Page 2 of Another Lucky Number

‘We are not going to die,’ Amber yells back, barely audible above the noise of the plummeting plane.

‘How can you know that?’

‘Because there’s no effing way I’m missing out on this holiday…’

My eyes fly open and I sit bolt upright. Everything is still shaking and bumping, but it’s so bright I can’t see a thing. I rub at my eyes, desperate to orientate myself, realising only after several seconds what’s going on: Amber’s in front of me,dragging my sun lounger across the concrete poolside – with me still on it.

‘Amber!’ I bark at her. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

‘You’re getting burnt. I was trying to move you to the shade without waking you.’ She states this as if it’s obvious.

I look down at my reddening stomach and see that she’s right.

‘OK, well, you could have woken me up. Thanks to you, I just had a horrible dream.’ I glance around self-consciously, noting that there’s a growing audience enjoying this spectacle.

Amber, unmoved by my plight, carries on dragging me across the concrete. This includes some abrupt movements as she adjusts the lounger’s direction, making me look like a poorly-trained circus performer.

‘Look, stop, will you?’ My face is now hot with embarrassment.

‘Nearly sorted. Stay put.’

In my state of embarrassment, ‘nearly’ isn’t good enough. Unable to bear being the centre of attention for a moment longer, I attempt a swift and graceful exit from the sun bed, but my foot gets caught in my towel, and before I know it, I’ve overbalanced and plunged head first into the swimming pool. Moments later, I emerge coughing and spluttering to raucous laughter and a shadow appears above me.

‘What did you do that for?’ Amber’s incredulous face peers down at me. ‘I told you to stay put.’

‘But you were… Why would you even…Oh, forget it.’ I haul myself out of the pool, grab my towel and furiously dry myself.

Cat bounds across to us from the bar, brandishing three ice creams, clearly oblivious to the drama that has unfolded in her absence.

‘Here we are, ladies, thought you might… um… did I miss something?’ She looks from Amber to me and back again.

‘Everything’s fine,’ says Amber. ‘Emma took a quick dip.’

‘Oh, lovely,’ says Cat. ‘Was the water nice? It’s so hot today.’

‘It wasfreezing.’I seethe.‘I’m going for a shower. See you in a bit.’ I quickly gather my stuff and stalk off in the direction of my room.

‘Did I say something wrong?’ I hear Cat ask Amber as I leave the pool area.

‘Nah, don’t worry, she’ll be fine. Here, give me that extra ice cream. Shouldn’t let it go to waste.’

Chapter Two

Back in my suite, I have a long, hot shower, partly to wash away my annoyance at Amber, and partly because it’s the most amazing shower I’ve ever experienced: with body jets and massage settings and mood lighting. It’s like being at a spa.

The spray works its magic on the tense knots in my neck and shoulders, while I sigh with bliss. Amber’s antics aside, this holiday is the perfect wind down from a crazy-mad few weeks. In fact, it’s almost impossible to believe that only days ago, my life felt like it was in tatters.

It was like something out of a movie. Dave, the man I thought I was going to marry suddenly dumping me, leaving me heartbroken, homeless and suffering from full-on anxiety and panic attacks – then discovering I’d won three-quarters of a million pounds on the lottery. I genuinely thought at the time that this was the answer to all my problems and boy did I have a rude awakening. After suddenly quitting my job because of a bullying boss, I’d embarked on a week of living like a millionaire, encouraged by my elderly adopted aunt Lottie to have some fun and create life-long memories – the kind she herself doesn’t have because of a previous family tragedy. Itshould have been nothing but an indulgent pleasure, and it had started out like that, but it became one of the worst weeks of my life when I discovered Dave had been cheating on me with one of my best friends and I nearly lost Cat after thinking it was her (it wasn’t, of course). Then on top of all that, Lottie ended up in hospital after a fall. It wasa lot. It taught me an important lesson though: that money provides financial stability and creates new opportunities, but it most certainly doesn’t buy happiness or solve the bigger issues in life.

But there was one huge plus that came from it all (aside from the money I won): James, the amazing man I met during that time – and coincidentally the travel agent who booked this holiday for us. I nearly fobbed him off for various unjustifiable reasons. Well, basically because he seemed to turn upeverywhere, dripping with ego and trying to play the hero (that’s what I thought anyway). But he’s actually lovely – and totally gorgeous. Like, top quality boyfriend material and the opposite of my self-involved arsehole ex. It also turned out that I unknowingly used his mobile number to choose my lottery tickets when, during our first (not so successful) interaction, he was about to give me his number and dropped part of the scrap of paper he wrote it on. I had picked it up, unaware that it was his, and ‘hey presto!’I became a nearly millionaire. He doesn’t know that bit yet though. Oh, and then there was the other big ‘wow’ moment that knocked me for six. His parents are Lottie’s neighbours and they’re currently supporting her with her recovery from her fall.

As I say, it wasa lot.

Watching the bubbles from the resort’s luxury aromatherapy shower gel disappear down the plug hole, the memory of my impromptu first date (and first kiss!) with James immediately before my departure for this very destination triggers a fizzing in my stomach. I could almost believe that it was fate.Almost. Maybe too soon to judge, but I’ll certainlyenjoy alleviating the holiday blues with his company when this trip is over.

After my shower, I’m towel drying my hair in front of the huge floor to ceiling mirror, when the doorbell rings, signalling a visitor to my suite.

‘Just a moment,’ I call out.

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