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‘Drinking seawater is not a good idea. Come on. Let’s get you onto the boat. I’ll get you some water. And probably a strong coffee, too.’
‘Coffee? I can’t have coffee, I won’t sleep.’
‘Honestly, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.’
Smacking her lips, Holly took a few steps forward, only to stop suddenly. Giles jumped back and grabbed her hands and pulled her into the middle of the jetty.
‘What are you doing? You nearly fell in.’
‘We have to go back.’ Holly said, trying to turn around. ‘I need you to take me back to the restaurant. I didn’t pay for the drinks.’
Giles loosened his grip.
‘It’s fine, I got it. I paid for them.’
‘You did?’ Holly went to frown, only to find it caused her head to ache. ‘When? I didn’t see you pay? Are you tricking me? You tricked me before.’
‘I promise you, I paid for the wine. Though given how drunk you were, I expected the bill to be a lot higher. You are a lightweight.’
Even though Holly knew Giles had just insulted her and that he would, at some point, require a rebuke, she still couldn’t let go of the question of who’d paid for the drinks.
‘When did you pay? I didn’t see.’
‘No, you wouldn’t have because it was while you were dancing with the lamppost, singing. Just a word of advice. Please don’t give up the sweet shop for a career on the stage.’
Dropping her frown, Holly pouted instead, though only partly because of Giles’s insult. The other issue was that she really couldn’t remember singing around the lamppost. And that felt like something she should probably remember, particularly if it had only been a few minutes ago.
When they reached the boat, Giles stepped on board and offered her a hand.
‘You’re going to be okay. Just take it slow.’ His hand remained extended, but Holly had stopped again, her eyes on the bucket placed by the back.
‘Is your girlfriend on board?’ The humiliation of the day had already been bad enough. There was no way she could cope with that, too.
‘No, she went home. She’s jetting off for a shoot in Milan tomorrow. Early morning. And she doesn’t sleep well on the boat.’
‘A shoot? Like shooting animals?’ Holly stumbled back in alarm. ‘Why would she do something like that?’
‘No, not shooting animals. A modelling shoot.’
‘She’s a model? Of course she’s a model.’
She took another step back, only for her foot to catch on the edge of the jetty. In one leap, Giles was off the boat, grabbing her.
‘Come on. Let’s get you inside and get you a coffee.’
Her entire weight flopped onto his shoulder as he pulled her up the steps.
‘Okay, that’s it. I’ve got you.’
He opened the doors to the large dining area.
‘Right, I’ll get you below deck before I make you a drink.’
‘Below deck?’
‘Downstairs?’
‘There’s a downstairs! How’s there a downstairs? It’s a boat!’ Holly turned in a circle, banging her hips against the side of the table as she moved.
