Page 30 of The Suite Life
‘Not that I’m aware of,’ I reply with a chuckle.
‘Good morning, Ms Marsden,’ a waiter says as he places a plate down in front of me. ‘A fruit platter, to start your day.’
My jaw drops at the stunning arrangement of fruit, laid out by colour, like a delicious-looking rainbow. It all smells so fresh that I can practically taste it. My mouth is watering – usually this only happens at breakfast time if there are pastries, or I’m still asleep.
‘Can I get one of those?’ Sunshine asks him.
‘Of course, ma’am, the breakfast buffet is right over there,’ the waiter tells her.
My God, if I could bottle this feeling, and sell it, I would be incredibly rich and it would explain why I was getting such special treatment.
‘Okay, when do we get to meet this mystery man?’ Lucy asks. ‘Honestly, I’m thinking about him more than I am Rick.’
‘Thanks,’ Rick jokes sarcastically. ‘She’s right, though. When we got in bed last night, it was all she wanted to talk about.’
‘We didn’t give it a second thought,’ Sunshine says, although the look on Nathan’s face maybe suggests otherwise. ‘But you might as well tell us who it is. We’ll find out eventually.’
‘I’m keeping my cards close to my chest for now,’ I say cryptically.
‘He’s your date to the wedding, we should know something about him,’ Sunshine says.
‘Can we maybe get a few clues?’ Lucy suggests.
‘My lips are sealed,’ I reply.
‘Surely there’s something you can tell us?’ Sunshine pushes on and, for the first time, I notice a hint of disbelief in her voice. ‘He’s starting to sound too good to be true.’
All at once my body shuts down. I can’t speak, I can’t move, I can’t think. I can’t… I can’t just blurt the same old ‘wait and see’ line because Sunshine is on to me, but I can’t offer up anything else because this incredible mystery wedding date is a figment of my imagination.
I need to do something, not just sit here like a lemon. Every second I don’t say something only makes me look more and more sus, and the look on Sunshine’s face is seamlessly blending into a smirk, like she’s caught me out.
‘Excuse me,’ a man’s voice interrupts us.
‘Great timing, can I get another coffee?’ Nathan says, offering the man his cup.
‘I still don’t work here, mate,’ the man replies with a good-natured grin.
Oh, for goodness’ sake, how has Nathan managed to mistake this man for a member of staff for a second time? It was cringe enough yesterday but now it’s just plain embarrassing. He doesn’t even look like a waiter – was Nathan this much of an arsehole when we were together, or has Sunshine ‘elevated’ his social status to the point where he thinks he can treat people however he wants?
The man, who is actually quite good-looking now that I’m thinking about it, remains unoffended by the mix-up. He has dark, tousled hair that falls effortlessly, framing a face that blends rugged handsomeness with a cheeky softness. He’s tall – well over 6ft, but he only seems more imposing given that he’s standing and we’re all sitting. Nathan would always say that he was 6ft when he wasn’t, but men often say that, don’t they? As though lying about a few inches here or there will sway us. Idon’t mean that as raunchy as it sounds but, however you read it, my opinion holds up.
‘Can I borrow you?’ he asks me.
I’m taken aback, although lord knows why, because Hawaii Gigi is the main character, apparently.
‘Yes, sure,’ I reply.
I’m not one for going off with strange men but I’m relieved to be able to duck out of the conversation about my date.
We walk away, away from the prying ears of the breakfast table, eventually taking shade underneath a large palm tree. He offers a warm smile, and I return it, curious about what he wants to discuss.
‘That girl doesn’t let up, does she?’ he says, laughing to himself.
I give him a bemused look.
‘The one with the brown hair,’ he prompts me.
I can’t help but smile, because this honestly never happens.
