full steam to Honduras, otherwise. They’ll be humpbacks I’d imagine.’
‘But we don’t have to swim with them?’
‘I bloody well hope not. I’m committed to my job, Heidi, but not enough to swim in whale-infested waters. However good the photo opportunity might be.’
‘Write that down too,’ she said, nodding.
My notebook was a mess of scribbles but there was a thought or two worth exploring. I glanced across at Leo and Zach deep in conversation and wondered what theywere talking about. It all just seemed like such a laugh to them – I suppose they had nothing to lose, whereas we had half the agency on our minds. Twenty people back in the office with mortgages and children, and lives to pay for, relying on me and Heidi not to fuck it up.
***
Arlo revved the engine as he traversed the catamaran across the waves at full pelt. The boat seemed quite small in comparison to a whale – and presumably there’d be more than one – so I hoped they were friendly.
‘How far out do we have to go?’ I shouted as I held on to my hat. The boat bounced aggressively over the waves and my plait whipped me on the back.
‘Twenty minutes,’ he said, pointing towards the horizon. The five of us held on tight to the cool leather seats, inadvertently jumping out of them every time the boat bounced. Zach was filming through a GoPro, while Brooke tried to hold her skirt together, which was flapping about in the wind.
‘Shall we go inside before your parachute takes off?’ Leo said, standing up and offering her his arm.
Oliver was behind the bar pouring out glasses of elderflower spritz.
‘Is there room in there for a vodka, Oli?’ Brooke cooed.
He grinned. ‘Sure is, Ms Harris. Anyone else?’
Everyone nodded except me. Adding alcohol into the mix was not a good idea. Arlo had dished out the seasickness tablets as we’d got on board and all this focus on vomit prevention was making me feel queasy.
‘Looking a little green around the gills there, Kat,’ Zach said. ‘You feelin’ alright?’
I gave him a tight smile as the boat lurched forward, then ran into the toilet and locked the door behind me. There was a small mirror above the sink and my face was pale and clammy, with mascara smudges under both eyes. I splashed my cheeks with cold water and tried to hold it together. I’d rather be sick and get it over with than carry this constant feeling of nausea, but my body wouldn’t play ball.Come on, Kat, sort yourself out. Breathe and focus. Breathe and focus. The pep talk helped a little and I prised myself out of my safe space to rejoin the group. Leo and Brooke were engrossed in conversation while Heidi and Zach stood by the window with their cocktails.
‘Hey, Kat, you OK?’ Leo asked as I staggered over.
Brooke looked at him adoringly. ‘Ain’t you just the cutest? Looking out for the competition. You didn’t slip something in her coffee now, did ya?’
He laughed. ‘No chance. I always like a clean fight. There’s no pride in winning otherwise. Let me get you some water.’
‘Thanks,’ I said, my voice weak. ‘Any whales yet?’
‘Not a sausage,’ Heidi said. ‘And the more of these I drink, the less I care!’
There was a kerfuffle above us on deck and the klaxon sounded.
