Page 35 of Another Lucky Number (Lucky Number #2)

Chapter Thirty-One

J ames and I leave the restaurant and make our way along one of the meandering paths towards the beach, enjoying the warmth from the sun while we walk. He slips his warm hand into mine, and I smile up at him shyly.

‘You did incredibly well there,’ he says. ‘Presentations are tough, but you seem to have nailed the content.’

‘You think?’ I’m pleased with this unsolicited feedback.

‘I do. Are you planning to use your notes tomorrow?’

‘Yes, why do you ask?’

He seems to consider his response. ‘Well, overall you did great, but there was one thing that I thought let you down slightly.’

‘Which was?’

‘You seemed to be reading some of the sections word for word from your notes.’

‘Ah, right.’ I nod. ‘That’s because there are some parts I don’t know as well yet, but I’ll learn them off by heart by tomorrow.’

‘So, you’re learning the content like a script?’

‘Is that not essential? I need to know it inside out. ’

We’re about to step off the path onto the beach, so I stop momentarily to take off my sandals and carry them by the straps.

‘It’s certainly important to know what you want to talk about and when,’ says James.

‘But the problem with learning it like a script is that you could lose your place and struggle to get back on track. And you might end up using your notes as a crutch, meaning you’re not looking at your audience enough. ’

I know I should be grateful for this feedback, which I acknowledge is really on point, but for some reason, it makes me bristle.

‘Right. Well, I guess I’ll need to be super prepared then.’

‘Or you could try having cue cards with just your key points on them? That would allow you some flexibility and help you come across as someone who really knows their stuff.’ James takes my hand again as we walk across the powdery white sand.

I frown at this comment. ‘I do know my stuff. Are you saying you think I don’t?’

‘No, not at all. I know you do. I’m talking solely about perception. People will judge you on what they see because that’s all they’ve got to work with. They don’t know you… know how you performed in your last job, or how experienced you are.’

‘I suppose.’

Though I know James is right, I’m still bristling from this feedback, and I don’t know why. Probably best then to change the subject to avoid getting into it any further. I scan the seascape and point at a paraglider in the distance.

‘You ever done that?’

‘No,’ he says. ‘And I want to tell you it’s because I’ve never had the opportunity, but—’

‘You’re scared of heights?’

‘Does that make you like me less?’

‘Uh-uh. It just means I don’t respect you. ’

‘ Oh, what? ’ He blanches from my ambush.

‘I’m kidding.’ I smile up at him. ‘I like that you’re comfortable sharing things like that with me.’

‘ I was . Now I’m not.’

‘ Aww… no . Don’t say that. I was genuinely messing with you.’

‘So, what are you scared of, Emma?’ James lets my hand go and slips his arm around my waist.

I wrinkle my nose. ‘Too many things. Amber calls me a wuss.’

‘I’m sure Amber has her own fears.’

‘If she does, she’s damn good at hiding them. Sometimes I think she’s fearless to a dangerous level. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. And you should have seen her out here the other day: she tried every water sport available. I do wish I could have some of what she’s got though.’

‘You seem pretty solid yourself.’ He cocks his head, seemingly surprised at my statement. ‘You were certainly able to tell me to back off when we first met.’

‘Yet here you are.’ I chuckle.

‘What can I say? I’m a sucker for punishment.’

James laughs too and draws me in for a delicious lingering kiss that sets my senses alight. It’s an embrace so filled with desire that I wonder if we should hotfoot it to my suite. Then he breaks apart from me abruptly, leaving me worked up and wanting more.

‘Seriously though,’ he continues, as if the kiss never happened. ‘How come you could do that with me – tell me what’s what – but you can’t do it with others?’

I consider his question. ‘I guess I wasn’t intimidated by you in in the way that I can be with some people.

It’s only the more aggressive, elbow-you-out-the-way types that I struggle with.

’ I gaze longingly at the breaking waves.

‘Let’s go down to the water’s edge. I’m dying to get my feet in the water. ’

‘Sure.’ James shifts trajectory but unfortunately sticks with the current topic of conversation. ‘Has this issue held you back in your job then, Emma? There are a lot of bad behaviours in workplaces.’

