Page 16 of Another Lucky Number

‘I bet that’s why he got in touch,’ says Amber. ‘Clever bastard. Probably anticipated the potential for you having a holiday romance and decided to show his cards early. Respect to him because it worked.’

‘Stop it, Amber.’ I frown at her. ‘You make him sound devious and calculating—’

‘Oh, shut up. I just mean he likes you and he wants you to himself. What’s wrong with that?’

I’m cheered by this thought. ‘Nothing, I guess. But I’m also thinking, what if it doesn’t work out with James, and then I’ve missed out on having a hot and steamy holiday romance? That would also suck.’

‘That’s where my head was at,’ says Amber. ‘No, actually, I was already licking Sébastien’s abs and—’

‘All right.’ I shut her down. ‘We don’t need a graphic account of the dirt that goes through your mind. And I wasn’t finished. Remember, James is about to go on his own holiday and he could hook up with some hot blonde or whatever himself. What if I’m reading this wrong and he’s happy to get to know me while bedding another – or even multiple women while he’s away?’

‘Here’s a suggestion,’ says Cat. ‘Why don’t you go along tonight and see how it is? If you feel too guilty, you can cut it short. Then there’s no harm done. And if it feels right withSébastien, you can cool off the contact with James until you get home and it’s all over anyway. Remember, you’re still officially free and single. You have nothing to feel bad about.’

‘I guess that makes sense.’ I feel better hearing Cat’s logic. ‘OK, I’ll go. On that basis only.’

‘Emma, you’re a legend.’ Amber high fives me. ‘I can’t wait to hear how big his—’

‘Stop!’ Cat and I cry in unison.

‘What? I was going to say his suite – how big his suite is. I’m dying to know what the best ones in the resort are like. Ours are plush enough and we’re just in the standard ones.’

I give her a pointed look. ‘Right now, I have no intention of finding that out, so you can keep wondering.’

Cat and I spend the afternoon on the resort’s pristine white beach: snoozing on our loungers and sipping deliciously refreshing mocktails served by the attentive hotel staff, while reading our books. Palm trees tower above us, swaying gently in the merciful sea breeze. Only when we get too hot or we feel like we want a slight change of scenery, do we wade into the cool crystal-clear water or take a short stroll along the sand. It’s pure unadulterated bliss.

In contrast to our lazy day, Amber signs herself up for a raft of water sports: jet skiing, paragliding, windsurfing, and spends her time zipping back and forth across the seascape, hurling (affectionate) abuse at us for being ‘such a bunch of wasters’.

‘Does that even remotely bother you?’ I ask Cat later in the day.

She props herself up on her elbows. ‘What? Amber’s circus of torment?’

‘Good name for it.’

‘Not at all. I find it quite funny.Makes me even more content that I’m doing this and not that. The number of times she’s come head first off that windsurfing board, I don’t envy her for a second.’

‘Same here.’ I watch as, right on cue, Amber loses control of her sail and takes yet another nose dive into the sparkling water. ‘How’s Mike? Bet he’s missing you.’

Cat suddenly looks bashful. ‘He is. He video-called me this morning before I went to breakfast. Said he was missing my beautiful face and needed to see it.’

‘That’s so sweet.’ I put a hand to my heart. ‘Cat, you have no idea how happy I am for you. After all the bad dates and the wondering if you’d ever find the right man. Here he is. And he’s totally obsessed with you. All the pain must feel worth it now.’

‘It does. I just hope it lasts.’

‘It will. I have a feeling about this one.’

‘Speaking of feelings, what are yours about tonight now you’ve had time to digest things?’

‘Um… not sure.’ I take off my sunglasses and clean the lenses with my beach towel. ‘Bit of nerves, bit of guilt. Bit of excitement.’

‘That’s all understandable,’ says Cat. ‘I’d be the same. I really like what I’ve seen of James so far, but as I said in the karaoke bar, you don’t owe him anything – yet. Certainly not monogamy. Obviously, it would be great if things do work out with him, but no matter what, you’re not being unfaithful or disrespectful. And this way, you’ll have no regrets if it doesn’t go anywhere with him.’

‘Thanks, Cat. Your opinion means a lot to me as you know. I’ve also been thinking about how I put everything into my relationship with Dave and where that got me. I don’t want to have similar regrets.’

‘Makes perfect sense.’ Cat smiles while tucking a flyaway section of hair behind her ear. ‘On that note, shall we pack up so you can go get and glammed up for your date?’

‘Sure, why not.’ A nervous knot instantly forms in my stomach.

We gather our things, signal to Amber where we’re going and wander up the beach towards our suites.

---