The Honeymoon Hijackers, page 18
‘Josie—’
‘I’m lucky, you know?’ Josie said, her eyes glistening, the lightest crack in her voice. ‘He can get us out of this. It won’t matter to him. I should have asked him earlier. It was silly not to. I was being pig-headed. But we need his help. So I’ll swallow my pride. Just this once.’
Sasha wanted to cry. ‘There’s got to be another way.’
Josie went to her bag, sitting on a sun lounger. ‘It’s fine.’ She pulled her phone out. ‘I’ll talk to Kate. She already knows he’s minted; she’ll probably go for it.’ She paused. ‘But I don’t want you to listen. OK?’
Sasha was fine with that. Though Josie had had a front-row seat to Sasha’s embarrassing little show, this was different. Worse.
‘OK, Josie. OK. If you’re set on this, I’m… I don’t think I could talk you out of it.’ Sasha paused. ‘Can I?’ she asked hopefully. She hoped to see some hesitation.
‘You really couldn’t,’ Josie said.
She looked so beautiful to Sasha right then. Scared, but brave. Sasha wanted to protect her so badly. But Josie was intent on protecting her. Her family didn’t have her back, but Josie did.
Sasha couldn’t believe this was the rude party girl she’d met at that wedding. But Sasha only had half the story back then. Now that she had the other half, Sasha thought what it added up to was that she could fall in love with Josie Adler. She knew it without a doubt. It was already happening.
Josie turned from her and went down to Kate. Sasha sat down on the sun lounger and watched the Med. It was a beautiful view, alright. But the cost of this view had come too high. And it kept rising.
She thought about everything that had happened this week, everything she’d experienced, everything she’d learned. And it seemed like out of the gloom, one thing was obvious. If this all came out OK and she didn’t get arrested for theft and passport fraud, she was leaving the restaurant.
That might have frightened her a week ago. But if she was going to live any kind of life, she had to start living it for herself more. Not for duty to people who wouldn’t even take her calls.
She wasn’t leaving her family behind completely. But it couldn’t be as it had been. If Josie was going to make this dreadful sacrifice, Sasha would have to make it mean something. The least she owed Josie was to take full advantage of the very freedom that Josie had taught her how to use.
The thought was a relief, but it didn’t lift her mood that much. She felt sick knowing what Josie was doing right now. She leant on the brass safety rail, marvelling at its fresh glint. When Josie put her back into something, it was something to see, Sasha thought.
She wondered if Josie knew just how capable she was. Sasha wanted to tell her somehow. But what were words to Josie? You had to do something, you had to have solid proof if you really wanted to…
Sasha’s breath caught in her throat. She had an idea. A very stupid idea that couldn’t possibly work. It was like Josie’s trying to polish her way to freedom. A comforting fantasy, surely.
Kate would never go for it. She wouldn’t go for her anything. She had a justice boner that refused to go down. There was no point.
But still, that dumb idea lingered.
Thirty-Four
Josie strolled across the now very shiny main deck to Kate and her doom. Well, maybe doom was a bit much. What she was about to do was only really the greater of two evils.
But there was no getting around this. And hey, wasn’t all this just in her head, anyway? It was something that built from tiny things to bigger things, to this feeling. This feeling that if she asked Simon for money, it would break her. But it wouldn’t. She would just feel bad for a while and then get over it, probably.
So why did she feel like she was gonna vomit?
‘Kate? I’m calling Simon, OK?’ she announced to Kate, who turned in surprise. ‘You know he could sort this. He booked you in the first place. Get your bank details ready because he’s gonna transfer it over in a few minutes.’
‘I thought it was iffy, your relationship?’ Kate asked.
‘It is. But he’s gonna do it, anyway. Because I’m gonna talk him into it, exploiting every last shred of dignity I have. And then you’re gonna call it a day, OK?’
Kate looked unsure. ‘I suppose.’
‘So you agree to that? I get the money and it’s over?’ Josie pressed.
Kate mulled for a moment. ‘Me? I’ll say nothing. But I’m not in charge of spot checks. You need to accept that money won’t buy your way out if that happens.’
‘OK, yeah, fine. You can’t predict that,’ Josie yielded. ‘But you, personally? I need your word it’s done when you have the money.’
‘Get the money and I guess I can let it go. But if we get stopped, it’s going to be a different kettle of fish,’ Kate warned.
Josie nodded. ‘I accept that.’ She took a deep breath.
‘So, come on, let’s get this money issue sorted,’ Kate said.
‘I’m just gathering my strength,’ Josie told her.
‘We don’t have time for that. Get it done.’
‘That sensitive therapist thing comes and goes, doesn’t it?’ Josie said dryly.
‘I’ve given all I’m prepared to give to you two,’ Kate said. ‘Take it or leave it.’
Josie sighed. ‘OK, Kate. I guess that’s fair.’ She dialled her phone, her stomach sinking. It rang six times before the call connected.
‘Josie,’ Simon answered stiffly. ‘Well. I wasn’t expecting your call.’
‘Hi, yeah. How’s things?’ Josie asked.
Simon paused. ‘What?’
‘I said, how’s things?’ Josie repeated.
‘I’m sorry. I don’t believe you’ve ever asked me that, so I’m somewhat taken aback.’
Josie decided to roll right over that. She couldn’t afford to take a step in any direction that would lead them to an argument. ‘Yeah, so anyway. Have you managed to get in touch with Clara?’
