Love Overboard

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Sofia was in the kitchen, chopping up a grapefruit for a citrus pavlova, when there was an urgent knock on the door. She checked her watch. It was only 8a.m. – she had another hour until the guest breakfast needed serving.

‘Come in?’ She was expecting Petra, so she was caught off guard when she looked up to find Jack standing in front of her.

‘Sorry, I know I am very much on your turf here.’ He looked bashful, and Sofia was intrigued to hear what had brought him down here, into her lair. She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to say more.

‘I have a pretty big favour to ask you.’ She had not expected this, but she was surprised to find that she was enjoying this change in their dynamic. It was nice for him to be on the back foot for once.

‘Oh really?’ She was a little too gleeful to sound cool and composed as she had wanted to.

‘Dec is in a bad way... after the whisky... and I need someone to come with me on the boat trip later on. You wouldn’t need to drive the boat or navigate or anything, I just need someone there to keep an eye on the guests, keep their glasses topped up, make sure they keep their life jackets on, that kind of thing.’ It was fascinating to watch him ramble, because he was flustered. Sofia bathed in the smugness of his discomfort.

‘Well as long as you don’t require too much brawn, I reckon I can help.’

He gave her a shy smile, and Sofia felt a twinge of compassion towards him. He was clearly grateful. ‘Thank you very much. You’ve really got me out of a sticky situation, and I’m sure Dec will be very appreciative too, once he can stand up without vomiting again.’ He ran his hand through his hair, clearly relieved.

‘It’s the least I can do really, after he covered for me the other day when I um, well, I wasn’t well and I couldn’t get dinner ready. He and Petra really saved my arse...’ She trailed off, and it was her turn to be humbled. Jack gave her a strange look that she couldn’t decipher.

‘Right yes, well, great, meet me up on deck after you’ve sent breakfast. I’ll have to talk you through basic safety procedures. It’s not very complicated – don’t worry.’

There it was – once he had done his grovelling, the patronising tone was back. ‘I think I’ll be fine. I know you like to think that the only alternative to brawn is beauty, but there’s also brains, and girls have those too!’ She tapped her head sarcastically.

He let out an exasperated sigh. ‘Yes, of course, sorry, I just meant it won’t take long.’

Sofia turned back to her grapefruit. ‘I’ll see you around nine then?’

‘Great, looking forward to it.’

She wasn’t best pleased with the sarcasm dripping from his voice but she decided to let it go. They would be spending the whole day together on a small boat, no room for delineated territories, so she needed to practise exercising patience.

After Jack left, Sofia busied herself with breakfast: pancakes with summer berry compote. At 9.04 there was still no sign of Petra and Sofia was worried about the steaming mountain of freshly flipped batter going soggy.

‘Petra, breakfast is ready.’ She hadn’t quite got the hang of the radio yet.

‘This is the captain. Try channel six, over,’ came the reply.

‘Sorry, Captain, over.’

She tried the other channel, and just then Petra burst through the door, looking a little worse for wear.

‘Long night, huh?’ Sofia teased.

Petra groaned. ‘Honestly I completely see why you don’t drink anymore. Once you hit thirty hangovers are no joke.’

‘Excuse me, I am twenty-seven, thank you very much.’ Sofia rolled her eyes, but thrust a bottle towards Petra. ‘Here have some of this coconut water. You need to rehydrate.’

Petra chugged down half the bottle and let out a long sigh. ‘So you’re only twenty-seven? That’s crazy, I was so sure we were the same sort of age. I mean I’m thirty-two so not a million miles off.’ She laughed at Sofia’s deep frown. ‘Not because you look old, my God, your skin is incredible, just that you seem, I don’t know, mature? Like you’ve seen some stuff, like you know who you are?’

Sofia let out an incredulous scoff. ‘Hardly – sometimes it feels like I don’t recognise myself at all, let alone know myself. I think it’s fair to say that I’ve tried to reinvent myself a bit since stepping on this boat.’

Petra tilted her head to the side. ‘Huh, well you’re doing a great job, kid – very convincing.’

‘OK, I’m not sure about “kid”.’ Sofia playfully swatted Petra with the tea towel in her hand. ‘Enough of this chit-chatting; these pancakes are not going to serve themselves.’

‘Damn they look good. Any chance of a couple of rejects going?’ Sofia stepped to one side to reveal a pile of slightly misshapen ones on a plate behind her. ‘You are an angel sent from heaven,’ said Petra, blowing her a kiss before picking up the plates.

‘I’m covering for Declan on the boat today, so help yourself. I have to go and get ready with Jack.’

