Page 22 of Escape to the Sun

The uptick in Nathan’s expression was enough to convince Louis he’d made the right call. A friendly – and very pretty – young female officer tasked with showing the teenager around the ship? Nathan looked like he’d landed in clover. Louis would have felt like that, too, back in the day; he was sure of it. Plus, it was almost time for a bridge shift change, and so Maria wouldn’t need to hurry back.

‘If it’s OK with your mum?’ Louis glanced at Ruth, who was nodding.

‘What an honour, thank you.’ She frowned at Nathan. ‘Behave yourself, Nath – don’t give Maria any grief and we’ll see you later?’

‘Yeah, later, Mum.’

The sloth-like shoulders had returned. Louis remembered that, too. It didn’t matter what any family member said, it was almost obligatory to treat it with disdain. He swallowed. How he wished he hadn’t spent so many precious years treating his own mum like that.

‘We should let you get on,’ Ruth said. ‘Thank you so much for the tour, and for allowing us to meet Portus. He’s glorious.’ She stuck out her hand for Louis to shake, which he did, then she was chivvying Millie away from the cat. Louis still wasn’t convinced the woman was allergic – otherwise surely she wouldn’t want her daughter to be covered in cat fur for the rest of the cruise.

‘Our pleasure,’ he said. ‘I’ll see you soon, Millie. And if I’m not here, anyone else on the bridge will be happy to help you, OK?’

Millie was grinning and blushing like she’d won the lottery. ‘This is literally the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me. Thank you, Captain Louis.’

Ruth hurried Millie out of his sight line and for a moment it seemed as though he and Hannah, who was still fussing over the cat, were alone. Which was ridiculous, because the bridge was as bustling as ever.

He cleared his throat, and Hannah gave Portus a final stroke before she turned her attention to him.

‘Thank you – again – for letting me look around, Captain.’

‘Please call me Louis.’

‘Louis. Sorry. This is becoming a habit,’ she said.

‘It’s absolutely not a problem, Hannah.’

It wasn’t what he really wanted to say; he realised it didn’t come close. Louis stared at her, and today she stared right back, she didn’t duck her gaze away or pretend to be interested in something in the middle distance. He tried again.

‘It’s my pleasure, actually.’

She gave him a wry smile. ‘I’ve taken up way too much of your time, Louis. I should go.’

He checked his watch, and she must have thought he was agreeing with her since she smiled again and turned to go.

‘Hannah – can I ask you something?’

‘Of course.’

A glance at the rest of the watch crew reassured Louis that nobody was paying any attention to what he was saying. He leant towards Hannah.

‘Would you like to go for a coffee?’

‘Um, I suppose I could,’ she said.

It wasn’t the rapturous acceptance he’d hoped for, but it wasn’t a ‘no’ either. He swallowed the ball of nerves that had suddenly formed in his throat.

‘I just thought it would be nice to find out a bit more about you…’

Way to go, Captain, he thought. Weak and insipid. It was enough to make him wonder why he was even trying, if that was the best he could come up with.

But he’d come this far.

‘I mean it. I find you… interesting.’

Christ, that was even worse.

Hannah frowned, her intensely fierce eyes cutting him no slack as she continued to hold his gaze. ‘Interesting?’