Page 61 of Never Gonna Happen

‘So how much should I offer to pay?’

‘How much are you actually prepared to pay?’

‘I don’t know,’ Emily whispered. ‘Maybe twenty-five pounds each?’

‘So offer him one thousand rupees for both.’

Emily thought for a second. ‘That’s only about twenty quid.’

‘I know. You’re not going to pay that, obviously. It’s just a starting point.’

Emily laughed. ‘How is this fun?’

Jamie rolled his eyes. ‘Yeah, I’m sure haggling with a beautiful woman is a HUGE drag for him. Come on, you can be fearsome when you want to be.’

She took a deep breath and approached the man, who initially looked like he’d been stabbed in the chest when she proposed her price. She feigned equal horror at his counter-offer, getting into the good-natured theatre of it all and embracing the role of hard-nosed English bargain hunter. They wrangled over the price happily for a few minutes, until Emily had three beautiful cashmere scarves for the equivalent of fifty pounds. Kelly could have one too, whether she wanted one or not.

They browsed the alleyways for another hour, picking up souvenirs and enjoying the hectic chaos of it all, until the temperature climbed to a point where they both needed air and space and water to cool down in. Jamie drove a few miles down the coast to the public beach at Belle Mare, parking under the trees at the edge of the sand. The beach was scattered with tourists and big family groups – kids playing in the water, parents unpacking lunch from coolers or cooking on barbecues under the trees, beach vendors selling slices of pineapple dusted with chilli. There was a cooling breeze off the coast that took some of the heat out of the day, although the humidity had turned Emily’s hair into a frizzy nest.

They stripped down to their swimwear and wandered hand-in-hand into the water, swimming for a while to rinse off the heat and stickiness of the market. The water felt like a cool bath and was so clear that Emily could see the red polish on her toes. Tiny glittering fish swam in circles round her feet, scattering whenever she moved.

‘Did you get enough photos this morning?’ asked Jamie, who’d teased her for taking close-ups of giant crabs and piles of tropical fruit.

‘They’re for my mum. She loves a market, absolute bargain queen. She’d have paid half what I did for those scarves.’

‘You haven’t taken many pictures of us since you’ve been here,’ he said. ‘I thought I’d be posing for a thousand selfies a day.’

Emily shrugged. ‘I don’t know,’ she said, leaning her head back into the water to flatten down the frizz a bit. ‘I’m not sure any photo could ever do it justice. It might show what it looks like to be here with you, but not how it makes me feel.’

Jamie smiled and took her hand. ‘That’s quite profound for a Sunday. How does it make you feel?’

Emily gave a tiny laugh. ‘Happy, excited, a bit scared.’

‘What are you scared of?’

Messing everything up. Getting dumped again. The usual shit insecure women worry about. ‘Perhaps scared is the wrong word. A little apprehensive, maybe. Like I’ve found a side to myself that I didn’t know existed.’

‘Ah, I see,’ said Jamie. ‘The Emily who rides horses, swims with turtles and doesn’t hide her body under a tablecloth.’

Emily poked him in the arm. ‘It’s a sarong, but yes.’

‘Well, if it’s any consolation, I’ve discovered a new side too.’

She looked at him curiously. ‘What do you mean?’

He took a deep breath. ‘When I asked you out before Christmas, I’d never done that before – actually decided to tell a woman I liked her. With Naomi and Louisa and the other women I’ve gone out with, I’ve let them take the lead and gone along with it, even when I knew it wasn’t quite right. I’m not proud of it, but I guess sometimes it’s easier to live in the moment.’

Emily thought about Mark, all those moments. Two years of them, not thinking about where it might lead, pretending the future didn’t matter. Not a very healthy way to live, with hindsight.

‘I’d been trying to pluck up the courage to ask you out since Louisa left, but couldn’t get the words out,’ he continued. Emily thought about all that time Jamie had spent hanging around her office, offering to wrap hampers and dispense sticky tape. ‘And I knew you’d probably turn me down that day, but I did it anyway. I decided it was time to stop waiting for things to happen. I was pretty proud of myself, actually.’

‘I’m really glad you did.’

‘Me too,’ said Jamie. ‘Your shoulders look a bit pink. Are you burning?’

‘I’m always burning,’ said Emily. ‘The only way I tan is out of a bottle. I’ll sit in the shade for a bit.’

‘Kiss me first,’ said Jamie, gently pulling her towards him. She slid her arms round his waist and leaned in, wondering if there would ever be a moment more romantic than this, when she felt a sharp pain in the ball of her foot. She jumped in agony, and the pain was repeated further towards her heel.