‘You and Jack? Together on a small boat all day? Are you sure that’s a good idea? We’re already a skeleton crew; the last thing we need is a homicide on our hands.’ Petra was teasing, but Sofia felt herself blush profusely. She thought she had managed to keep their frosty relationship under wraps. She didn’t want a reputation for not being able to keep things professional.

‘Oh please, you think I haven’t noticed how the pair of you can barely be in the same room? Well you know what they say, it’s a very fine line between love and hate.’ Petra winked at her and before Sofia could protest, she was gone.

Sofia didn’t have time to dwell on that comment. She had to change out of her chef’s whites and get up on deck for her safety training. The thought of having to be instructed by Jack made her skin crawl but she would have to suck it up.

‘Right on time, Chef Harlow.’ Jack was inspecting the tender. ‘Could you just check that all four of those life jackets over there are operational?’

Sofia walked over to the pile of orange nylon and picked them up awkwardly. She had no idea what exactly she was looking for.

Jack glanced over. ‘Just make sure that the buckles are working and the straps are tight around each vest.’

‘Yes, got it,’ she snapped. She was not going to enjoy this: being in Jack’s world, answering to him, it was the very definition of being on the back foot. Why had she agreed to this? To make a point about not being the damsel, but the knight? Had she really wanted to prove that she could come to Jack’s rescue so badly that she had willingly gotten herself into this situation? She respected Petra but she was starting to think that her assessment of Sofia as somebody who was ‘wise beyond her years’ was way off.

After the life jackets, Sofia had to mop the floor of the dinghy and wipe down the seats. Jack was busy fiddling with the motor and the dials at the helm. Sofia was not convinced he was actually doing anything useful, and thought he was treating her as his dogsbody.

‘So I’m doing all the real work and you just stare at the controls huh?’ She was twisting murky water out of the mop head.

‘Well I know you understand the chain of command, having worked in a “professional kitchen” as you like to keep reminding everyone, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that covering for Declan means that you have to do as I say.’ He was smirking, clearly enjoying himself.

She decided to ignore the pointed comment about her last job. ‘I thought you said I would just be “filling up glasses”.’

‘Once we’re on the water sure, but we can’t have Milly and Brian sitting on – what is it you Brits say – manky seats while you pour the champagne.’

‘Of course not,’ she said with a bright and unconvincing smile. Once they were done Jack talked her through the safety protocol; basically, don’t fall in, and don’t take your jacket off. Sofia rolled her eyes. She hardly needed to be here two hours early for him to tell her that.

‘And you have the picnic hamper ready?’

Sofia nodded grumpily. Jack ignored it. He was in ‘first officer mode’ now. How quickly he could slip in and out of it, Sofia thought.

‘I was thinking we could go around the north coast, towards the Grotta Azzurra, maybe pull into a little bay for the food and then head back mid-afternoon. They’re spending the night on land at some fancy villa that Milly saw on Instagram, so we need to get back in time to dock Lady Shelly and get supplies on board before dark.’

‘Sure, that all sounds good to me.’ She decided she too could be civil and professional. She also had to be. ‘I have a list for the supply run ready, and I’ll bring the hamper up to the boat before we leave. I’d like to keep it refrigerated as long as possible.’

‘That you very much, Chef Harlow. I’ll see you in an hour.’ He strode off and Sofia began to feel a little better about her chances of surviving the day.

She went back to her cabin and changed into the spare stewardess uniform. She admired herself in the mirror. The maroon skort and polo actually looked quite good on her, as she always did in shades of red. The top was a little tight. Tabitha had been very slight, but she felt presentable.

‘Sofia, I need you on deck please.’ She jumped as the radio came to life from where it was clipped to her waistband.

‘Coming.’ She checked her watch. Shit, she was five minutes late. She’d gotten distracted, but she’d have to think of a better excuse before she got to Jack. She couldn’t bear to imagine what he would have to say about the damsel getting lost in her own reflection.

When she got up to the deck, Milly and Brian were already in the boat. Jack was clipping Milly into her life jacket, and she giggled as he tightened the strap around her waist. ‘Easy Captain,’ she said playfully.

Jack wasn’t thrown like Declan had been. ‘You better behave yourself, Miss Cox, or else I’ll have no choice but to throw you in at the deep end.’

‘I don’t think I’d mind taking a dip in the deep end with you, Captain Carter.’

Sofia watched them in disbelief, glancing over at Brian, who seemed completely unbothered by the interaction. He was gazing out at the sea.

