Chapter 21
21
I feel like a teenager, although, to be honest, not even my own parents held me accountable like this. I thought I was a grown woman – turns out I was wrong.
‘Where have you been?’ Mandy asks, her tone sharp and clearly annoyed.
‘Down at the resort,’ I say simply, my heart pounding. I have no idea what I’ve done wrong, but I fear the consequences anyway.
Mandy’s eyes narrow, and I would guess that her blatant irritation isn’t really about me being late at all. It’s more likely about seeing me with Henri earlier, in his bathroom – something she has yet to bring up with me, and I can’t say I’m looking forward to when she does.
‘We thought you weren’t going to show up for dinner,’ Mandy adds, her voice dripping with disappointment – and, again, I’m not sure if she’s annoyed I didn’t turn up on time, or that I eventually did.
‘Have I missed it?’ I ask, glancing at the table that looks neatly set.
‘No, but that’s not the point,’ Mandy replies, crossing her arms.
Then what is the point?
Bette, sensing the tension, jumps in.
‘You’re here now,’ she says with a smile. ‘That’s what matters. Just in time to eat.’
‘But the point is…’ Mandy starts, but her voice trails off as Henri enters the room.
‘Oh, Henri, bonjour ,’ she says, her tone shifting to something much more cheerful and bright. It’s like she has been possessed by a ghost (one who is pretending to be French, because she’s doing that cringe thing of talking with a bit of an accent, like a French person speaking English).
‘Hello, ladies, I just thought I would see how you are finding your stay?’ Henri says, his accent as dreamy as ever.
I can’t say I’m not grateful that he’s taken the heat off me.
‘Oh, fabulous,’ Mandy gushes, batting her eyelashes. Honestly, it’s like she has morphed into a new species, all for Henri’s benefit.
‘Simply divine,’ Gina adds, with a wide smile. She is able to play it a little cooler around him, but you can tell he has her on the hook too.
‘Meh,’ Bette says, shrugging her shoulders indifferently. ‘It’s all right.’
Henri looks taken aback by Bette’s bluntness. I think we all are.
‘Is there anything else you ladies need for your room, or anything that might make your stay better?’ Henri asks, his smile back in place, not letting it rattle him for too long.
Mandy and Gina both shake their heads vigorously, insisting everything is perfect, while Bette remains nonchalant, verging on rude actually.
Henri turns to me, his eyes warm and interested.
‘Amber, have you found anything inspiring today?’ he asks me.
‘I’ve explored the resort a little, but not much,’ I admit, not telling anyone who I’ve been spending time with.
‘I’ll make a list of the best spots for you,’ he offers kindly.
Before I can thank him, Bette interrupts us.
‘We’re about to eat dinner, Henri. Could you give us some space, please?’ she says – again, so rudely.
This isn’t like Bette at all. Usually, she’s friendly and mumsy, but now she’s practically pushing him out the door.
Henri, ever the gentleman, politely excuses himself and leaves us to our meal.
Once he’s gone, Bette’s demeanour shifts back to her usual warm self.
‘Okay, what’s going on with you, Bette?’ Gina says, asking the question I think we all want to know the answer to.
Bette grins giddily.
‘I’m trying to get an “enemies to lovers” thing going on with Henri,’ she explains.
Mandy rolls her eyes.
‘Bet, the wager is off. We’re not playing any more,’ she informs her. ‘It was only supposed to be a bit of fun, but Amber took it too far by dressing up in lingerie and throwing herself at him. Offering it on a plate is not in the spirit of the competition.’
Embarrassment surges through every vein in my body.
‘That’s not what happened at all!’ I quickly insist. ‘I was trying what Gina suggested – to set the scene and get in the mindset to write spicy scenes – but everything just… went wrong.’
‘Mishaps in the bedroom are common,’ Gina says with a reassuring smile. ‘Don’t worry about it.’
‘But, Gina, it doesn’t usually happen when one is on their own,’ Mandy points out.
‘Dinner is served,’ a server announces, entering with a trolley loaded with plates.
And, once again, the heat is off me. Bloody hell, this is exhausting, feeling like I’m under scrutiny every bloody second.
I’m also glad that the silly wager is off – not that I ever intended to compete.
As the conversation shifts to more mundane topics, I realise I need to try harder to fit in with these women… if I actually want to fit in, that is. It’s hard to impress someone like Mandy, who seems to prefer when you don’t interact with her but then gets offended when you don’t.
I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to navigate this one but I’ll have to figure something out, if I want to stick around.