Isla arrives last and sits down with a sigh. She does look pretty this evening, wavy blonde hair and a low-cut white bodycon dress. Again, her boyfriend Richie is nowhere to be seen.
‘Did you have a nice day?’ Mia enquiries.
Isla nods. ‘It was fine. We just stayed on board. I prefer it when everyone leaves the ship for the day. More space around the pool.’
‘The beach was pretty,’ I tell her.
‘I don’t do beaches. Too much sand.’
‘What about you, Mia?’ I ask, controlling the urge to ask Isla if she’s ever been happy a moment in her life. I pick up a menu and consider frisbeeing it across the table towards Isla’s bored little face. ‘Did you guys have fun?’
‘We visited La Maddalena,’ Dieter replies. ‘We took the ferry. Interesting place but we were very hot.’
Mia nods in agreement, her eyes fixed on her own menu. Mia is tiny but from what I saw last night she has a bigger appetite than me. Well, almost. I’m certain if it came to a carb eating contest, I would win.
‘We just had a wander around town, didn’t we, Brian?’ Evelyn tells me. ‘But I agree, Dieter, far too hot. What about you Sophie? Good day?’
‘It was,’ I reply. ‘The water was lovely. Given the heat, it sounds like I made the right decision.’
‘Ready to order?’
‘Salad to start and then the chicken,’ Mia tells Marco. ‘And could I have some extra blue cheese salad dressing on the side?’
I order the calamari and the beef with mashed potatoes, asparagus and a red wine sauce. I know it says ‘French night’ but the menu has precisely four French dishes, including escargot, which I’m not putting anywhere near my mouth, no matter how many times it’s offered. Unless calamari, risotto and rogan josh also originated on the banks of the Seine, it’s not the most extensive selection.
‘And for you, madam?’ Marco asks Isla.
She hums and haws over the menu for longer than necessary.
Marco leans in and points at the menu. ‘I can recommend the linguine. It is very photogenic.’
Dieter is the first to laugh.
She glares. ‘Just the risotto. No starter.’
I’m enjoying my time with my new acquaintances and also the way Marco puts Isla in her place. I’m certain she’s the type of woman who’ll complain to his boss and I’m certain that Marco is the kind of man who couldn’t give two shits. However, after our chat last night, she continues to be somewhat nice to me.
‘I looked you up last night, Sophie. Richie says he thinks he knows your boss, Roger. Met him at some function or other a few years ago.’
‘Roger?’ I reply, through a mouthful of mashed potato. French or not, it’s delicious. ‘Isn’t it a small world? I’ll be sure to letRogerknow.’
Rupert won’t have a clue who the man from the cruise who doesn’t know his name is. Unless you’re ultra famous, uber wealthy or work for him, Rupert won’t remember a thing about you. It took him six weeks to remember Kieran’s name without having to ask me first. Sometimes I’d say his name was Kato, then deny it afterwards.
‘Richie not joining us?’ Mia asks.
‘Fasting,’ Isla replies. ‘Same as yesterday.’
Mia frowns. ‘That can’t be much fun for you, eating alone. You should share this time together.’
‘It’s fine,’ Isla assures her. ‘We eat breakfast and lunch together. It’s good to have some time apart so we don’t get under each other’s feet. Besides, we’ll meet up later. No biggie.’
I’m not sure I could be in a relationship where dinner consists of one person not eating and the other taking pictures of the food before also not eating. Especially on an all-inclusive holiday where it’s a legal requirement to overeat. I wonder whether this time apart arrangement was entirely Isla’s idea. That sounds like something Jason would have said to keep me at arm’s length while he swanned about looking at other women.
After wolfing down our starters, the main meal arrives. I see Lucas watching Isla adjust her plate. I can tell he’s about five seconds away from sticking his finger directly into the middle of her mushroom risotto.
‘There’s karaoke on tonight at the pub,’ Cameron mentions. ‘Anyone else going?’
‘Our local pub does karaoke,’ Evelyn tells us. ‘I don’t sing but Brian and my daughter Claire do.’