‘Ah hum.’ Sofia cleared her throat to catch Jack’s attention and bring this embarrassing episode to an end.

‘Harlow, how nice of you to join us. ‘He gave her an admiring once-over, and suddenly she felt like maybe she should have asked to borrow one of Petra’s polos instead.

‘Oooh yay, Sofia, you’re coming! Love this colour on you. Doesn’t she look lovely?’ Milly turned to Brian and then to Jack. Sofia flushed furiously.

‘She does indeed,’ said Jack, his eyes holding Sofia’s.

‘Right then, shall we go before I have to file a workplace harassment claim?’ She bit her tongue. That was certainly not professional or civil, and she’d said it in front of the guests.

Milly burst out laughing. ‘Oh I like her. You tell him, girl!’ She squealed and clapped her hands girlishly. ‘This is going to fun, isn’t it, boys?’

Brian grunted his assent and Sofia climbed into the boat, strapping up her life vest.

‘All aboard?’ asked Jack as he started the engine.

Milly settled herself on the lounger seat at the bow of the boat, in front of where Jack was driving. Brian sat near the stern staring out at the wake. Sofia sat behind Jack. It was surprisingly spacious, and with the sun shining as they motored through sea spray, Sofia felt like she was on holiday.

They zoomed towards the coast, and then alongside it. The water was breathtakingly blue, a deep turquoise and clear as glass. The shore was jagged with castles of cliff, topped with green. Milly could not stop taking photos.

‘Could you stop here a moment, Jack?’ she shouted over the sound of the engine.

‘We’re on a bit of a tight schedule,’ he replied.

She was crossing her arms sulkily when Brian interjected, ‘Surely a minute or two can’t hurt?’ It was kind of romantic really, thought Sofia, how well he knew her, and how willing he was to step in to make sure she was having the best time.

Jack seemed a little irritated, but he hid it with a showman’s smile. ‘Of course, not a problem.’ He cut the engine.

Brian knew the drill. When he got up to walk to Milly she was already holding out her phone for him to take it.

‘So I think one with those hills in the background. If I lean like this can you see the water behind me as well?’

‘Tilt your head back a bit. Your necklaces are in shadow.’

She obliged, and Sofia marvelled at them. For the next few minutes they were utterly focused on the task at hand.

‘Try one with your hands under your head. Yep that’s it, you look great, baby. Now sit up, try a laugh, shoulder back. No, the other one. Perfect.’

Sofia looked over at Jack, who was getting agitated. ‘Are we almost done?’

This is their job,Sofia thought. She could tell that Jack thought it was all frivolous, but Milly and Brian were professionals making a living just like they were.

‘OK,’ said Brian, snapping another few photos. ‘All done, thanks, man.’ Brian leant down to hand Milly back her phone and give her a kiss. Sofia found herself transfixed by the tenderness in it, the way they looked at each other, and then she felt like she was intruding and busied herself trying to find the champagne.

As she rummaged under seats to find the fridge, she realised with a punch of dread that the hamper was not there. Her mind raced, reversing through the last hour. She had not brought it onto the boat with her. Sofia briefly considered throwing herself overboard, then she collected herself.

‘All good, Harlow? I need you to take a seat, really, before we set off. Don’t want to send you flying.’ He winked at her. ‘Well not yet.’

‘Jack, I need a quick word,’ she said in a stage whisper, jerking her head to the side to indicate that he should follow her to the other end of the boat. There was hardly very much privacy, but Brian and Milly seemed distracted enough for the moment.

‘Um I don’t really know how to say this.’ She couldn’t even look at him.

His patience was running low and they were already behind schedule. ‘Spit it out, Harlow.’

‘The hamper is not here?’ She tried to soften the blow by phrasing it as a question.

‘What?’ Sofia flinched. He was angry. He was shaking his head. ‘I knew this was a bad idea,’ he muttered to himself. ‘So what you’re telling me is that you forgot the hamper. It didn’t magically disappear, did it?’ His tone was scathing.

Sofia had always loathed being told off. At school she would have to fight back tears if a teacher scolded her in class. She hated that her body would betray her like this, at the worst possible moment, and it was happening again. She quickly wiped away a hot tear from her cheek.

‘Don’t cry.’ His voice was so soft, she barely heard him. She looked up and was met by something akin to compassion. ‘It’s OK, we can make do. These things happen.’ Sofia was taken aback. She had expected gloating.

She scrubbed away another stray tear. ‘I’m really sorry.’ It was strange to speak to him so sincerely.

