by Shari Low
‘Yes?’
‘Mrs Delaney, this is Richard Conrad, head of guest services. Sorry to bother you, but we have it on record that Mr Delaney left the ship this morning and according to our records he has not yet checked back in. Is that correct?’
‘Erm, I’m not sure, let me…’
‘Mrs Delaney.’ He cut her off. ‘I’m afraid we sail in ten minutes. If Mr Delaney is not back here in that time then I regret to inform you that sadly we must leave without him.’
It took a few moments to process this information. ‘Mr Conrad, can you hold on please – I actually have my husband on the other line.’
As she switched phones, her mind whirled, evaluating the situation. ‘Piers, where exactly are you?’
‘Well, the thing is, that’s why I’m calling you, darling. We’ve run into a bit of boat trouble and…’
‘Just give me it in minutes, Piers. How far away are you?’
‘At least an hour…’
‘For the love of God…’ she sighed, irritated by his failure to adhere to one simple task – return to ship on time. ‘OK, hold on.’
She switched back to Richard Conrad. ‘Mr Conrad, my husband won’t make it back.’
‘And you understand that we must sail on schedule?’
‘Yes, I completely understand. Unfortunately my husband didn’t seem to read the small print that said being an idiot wasn’t allowed.’
Hanging up the cabin phone on a stunned guest services manager, she flicked back into calculation mode.
‘Piers, are Max and the others with you?’
‘Yes.’
She suddenly perked up. Oh, this just became a whole new ball game. Possibly literally.
‘So what are you going to do?’
For a horrible moment she had visions of him hiring a helicopter and landing them all on the ship’s helipad, like an invading Special Forces unit. There were many things in the world that she could live without seeing and Sarah’s arse coming down a drop rope was one of them.
‘I don’t know, love. Leo has called his cousin and he’s on his way – apparently he’s a mechanic and will be able to get us going again. We’ll just have to find a hotel for tonight and catch up with you tomorrow in Civitavecchia. I’ll hire a car to get us there.’
It was difficult, but she managed to keep the laughter from her voice. There was no point in letting him know that he’d just done her the biggest favour. Far better to play both sides. This was definitely a situation to be exploited.
‘Oh, Piers, that’s terrible. I can’t believe it. What am I supposed to do on here on my own?’ And taking the award for the Best Performance in a Martyrdom Role…
‘Look, I’m so sorry, Mona. It’s been a bugger of a day.’ He sounded utterly miserable. This would earn her at least another four-figure blowout in Agent Provocateur and this time he wouldn’t be seeing any of her spoils. However, she sensed that it was time to throw him a bone of sympathy. No point in causing friction just yet. There would be plenty of that later.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said, pitching it somewhere between concern and understanding. ‘Just find somewhere nice to stay tonight and we’ll see you tomorrow. Are the others OK? I hope you’re taking care of them?’
‘Yes, absolutely,’ he replied, his voice thick with stress. No wonder. How uncomfortable must it be to be stranded with two virtual strangers? What would they talk about? Let’s face it, Sarah and Tess weren’t exactly stimulating conversationalists. Not that she cared. She was just happy that Tess was out of the picture for the night.
‘OK, darling – call me in the morning and let me know what your plans are. I’ll go organize things here and break the news to everyone. You take care and I hope it’s not too awful.’ The last line was said while sporting a veneer-flashing grin.
‘Sorry again, Mona. Believe me, I wish this had never happened.’
But I’m so thrilled it did, Mona added in her head.
‘It’s fine, I’m sure we’ll all muddle through. Talk to you in the morning darling. Big kiss.’
Yes, they’ll muddle through somehow, she thought, excitement rising. Oh, Piers, the fool – he would never know that he just helped her move one huge step forward. Drew. Her. In the middle of the ocean. No partners. It was like all her wishes had just come true. Now all she had to do was motivate him to want the same thing.
