Page 3 of Another Lucky Number (Lucky Number #2)

‘ Dirty pictures . I meant pictures of you both naked. Come on , you must be at the sexting stage by now.’

‘What?’ Cat looks a mixture of horrified and perplexed. ‘Should I? Will he be expecting me to—’

‘ No, he will not .’ I jump in, aware that Cat’s relationship confidence is too fragile for this; last thing she needs is Amber playing unsolicited sex therapist. ‘Mike is obviously a decent guy, and he respects you, so take things at your own pace. That is never a necessity. It’s simply something some couples choose to do. ’

Cat looks relieved. I shoot Amber a warning look.

‘I was just asking.’ Amber throws her hands up in spiritless surrender. ‘What about you then, Emma? Have you heard from your hot man yet? Tell me you and James are at least hitting it hard.’

‘No and no,’ I reply. ‘You really need to get your mind out of the gutter. We’ve only been on one date so he’s hardly going to be pining for me – like Mike clearly is for Cat.’

Cat blushes and I can tell she’s secretly pleased by my comment.

We finish our drinks and wander along one of the many meandering pathways of the resort gardens to a laid-back pan-Caribbean eatery which is housed in a white building with a beach house feel to it – one of eight restaurants on the resort.

Even in the darkness of the evening, the balminess of the air and the noise of the waves crashing on the shore nearby reminds us that we’re somewhere exotic and utterly fabulous.

A short while later, we’re tucking into our mouth-watering mains of jerk chicken, barbeque pork with peas and rice and conch caesar salad in relaxed, satisfied silence, which of course, never lasts long when we’re with Amber.

‘So, Emma…’ she says. ‘What’s the plan for when you get home?’

‘Amber, please don’t wish the holiday away,’ says Cat. ‘I expect Emma doesn’t want to think beyond the next week or so of R&R. Let’s just be present and enjoy every second of this experience.’

I look across the table and see Amber mimicking Cat in a rather unflattering way.

‘ Hey . Don’t do that,’ I scold her. ‘Cat’s looking out for me and it’s very much appreciated.’

She stops and looks at me. ‘Yeah, well, that plan sucks. If we’re not allowed to talk about anything of any substance, we’re going to run out of chat pretty damn quick. In which case – no offence – but I’m going to find better things to do than sitting around staring at each other. ’

‘I didn’t mean we couldn’t talk about anything of importance,’ says Cat. ‘But Emma’s had a challenging time over the last few weeks and I expect she wants to switch off and recover from it.’

‘It’s not like it’s a hardship thinking about what she’s going to do next.’ Amber puts on a voice. ‘ Oh, poor me, I won lots of money on the lottery, and I don’t know what to do with it. Life is so unfair .’

‘Amber, you’re exaggerating just as much as you claim Emma is.’ Cat frowns at her. ‘Emma’s been lucky financially but you know fine well she didn’t win enough to live the life of a socialite, and—’

‘ Ding ding . Let’s call time on this.’ I grab Cat’s hand and squeeze it tight so she knows I’ve got her. ‘Cat, thank you for your support, and Amber, quit it . I get where you’re coming from but your delivery could use some work.’

Amber shrugs in apparent acceptance of this.

‘I agree with Cat that I want to make the most of this down time…’ Amber’s about to protest and I hold up a hand to stop her.

‘But… that can include a bit of chat about my next steps, and in particular, what I’m going to do career-wise.

Because as you know, that’s very important to me.

It’s been at the back of my mind anyway, and I’ve come to the realisation that I want to do something totally different. ’

‘You do?’ says Cat.

‘Yes. I just kind of fell into my career path because in Edinburgh, Financial Services is a core industry, but… sorry to say it… it’s dull as dishwater – to me anyway.

I don’t want to wake up when I’m seventy and feel like I’ve wasted my life.

The idea of that terrifies me. I also know it’s a bit of a cliché, and probably unrealistic, but I want to be one of those people who doesn’t see their job as work because they love it that much.

And I know my mum thinks my idea to find my dream career is “cods wallop” but if I don’t try, I’ll definitely prove her right, won’t I? ’

‘That is true,’ Cat concedes.

‘So, maybe we could throw around some ideas during this trip and see where we get to.’

‘All right, that I can work with.’ Amber has perked up significantly. ‘What are you thinking… voice over artist… air traffic controller?’

‘Ha, neither of the above,’ I say. ‘I meant throw around some realistic ideas. And the answer is: I just don’t know, but we have days ahead of us to figure it out, so get your thinking caps on.’

With this gauntlet thrown down, we fall into contemplative silence.

‘What do you think you’re looking for?’ Cat asks eventually. ‘I don’t mean the job title, but the type of work, the skills it uses, the experiences it will give you?’

I quickly chew and swallow. ‘Good question. I guess I’m open to learning a whole new skill set, even studying part-time, but it would be good if I could use some of the skills I’ve already got.

I’d say non-corporate, or if it’s an office-based job, one in an industry that’s got a bit about it.

Somewhere I’d be excited to show up to each day – whether virtually or in person.

There wasn’t much opportunity for that where I was previously. ’

We continue to chat while we eat our meal, and contrary to Cat’s concern, I find that I feel energised by the conversation.

I’d never want the life of a socialite. It’s just not me.

But having a temporary financial cushion does really help because I won’t feel pressured into taking the first job I can find when I get back.

I have a bit of time to nail this down and find a career that’s right for me.

I know how lucky that makes me, and I’m not going to squander the opportunity.

As soon as we’ve finished eating, Amber’s already onto what’s next.

‘Right, let’s take this party down town. See what the nightlife’s like.’

Cat and I look at each other.

‘You don’t actually mean down town , as in Nassau, do you?’ I say.

‘Yeah, why not?’

‘Because we’ve got five bars here on the resort. We haven’t been to them all yet, and as we’re all-inclusive, everything’s essentially free. Why would we want to go out?’

‘Because it’ll be fun. We need to experience this island properly and that’s one way to do it.’

‘I guess that’s not such a bad idea,’ I say.

Cat looks apprehensive. ‘Is it… safe ? I read on the gov.uk site that there’s a risk of getting robbed or assaulted.’

‘It says that about everywhere.’ Amber throws Cat a condescending look. ‘Happens to the absolute minority. Don’t be such a wimp.’

‘If we stick together and take a taxi there and back, I’m sure we’ll be just fine,’ I reassure Cat.

‘Yeah, and if anyone tries anything, they’ll have me to deal with,’ says Amber.

Cat and I look our pint-sized, auburn-haired friend up and down, and share an unconvinced look. Though she’s got a reasonable bark for a chihuahua.

‘OK, then, why not.’ Cat seems to relax a little. ‘Could be fun.’

‘ That’s the spirit ,’ hoots Amber. ‘Let’s go.’

We throw back the last mouthfuls of our drinks and head out of the restaurant.