Claire shook her head. ‘I’m afraid not,’ she said, pointedly. ‘Not much call for shiatsu as a medical nurse, but they do a wonderful deep-tissue massage in the spa.’
‘Great, I might pop and see her now, then,’ Heidi said. ‘I’ll leave you to it, Kat. Feel better soon, won’t you? Like,really soon.’
‘I’ll try. Enjoy your massage.’
She flounced out, taking all the oxygen with her and Claire gave a low whistle.
‘Is that your… sister?’ I could see her trying to work out the dynamic.
I laughed and shook my head. ‘My sisters aremuch worse. No, that’s my boss.’
‘Ahhh, of course, you’re both on a working trip. I’ll remember for next time and stop her barging in to ambush you.’
She turned the lights down as a wave of exhaustion washed over me. The bed seemed enormous compared tothe bunk, and the pillow was soft against my cheek. I sank into it and closed my eyes, relieved to have permission to rest. A momentary break from all the drama and pressure, not that it would stop me worrying completely. But I could dream about the pitch instead of actively thinking about it and maybe my subconscious would work it all out.
Twenty
Saturday 3rd July
Thiago dropped the anchor in the Jardim do Tabaco quay and the five of us took a boat taxi along the river Tagus and into Lisbon. The harbour was jammed full of yachts, with happy tourists breakfasting on sunny decks, while the crew knotted ropes around them preparing to set sail. Heidi was still in a huff with Leo about the state of my face, but it was just a black eye and some bruising – it would heal. I glanced across at him, lounging back on the other side of the boat, like a poster boy for the Mediterranean. All linen shirt and shorts with ironed on turn-ups, his mirrored aviators sparkling in the sun. He clocked me checking out his bulging calves and winked.
‘I hear you’ve had another trip to the medical centre Kat,’ Brooke said, her head on one side. ‘That eye looks sore. How’s your head?’
‘Much better, thank you.’
‘Can you all be more careful, please? We’ll have to add danger money to the pitch budget at this rate.’
‘Yeah, nice try, Leo,’ Heidi piped up. ‘There should be rules against trying to knock out the competition by physical force.’
‘That would imply we see you as competition,’ he shot back, without missing a beat, as Heidi gaped at the air like a fish out of water.
‘It was an accident,’ I said. ‘If anyone’s to blame, it’s me, for getting in the way.’
Leo frowned. ‘Are you sure you’re OK over there? You look a bit peaky.’
‘It’s just so vast,’ I muttered, closing my eyes and swallowing down my panic. I couldn’t wait to get off this boat and onto dry land. The shore was so close now, I was half-tempted to dive off the side and swim.
‘The Atlantic?’ he chuckled. ‘Yeah, you could say that.’
‘There must be all sorts down there still waiting to be discovered,’ Zach added, peering over the side.
‘That’s really helpful, thanks.’
‘To think all human life started from an amoeba.’ Leo shook his head. ‘Unbelievable really, isn’t it?’
‘I can believe it with some humans,’ Heidi replied, pointedly.
The driver’s microphone clicked. ‘To our right you can see the Lisbon coastline with the famous Castelo de São Jorge at the very top. Saint George’s Castle, which is a very popular spot among tourists and one I would highly recommend to you all.’
It was a spectacular sight, set high up on the hill, watching over the city.
‘Lisbon will be the jewel inEsmeralda’s crown,’ Brooke whispered, leaning in to huddle us all together. ‘It’s our lastofficial stop and we want to ramp it up a gear for the final few days of the cruise.’
‘How so?’ Heidi asked, taking photos of the shoreline.
‘It’s all on the app, but Chef has planned an exquisite Portuguese banquet on board; we’ve done a deal with the harbour restaurants for our guests to try a local dish, included in their cruise card; we have port tasting with grand cru vintners, a castanet show and a samba performance from Chico and Catarina, to mark the ship’s final turn.’
‘Sounds incredible,’ I said, making mental notes.
