Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
J ust after 4.30 p.m., I meet Cat and Amber outside Archer & Crombie, the luxury travel agency on George Street.
‘You’re late.’
‘Nice to see you too, Amber.’ I playfully flick her hair. ‘I’m only five minutes late, and good things come to those who wait. You both ready to book the holiday of a lifetime?’
‘ So ready.’ Cat claps her hands together excitedly.
‘OK, let’s do this.’
‘Hang on.’ Amber suddenly stops us. ‘Emma, I know you’re in the money-is-no-object camp right now, but let’s make sure you get a good deal on this. I don’t want them to see you coming. It’s also worth trying to get a few perks thrown in.’
‘Wow, Amber…’ I laugh. ‘Are you feeling OK? You’re not normally so helpful.’
‘Whatever. Look, if you walked into my shop, I’d be sizing you up straight away, so just listen for a minute. We tell whoever serves us that we’re shopping around, and let’s take some time out before we commit to anything. There’s a Starbucks over there we can grab a quick coffee in to weigh up our options.’ She points across the road.
‘All right, great. Thanks for looking out for me.’
‘You’re welcome. Now don’t cock it up.’
Pushing open the door, we walk inside. There are a handful of desks at the back of the shop, but the main feature is two spacious lounge-style seating areas, each decked out with expensive looking leather sofas and a swanky glass coffee table sporting a vase of tropical-looking flowers. It doesn’t really look or feel like a typical travel agent, which, given that everything is about experience these days, I expect is what they’re aiming for.
‘Good afternoon, ladies. How may I help you?’ comes a voice from our right.
Lingering to admire a picture on the wall of some stunning tropical destination, I don’t see who’s greeted us at first. However, I do catch a fleeting exchange of looks between Cat and Amber, which suggests that they think he’s easy on the eye.
Curious, I turn in the direction of the voice and stop short.
‘Well, hello, again …’ He grins at me.
To my dismay, the voice belongs to James. The James, who has succeeded in winding me up in public – not once, but twice. Oh, why did it have to be him?
‘Well… isn’t this a surprise?’ I try to sound nonchalant, so that I come across as the balanced, sophisticated woman that I am (or at least, want to be). ‘Three times in a matter of weeks. You’d forgive me for thinking you’re stalking me.’
‘Yes, I would.’ His lips curl in amusement. ‘If it weren’t for the fact that you walked into my shop. ’
Amber snorts in amusement.
OK, not quite the clever quip I was aiming for. I can already feel myself turning beetroot.
‘Do you two know each other?’ Cat asks.
‘Our paths have crossed,’ says James, who, to my immense annoyance is playing it super cool, and making me look like an even bigger tool in the process.
He gives give a Cat sparkling, white-toothed smile, and she visibly melts.
‘So, how can I help you today?’ He turns straight back to me and I swear the bastard is gloating. ‘Are you perhaps here to book a holiday?’
‘Erm… yes… that’s right.’ I clear my throat, which suddenly feels choked. ‘That’s… ahem… why we’re here.’
Amber swiftly kicks me in the back of the leg, nearly flooring me in the process.
‘ Hey ,’ I snip at her, then turn back to James. ‘Sorry, what I meant is, we’re shopping around for a late deal, and… we’d like to explore some options with you.’
‘I bet you would,’ Amber mutters under her breath.
I try to subtly kick her back, but only succeed in doing what looks like an awkward curtsey. Straightening up slowly, my face on fire, I pretend that I’m suddenly interested in my surroundings, while out of the corner of my eye, I can see James surveying us with a bemused look. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting to have to deal with a group of twenty-something teenagers today.
‘No problem at all.’ He signals for us to take a seat at one of the desks, and we obediently oblige. ‘I can certainly get some quotes for you. And for the two ladies who haven’t already had the pleasure of meeting me – formally or informally … ’
I blanch, recognising this as a reference to our excruciating conversation in the bank queue.
‘I’m James. And you are…?’
Cat and Amber introduce themselves.
‘Pleasure to meet you both.’ Once again, he returns his focus to me. ‘Have you had any thoughts on a destination?’
I go to speak and somehow manage to choke on my own saliva. Coughing uncontrollably, all I can do is point helplessly at my friends and grudgingly accept the water that James fetches from the cooler in the seating area (of course he does).
Amber gives me her ‘are you shitting me?’ face, but I can’t seem to get a hold of myself. What the hell is wrong with me?
‘We’ve landed on Antigua, St Lucia or the Seychelles.’ Cat comes to my aid, but also a little too enthusiastically. She clocks a look from Amber and tones it down. ‘But there are so many different options and providers, we’re really just at the comparison stage.’
‘OK, great.’ James unlocks the screen on his laptop. ‘That’s a good start. And when were you thinking of going?’
‘Monday,’ says Cat.
‘Monday the…?’ he asks, as he types.
‘Next week.’
