Chapter 12 #2
“Poppy.” That was Eliza’s warning shot.
I ignored it.
“We make these incredible pieces that people keep forever, and hand down through generations.” My hands moved as I talked, and the boat rocked a little more.
“I want to push the brand to the forefront in the biggest way, while also honouring the legacy of my family. I also want this company to flourish, and with you on-board, I believe it could.”
Roka’s rowing never faltered, but I caught her smile. “Tell me more.”
“We want to seriously collaborate: not just lip service. We want your ideas,” I told her.
“I brought our latest watch to show you. If you join with us, I’d like to bring out a special edition called Roka 23, to match your new album.
We’re not messing about here. Ads, photoshoots, product placement, the works.
Maybe we could do a special release box of your album plus our watch. ”
“The details of what can and can’t be delivered haven’t yet been worked out,” Eliza added, shooting me daggers.
Roka laughed. “I like her,” she said, pointing a finger at me. “She’s got no filter.” She caught Eliza’s expression and added, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hold you to whatever she says in the middle of the lake. But I want to know who you really are if we’re going to work together. Both of you.”
Roka stopped rowing, and all three of us glanced towards the morning sun, just breaking through the clouds. On the far side of the lake, somebody let out a gigantic belly laugh.
I grinned at Roka, thanking the universe she was a normal person and not an idiot. “Do you row a lot? You’re pretty good at it.” Her toned, tanned arms suggested she did. Although if she was in the studio as much as she said, perhaps the tan was from a bottle.
“I work out regularly, need to for my tour. Good core strength and endurance is what you need for touring and rowing.” She lifted an oar. “Wanna try?”
I shook my head. “I’d probably sink us.”
“Believe her when she says this,” Eliza said.
But Roka simply shrugged.
Before Eliza could draw another breath to object, I nodded, and Roka talked me through the switch. “Take it easy,” she warned as I started to rise. “Don’t stand, just slide over—”
Of course, I stood anyway.
The boat lurched to one side like it had taken personal offense to my very existence, and my eyes went wide as gravity decided to make an example of me.
I windmilled my arms, probably looking like an inflatable tube man at a car dealership during a particularly aggressive windstorm.
Meanwhile, my legs forgot the basic principle of staying upright.
For one brief, glorious moment, I thought I might defy physics and recover my balance. The universe was having none of it. I crashed into the lake sideways with all the grace of a fridge being pushed off a cliff.
The water was shockingly cold, and tasted like algae and a thousand nights out. I tried not to think about it too hard as I spat it out. I surfaced, gasping and probably looking like a half-drowned cat, just in time to see Eliza shoot to her feet.
“Poppy!”
But her standing only made the boat rock a little more.
I watched in slow motion as she yelped, lost her balance seconds later, her face cycling through surprise, resignation, then acceptance of her fate.
She fell backwards into the water with a splash that somehow managed to be both graceful and wholly undignified.
My amusement vanished in an instant. Eliza hated boats for this precise reason.
I kicked towards her, my waterlogged clothes making every movement feel like I was swimming through molasses. “Eliza!”
She surfaced nearby, her hair plastered to her face as panic flickered across her features. “Oh my fucking god, whose idea was it to get a bloody boat?” She winced as she spat out the stale water.
“I’ve got you,” I told Eliza, swimming close. “You’re okay. Hold on to me.”
She threw her arms around my shoulders, and we both caught our breath. To my right, three swans started to swim towards us. I decided not to alert Eliza to that.
Roka leaned over the side of the boat, which was somehow still upright despite our dramatic exit. “Are you guys okay? Want to try to get back up?”
I shook my head. “We’ll live,” I replied. “But I don’t think trying to clamber back up is the answer.” My teeth started to chatter. “Can you get hold of the boat attendant to come and get us?”
However, when I glanced in his direction, his motorised dinghy was already on its way.
“The cavalry is coming,” Roka said, waving her arms.
“This is your fault for agreeing to get into the boat in the first place,” Eliza huffed into my ear.
“My fault?” I turned my head. “You’re the one who jumped in after me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, I fell. Besides, I have to keep you alive. It’s the minimum I can do, especially now Margot practically lives with me.”
I smiled that she was still combative, even up to her neck in algae. Thankfully, the swans had changed course, maybe put off by Eliza’s scowl.
“Can we agree to disagree, just this once?”
Eliza shook her head, but there was a ghost of a smile on her lips. “Never once in any previous business trip have I ended up in the middle of a lake.”
I spluttered out a laugh. “Didn’t I tell you working with me would be fun?”