Page 25 of Sun, Sea & Strawberry Shortcake
‘Isn’t it just?’ She smiles sweetly. ‘I hope you don’t mindme saying... I think you’re sobravewearing a bikini.Especially one as skimpy as that! I always think a one-piece isfarmorestylish. And flattering, of course.’
‘But you’re very slim, Joanna.’ I attempt to emulate hersweetness although I have a feeling my smile probably looks more like agrimace. Why does this woman irritate meso much? ‘I’m sure you look greatin a bikini.’
‘Oh, well, yes.’ She gives a modest smile. ‘It’s just...well, do peoplereallywant to see all your bits hanging out, like aprize pig on a spit?’ She glances across at Hudson, who’s emerging with twobeers. ‘Hudson! Mm, like the shorts. Very Zak Efron inBaywatch.’
He grins, lapping up the compliment. ‘Well, thanks.’
‘No problem.’ She smiles skittishly. ‘Listen, why don’t youcome over to mine for an early supper? Say, about six-thirty? We can have acocktail in the garden first.’ She swivels her eyes in my direction. ‘Both ofyou, of course.’
Hudson glances at me. ‘Well... wehadbeen planning just a quiet dinner...’
‘Oh, right. No worries. Just a cocktail, then?’
‘Well, I suppose... what do you think,Ruby?’
I’m still recovering from having been compared to a prizepig. Does this woman never give up? Hasn’t Hudson made it clear we don’tactuallywantcompany tonight? And now he’s placed the ball firmly in mycourt. But I can’t for the life of me think of a way to decline her offer of acocktail that wouldn’t sound rude.
‘A cocktail would be lovely, Joanna,’ I say, hoping my smiledoesn’t looktoofake.
‘Great.’ Her eyes skitter over my half-naked person. ‘Andplease don’t feel you have to dress up.’
‘Okay.’ Smiling is making my jaw ache. The urge to pull onmy T-shirt to cover up my ‘bits’ is fairly strong. But I’m bloody determinedI’m not going to allow Joanna to spoil my afternoon. So instead, I sit up andfan myself with my sun hat, arranging my arms artfully to make the most of mycleavage. ‘Gosh, I’m sohot,’ I murmur, sending Hudson a sexy, eyes-half-closedlook.
And when his lips twist in an appreciative smile, it feelslike a victory.
Yah boo sucks to you, Joanna! Hudson loves my bikini!
*****
‘Cocktails in the garden’ turns into drinks and nibbles.Thehors d’oeuvresshe brings out are so exotic and plentiful (andactually extremely delicious) that they’re like a meal in themselves, and itvery soon becomes clear that dinner will not be needed.
Hudson is deliberately steering the talk away from work, sowe get onto the subject of Joanna’s career history, from modest beginningsworking at a garden centre on Saturdays and moving on to the bar jobs she hadin her uni holidays.
It’s all a bit boring, to be honest, but my second glass ofPimm’s (light on the lemonade) is going a long way to combat the tedium. (I’m startingto feel more than a little squiffy.)
At one point, Joanna leans towards me, touches my wrist andmurmurs confidingly, ‘At the last bar I worked at, the manager actually told methat when I started work there, I had adirect effecton the takings.Imagine that?’ She does her little tinkling laugh.
‘Oh, dear. Did they plummet, then?’ I ask innocently.
‘What?’ She looks confused. ‘No, no. The takings wentup!’
‘Ah. Right.’ I’m very aware of the warning look Hudson’s givingme. He knows I can be a bit annoying when alcohol has loosened my tongue.
But I needn’t have worried that my remark might havesilenced her. Because without taking a breath, she launches into a monologueabout her previous job, when she worked for a charity. Apparently, everyonethought she wasmarvellousbecause she gave so much of herself to thejob and worked tirelessly to help the poor unfortunate people who were down ontheir luck... blah, blah, blah. And then she moves on to her selflesswork with the adoption agency, which was obviously all trulymarvellous...blah, blah, blah.
‘Of course, I only did whatanyonewould do under thecircumstances,’ she says modestly, having described how she was awardedemployee of the year after ‘going above and beyond’ for one couple, who werestruggling to adopt.
‘Don’t be so modest,’ says Hudson, raising his glass to her.‘It sounds like you were a proper star.’
‘Aw, shucks.’ She blushes prettily at the compliment.
And just like that, I reach the limit of my patience.
I stand up, swaying ever so slightly, and look from Hudsonto Joanna and back to Hudson. ‘Hope you don’t mind, but I’ve got a bit of aheadache. I think a lie down somewhere quiet would really help.’
He puts down his glass. ‘Do you want me to come with you?’
‘No, no. You stay here and chat. I’d prefer the silence. Myhead, you know.’ Reaching the door, I can’t resist calling back, ‘I’m sureJoanna haslotsmore stories to relate of hermarvellouswork.’
