Page 29 of Another Lucky Number (Lucky Number #2)

Chapter Twenty-Six

‘ A mber, no way .’ My tone is desperate. ‘You’re not playing this in front of everyone.’

‘It’s better if everyone sees it,’ she says. ‘Means you can get more than one perspective. Kind of like three-sixty feedback.’

‘ Have you completely lost it? I asked you to help me prepare for this interview, not to become some crazed life coach.’

‘Amber, you can’t do that.’ Cat looks equally alarmed on my behalf. ‘Give Emma the iPad and let her watch it alone. We agreed we would put her out of her comfort zone to some extent, but this is taking the mick.’

Amber looks around for someone to back her, but James and his friends, quite wisely, are staying out of this one.

‘ Fine ,’ she grumbles and passes across the iPad. ‘Be a baby. I’d be totally fine with it.’

‘Good for you.’ I shoot her a scathing look. ‘You’re also happy to throw yourself around a karaoke stage like a lunatic. We have different standards.’

‘Now that I’d like to see.’ James grins.

‘Don’t encourage her.’

I take the iPad from Amber, wander out of the restaurant onto the nearby grass and hit play.

The three-minute video, which is basically a montage of all the key events of my crappy afternoon, unfolds in front of me while I die a little inside.

Thank god this wasn’t played in front of the others.

It’s like one of those highly exaggerated ‘how not to do things’ training videos.

I watch with dismay as one scene melts into the next: my reaction to being soaked by the water guns (each time it happened); my inability to stand my ground politely with the woman who stole my lounger; me taking off across the poolside in furious hot pursuit of the kids; and my reaction when Amber told me about us being moved to another resort.

How did I not notice she was filming that – or any of it? The only slight saving grace is the footage of me consoling poor Fiona, who I’m sure would be equally mortified if she knew she’d become an unsuspecting on-screen ‘reality star’.

Once the video has finished, I sit for a few moments to gather myself, and as I do, I land in a place I really don’t want to be.

As much as I could murder Amber for this stunt, I can already see exactly why it’s a useful exercise, and how it’s going to help me not just with this interview, but with how I handle stuff in life generally.

And that’s before we’ve chatted any of this through.

I return to the table and hand the iPad back to her without saying a word.

‘You OK?’ says James, grasping my hand under the table once again.

‘Yeah, fine,’ I reply. ‘Thank you.’

‘So?’ Amber fixes her gaze on me and our audience of four follows suit.

I take a deep breath and cast aside my pride. ‘It was… awful to watch. I hate seeing myself on screen, but I can see where you were coming from with your approach.’

‘And?’

‘And what? If you’re looking for an apology or a declaration that I was wrong, you’re not going to get either. I still don’t agree with your methods.’

‘I meant what are your observations? I want to hear your thoughts before I give you mine.’

‘Oh. Right.’ I’m suddenly hyper aware of everyone around me. This must come through clearly to James because he springs to action.

‘Hey, guys…’ he says to Tyler and Rob ‘I’m really full after that starter. How about we take a short breather on the beach before the main course?’

Not only is it obvious what he’s doing, James’s friends look like they’ve been sent to bed with no supper.

They were clearly looking forward to the show, and to be honest, I can’t blame them.

Who doesn’t enjoy a laugh at someone else’s expense?

That’s what every bloopers show ever has been built on.

I feel my tension dissipate as James gives my hand a final supportive squeeze under the table and gets up to leave, forcing Tyler and Rob to reluctantly trudge out of the restaurant after him.

‘That was so sweet of James,’ says Cat, the moment they’re out of ear shot.

‘He’s a good one all right.’ I eye Amber disdainfully for her lack of being ‘a good one’ herself at this particular moment.

Of course, she ignores my comment and bulldozes on. ‘Shall we get started then?’

‘OK, let’s get this over with.’

‘Great. What are your thoughts after seeing the video?’

I rest my elbows on the table and rub my weary face. ‘Mortification, humiliation… temptation to walk into the sea and never return.’

Cat chuckles at my joke.

‘Very funny.’ Amber rolls her eyes. ‘Come on, take this seriously.’

‘You never take anything seriously,’ I throw back at her. ‘And you’re definitely no role model in this respect. Makes me wonder how you’re remotely qualified to deliver this feedback.’

‘I know exactly what I’m doing all the time. I push the boundaries by choice, not because my actions are uncontrolled. Plus, I’m not the one trying to secure their dream job.’

‘Point taken. OK… here’s what I got from it. I overreacted massively to the kids with the water guns and to hearing that we were moving resorts. And I bottled it with the woman who stole my lounger.’

‘And what does that tell you?’ She puts her scoring sheet on the table so I can refer to the different areas she’s scored me on. ‘Don’t read my observations. Make your own judgements.’

I quickly read through the headings and the descriptions for the four areas she’s mapped out. ‘I reckon it means that I think before I act. That I lack a bit of emotional self-control.’

‘Why do you think that?’