‘I see. A last-minute break to paradise.’ He looks up at us, intrigued. ‘Any special reason for this trip?’ He meets my gaze and I look away quickly.
‘Oh, um… You could say that…’ Cat’s clearly spellbound and I find myself wondering why. James is obviously good-looking in a conventional sense, with those espresso-coloured eyes, thick, dark hair and well-defined jawline, but he’s way too cocky and confident for my liking – far too simi lar to Dave in that respect. I’d have thought she’d pick up on that straight away.
‘There is a reason for this trip,’ Amber jumps in before Cat can spill like she’s taken truth serum. ‘Emma here just got dumped by her boyfriend. We thought it might be good for her – to get over the wanker.’
WTF? I shoot her a look that loosely translates as ‘thanks, now I look like a total loser’. I know she sees me, but she ignores my daggers and keeps her attention on James.
‘I’m really sorry to hear that, Emma.’ James gives me half sympathetic, half knowing look. ‘He’s obviously an idiot, your ex.’
‘Thanks.’ I sink down in my seat, wishing it would jet propel me through the ceiling to put me out of my misery. He’s obviously twigged that our brief encounter over the bottle opener was the night of my breakup.
‘OK, then.’ James broadens his attention to the three of us. ‘I’ve helped mend many a broken heart with a great holiday deal, so let’s see if we can find you something special. Quick question: I can prioritise your shortlist, but as it’s last minute you’re looking at, the more open you are, the better. Is there anywhere else would you consider?’
We all look at each other.
‘Well, perhaps any of the Caribbean islands?’ Cat suggests, and we nod in agreement.
‘Mauritius is also an option. Even the Maldives – at a reasonable price.’ Amber emphasises this point.
‘Sure.’ James nods his understanding.
‘Ooh… I saw a place that looked incredible on a YouTube travel vlog the other day,’ I say, suddenly coming back to life. ‘An up-and-coming holiday resort called… what was it again… ah, yes, Kerberos. That was it. It’s meant to be really trendy , but still quite peaceful and authentic – and apparently, a few big celebs have been there recently. Maybe it would be good to go to somewhere like that, you know, rather than the mass market tourist resorts. James, you must have heard of it?’
Cat and Amber look at me blankly, then turn their attention to James for his response.
‘I have heard of it, Emma, yes.’
‘Great, so what do you think?’
‘I… eh… don’t think that’s your dream destination.’
‘Why not?’ For some reason, I feel the need to defend myself and not allow him to outright dismiss me. ‘The vlogger was really enthusiastic about it. The beach was stunning and the accommodation they stayed in was gorgeous. Kind of a… rustic-chic . We should at least take a look at it, eh, ladies?’
I’ve got no idea what rustic-chic actually means, but I’ll be damned if he’s going to get the better of me – again .
‘Emma…’ James says again, before the other two have the chance to reply. ‘Can I perhaps recommend that you stick to what you and your friends have already come up with. You know… to keep some focus in your destination search.’
‘Focus? I thought you wanted us to be openminded so that you could find us the best deal?’
James clears his throat. ‘Well, yes… I did say that, but I think you have enough options to consider now.’
‘Really? That seems like a bit of a U-turn.’ I narrow my eyes at him and then twig. ‘Oh, I get it, you don’t sell holidays to Kerberos, and you’re worried that you’ll lose your sale if we decide we want to go there. Am I right?’
‘Eh… yes. You’re right. We don’t sell holidays to Kerberos.’
‘But why not? Surely if it’s an up-and-coming destination, this travel agency would want a piece of that pie.’ I’m now getting frustrated, because I sense that James isn’t being straight with me. He’s never been backward in coming forwards before, so why now? Is it because Cat and Amber are here? ‘James, do me favour, will you, and just tell me what the problem is with my suggestion of Kerberos?’
James puffs out his cheeks with the look of a defeated man and I sit back, satisfied that I’ve finally gained the upper hand with him.
‘OK. Kerberos is not somewhere we sell holidays to, because… um… how do I put this… it’s one of the moons of Pluto.’
Amber and Cat explode with laughter.
‘ What? No… I’m sure that’s what it was called.’ Heat creeps up my neck while I wring my hands anxiously.
‘Emma, trust me, I’m a bit of a space nerd.’ James gives a self-deprecating smile. ‘Kerberos was the fourth moon of Pluto to be discovered. It was found in 2011 using the Hubble Space Telescope and it’s named after a mythological three-headed dog. It’s definitely not a holiday resort. Did you maybe mean Caicos, as in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean?’
Amber and Cat are rather unhelpfully howling with laughter to the left of me, making it even harder for me to think straight.
‘I… don’t know.’ I’m now desperate to change the subject.
James moves things along. ‘All right, I have enough information to get started. How about you ladies relax with a tea or coffee while I work on finding you the perfect holiday?’
‘That would be lovely.’ Cat’s already getting to her feet.
