Chapter 20
SAMMIE
Nico and I sit at the breakfast table with much more confidence today. We have a plan and it’s going to work.
The four of us are sitting out on the deck again, while Monte Carlo glitters around us.
The marina is already busy – surrounded by other yacht owners, locals, tourists.
Everyone looking so incredibly well turned out – well, everyone but me and Nico.
I’m wearing his War Zombies T-shirt, the one I slept in, and he’s wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
Mum and Hank have scrubbed up well though.
Him in his chinos and a shirt, Mum in one of her floaty dresses.
They look like they belong here. Nico and I very much look like their freeloading kids.
‘You two seem like you’re in a good mood,’ Mum says from over her coffee cup.
‘I was going to say the same,’ Hank adds – at least I think that’s what he says, through his mouthful of croissant.
‘Well, we were talking last night, and we realised that this is our holiday too, and we might like to choose today’s activities – do something we like to do,’ I tell them.
Beside me, Nico stretches his arm casually across the back of my chair, like it’s normal for us now. I suppose it is.
‘Sounds ominous already,’ Hank says cautiously.
‘It’s not ominous,’ Nico replies with a laugh. ‘We just thought, you know, it’s our turn to choose what we do later.’
‘All together,’ I add.
Mum smiles, but I can see the suspicion behind her eyes.
‘Interesting…’
‘What kind of activity?’ Hank asks.
Nico and I exchange a glance.
Then, without planning or rehearsing this, we both say at the exact same time: ‘It’s a surprise.’
‘Right,’ Hank says slowly, like he just witnessed something truly cursed. ‘Should we be worried?’
‘Definitely,’ Nico says with an evil smirk.
‘Ignore him,’ I add quickly. ‘Just dress for a night out.’
Mum raises her eyebrows.
‘A night out?’
‘Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll help you pick out an outfit,’ I tell her.
‘I’m excited,’ she says. ‘Why don’t we go pick something out now?’
‘Okay,’ I say with a smile.
‘It will be nice, to get some mother-daughter time. I’m hardly seeing you…’
There’s a sincerity in her voice, like she does miss me, but she doesn’t sound like she minds because she thinks I’m happy.
I still don’t know exactly where we’re going tonight, I left that to Nico given that he’s been here before, but judging by the deeply sinister excitement in his expression whenever I ask, I’m assuming it’s somewhere our parents are going to absolutely hate. Which will be perfect, for what we want.
‘All right,’ Mum says brightly, standing up from the table, ‘let’s go see if I have anything glamorous enough.’
‘You already look glamorous,’ Hank tells her, which you’ve got to give him brownie points for, because he said it so quickly, so sincerely too.
Mum laughs softly and touches his arm.
We retreat back to our cabin (if I can still call it mine, given that I’ve sort of moved out) to get ready while the boys hang out.
Our cabin is warm from the sunlight spilling through the little round window, turning everything gold around the edges.
Mum starts immediately rummaging through her suitcase while humming quietly to herself, which feels suspiciously cheerful.
She seems so pleased with herself – as she should; she has seemingly met a good man at a dating event, and who would have predicted that?
Although I think part of her smugness comes from thinking she’s found me a man too.
I sit cross-legged on the bed watching her for a second. She really is happy. The plan is no longer about breaking them up (if it ever really was about that), it’s about giving them the space to give it a go, without their kids getting in the way.
I know Mum might think she needs me as a crutch but she doesn’t. Look at her, look how well she’s doing. I couldn’t be prouder.
Mum pulls out a navy dress and holds it against herself thoughtfully.
‘Too stuffy?’
‘I’d go brighter,’ I suggest.
‘I’ll see what I’ve got,’ she replies. ‘So…’
‘So?’ I echo.
I catch her watching me in the mirror.
‘What?’
‘What’s it like waking up with Nico every morning?’
My eyes widen with horror. We don’t really talk about boys – I mean, men – not like that.
‘What?’ she repeats innocently. ‘It’s a reasonable question.’
‘It absolutely is not.’
Unfortunately, now I’m thinking about it.
If I’m being honest with you, and I’m not about to admit this to her, I quite like it.
I’m used to waking up alone, usually cold, and I’ll grab my phone and look at it through one eye, dozing in and out of sleep, not wanting to get up.
With Nico next to me, I don’t know, it’s like I have someone to wake up for, someone to see, someone to make an effort for – even if it is only so I don’t embarrass myself.
Plus, it’s been a little chilly at night, and just between us, he’s great for putting your cold feet on.
I sneak them on him, while he’s fast asleep – careful not to accidentally snuggle him again, because that was mortifying. Kind of nice though.
‘Yeah, it’s good,’ I say, remembering I have an act to keep up.
Mum looks at me through the mirror, softer now. Less teasing.
‘You can tell,’ she says simply. ‘You know, I can see the way you look at him.’
My stomach drops.
‘Mum—’
‘I know, you think I’m getting carried away,’ she says gently. ‘I’m just saying… you look happy around him.’
For a second, I don’t know what to say to that. Because I don’t, do I? Not really. It’s all an act. But I don’t want to disappoint her.
Instead, I just smile faintly and look back down at my clothes, trying to find something to wear myself.
I do feel sort of bad, that she thinks this is real. She thinks all the flirting and the hand-holding and the waking up together mean her chronically single daughter is finally getting her life on track.
But we’re lying to them to help them, giving them the push they need to do this on their own – it’s just a nice bonus, that it gets Nico and me off the hook.
Funny, since we’ve been working together, it’s hard to remember what I found so objectionable about him.
‘I could say the same about you and Hank,’ I tell her with a smile, changing the subject slightly.
‘Yeah,’ she admits quietly, smiling at herself in the mirror as she holds a pink dress up against her body. ‘I feel happy around him.’
‘That’s great.’
‘He’s ridiculous,’ she says fondly.
‘He is. I’m glad to see the captain’s hat never made a comeback,’ I joke.
‘Yes, there’s that. But he’s kind.’
She slips off her sundress and steps into the pink dress she’s chosen to wear.
I think about the way Hank looks at her when she’s talking. Like he’s genuinely listening. Like he’s pleasantly surprised by how much he enjoys her company, like it was always wanted, but completely unexpected.
‘Yeah,’ I admit. ‘He is.’
Mum stands there, smoothing creases out of her dress before looking at herself in the mirror.
‘Do I look all right?’
‘You look gorgeous,’ I tell her. ‘That one will be perfect.’
‘Well, I don’t want to let the side down – what are you wearing?’
I ponder for a moment. I think I only brought one ‘going out’ dress, assuming I probably wouldn’t need one at all. It’s red, short, strapless – I thought it would be more use for getting a decent tan, not taking it out on the town. But here we are.
‘I’ll see what I can find,’ I say vaguely.
Tonight’s outfit choice feels less like getting dressed for a date and more like preparing for battle.
If you’d told me, even a week ago, that I would be going out clubbing in Monte Carlo, with my mum, her new fella, and his son – the son I’m sharing a bed with – I honestly don’t think I would have believed one part of it. But here we are. And I’m ready to make the most of it.