Page 35 of Below the Deck

‘What is it?’ he barked, without turning to look.

‘Be careful with that phone of yours.’

He dropped his mobile back down, turned and then, when he saw her, seemed to soften.

‘Ah, Eleni – it’s you. I’m sorry for letting my temper get the better of me down there.’ He sighed, then took a few paces towards her. ‘Is everything all right?’

She smiled. ‘Don’t worry, it’s fine – it’s pretty intense here. But now that I’ve got you, can we have a chat?’

‘With my favourite land buyer? Of course.’

Rory moved towards the sofa at the bow, patting the seat next to him. ‘Come and sit down.’

Eleni nodded and took a seat beside Rory. She could feel her cheeks starting to flush now; she wondered if there was a telltale sheen of sweat above her brow.

‘So, what did you want to talk about?’

Eleni took a deep breath. ‘Nick’s … fall this morning from the jet ski. I want you to know, there’s no hard feelings. I know you’d never do something like that on purpose. But – how did it happen, exactly?’

‘Ah, yes. I did wonder if you’d bring that up.’ Rory sighed. ‘And I’m afraid the simple answer is: I was being an idiot. I wanted to show a strapping young fellow like your husband that I’ve still got it, I suppose. I’m sorry – really, I am.’

Eleni nodded. That did make sense; it was the kind of thing she could imagine him doing. ‘It’s okay – no harm done. Accidents happen, and Nick’s fine.’

‘Of course he is. With the size of the muscles on your policeman husband? It’d take a lot more than that to bring him down.’ Rory laughed and nudged Eleni in the side. She offered him her most winning smile.

‘He is quite the catch, isn’t he?’ she said. ‘And not just because of the muscles. I’m very lucky.’ She examined her fingernails. ‘You are too, of course. Talia’s wonderful.’

‘Indeed,’ said Rory, closing his eyes for a beat, almost in reverence. ‘Some would say she’s rather out of my league.’

‘Not at all,’ exclaimed Eleni. ‘You’re a perfect match. And it’s great, the four of us spending time together, isn’t it?’ She paused; her racing heartbeat was painfully loud. Could Rory hear it? ‘Actually, thinking about it, wouldn’t it be nice if we—’

A soft thud sounded, close to the edge of the steps. Eleni glanced towards the stairwell to check whether someone was coming up. Maybe Nick was looking for her – she’d said she’d only be a minute. There was no one there.

At least, no one she could see. But still, the cold, creeping sensation crawled from the nape of Eleni’s neck to the base of her spine, with horrible familiarity.

That feeling again. Someone’s watching me – someone’s watching both of us.

Her eyes darted around the deck; she turned her head andpeered around the bow. She craned her neck to get a clear view down towards the stern.

Did something just move over there? Is someone out there, halfway up the stairs – watching us, listening to us?

‘Eleni?’ said Rory, sounding baffled. ‘Earth to Eleni! Whatever’s the matter with you?’

Eleni forced her gaze away from the empty doorway and shook her head. ‘Sorry – I thought … I just had this weird feeling. But no – it’s nothing.’ Eleni’s throat had gone dry; her words emerged sounding cracked and rasping. ‘Sorry – what was I saying?’

Rory frowned. ‘Ah – something about how nice it is to all spend time together. And I couldn’t agree more, by the way. You know, Nick reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger—’

But his words were cut short: Sam strode onto the sun deck. He saw the two of them and laughed. ‘Thought you said you were going to get your book? Had to stop for a bit of a chinwag with the boss first, by the looks of it. Or maybe you’re planning to coordinate your outfits for this evening! Anything I need to know about?’

Eleni blinked. His glib tone was so at odds with her current state of mind, it was jarring.Has he been standing near the stairwell this whole time? Is that why I felt like someone was watching us?

‘Did you just come up here now?’ she asked.

The grin disappeared from Sam’s face. ‘Er … yeah. Only walked up the stairs this minute.’ He shrugged. ‘Why?’

Is he lying?Nothing in his expression was giving anything away. But Sam had appeared like this before, hadn’t he, loiteringat the edges of their conversations? Happening to be nearby at exactly the right moment?And the constant checking in: are you okay? Are you sure? Do you need anything?

‘Can I grab either of you a drink?’ Sam asked, pointing to the bar on the deck. ‘I’ve just started on some James Bond-themed cocktails, and even Lucy’s got herself a Prosecco …’