‘I’ve got an idea,’ he said suddenly, and marched back over to the bow. ‘Hey, guys, Sofia’s just had a great idea. There’s a citrus grove just down the coast a bit. Instead of having a picnic on the boat, I think we should moor up and go grapefruit picking?’

Brian and Milly exchanged looks, unsure.

‘It’ll look great on your insta grid as well!’ Sofia piped up. That was all the convincing they needed.

‘Sounds good to me. Thanks, guys, what an adventure. Good thing I brought my Balenciagas,’ Milly enthused.

This time when Jack glanced over and winked, Sofia rolled her eyes but there was a grin on her face.

They cruised along until they arrived at a tiny, secluded cove.

‘Here we are,’ announced Jack, and Milly peered warily over the side of the boat. They would need to get wet.

‘Um, I might just stay here, guys,’ she said.

‘Don’t be silly, you can’t miss out on the adventure.’ Brian had gotten himself excited for the detour. Sofia wondered if it was because of the fruit picking or the photo opportunities. ‘I’ll carry you if you’re worried about getting your trainers wet.’

‘I mean she can just carry them in her hands.’ Sofia shot Jack a look. Had he not heard of ‘the customer is always right’? Luckily neither of them seemed to have heard him. Brian was already in the water, up to the middle of his calves and holding out his arms. Milly slipped into them effortlessly, planting a kiss onto his cheek and giggling as he began to wade towards the shore.

Sofia and Jack secured the boat, and then Jack jumped into the water. Sofia began unlacing her shoes.

‘You don’t want a lift as well?’

She looked over to find him with his arms outstretched and a smirk on his face.

‘No, thank you, I’ll be fine, and besides I can just carry them in my hands, right?’

‘But then who will carry the bottle of champagne and my shoes?’

She stared at him in disbelief. ‘Are you being serious?’

‘It just makes more sense for me to carry you and you to carry that basket with all the supplies, well some of the supplies, and our shoes, to save us having to do two trips,’ he paused, and his expression turned to one of impatience. ‘And we are already behind schedule.’

Sofia wasn’t really sure what to think, apart from that she was grateful that Petra was in charge of packing refreshments, so at least they would have something to serve the guests to drink alongside their makeshift picnic. She didn’t want to get into an argument, not with Milly and Brian waiting, and not after Jack had sort of saved her arse.

‘Whatever, OK.’ She awkwardly lowered herself into his arms and cradled the basket in her lap, refusing to meet his eyes but feeling the glow of smugness radiating off him all the same. She was distinctly aware of where his fingers rested against the sliver of exposed skin between the top of her waistband and the bottom of her T-shirt. He waded through the water, panting slightly from the effort, and Sofia was mildly horrified to find herself thinking that his breath smelt really good. She turned her face away and tried to get her rabid thoughts in order.

As they approached the shore Milly called out, ‘OMG, you two make such a cute couple!’ She snapped a picture, and Sofia wanted to die of embarrassment. This was not what she had in mind when it came to ‘professional and civil’.

The moment they were on dry land she hopped down hurriedly, rearranging herself and trying not to look as flustered as she felt. Jack seemed unfazed as he laced up his boots. He rummaged through the basket until he found what he was looking for: a compass.

‘Old-school!’ said Brian. ‘Cool!’

‘It’s not a long walk, as far as I can remember; but I don’t want us getting lost.’ Jack set the compass and the four of them found a narrow track up from the beach.

The walk was mostly pleasant, although on a few occasions they had to drop into a single file to avoid being attacked from either side by the overgrown and surprisingly prickly shrubbery lining the ‘path’.

Sofia could feel Milly and Brian losing patience with the whole idea. They had been walking in the midday sun for about forty minutes. Jack was striding up ahead, and Sofia was beginning to worry that this plan was a terrible one. She imagined them wandering around in the heat for hours, running out of water and becoming so weak that they would have to be rescued. When the search party finally tracked them down she would have to admit that she had left the hamper on the Lady Shelly and that they were in search of a citrus grove. It sounded delusional.

Just as Sofia was about to suggest they abandon the escapade altogether, Jack called out, ‘It’s just here!’

‘Thank Christ for that.’ Milly was fanning herself with her hands, her foundation running in sweaty streaks down her neck. ‘I’m going to need some blotting papers Brian.’ She had barely finished her sentence before he was standing right beside her handing her a small envelope that looked like a packet of tissues. She had this man extraordinarily well trained, thought Sofia.

The citrus grove was an oasis. The dappled light and the smell of citrus in the air gave the place a surreal quality. There was nobody around. The trees were laden with fruit, bright yellow orbs nestled in bunches among the waxy leaves. Milly and Brian were in their element.

