Page 43 of In the Same Boat

‘She’s pretty, isn’t she?’

‘Which one?’ I check, and that’s enough to make him smirk, narrow his eyes at me, look like he’s ‘got me’.

I pick up the nearest pillow and throw it at him.

He ducks out of the cabin, laughing, as the pillow hits the door.

I lie back against the pillows and stare at the ceiling now that I’m alone again.

So much for a quiet break. So much for switching off from work for a few days. So much for a lads’ bonding trip with my dad, which, now that I think about it, sounds just as bad. He’s been my dad for thirty-four years. We’re plenty bonded. I should have known he was bullshitting.

So now I’m trapped on a yacht with my dad, the woman he likes and her daughter who doesn’t seem to be a big fan of any of us right now.

This is going to be terrible.

10

SAMMIE

Getting ready for dinner on a yacht is exactly like getting ready for dinner anywhere else – except now and again the floor occasionally moves, and your mum keeps saying things like, ‘Oh, isn’t Nico wonderful?’ while you try to apply eyeliner without removing an eye – by accident or on purpose. Any valid excuse to leave would be welcome.

I’m standing in the tiny bathroom, leaning far too close to the mirror, trying to make myself look presentable. I’ve had a permanent frown since I got here, so I’m trying to create the illusion of lift by applying eyeliner and lip liner in a way that counteracts the weight of the world on my face. It’s hard not to scowl at my reflection, for falling for a scam like this – and at the hands of my own mother too.

‘You’re very quiet,’ Mum calls from the cabin.

‘I’m concentrating,’ I reply.

‘On what?’

‘Not blinding myself,’ I insist – although part of my attention is scanning for escape routes.

When I come out of the bathroom, Mum is standing in front of the mirror by the wardrobe wearing a coral dress I have not seen before. It’s soft and floaty, skimming her waist and falling around her knees, and she looks genuinely beautiful in it. There’s a brightness to her that softens my anger at the situation, if only a little. Obviously, I want her to be happy – I just don’t want to be a part of it.

‘You look lovely,’ I tell her.

She turns, pleased.

‘Do I?’

‘Gorgeous,’ I insist.

‘Not too much?’

‘For dinner on a yacht in Monaco?’ I joke. ‘I think too much is a standard requirement.’

She smiles and smooths her hands down the fabric.

‘I bought it just for the trip,’ she says. ‘I can’t imagine wearing this back home.’

She sits on the edge of the bed, patting the space next to her, indicating for me to join her.

I did wonder when she was going to address the elephant in the room – the fact that she tricked me here.

‘This is exactly why I wanted you to come,’ she says.

‘To check your outfits?’

‘To check my everything,’ she says. ‘Darling, it’s been so long since I dated someone, I’m not sure I know what I’m doing. I need you here to keep me in check, make sure I don’t do anything stupid. Plus, if I get all tongue-tied, you can step in – you’re so good with people.’