She once read an interview in which Joan Collins claimed it took her twenty minutes to apply a perfect mask of make-up. Mona had it down to fifteen. Wardrobe choice took almost as long, but eventually she settled on one of her classic favourites - a red Roland Mouret wiggle dress, customised to fit her perfectly. Sleeveless, with a zip from neck to hemline at the back, it clung to every single curve. If a dress could represent emotions, this one was definitely lust. She teamed it with nude Louboutin heels and, as a contrast to the formality of the outfit, left her hair to fall in raven waves from a side parting. The illusion of a forties movie star had never been stronger.
Walking, or rather strutting to Drew’s cabin, she mentally prepared herself. All week she’d been at his side, in work and in play, listening when he wanted to talk, proving that even now, years after their divorce, they still made an incredible team. It was time he realized it, too. Sure, it would be messy. They had two marriages to break and those other partners had to be considered. But they’d work it out. She would happily walk away from Piers with only what she’d taken into the marriage – her name, her own money and her career. Add those things to a new life with Drew, and she would have everything she wanted – the perfect picture.
It was time to get what she’d come on this trip for.
At his door, she inhaled deeply and then rang the bell, a heady mix of excitement and nerves making her hand tremble.
She heard the footsteps on the other side. Then the click of the door handle. Then the swooshing noise as it swung open. And there…
‘Hi, Mona!’
‘Eliza! Hi. How are you doing?’ Bloody hell – what was it with these kids today? The buggers were everywhere, wrecking her intentions and foiling her plans.
‘Yeah, fine.’
The teenager stood back to let her enter, but Mona stood rooted to the spot. This wasn’t exactly the scene she’d envisaged. Damn. Her only hope was that the teenager was there on a flying visit en route to resuming stalking Kai from London.
‘Sweetheart, who is it?’ Drew’s voice got louder as he appeared behind his daughter. ‘Mona! Hi. Are you coming in?’
The thought of playing happy families all night was too much to bear. Far better to suss out the situation first.
‘Listen,’ she began, ‘I just wanted to let you know there’s been a bit of a problem. Eliza, darling, I don’t want you to get upset, but…’
‘Are you about to tell me that my mum is stuck and she missed the boat?’
Mona nodded. ‘Yes, but darling, I don’t want you to be alarmed or worried.’
‘I’m not. She’ll be fine,’ Eliza replied sullenly.
Behind her, Drew laughed. ‘The treachery of youth. Sarah called and told us what happened. She gave Eliza two choices – come stay in this suite for the night or she was having the Italian navy raid the boat and confine Eliza to her cabin.’
‘So lame,’ the teenager groaned. ‘Like, as if I was going to get up to anything.’
Drew let that one go.
‘So housekeeping have made the sofa into a bed and I’m going to have a movie night with my daughter. You can tell she’s thrilled,’ he added, with a chuckle.
Mona’s gaze switched back to a furious Eliza, clearly upset that Kai had been removed from tonight’s agenda. Mona could empathise with that concept.
‘You’re welcome to join us –The Break Up and The Proposal are on the viewing schedule.’
Oh the irony – if only that were a narrative of their future. She quickly weighed up her options. A night sitting on the sofa in the middle of a sullen teenager and a dad who is desperately tryin
g to placate aforementioned teenager. Or… Actually Drew or no Drew, anything would be better than that.
‘Oh, thank you, but I’m just going to take the chance to have an early night,’ she seethed through gritted teeth.
There was no way this dress, these shoes and this free evening were going to waste.
Now, what was Blane’s cabin number again?
Tess
‘Do you think it was something we said?’ Max whispered to Tess, who shrugged in reply. She couldn’t believe how hard Sarah and Piers were taking the whole ‘missing the boat’ thing. Since they’d sat down to dinner, the older two had barely said a word and now Sarah had gone off to bed citing a migraine, and Piers was sitting there looking like someone had just stolen his puppy.
‘Dad, are you OK?’ Max asked, out of what Tess could see was genuine puzzlement.
