Page 88 of In the Same Boat

‘Yeah, it’s good,’ I say, remembering I have an act to keep up.

Mum looks at me through the mirror, softer now. Less teasing.

‘You can tell,’ she says simply. ‘You know, I can see the way you look at him.’

My stomach drops.

‘Mum—’

‘I know, you think I’m getting carried away,’ she says gently. ‘I’m just saying… you look happy around him.’

For a second, I don’t know what to say to that. Because I don’t, do I? Not really. It’s all an act. But I don’t want to disappoint her.

Instead, I just smile faintly and look back down at my clothes, trying to find something to wear myself.

I do feel sort of bad, that she thinks this is real. She thinks all the flirting and the hand-holding and the waking up together mean her chronically single daughter is finally getting her life on track.

But we’re lying to them to help them, giving them the push they need to do this on their own – it’s just a nice bonus, that it gets Nico and me off the hook.

Funny, since we’ve been working together, it’s hard to remember what I found so objectionable about him.

‘I could say the same about you and Hank,’ I tell her with a smile, changing the subject slightly.

‘Yeah,’ she admits quietly, smiling at herself in the mirror as she holds a pink dress up against her body. ‘I feel happy around him.’

‘That’s great.’

‘He’s ridiculous,’ she says fondly.

‘He is. I’m glad to see the captain’s hat never made a comeback,’ I joke.

‘Yes, there’s that. But he’s kind.’

She slips off her sundress and steps into the pink dress she’s chosen to wear.

I think about the way Hank looks at her when she’s talking. Like he’s genuinely listening. Like he’s pleasantly surprised by how much he enjoys her company, like it was always wanted, but completely unexpected.

‘Yeah,’ I admit. ‘He is.’

Mum stands there, smoothing creases out of her dress before looking at herself in the mirror.

‘Do I look all right?’

‘You look gorgeous,’ I tell her. ‘That one will be perfect.’

‘Well, I don’t want to let the side down – what are you wearing?’

I ponder for a moment. I think I only brought one ‘going out’ dress, assuming I probably wouldn’t need one at all. It’s red, short, strapless – I thought it would be more use for getting a decent tan, not taking it out on the town. But here we are.

‘I’ll see what I can find,’ I say vaguely.

Tonight’s outfit choice feels less like getting dressed for a date and more like preparing for battle.

If you’d told me, even a week ago, that I would be going out clubbing in Monte Carlo, with my mum, her new fella, and his son – the son I’m sharing a bed with – I honestly don’t think I would have believed one part of it. But here we are. And I’m ready to make the most of it.

21

SAMMIE