Page 16 of Another Lucky Number (Lucky Number #2)

Chapter Fifteen

A couple of minutes after Sébastien leaves my suite, my doorbell chimes again. I fling open the door and my inebriated, giggling friends practically fall inside my suite.

‘Did you pull it off?’ Amber hops onto my bed and stretches out.

‘It took some Olympic-style sprinting, some chewing gum and some on-the-spot thinking – but yes, I did. And now I’m totally sober from the ordeal.’ I lie down next to her and Cat does the same on the other side.

‘ Attagirl .’ Amber high fives me awkwardly from her horizontal position. ‘So, fill us in.’

The three of us stare at the ceiling, watching the relentless circuits of the revolving fan while I play back Sébastien’s visit – minus the bit where I gave him an unwanted image of me on the loo.

‘It’s great because now I can follow through with your plan, without worrying what he might think of me,’ I say as a finisher.

‘You didn’t need to worry in the first place, ya dafty. You made a big deal out of nothing.’ Amber affectionately knocks on my head with her fist. ‘Tell me, what was it like having sexy Sébastien in your room? Were you tempted to jump his bones? I would have been.’

I raise my eyebrows at her. ‘You mean you would if you didn’t have a doting husband back home?’

‘ Obviously . So?’

‘Well, leaving aside him having made it clear he’s not interested in me that way, it certainly felt like there was some level of sexual tension between us – at first, then it dissipated.’ I cringe at the memory. ‘Maybe I’m wrong though. My radar could be off.’

Unable to verify or nullify this statement, Amber and Cat say nothing in response. It’s another peaceful, companionable moment, where we could just be three friends chilling on the holiday of a lifetime with zero obligations. Unfortunately, that’s not the holiday we’re on.

‘Right, shall we get showered and ready for the evening ahead?’ says Cat.

‘Defo,’ says Amber. ‘We’ve got interview prep to do over dinner, and I’ve scoped out two different entertainment acts for us as company research afterwards.’

‘Let’s do it.’ I jump up and see them to the door. ‘Shall we do the seafood restaurant tonight?’ After my fish and seafood experience the evening before with Sébastien, I’m keen to try more of what this wonderful island has to offer.

‘Perfect, see you then.’ Cat gives me a wave as she and Amber disappear down the corridor, and I head for the shower.

A couple of hours later, we’re seated in Tide, the resort’s signature seafood restaurant, which is situated above the waves on a pier-like structure.

It’s a mesmerising experience, especially having watched the incredible sunset from here, and now with the swell of sea in semi-darkness, framed by a midnight blue, moonlit horizon.

‘I’m not sure I can ever go home.’ I stare out across the water dreamily. ‘Do you think if I get the job, Sébastien would allow me to base myself here?’

‘Ooh, yeah. Do it ,’ says Amber. ‘I fancy a holiday home here.’

‘So, me living here means you have a holiday home?’

‘Eh, yeah .’

‘Ah, fair enough, I’d probably see it the same way.’ I chuckle. ‘You do know I’m not serious though, right? I’d miss you guys too much. And Lottie. Even my parents, much as they can be a pain in the backside. Anyway, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. I probably won’t even get the job.’

‘Wrong attitude.’ Amber points a disapproving finger at me.

‘I’ve got to be realistic, Amber. This interview is going to be tough, and if I get my hopes up too much, it’ll be harder to take the knock if I’m unsuccessful.’

‘You need to visualise getting it, without becoming emotionally invested.’

‘OK… sure.’ I have no clue what she means, but I don’t want to get into it right now.

‘How are you doing with your menu choices?’ A buoyant waiter has appeared at our table, standing tall, arms behind his back.

‘Have we decided?’ I look to my friends who nod. ‘OK, I’ll go first. The conch fritters followed by the lobster hollandaise, please.’

‘Yes, ma’am. Excellent choice.’ He turns to Amber and Cat, who then relay their own orders.

‘So, interview prep…’ says Amber, the moment the waiter is out of earshot.

‘You don’t waste any time, do you?’ I gaze longingly at the other diners who are chatting and laughing together, feeling the stark contrast between the kind of evening this should be, and the kind of evening it’s going to be.

‘Sooner we start, the sooner we’re done.’

‘That is true.’ I pull the interview brief from my clutch and unfold it.

