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“True. I just can’t wait to show you my dress,” she says to Mack. “It’s so beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful,” he says, and pulls her toward him for a kiss.
Huxley rolls his eyes, but smiles at me. “Sleep well?” he asks.
I nod. “The bed was lovely and comfortable. You?”
“Titus snores.”
“Oh, I thought there was something wrong with the engine.”
He chuckles, and I grin. His eyes meet mine then, smiling and warm, and my heart lifts. Oh, it would be so nice if we could return to the way we were. I miss him so much.
I’m not going to get much of a chance to talk to him this morning, though. As soon as he finishes breakfast, he’s off helping the staff to get organized for the day. By nine we’ve cast off and we’re heading for Paihia, and once there it takes an hour to ferry Mack’s family onto the yacht. Huxley’s kept busy showing the guests to their cabins and making sure everyone has everything they need.
I’m happy to help, but it seems as if everything is well organized, so I keep out of the way on the deck and just sit and read while everyone comes on board. It’s only when I spot Huxley and Mack deep in conversation to one side, looking concerned, that I put my book down and go over.
“Everything all right?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Mack says, “we’ve just had one more person turn up than we anticipated. My grandfather’s brother, Wiremu, told us he wasn’t coming, but he changed his mind at the last minute, which isn’t very helpful.”
Huxley has spread out his list of guests and what cabins he’s allocated them to on the table. I join him in looking at them, and quickly spot the problem. “My cabin’s the only one with a single occupant.”
“It’s okay,” Huxley says, “I’m working on it.”
“Put him in with me,” I say. “I don’t mind.”
He gives me a direct look. “That’s very kind, but I’m not putting a strange older man in your cabin.”
Mack runs his hand through his hair. “I’ll tell Wiremu we don’t have the space. He did say he wasn’t coming. He’ll have to go back, that’s all there is to it.”
“Of course not,” I say swiftly, not wanting anything to upset Mack on his big day. “Look, Hux, put him in with Titus, and you’ll have to share with me.”
Huxley raises an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
I hesitate. “If you’d rather not, then you share with Wiremu and put Titus in with me. It’s only one night. I’m planning to party into the early hours anyway.” I smile at Mack.
“Are you sure?” he says, relieved.
“Of course. Go and tell him he’s fine to stay.”
Mack nods and goes off.
Huxley looks at his piece of paper and hovers his pencil over his cabin. Then he looks up at me. “Who would you prefer to share with?” His eyes are gentle. “I don’t mind if you choose Titus.”
“I’d rather share with you, silly. But I understand if you’d rather not.”
We study each other for a moment. Then he drops his gaze to the paper, crosses his name out, and adds Wiremu’s name to the cabin. He writes his own name above mine.
“Thanks,” he says. “Mack was freaking out at having to send him away.”
“Oh we couldn’t have that. We’ll be fine. We can be grown-ups about it, can’t we?”
“Of course,” he says.
But my heart’s racing, and from the look in his eyes, I’m sure his heart is too.
It doesn’t mean anything. Like I said, we’ll be up until the early hours, and then we’ll probably crash out without a second thought. The last thing we should do is sleep together again. I’m already miserable; I don’t want to make things worse.