Karla, my ex-boss and queen of intimidation, floats into my head, taking the shine off the moment when I finally reach the tide and paddle in the cool, crystal-clear water.

This irks me a little. I don’t want to be thinking about her right now.

I want to splash in the sparkling sea and flirt with James. Why is he pursuing this stuff?

‘Yeah, it has.’ I shrug, wading ankle deep through the water. ‘But that’s par for the course. Some people want to climb the career ladder as quickly as possible and they’ll tread on others to get there. It’s a simple fact of life.’

‘But that’s the thing, Emma. You don’t have to live with it. You can learn to stand your ground in a way that means people respect you and won’t mess with you. It’s about not showing weakness.’

My irk morphs into irritation. Why is James suddenly trying to play mentor?

The tip about eye contact was great, but then there was the comment about my notes for the presentation and now this.

He’s obviously trying to help – but I don’t want another interview coach on top of Amber and Cat.

I told him this already. I also want my time with him to be the fun part of my day.

‘I’m aware of my weaknesses, James,’ I say. ‘And Amber’s already said she’ll help me with that particular issue before I start a new job. Now, can we change the subject before I decide you should address your own fears by signing you up to a paragliding course?’

‘Fair enough.’ He shrugs easily, then points to the beach bar. ‘Don’t know about you, but I fancy continuing with our walk with a refreshing drink. ’

‘Ooh, yeah, that sounds perfect.’ I’m pleased to have finally deterred James from Operation: Let’s Fix Emma.

‘Race you there? Last one gets the drinks in.’

‘You’re on.’

We take off up the gentle slope from the water, which is a lot tougher to run on that it looks, and within fifteen seconds I’ve given up. I’m more than happy to get the drinks in, given that everything’s already paid for.

After the remainder of my beach walk with James, which was filled with the flirty banter and movie-style kisses I was craving, I feel like I’ve had some proper downtime. And to my relief, there was no more well-intentioned-but-at-this-point-unwanted advice from him.

After swinging by reception to get a loan of a laptop and USB stick from Charnice, I meet Cat and Amber in the resort’s Business Hub, where I’ll be creating the visuals for my presentation.

As with my main content, they leave me to do the work myself and just chip in here and there when I ask for opinions.

‘And… that’s it. Done .’ I close the PowerPoint file and pull the USB stick out of the laptop when I’m finally finished.

‘Well done, honey.’ Cat claps her hands excitedly. ‘You’ve done an incredible job.’

‘I’ve done my best. I’m no graphic designer or anything, but hopefully this will hit the mark.’

‘It looks boss,’ says Amber. ‘All you need to do now is nail your presentation content and you’re ready to roll. Right, let’s go eat. I’m starving.’

We head to the beach bar, where we enjoy burgers and fries for lunch. It’s the perfect setting, gazing out across the turquoise water to where the darker sea meets the azure of the sky on the horizon.

After we’ve eaten, we spend some time doing interview practice like the day before. Amber fires questions at me like a spray of bullets in an action movie, and I’m pleased to find that I’m much quicker off the mark with my answers this time.

‘ Well done .’ She slaps me on the back once we’re done. ‘Your answers were great and you came across well. Do that tomorrow and you’ll blow them away.’

‘I reckon, after that, I could survive an MI5 interrogation.’ I mop the sweat from my brow with my napkin. ‘You’re a hard bloody taskmaster, Amber. Being serious though, I think I am ready – on the interview side. The presentation still scares the living crap out of me though.’

‘I know you’re nervous,’ says Cat. ‘Most people would be. But you’ve got fantastic content. Believe in yourself, be as natural as possible – as you’ve done here – and you’ll do amazing.’

On digesting her words, James’s comment about me reading from a script floats into my mind – an unwelcome but relevant reminder that my presentation style is anything but natural. This stirs up a nauseous feeling in my gut. He may be right, but I’m not confident enough to freestyle it.

‘You OK, honey?’ Cat seems to sense my discomfort.

I force a smile. ‘Yeah, I’m fine. Just nervous about my presentation, as I said.’

‘You’ll be glad to know then, that we’re doing more presentation practice this afternoon,’ says Amber ‘We’ll have you knocked into shape by this evening.’

‘Hmm…’ I grimace. ‘Why does that worry me more than it reassures me?’