‘Actually, before you go, there are a few things we haven’t covered,’ he says. ‘What duration are you looking for? Board-wise, are we talking all-inclusive? And how many stars?’
As I’m the one financing this adventure, it needs to be me who answers. I pull myself together enough to give him a coherent answer. ‘Ten days all-inclusive would be perfect. And a five-star resort.’
Cat gently grabs my arm. ‘Emma… I’m not sure… we can all afford to go five-star.’ She’s trying not to blow our cover, but she’s clearly deeply uncomfortable with how much that would cost me.
Before I can respond, Amber – who’s evidently more at ease with the idea – jumps in to close down Cat’s protest.
‘Cat, we need to do this for Emma. She’s been through a lot. Surely, we can stretch to a five-star holiday if it helps her get over things.’ She places her hand on mine in an Oscar-winning show of support and solidarity, then winks at me when James looks away.
Now, Cat has no choice but to back down or she’ll seem hard-hearted.
‘I guess you’re right.’ She tries to say it breezily, but I can detect the frustration in her voice. ‘Though I was trying to think of Emma’s financial situation too. Wouldn’t want her to have money problems on top of everything else.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.’ I merrily wave away her concerns.
‘That us sorted then?’ James’s attention is ping-ponging between us, clearly sensing that there’s something going on and understandably curious as to what it is.
He sees us over to the sofas in the seating area and arranges our drinks, before getting to work at his desk.
‘Thanks for that,’ I say in a low voice, eyeballing Amber and Cat. ‘You could have come to my rescue, or even changed the subject. I looked like a right muppet. ’
‘I’m so sorry, honey.’ Cat’s sincerity is unmistakeable, but she still has to stifle a giggle. ‘I really felt for you, but I couldn’t stop laughing. It was her fault.’ She points at Amber.
‘Hey, what did I do?’ Amber complains. ‘By the way, you’re totally welcome for me stopping you two dipshits from giving things away. You’re as bad as each other.’
She raises her eyebrows as she looks from Cat to me, while I dig my heels in with my ‘unimpressed’ look.
‘ Oh, come on, ’ she practically yells, then lowers her voice. ‘That was hilarious with the whole Pluto thing. You know me better than to expect a bail out in a situation like that.’
She has a point.
‘How do you know James, Emma?’ asks Cat. ‘He’s absolutely gorgeous.’
‘Is he? I think arrogant with an overinflated ego is a more accurate description,’ I huff. ‘He’s the guy from the shop on D-day night.’
‘He’s the guy you told to eff off?’ Her mouth drops open in surprise. ‘He doesn’t come across that way at all. I thought he was very diplomatic over the whole Pluto misunderstanding. He actually tried to help you save face there.’
‘Thanks, do you really need to bring that up again?’
‘I’m sorry.’ She puts a sympathetic hand on my shoulder while I sip my coffee morosely. ‘I just think that maybe you’ve got him wrong. Amber, what do you think?’
She shrugs. ‘I wouldn’t say no.’
‘That wasn’t really what I was asking, but I guess it still proves my point. If Amber approves then surely that’s a good sign.’
‘No… see, you don’t get it.’ I vigorously shake my head. ‘He was only “diplomatic” there because he wants to sell us a holiday. He has this kind of self-assured, knowing, superior wa y about him. Too reminiscent of Dave. Anyway, even if he wasn’t a twat, I’m not ready for anything else yet. It’s all still too raw.’
‘Fair enough,’ says Cat. ‘Sorry, honey. But I will say, for the record, that I think James seems genuine. Confident, yes, but not like Dave.’
‘Yeah, well, I’m sure that – like Dave – he’s well practised in convincing people he’s something he’s not.’
We change the subject, and chat away lightly while drinking our drinks, until James joins us with his laptop.
‘Ladies, you’re in luck. I’ve found a few cracking deals for you.’
We murmur in surprise as the huge picture of a far-flung destination on the wall beside us is suddenly replaced by a duplicate of James’s laptop screen. He knowledgeably takes us through some options, offering his own thoughts on each one. After quite a bit of bargaining – including me and Cat laying it on the line with Amber that we will not be paragliding or jet skiing with her – we’ve narrowed down to two options: Antigua or the Bahamas, which wasn’t on our original shortlist, and I’m now wondering why, because it looks incredible .
I’m about to commit the ultimate faux pas in Amber’s eyes, so we can just get our trip booked, but she obviously senses this and leaps into action.
‘James, thanks, this has been useful. We’ll need to look at these two options against some others we’re considering.’
‘That’s right,’ I say, falling into line while wondering if James is actually buying any of this.
‘We’ll let you know either way,’ adds Cat, who still appears to be under his spell.
‘No problem, ladies.’ James smiles easily, while we all get to our feet. ‘It’s been a pleasure. Just remember that there’s limited availability because you’re leaving it so late.’
He escorts us to the door, and we pile out onto the street, then make a beeline for Starbucks, aware that we have just over an hour until the shop closes for the evening.