Piers got up from the table and gave an obviously forced smile. ‘Course I am, son. Just knackered. Think maybe I got a bit too much sun today. Must have gone to my head as well.’
‘Do you want me to see if there’s a late night pharmacy – maybe they’ll have something that can help?’
‘No, no. Think I just need a good night’s sleep. I’ll turn in now if you don’t mind. See you when you come up.’
The two of them watched him leave in stunned silence. Only when he was out of sight did Max shake his head. ‘I’ve never seen him like that before. I hope he’s not coming down with something.’
Tess took another sip of her coffee. ‘That’s so strange; I thought exactly the same thing about Sarah. She’s been so subdued tonight.’
The waiter approached them with a jug of coffee and they both accepted refills. They’d just eaten a delicious meal of the best cannelloni Tess had ever tasted, and now they were having a break before ordering the gelato that she had been promising herself all day.
Remarkably, after the initial panic, she’d realized that she wasn’t too frantic about missing the ship. What was the point? Drew probably didn’t give two jots that she wasn’t there. Sarah had called him to make arrangements for Eliza, but he hadn’t even asked to speak to her.
Sod him. She was just going to enjoy this little addition to the adventure. They’d found a beautiful hotel just off Sorrento’s busy Corso Italia, and their rooms had incredible views out to the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius.
It was beyond beautiful.
‘You know, I’m wondering if they perhaps had a fight today.’ Even as she was saying it out loud, Tess shook off the notion. Sarah just wasn’t the confrontational type and she and Piers got on fantastically well – what could they possibly have to fight about?
‘I can’t see it. My dad thinks Sarah’s great. They seem to have hit it off.’
‘You’re right,’ she said, over the noise of her silver bangles jangling as she took another sip of her coffee. The jewellery had been a treat to herself to celebrate… well, nothing, actually. Just a treat.
‘That dress really suits you.’ The compliment came out of the blue and Tess felt her face reddening. Max noticed. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. That thought just came into my head and went right out through my mouth.’
‘That’s OK, and thank you. My credit card is still in shock, but I’m thinking it’s worth it.’
They’d checked into the hotel with just the beachwear that they stood in, so they’d all ventured into the first clothing store they’d come across for vital supplies. Somehow, along with knickers, a bra and a nightdress, this dress had claimed her as its owner. She’d been unable to resist. Made of a white floaty georgette fabric, the slender shoulder straps merged into a simple A-line silhouette that ended just above the knee. The bangles and a pair of white jewelled flip-flops had finished the look – one that was in direct contrast to Max’s black linen trousers and T-shirt. With both of them sporting the glow of a golden tan, they looked like any of the other couples enjoying the heavenly ambience in the restaurant. She was actually surprised at how relaxed and comfortable she felt, given that she’d only met Max a week before.
He clearly felt the same. ‘So are you going to turn in too?” he asked, laughing. “Because I might just question my deodorant if you do.’
‘Absolutely not – there’s a gelato in the freezer that I’m planning on liberating.’
‘Good. So. We can either talk trivial stuff about the holiday, or I can bore you with details of my every achievement going back to winning the prize for the best Victoria sponge in primary four, or you could keep the deal we made and tell me what’s been bothering you for the last few days.’
Her smile faded a few degrees. She thought he’d have forgotten about that by now.
‘I mean, just if you want to,’ he added. ‘I know it’s none of my business. Honestly, I can talk about my Victoria sponge for hours.’
All the tension was immediately diffused. It was impossible to feel uncomfortable around him, Tess decided. He had that easy, warm manner that definitely came from his dad’s genes.
She was about to reply when a guitarist started to play over by the door, some kind of intense, flamenco style piece. They watched for a few moments before turning back to the conversation.
‘You remind me of my friend Cameron,’ she told him, idly playing with a spoon on the table. It was surprisingly good to say his name. She’d tried to push the notes and his rendezvous plans to the back of her mind for the last couple of days, but talking about him again threw up so many mixed emotions. She missed him. She wanted to see him. But she was annoyed, pressured and utterly confused about her feelings for him. ‘He’s the easiest person to talk to. Makes me laugh. When he’s around, everything just seems brighter, you know? Easy. He calls himself my husband’s stunt double because he’s always filling in for him.’
