Page 24 of Another Lucky Number (Lucky Number #2)
We set off up the beach, and as I’m disappearing back into the same delectable daydream, a thought strikes me.
Was it such a good idea inviting James and his buddies to the pool later?
With this morning’s prep turning out to be what it was, who knows what hell on earth Amber has in store for me this afternoon.
Or whether I’ll come out of it with my dignity intact.
We decide to eat lunch in the buffet restaurant (the same place where we have breakfast) so that we can focus on my interview practice without being continually interrupted.
As soon as our bums hit our seats, my grilling starts.
Amber and Cat fire question after question at me, pausing only to order drinks and fill our plates.
When I say it’s both of them, it’s mainly Amber.
They’re not so much ‘good cop, bad cop’ as ‘good cop, nail-your-ass-to-the-wall cop’.
This goes on right through our first two courses, until I almost can’t take any more.
‘Are we done yet?’ I wipe away the rivers of sweat trickling down my forehead and push my plate aside. ‘Your questioning style is making me dangerously dehydrated, Amber.’
She shrugs. ‘I’m giving it to you tough so you can cope under pressure on the day.’
‘I get that, but we’ve been at it for an hour. Surely that’s enough for now.’
‘You’re doing really well, honey. You should feel pleased about that.’ Cat offers me some much-needed praise. ‘Amber, how about we stop there? Emma still needs to complete the rest of her prep today. Let’s not exhaust her in one sitting.’
‘Fine,’ she says. ‘We’ll leave it at that.’
‘Thank you.’ I glug at my water like a parched gun dog.
‘And you are doing well. You’re not flapping like you normally do.’
‘ Eh … thanks… I think.’
‘That was a compliment .’ Amber’s eyes go to the ceiling. ‘Surely you can recognise that.’
‘Yeah, but only because you had such a low opinion of me in the first place.’
‘No, I didn’t. But I do know what your weaknesses are. Plus, you’ve already indicated yourself that being put under pressure is an area where you struggle.’
‘That’s true.’
‘I’m saying you’re on the road to success here. Pay attention to that part, all right?’
‘All right.’ I allow a small swell of pride to push through. ‘Can we celebrate by me telling you about what happened with James earlier?’
‘ Yes, please ,’ says Cat. ‘I’m dying to hear this.’
Finally able to relax, I sit back in my seat and fill them in on every little detail.
Cat is riveted from beginning to end: her reactions priceless as she emits shock, disappointment and hope at all the right moments.
It’s as if she’s watching the climax of a romcom unfold right in front of her.
She even squeals with delight over and over when I get to our kiss and all that happened after that.
Amber seems a bit bored by the detail, but when I’m finished, she sums up the situation as ‘boss’.
Though she’s not one for the mushy stuff, I know she’s a fan of James.
She wanted us to get together from the moment she clapped eyes on him, which was well before I would even credit him as a decent human being. How wrong I was .
‘I still can’t believe he’s here.’ I beam at my friends.
‘Neither can I,’ says Cat. ‘Makes me kind of wish that Mike was here too. Do you wish your hubby was here, Amber?’
She scoffs. ‘Not even slightly. That’s the difference between you two and me. You’re all gooey-eyed and loved-up because you haven’t yet had to pick up their stinking socks or clean their skid marks off the toilet.’
Cat and I make repulsed faces.
‘I can’t imagine Rich doing those things,’ says Cat.
‘Oh, he doesn’t,’ she says with a self-satisfied smile. ‘He’s always had better standards than that. But how many women do you know whose live-in partners’ or husbands’ home habits aren’t a major talking point?’
‘What a way to spoil the romance, Amber.’ I glower at her.
‘All I’m saying is that your blokes are on their best behaviour right now and real life is a far cry from that. That’s why I’m happy to have a husband-free holiday.’
‘Well, anyway…’ says Cat, ‘As Emma and I are in that blokes-on-their-best-behaviour-hormones-flying-all-over-the-place phase, we shall make the most of it.’
‘Yes, we shall!’ I whoop. ‘Although… does it bother you, James having turned up? I was so busy getting excited about it, I overlooked that it’s yet another thing hijacking our girls holiday together.’
‘Not at all,’ Cat reassures me. ‘James being here isn’t going to ruin things. He’s here with his friends too, so he’ll need to spend time with them. Maybe we can all hang out together a bit. Might be fun.’
‘Provided his friends aren’t dickheads,’ Amber throws in.
‘Which I’m sure they won’t be if James is anything to go by,’ says Cat.
‘OK, great.’ I’m relieved by Cat and Amber’s easy-going nature. ‘They’re coming by the pool when we’re there later, so we’ll meet them then. ’
I watch my friends carefully for any sign that I should be concerned about my next interview prep task, but there isn’t a hint of anything unnerving. Perhaps it will be OK after all and my time on reception was the worst of it.