Chapter 7
7
‘This is incredible,’ Xander says, as he climbs out of the boat.
Standing on the sand, he stretches his arms wide and looks back out over the water.
‘It feels like a private island.’
‘Is it private?’ Harry asks, waggling his eyebrows.
‘He wants to know if it’s a nude beach,’ Jeff clarifies, drily.
‘Oh! I don’t know. I could find out .
. .’
‘I mean, any beach is a nude beach if you take off your clothes,’ Harry says.
He’s currently wearing knee-length white shorts and a bright yellow shirt patterned with huge white flowers.
It’s unbuttoned halfway down his chest where a charm that looks like a green jellybean is hanging from a thin silver chain.
It’s Xander’s birthday, and we’ve brought a picnic lunch over to this little cove, along with a table, chairs, parasols, deckchairs and some inflatables.
It’s a bit nerve-wracking looking after guests alone for the first time, but it’s also a relief to get some time off the boat.
‘At least wait until the crew leaves,’ Xander says.
‘Hope doesn’t need to see that. ’
‘Maybe not,’ Harry says.
‘Adam though . . .’
He looks off into the distance, where Adam and Nico are on the way back to the Serendipity in the tender.
I snort and then cover my mouth with my hand.
‘Sorry. That was rude.’
‘Oh, is there a story there?’ Harry asks.
‘Have you got your eye on Adam? Or another body part?’
‘No, no,’ I tell him.
‘Adam and I are old friends. We came here together. But there’s nothing going on between us.
It’s frowned upon for deck crew. ’
It’s Harry’s turn to snort.
‘It may be frowned upon, but I’m sure that doesn’t stop it.
What happens at sea .
. .’ He shrugs. And then shrugs off his shirt.
‘Anyway! I am going for a swim.’
‘Careful,’ I tell him.
‘It drops off sharply.’
He pats my arm.
‘Good looking out! I appreciate you!’
Xander and Jeff sit in the deckchairs – heads back, eyes closed – while I unpack the contents of the cool boxes, pouring drinks and setting the starters out on the table underneath the parasol, its spokes threaded with pompom garlands.
I keep an eye on Harry, but there’s really no need since he’s constantly yelling back to the beach, launching himself out of the water, waving and generally seeming to have the time of his life.
Once Harry gets out of the water, shaking himself like a dog, the three of them sit at the table and I serve lunch – a melon and burrata salad, figs with prosciutto and honey and roasted tomato focaccia sandwiches.
‘Have you eaten, Hope?’ Xander asks.
‘You’re more than welcome to eat with us? ’
‘Thank you, but we’re not allowed to eat with the guests. ’
‘We’ll never tell,’ he says, leaning in as if it’s our secret.
I smile. ‘That’s okay.
But I appreciate the offer. ’
‘Bet you’re not allowed to drink on duty either,’ Harry says, running his hands through his wet hair.
‘Definitely not,’ I tell them.
‘Sackable offence.’
‘Makes sense,’ Harry says.
‘But not fun. Tonight will be fun though!’
Xander grins.
‘I can’t wait.’
‘Can you believe this man is forty?’ Harry says, gesturing at Xander.
‘He doesn’t look a day over thirty-nine. ’
Xander gives him the finger.
‘And it only cost him around twenty grand in surgeries,’ Jeff says.
The three of them laugh as they hold their glasses up and toast Xander’s birthday.
‘Come on, Hope,’ Harry says.
‘You can cheers too with your sad little Evian.’
Smiling, I touch my plastic bottle of water against their glasses.
‘Happy birthday!’
I’m clearing the table and packing everything back into the bags, when Harry sits down at the table with a pack of tarot cards in his hand.
‘Have you ever had a tarot reading?’ he asks me.
I shake my head. ‘I haven’t actually. ’
‘I’d love to give you one, if you’re interested.
I’m going to do Xander’s birthday reading later, but I thought I could do yours before you go back to the boat.
What do you think? No pressure! ’
‘You can absolutely say no, Hope,’ Jeff says from his deckchair.
‘No hope,’ Harry says.
‘Isn’t that just Jeff all over? ’
It’s Jeff’s turn to give Harry the finger, which he does without even looking.
I look over at the boat.
The boys are coming soon with the tender, but they’re not here yet.
Once I’ve packed everything, I’ll just be waiting for them.
‘Sure,’ I say. ‘Why not?’
‘Perfect!’ Harry says.
‘Sit down then.’
Xander stands up, stretches and walks down to the edge of the sparkling water.
‘Come on,’ he tells Jeff.
‘Birthday swim.’
Jeff gets up and joins him.
‘That’s them being discreet,’ Harry tells me.
I smile. ‘That’s nice of them. ’
‘Don’t be nervous. ’
He shuffles the cards.
‘I’m not going to tell you anything bad.
And some of the cards can look bad at first glance, but don’t worry – their meanings aren’t always immediately obvious.
Think of a question you’d like the cards to answer.
Doesn’t have to be deep and meaningful; go with the first thing that comes to mind.
And if nothing comes to mind, that’s okay too.
No stress.’
I think about my family.
Mum, the baby, the little kids.
But I don’t want to ask about them.
Instead I picture Adam.
Will we be okay? Will coming out here, working together, doing this job work out?
That’s what I really want to know.
Harry turns over the first card.
‘All right,’ he says.
‘So this one represents how things are right now. The Seven of Cups is about being rooted in reality. In our heads we can imagine anything we want – I don’t know about you, but I’m a big rose-tinted glasses person.
This card is about having the courage to get past the rosy reality and find out what’s actually true. ’
He turns another card.
‘This card represents what action you need to take. The Ace of Pentacles. Right now, the world might be offering you something new, so keep your eyes open to what’s around you. ’
He gestures at the beach, the ocean.
‘Not difficult!’
I smile.
‘Right. Everything feels new right now.’
‘The final card is about the future.’ He turns it and beams at me.
‘The Sun. People are drawn to you because of the beautiful energy you bring into their lives. And you radiate love and affection towards those you care about the most. Practise joy. Embrace pleasure.’
My eyes have filled and my throat feels tight.
I think about Mum and Mick and my siblings and how much I miss them.
And about Adam and how we came here together to do this brave thing.
‘Oh, hon,’ Harry says, his head tipped to one side.
‘All good cards!’
‘I know,’ I tell him.
‘That was lovely. Thank you.’
‘What?’ Harry suddenly shouts, making me jump, and then I hear Xander shouting from the water.
I turn around and see he’s gesturing behind me.
‘Is he saying “goats”?’ Harry asks, his eyebrows appearing above his mirrored sunglasses.
Yes, he is saying ‘goats’.
There’s a brown goat stepping gingerly down the cliff face behind the cove, and when I shade my eyes I can see a couple more.
‘I’ve never had a reading interrupted by goats before,’ Harry says.
I laugh. ‘Does that mean something?’
‘I think it means I’m the greatest of all time. ’