Page 38 of Gold Diggers

Shooting wrapped at six.

Adam treated everyone to a lobster supper at the clapboard seafood restaurant on the seafront and, as darkness fell, everyone adjourned, drunk and happy, to the Beach Barbecue that the hotel threw every Wednesday. A steel band played a Bob Marley medley. Dan was helping himself to a second dinner, piling a huge mountain of jerk chicken onto a plate, Mike the photographic assistant was chatting up the make-up artist.

The beach was swarming with guests from the hotel. A bonfire crackled, its orange flames leaping into an ink-black sky.

Karin sipped a little rum punch and felt smug. Summer stood alone at the water’s edge, dipping her toes into the cold, foamy surf, glad it was over, daring to think it had been a success.

‘You were really great today.’

Summer stopped listening to the waves on the shore and looked up to see Adam. ‘Sure I didn’t look like a porn star?’

‘Have you seen any porn magazines recently? Believe me, they don’t look like that shoot this afternoon.’

Summer could feel herself blush in the darkness and looked over to the bonfire to avoid his gaze. ‘We’ve only just met and we’re talking about porn,’ she laughed nervously. ‘Believe me, I’m not that kind of girl.’

‘And I’m not that kind of guy,’ he smiled.

‘So we can call it quits.’

‘We’ll never mention the p-word again.’

‘Or I’ll tell my mother you’re a bad influence.’

‘And I don’t want to get on the wrong side of her,’ laughed Adam. The silence hung like a charge in the air and it made Summer feel suddenly uncomfortable.

‘I’m going back to the hotel. It’s been a long day.’

She had already started walking away from him. When she looked over her shoulder, back at the surf, he was still standing there watching her and lifted his hand to wave.

From this distance she felt safer. She smiled as a happy buzz hummed around her body, scolding herself immediately for feeling it.

Karin had changed into a long white strapless jersey dress. A long silver turquoise pendant fell between her collarbones and her hair was swept up into an elegant chignon. Excluding Summer, she was the most beautiful woman at the party. Including Summer, she was the most stylish. She had still kept her eye on her model all evening. She’d seen Adam watching her on the shoot and had been on red alert ever since, even though Summer, she begrudgingly had to admit, seemed a sweet girl.

Despite her sex appeal, Summer seemed to lack that predatory gene that constituted her mother’s make-up, although it was Karin’s mantra never to trust anyone.

Dan Stevens lolloped up to Karin, visibly drunk and waving a balloon of rum.

‘What do you think my chances are with Summer?’ he slurred.

‘You’re a married man,’ laughed Karin, secretly hoping he might entertain Summer for the evening and diffuse the threat.

‘Well, I need a distraction to keep me in check,’ he smiled. ‘Why don’t you make a speech?’ he added.

‘What for?’

‘A war cry. To thank everyone. Brainwash everyone into the Karenza message.’

Dan had a point. Karin did want to thank everyone properly. Everyone had worked their asses off. The campaign was going to be as good as anything Lauder or Gucci had ever done, but she had done it on the cheap. And she wanted to impress Adam.

She scanned the beach for everyone. There were only ten or so of them in their party, but she couldn’t see anyone. More importantly, she had lost sight of Adam and Summer.

She felt sudden unease and checked the crowd again. ‘Have you seen Summer?’ she asked Dan urgently.

‘I think she’s gone back to the hotel.’

Yeah right, thought Karin, striding across the sand. She walked to the barbecue, which had stopped cooking. The chefs were dancing in the area around the band, which had been turned into a makeshift dance floor. There was a huge throng of people on the beach now.

Honeymooners slow-danced in other arms, kids twirling their arms ran and in and out of middle-aged couples, who held hands and moved awkwardly to the sounds of Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’. Adam and Summer weren’t there or by the bar.