‘Because I let my instincts drive me. Sometimes they’re right, but sometimes they’re wrong or not helpful, even if I’m justified in how I’m feeling.’

‘Great. What else?’

‘I’m not sure where it fits in here, but I didn’t stand up for myself when that woman nicked my lounger. As soon as she got a bit tetchy, I wimped out.’

‘Well observed.’ Amber adopts an uncharacteristically gentle tone.

‘Now I’ll give you mine. I completely agree with what you’ve said so far and these issues go on the list for you as areas for improvement.

We already knew about your weakness when it comes to being assertive because of what happened with your ex-boss and Dave the wanker, but it’s useful to see it play out on screen, so we can pinpoint what’s going on for you in the moment and work out how to approach things. ’

‘ Wow, where’s Amber gone? ’ I joke. ‘Now you sound like a professional trainer. ’

‘I do this stuff with my team at work.’ She shrugs. ‘It’s really helpful.’

‘Just wouldn’t have had you down as being into it. Thought you’d see it as too fluffy.’

‘What’s fluffy about learning to conduct yourself in a way that earns you loads of respect – and therefore, success?’

‘Nothing, I guess.’ I can feel myself getting invested in the conversation. ‘OK, what else did you pick up on?’

Amber consults her notes. ‘Your ability to keep things in perspective.’

‘Meaning?’

‘In the grand scheme of things, was it that big a deal that you got soaked?’

‘Not really. Though in my defence, those kids were really annoying. And they did it three times.’

‘I told them if you didn’t react, not to soak you again, but if you did, to keep winding you up. They simply responded to your behaviour.’

‘ Oh .’ This revelation is quite stark and I find myself pondering how often I’ve inflamed situations by having an unnecessary negative emotional reaction.

‘“Oh”, exactly.’ Amber chuckles. ‘And would it really have been the end of the world if we’d had to move resorts?’

I frown, considering this. ‘I guess not. It would have been super disappointing though.’

‘ Super disappointing? Or just disappointing. Thinking about it in comparison to the likes of Lottie’s accident, for example.’

‘I see what you’re getting at. It wasn’t a big deal at all compared to that. Kind of first world problems really.’

‘You see? You’re really getting this. Let’s add “keeping things in perspective” and “dealing with setbacks” to the list.’

‘Sure.’ I purse my lips thoughtfully and sip at my wine. ‘Was there anything I did well?’

‘Yes, there was.’ says Amber. ‘Cat, over to you for this one. ’

‘There was something you did really well, honey,’ says Cat. ‘How you dealt with the situation with that woman who was upset.’

‘Fiona, right.’ I nod with interest. ‘Amber said that wasn’t set up.’

‘It wasn’t. It was as natural a moment as they come, and you handled it perfectly.

You showed such amazing empathy towards that woman: taking the time to listen to her, seeing things from her perspective and offering her the support she needed right then in that moment.

And in the process, you built trust and a rapport with her.

You also helped her find a way forward. So big thumbs up for that. ’

My face spreads into a smile. ‘I did do all that.’

‘You did.’ Amber nods. ‘You have great skills in that area, and you’re a natural relationship builder.

The new friends you picked up during your week of living like a millionaire is a perfect example of that.

You need to capitalise on that when you’re hit with difficult questions during your presentation.

Read the behavioural signals coming from the person who’s asking and tailor your answers towards what you think matters to them.

Not in a dishonest way, but in a way that lets them feel heard and respected.

It’s much easier to find common ground with someone if you show you care about their point of view rather than jumping into defence mode. ’

‘That’s genius – and so true.’ My eyes light up in comprehension. ‘Wow, this is really helpful.’

‘I told you it would be,’ says Amber.

‘I’m sorry I doubted you.’ I reach across the table and put my hand on her arm, and she gives me an uncharacteristically affectionate smile.

‘I get why it was uncomfortable, and in hindsight, maybe I should have briefed you on my approach, but it was worth it, yeah? People pay hundreds of pounds for this kind of developmental support, you know. ’

‘I know. Thanks, Amber. So how do I work on my other weak areas?’

‘How do you think you could work on them?’ she asks.

‘I knew you’d throw that question right back at me.

I guess… if my issues are with my reactions and keeping things in perspective, I would say…

maybe I need to find a way to catch myself in the moment and change course – before I have a “hissy fit”.

’ I smile at my friends, who seem to enjoy my self-deprecating humour.

‘ Bingo . You hit the jackpot.’ Amber gives me an enthusiastic high five.

‘Ooh, what do I win?’

‘A steamy night with your hot man.’

‘Would I not have got that anyway?’ I raise a cheeky eyebrow.

‘Yeah, I just wanted to say it out loud. I’m going to have to order him not to keep you up all night though. You’ve got a long day of prep again tomorrow.’

‘And… she’s back.’ I laugh. ‘Shall we let the guys come back now?’

‘I already messaged James while you were talking,’ she says. ‘They’re on their way.’