‘OK, read out the company values,’ she instructs me. ‘That will help us decide what angle to take.’

‘Good plan.’ I scan the page and read aloud.

‘Here goes… “ Passion – we love what we do and we provide an unmatched experience to our customers; Empowerment – we trust our people to wow our customers in the way that they know best; Creativity – we thrive on fresh and exciting ideas; Responsibility – we love our planet, we use biodegradable and sustainable produce and processes wherever possible”.’

We allow these words to wash over us, while sipping at our drinks.

‘You’ll need to demonstrate that your own values align with those.’ says Amber. ‘What stands out most for you on that list?’

I purse my lips, reading them once again. ‘Probably the first two. I’m passionate about my career and I always go above and beyond – even worked my backside off on stuff I knew I’d never get any credit for.’

‘And you’d be able to give solid examples of this?’

‘Yeah, I can think of loads where I did the hard graft, I just never got to present to the board and no one knew it was my work.’

‘Great, well use them. Structure your answers so they showcase your contribution without lying about any part you didn’t get to play. How important is it really that you weren’t the one doing the schmoozing with the big wigs? You made these things happen.’

‘I did. OK, let me chew that over…’ I take the iPad Cat’s offering me and tap my finger against the side of it while my mind whirs through my options.

‘I think… Yes, I know what I can use for this one. I can also talk enthusiastically about not wanting to work for a glory stealing, micromanaging boss who sucks the life out of me. Though I wouldn’t put it quite like that. ’ I type some notes on the screen.

‘You’re at your best when given the freedom to decide how to do your job might be a way of putting it, which aligns well with their Empowerment value,’ says Cat and I give her a thumbs up as I continue tapping away.

‘OK good, what about the Creativity one?’ says Amber. ‘That’s a bit more difficult. People like to say they’re creative, but it’s a tough one to demonstrate. What have you got?’

‘I’ve got loads of examples of continuous improvement projects.’

‘ Yawn .’ She rolls her eyes at my predictability.

‘So, what then? I haven’t done anything huge because I’ve never had a huge job – unlike the picture you unhelpfully painted to Sébastien.’

‘ You really want to go there? ’

‘No. I’m just saying this is harder because—’

The waiter arrives with our starters and I stop short, temporarily distracted from my frustration.

‘This looks delicious, thank you.’ I give him an appreciative smile, and he seems pleased with this feedback.

‘Enjoy yourselves, ladies.’

We tuck into our dishes, my interview preparation temporarily forgotten as we ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over the food. I savour my delicious fritters while enjoying the warm, briny sea breeze on my face. It’s a simple but wonderful moment – an escape from the pressure I’m feeling.

‘Can I say something before we continue?’ Cat eventually breaks the silence – and my zen.

‘Sure,’ I say. ‘What’s up?’

‘I think you’re trying too hard to be the person Amber sold to Sébastien. You need to be you . These values aren’t alien to you, honey. You’re a passionate person who wants to take the initiative, right?’

‘Yes. Definitely.’

‘You care about the environment too?’

‘Of course. I hate the damage we’re doing to our planet, though I realise that’s a bit hypocritical, given we’ve flown all this way.

But I did pay extra to offset the carbon emissions and I do try to play my part at home – I can give examples of that.

Also, Paradis Resorts is a company that promotes world travel, so perhaps it’s about keeping it in context.

It’s certainly important to me that they’re operating in a sustainable way as far as possible and that they’re doing proactive stuff to support local communities affected by climate change. ’

‘There you go.’ Cat waves a fork-wielding hand to punctuate her point.

‘And the creativity… that might not jump out so much, but you have more creative flare than you give yourself credit for. You showed that when you came up with your presentation theme, and it will come across on the day. Ultimately, Sébastien wants to know if you’re the right fit for the job and I think you are, as long as you let them see Emma . ’

I consider what Cat’s just said. ‘You’re right, I need to be me .’

‘Shall we start again then?’ she suggests. ‘With you being you?’

‘That’s a great plan.’ I grin at her.

‘And exactly what I was trying to get you to do in the first place,’ Amber complains through a mouthful of shrimp kabob.

‘Well, if you weren’t so preoccupied with points scoring, it might have been a more successful strategy,’ says Cat, giving me sneaky wink, and I stifle a giggle as the founder of the ‘School of Amber and Cat’ is silenced by her own partner.