‘Oh, babe, that bikini looks so great; it was meant to be.’ Brian was in photographer mode. It was true, the pictures would be worth the trek. Milly was leaning against the trunk, her butter-coloured gingham bikini top and matching shorts contrasting against the dark foliage and picking up the yellow of the grapefruits hanging just above her shock of bright red hair. The streaks of sunlight would give the photos a startlingly dramatic quality, which some of Milly’s 3.2 million followers would spend the rest of the summer trying to recreate.

Sofia laid down the wicker basket, which housed two bottles of decidedly warm champagne, two glasses and a picnic blanket.

Jack was halfway up a tree, with a grapefruit already in hand, and he yelled down to her: ‘Sofia, I need you and that basket.’

She stood below him as he dropped the fruit down. With his trousers rolled up, Sofia found herself face to face with his calves. She was not in the habit of staring at men’s legs but she decided that, of the ones she had paid attention to, these were some of the nicest. She had to admit that he was a good-looking guy and there was something about the ease with which he existed in his body. As if it was an instrument he had perfected, tuned and toned to play any symphony he put his mind to. He steered a boat as naturally as he climbed a tree or followed a compass. Sofia was envious of his surety about his place in the world. Maybe that was why she had taken against him so instantly?

‘Harlow,’ he called, ‘think fast,’ and just as she looked up, a grapefruit whistled past her ear. Instantaneously all the goodwill she had just cultivated was gone.

‘Can you please watch out,’ she yelled back.

‘Damn I just missed you.’ Sofia wondered if this was his idea of flirtation, a schoolboy’s technique, pulling on her ponytail until she agreed to kiss him under the slide.

‘Please, Jack, I’m tired and grumpy, and I think we have enough grapefruit now.’ He slid down the trunk and landed firmly on his feet, a wide grin across his face.

‘What on earth have you got to be grumpy about? Look around!’ There was nothing that made Sofia less cheery than being told to cheer up. She scowled at him and began laying out the picnic blanket.

‘I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this before, and I’m only saying this because you don’t have a drink in your hand,’ he continued even after she shot him a look, ‘but you can be kind of uptight, Sofia.’ They had never discussed that evening at the bar, and Sofia was thrown by his sudden candidness. He was pushing his luck, but something about his boyish enthusiasm was infectious. Despite herself she let out a giggle.

‘Now that’s an unexpected reaction.’ He seemed genuinely taken aback.

‘I do have a sense of humour, Jack, I just don’t enjoy being hit on by men who are simultaneously hitting on every other woman in the vicinity.’

‘Ohhh, so you were just jealous?’ He was standing with his hands on his hips, and he raised a single eyebrow.

‘If that’s what you want to tell yourself, go ahead!’

He shook his head with a chuckle and busied himself opening a bottle. It was the first time they had managed to joke with each other without one of them having a tantrum. Sofia was relieved.

After the four of them had gorged themselves on grapefruits, and Milly had finished off the champagne, they made their way back to the cove.

‘If everyone isn’t too tired, I think we should try and get to the caves before we head back.’

Everybody looked at Milly, who was swaying slightly from side to side, scrolling through pictures on her phone.

‘What do you think, babe?’ Brian prompted.

Milly looked up, blinking slowly. ‘Whatever, babe – sounds good!’

Brian dropped his voice as Sofia and Jack turned away to pack up and take their shoes off. ‘Maybe you could take a couple of shots of me, babe? I looked this place up and it looks really good. I need something from this trip for my grid.’

Sofia glanced over her shoulder to catch a moment of tenderness that seemed unwarranted for the subject of the conversation.

Milly placed her palms on either side of Brian’s cheeks, bringing him towards her so they were standing nose to nose. ‘It’d be my pleasure,’ she purred before diving in for a drunken kiss. Sofia quickly looked away.

‘Right, ready to board.’ Jack held out his arms to Sofia.

‘Oh you’re talking about yourself, not the boat?’ He laughed and raised an eyebrow. ‘On this occasion I think I can manage myself, thank you, Captain Carter,’ said Sofia as she waded into the water towards the tender.

‘If you lovebirds are ready,’ Jack called.

Milly giggled and Brian lifted her into his arms. Sofia caught herself staring at them with a mixture of fascination and incredulity. Surely it couldn’t be that easy? Maybe she had got it wrong all these years, and the only thing standing between her and true love was a willingness to giggle and bat her eyelashes. Maybe she’d been too dismissive, and Milly had it all figured out. Soon they were back on the boat motoring along to their next stop.