‘Peri peri chicken all round,’ Zach drawled, sneaking a drag on his vape.
Leo laughed. ‘The original cheeky Nando’s.’
‘I’ve never understood that phrase,’ Brooke said, with a frown. ‘How can a Nando’s be cheeky? It doesn’t make sense.’
‘It’s moresneakythan cheeky,’ I said, confusing myself. ‘A quick one… kind of a secret treat.’
Brooke was completely baffled. ‘Secret chicken?’
Zach snorted then started to cough.
‘Kat said it, not me!’ Brooke said, affronted.
Heidi picked up the baton. ‘It’s morecovertthan secret. On the side… of a night out.’
‘Or in the middle,’ Leo added, catching my eye and daring me not to laugh.
‘It’s an unexplainable concept,’ Zach said, eventually.
‘Another one of your idiosyncrasies, eh? You funny old Brits.’
The river Tagus stretched out ahead of us and the driver pointed out places of interest from the front of the boat. The Belém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery, the 25 de Abril Bridge. They all looked nice enough, but the only place I wasreally interested in was the hotel Heidi and I were checking into. We’d agreed our stay in Lisbon would be off-ship, and I wasso excited, I couldn’t wait. I was ready to power down with a large gin and tonic in the bath, followed by room service and a mindless flick through Netflix. Modern-day meditation in a big double bed.Bliss.
‘On our left we have one of Lisbon’s most famous landmarks, the Cristo Rei statue, inspired by Christ the Redeemer in Brazil. There is a viewing platform, which is accessible by boat across the river or taxi over the bridge – a wonderful spot to take panoramic photos of the city.’
The enormous stone Jesus gave us a wave as we floated by, his arms outstretched, sending out blessings to the world. The crew stopped for a beat and did the sign of the cross.
‘I don’t know about y’all, but I could do with a few hours to catch up on some work,’ Brooke said, frowning at her phone. ‘How’s about we meet for lunch later and then take the evening for some personal time?’
‘Great idea,’ Leo gushed.
‘Amazing,’ I agreed enthusiastically, glad she wasn’t one for sarcasm. I could feel Leo’s eyes on me, but I knew I’d laugh if I looked at him.
‘Glad y’all agree.’
‘Gives us time to check in and get our bearings,’ Heidi said, as the driver announced we were heading for the first stop.
‘Check in?’ Brooke asked.
‘Yes, didn’t I mention it? We’ve got a hotel for this final slice of the trip,’ she said, hurriedly. ‘Kat and I have a board meeting tomorrow before breakfast, so we need somewhere private to Zoom.’
‘With reliable Wi-Fi,’ I added.And a double bed to loll around in.
‘The hustle never stops,’ Zach said with a sly grin. ‘Fair enough. You’ll need your other clients when Excalibur Cruises comes over to us.’
Brooke shook her head, but the corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk. ‘Now, now… let’s all play nice.’
‘We can get off here, in fact,’ Heidi said, checking her map. ‘Yes. This is the closest stop to the hotel.’
Not according to my calculations, but maybe there was a shortcut. Or more likely she just wanted to get on dry land and have some space as soon as physically possible. The pair of us smiled at the three of them as the boat took forever to bob to a stop.
‘What say we meet at three at the harbour then?’ Brooke tinkled. ‘We can try a local wine or two and the Caldo Verde soup everyone raves about.’
Heidi nodded and Leo gave a thumbs up. ‘Fine by us,’ he said.
‘Sounds like my kind of lunch,’ I said, following Heidi off the boat. ‘Late and liquid.’
We waved them off and jumped in a cab, both glad to finally be free.
