Page 12 of Someone in the Water
‘Unless you slate his precious Spurs,’ Dom adds with feeling.
‘Luckily Frankie’s got me to look out for her,’ Izzy says, hanging her arm over my shoulder. ‘Now come on, let me show you our room. I hope you don’t mind sharing with me. Harriet took the single room, didn’t you,mon amie?’
‘Well, I am the senior sailing instructor,’ Harriet says.
‘I’m happy to share,’ I say, my instinct to appease kicking in.
Izzy smiles, then winks at me, as though she was just winding Harriet up. ‘Great, let’s go.’
With Izzy’s arm still slung over my shoulder, I feel myself lean into her and a warm sense of anticipation rolls through me. Beach, sunshine, water sports, and new friends. Dom, my water-ski partner, Izzy my new roommate, and Jack, the best-looking guy I’ve ever met.
I don’t know what I was worrying about. This summer is going to be epic.
Frankie
13th June
‘Remember what I said!’ I shout above the idling engine. ‘Knees tucked into your chest, arms straight, and let the boat pull you up. You have totally got this; I believe in you!’
During my first week at Hotel Paoli, I thought my job was to turn every guest into a proficient water-skier. I threw technical terms at them, pointed out their faults, forgot to smile. Then Dom reminded me that everyone was on holiday, and that my only objective is to make sure the guests have fun, so now I’m dishing out these inspirational quotes like sweets at a kids’ party.
Liam is our last guest of the day, a thickset police officer from Manchester on holiday with his fiancée who is watching from the beach, armed with a camera. Satisfied that his body is vaguely in the right position, I twist back in the driver’s seat and slowly push on the throttle. There’s always two of us in the boat – one driving, one spotting – so I can rely on Dom to tell me if Liam face-plants at any point. But the roar of triumph floating over my shoulder is enough of a clue that he’s finally made it out of the water – that and the drag caused by his fourteen-stone weight. I nose the boat out to sea, making sure to stay away from the swimming area, and clear of the last two Pico sailing boats slowly tacking their way to shore in the dying wind.
When I get close to the edge of the bay area, where the sea is rougher, I curve back in a wide turn. This is always the trickiest part for a beginner skier – being thrust unaware into a slingshot manoeuvre – but Liam clings on, brute strength coming to his aid, and makes it onto the straight again. When I guide him towards the beach ten minutes later – Dom hollering at him to drop the rope – Liam looks exhausted but elated. Another happy guest with a story to tell at dinner. I acknowledge his fist pump with a wave, and then watch with mild relief as he drops his buoyancy aid into the container of fresh water and trudges up the beach towards his whooping fiancée. I’ve been on the go since seven o’clock this morning and I’m looking forward to an evening chilling out.
I hope Izzy is thinking the same. I’ve only known her for three weeks, and she’s eight years older than me, but I already feel like we’ve been friends forever. Maybe it’s the intensity of living and working together, or maybe I’ve been lucky enough to find a kindred spirit a thousand miles from home, but I already can’t imagine our friendship stopping when the summer ends.
I haven’t got as close to the rest of the waterfront team yet. Izzy warned me that they can be cliquey, and they do seem to give her the cold shoulder a lot of the time. It makes me feel uncomfortable – and confused – because she’s so lovely. But they’re nice enough to me. Dom is the entertainer in the group, which veers between amusing and annoying depending on my mood. Harriet hasn’t dropped her superiority act but loosens up after a couple of Long Island ice teas, our favourite cocktail. I have a lot of time for Archie – he’s warm and funny, but with a vulnerable edge too – and it’s still too early to know about Jack, although that might be because I turn into a nervous wreck whenever he’s around.
‘Jeez, my back is shot,’ Dom says, pulling in the rope, then leaning back with an exaggerated grimace. ‘How about we swap: you carry the skis and stuff back to the hut, and I’ll moor up the boat?’
‘Not on your life,’ I say, shaking my head. In truth, I don’t care which job I do, but Izzy has warned me not to be too accommodating, otherwise I’ll find myself being treated like the resident mug.
‘Oh, such cold-hearted beauty, I can hardly bear it.’ Dom holds his hands to his chest in mock pain.
‘Shut up, Dom.’ But I smile anyway.
‘It’s true; I reckon you could turn men to stone as a hobby.’
‘Well, maybe you should stop staring then, or you might end up like one of those menhir statues.’
‘God, don’t remind me about Izzy’s bloody history lesson again. Who cares that Corsican cavemen were making stone Mr Blobbys six thousand years ago?’
‘It’s art, Dom,’ I say in my best superior voice, although Mr Blobby probably is a better description of Corsica’s famous pre-historic statues, which Izzy took us to see on our last day off. ‘Didn’t you say you did art history at uni?’
‘Hey, look at this!’ Dom points over the side of the boat. I can’t tell if he’s changing the subject or has actually seen something in the water. But his eyes are wide enough to rouse my curiosity.
‘What?’ I say, edging towards him.
‘Quick! It’s massive! It must be a tuna or a grouper or something!’
I lean over the side of the boat, search for the chunky silver fish. But I can’t see it. I stretch further.
A second later, a hot palm lands on my mid-back and I jolt forward. My limbs flail, trying to reverse the inevitable. Then I fall from the boat, splash into the salty water. I sink for a moment, my shorts and T-shirt dragging me down, then bob back up.
‘You complete dick!’ I screech, pushing my spikes of hair back, seawater spraying into the air. ‘What did you do that for?!’
Dom is doubled over, howls of laughter spilling out of him. ‘Oh man, I’m sorry,’ he manages as he tries to catch his breath. ‘Wow, you really fell for that fish story, didn’t you? Hook, line and sinker!’ Another burst of laughter explodes from his mouth.
