Page 35 of Another Lucky Number

We tuck into our dishes, my interview preparation temporarily forgotten as we ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over the food. I savour my delicious fritters while enjoying the warm, briny sea breeze on my face. It’s a simple but wonderful moment – an escape from the pressure I’m feeling.

‘Can I say something before we continue?’ Cat eventually breaks the silence – and my zen.

‘Sure,’ I say. ‘What’s up?’

‘I think you’re trying too hard to be the person Amber sold to Sébastien. You need to beyou. These values aren’t alien toyou, honey. You’re a passionate person who wants to take the initiative, right?’

‘Yes. Definitely.’

‘You care about the environment too?’

‘Of course. I hate the damage we’re doing to our planet, though I realise that’s a bit hypocritical, given we’ve flown all this way. But I did pay extra to offset the carbon emissions and I do try to play my part at home – I can give examples of that. Also, Paradis Resorts is a company that promotes world travel, so perhaps it’s about keeping it in context. It’s certainly important to me that they’re operating in a sustainable way as far as possible and that they’re doing proactive stuff to support local communities affected by climate change.’

‘There you go.’ Cat waves a fork-wielding hand to punctuate her point. ‘And the creativity… that might not jump out so much, but you have more creative flare than you give yourself credit for. You showed that when you came up with your presentation theme, and it will come across on the day. Ultimately, Sébastien wants to know if you’re the right fit for the job and I think you are, as long as you let them seeEmma.’

I consider what Cat’s just said. ‘You’re right, I need to beme.’

‘Shall we start again then?’ she suggests. ‘With you being you?’

‘That’s a great plan.’ I grin at her.

‘And exactly what I was trying to get you to do in the first place,’ Amber complains through a mouthful of shrimp kabob.

‘Well, if you weren’t so preoccupied with points scoring, it might have been a more successful strategy,’ says Cat, giving me sneaky wink, and I stifle a giggle as the founder of the ‘School of Amber and Cat’ is silenced by her own partner.

Chapter Sixteen

After dinner, we wander along the beach, sandals off, feet in the water, enjoying the rhythmic breaking of the waves, the sound of which seems amplified by the quiet of the evening.

‘What’s on the “schedule” for tonight then?’ I ask, still not entirely convinced that the ‘company research’ part of my prep plan isn’t more about Amber wanting her nights out than getting me interview ready.

‘There’s a dance group at the beach,’ says Amber. ‘We’ll do a pit stop there and then head to The Cave where there’s live music on.’

‘OK, sure.’

We trace the bend of the resort’s private beach until the beach bar comes into view, lively music and intermittent cheers floating across the sea breeze towards us.

‘Sounds like it’s already started.’ says Cat.

We increase our pace, and as we get closer, I can make out a female dance group performing on the beach in front of the feet-in-sand bar tables. They’re dressed in carnival style outfits in a kaleidoscope of bright colours, with elaborate plumessprouting out of their headdresses: the clear intention being to enhance the visual experience of their act. They’re moving in perfect sequence to lively Caribbean-style music, the resort guests in the bar enthusiastically clapping along to the beat.

On reaching a free table we sit down and are immediately sucked into the experience.

‘This isamazing,’ Cat calls across to us over the loud music.

‘It really is.’ I call back, already shifting to the beat.

We watch in awe as the women energetically perform dance after dance, none of them appearing to even break a sweat. They’re obviously used to the climate, but I still can’t help wondering how they do it. The evening is warm and balmy: it’s a bit like doing a workout in a greenhouse.

After about twenty minutes, the performers wrap up their act to loud, appreciative applause.

‘That was brilliant!’ I declare through my enthusiastic clapping. ‘They definitely do things a level above at this resort.’

‘Useful insight for sure,’ Amber agrees. ‘Right, let’s get moving.’

We vacate our table and head for The Cave, which isn’t far away.

‘Ladies, good evening.’ The same hostess from our last visit greets us when we arrive. ‘Are you here for the live music?’

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