How come that had always seemed funny in the past, but now it gave her a sense of overwhelming sadness? Maybe it was because it came with the unequivocal realization that she was longing to talk to him. She pushed her coffee away and returned to the last few drops from the glass of red wine she’d had with dinner.
‘Please don’t say anything to anyone – especially your dad or Mona,’ she continued, ‘but I don’t know… I think Drew and I have lost our way a bit. Everything seems to have got so…’ She struggled to find the right words. ‘So… complicated lately. And somehow I’ve gone from being a hundred per cent sure of everything to realizing that I know nothing at all. Does that make sense?’
‘Sure. Marriage is hard,’ Max said softly. ‘I wish it came with a rule book and a CD instruction manual. Life would be easier.’
‘And an express repair service if it’s faulty. I want one of those,’ she said. ‘Anyway, enough about my woes. Poor Sarah has had to listen to me for the last couple of days and now you. You’ll all be avoiding me or chipping in for a therapist. I wouldn’t blame you.’
He topped up both their glasses from the carafe in the middle of the table and she nodded in thanks. It was impossible to be unhappy here. Really, what was the point? Enough of the maudlin stuff. Optimism. Positivity. It would all work out. She shook off the heaviness and flipped back to a happier note. ‘One of the nicest things about being on this trip has been spending time with Sarah. We’ve met on loads of occasions over the last few years, but never spent any time together alone. I had no idea how funny she is, or how kind.’
‘My dad and I were just saying last night how alike you two were.’
The statement surprised her. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah. I can’t believe you don’t see it. Obviously you’re many years apart in age, but you actually kind of resemble each other and you’ve both got that same… I don’t know how to put it.’ He thought for a moment before deciding. ‘You’re both just easy to be around.’
‘I like that. My ego just crawled off its knees for the first time this week.’
A couple at a nearby table gave them disapproving stares as their laughter disturbed the romantic ambiance. She felt like pointing out that
there was a bloke making a bloody racket on a guitar in the corner – hardly the stuff of hearts and roses.
A conversation from a few days ago came back into her mind. ‘Why didn’t your wife come with you on the trip?’
‘We’re separated. Not my choice. I asked her to come back before I came here, but she didn’t.’
‘I take it that’s why your dad isn’t a fan?’ she mused. ‘I can’t imagine that Piers would dislike her without reason.’
‘It’s a long story.’ Max drank some more of his red wine. She decided that in the light of the table candle he looked incredibly handsome. Attractive and sweet – his wife must be crazy to walk away from him. It was difficult to imagine him ever being cruel, or dismissive or neglectful. She suddenly realized that she was comparing him to Drew. She mentally chided herself. This was ridiculous. She’d be sussing out the waiter’s dedication to his job next. Wondering whether the chef had phoned his wife today to tell her that he loves her.
‘God, what are we like?’ she laughed, then gestured around the restaurant. ‘This place is full of couples all staring into each other’s eyes, and then there’s us two saddos, without a decent relationship between us. No wonder we drink.’ She raised her glass in a toast. ‘To us. The romantically bloody hopeless.’
‘The bloody hopeless,’ he repeated with a clink. ‘May we one day get the hang of it.’
Sarah
Sarah looked at the drop below the window and said a silent prayer that she wouldn’t land on the ground with a splat. She’d paced back and forth across the room with her phone held up in the air, trying to get a signal, but no – the only place that one little bar appeared on her phone screen was on a corner of the balcony, and even then only if she stood on a chair. She just hoped no one down below spotted her and thought she was on the brink of ending it all. It had crossed her mind that she could use the room phone, but she’d heard that the charges were extortionate in hotels, and since Piers was insisting on paying for the rooms, there was no way she was going to take advantage. Wasn’t that what he’d already done today?