‘Um, no. No, I haven’t,’ Simon said, sounding disturbed. ‘You haven’t… She wouldn’t have called you, would she?’ Simon asked hopelessly.
‘She hasn’t been in touch with me,’ Josie said.
Simon sighed. ‘Oh. Never mind.’
‘You lost track of her?’ Josie asked, baffled. Those two were as thick as thieves ordinarily.
‘I’m sure she’s just taking some time out,’ Simon said. ‘I’m not worried.’
‘OK,’ Josie said, not believing it for a second.
But this strange crack in the daddy-daughter dynamic was beside the point. Josie had to do something now, something on par with asking for the money. She was going to have to apologise for what had happened at the wedding, the things she’d said about Clara that had proceeded the slap.
‘So umm…’ she began, her mouth getting the taste of pennies. ‘I was just… I need to say…’ She drew in a breath and the start of the word came out. ‘Sor—’
But she never reached the second syllable of the word because the phone was abruptly smacked out of her hand. She looked around in shock to see Sasha panting from running at her to knock the phone away.
‘Don’t!’ she yelled.
‘Sasha!’ Josie cried. ‘What the hell?’
Sasha went and picked up the phone, and Josie thought she was going to hand it back, but she was just hitting the cancel button.
‘Have you lost your mind?’ Josie cried.
‘No. I’ve found it!’ Sasha replied.
‘I don’t know what the fuck that’s supposed to mean, but I’m just gonna call him again, you realise that?’ Josie thundered.
‘My god. You two. The drama never ends!’ Kate barked, enraged.
Sasha turned to her, oddly excited. ‘Kate. I need to talk to you. I know how to fix this.’
‘You’ve figured out how to pull money out of your arse, have you? Because that’s about the only way to fix any of this,’ Kate snapped.
‘I can do better than that,’ Sasha said, nervously smiling. ‘Max!’ she yelled over her shoulder.
Max came jogging up from below deck. ‘You called?’
‘What the hell are you doing?’ Josie hissed at her. She was a bit disturbed by the manic glint in Sasha’s eyes.
‘Two minutes. Please,’ Sasha pleaded.
Max joined the group. ‘Seriously, I was just on the toilet, and I’ve had to cut it off mid… Anyway. I was busy, so what’s going on?’
‘I’ve got a proposal,’ Sasha said. ‘And everyone would need to agree to it.’
‘This ought to be good,’ Kate said, folding her arms.
‘It is,’ Sasha said. ‘I’ve just signed me and Josie up for yacht skipper qualification courses. It was shockingly expensive. But anyway, I’m not worried about that.’ She frowned. ‘Well, I am a bit. It was practically my whole savings.’
Josie was so confused that she could only gape at Sasha. What the hell had she done that for?
Kate looked at her in fury. ‘You want to tell me that not only have you not gotten a loan, but that you’ve got even less money than you had a few minutes ago?’
‘It had to be done,’ Sasha said assertively. ‘Because if we’re gonna get this thing around the world, we’re gonna need to learn.’
‘What?’ Kate asked, confusion sucking the anger out of her.
‘Yeah. What?’ Josie asked, equally flummoxed.
‘You and me,’ Sasha told Josie. ‘We’re going to learn to run this boat. And we’re going to take over the business.’ She looked at Kate. ‘We’ll pay off the loan for you. You’ll be free.’
Josie and Kate were twinned in astonishment.
Sasha smiled at Kate. ‘You hate this boat. You want off. But you need to pay off that enormous loan, right? Well, we’ll do it. We will live and work on this boat until it’s done. Every spare penny we earn goes to the loan.’
‘That’s the stupidest idea I’ve heard this week. And I’ve heard some real humdingers,’ Kate finally managed to say.
‘Sasha, that’s bonkers!’ Josie said, the power of speech returning to her.
Sasha looked at her. ‘Is it? I mean, really. Is it? You’re footloose and fancy-free, and I’m leaving the restaurant…’
‘You are?’ Josie asked, momentarily side-tracked.
‘I am,’ Sasha nodded happily. ‘So neither of us has ties. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve loved being aboard this boat. Despite everything that’s happened, this ended up being the best week of my life.’
‘Because you like boats now?’ Josie asked. ‘But you can’t even swim.’
‘I’ll learn that, too. But yes, I like this bloody boat. And I like you,’ Sasha said. ‘This was an adventure because you made it that. I don’t want it to end. None of it.’
Josie’s heart leapt into her mouth. This wasn’t an escape plan that Sasha was proposing. It was a future. Josie was terrified by how much she wanted to say yes. But she wasn’t so easily swayed.
‘I won’t be able to do it. I’ve never committed to anything. Not a job, not a person. I won’t make it.’
Sasha paused. ‘You can say no. I can’t make you do this. But I want you to know… From the moment I met you, I’ve never felt so out of control. It’s been fantastic. You scare me and you challenge me, and you make me feel like anything could happen. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. You’re all I’ve ever wanted.’
‘I’m a mess!’ Josie declared, frightened.
‘And I adore that about you,’ Sasha said.
Josie’s entire body was electrified.
Sasha looked down at her feet. ‘But it’s not just about me. So it doesn’t matter about any of this if I can’t give you anything back.’
Josie swallowed. ‘You’re gonna make me say it? In front of Kate and Max?’
‘Say what?’ Sasha asked tentatively.
Josie thought about whether she wanted to say what was in her heart. It scared her more than the phone call. But Sasha was trying to give her everything. She had laid it all on the line. So Josie had to do the same. Today was the day she went all in. It had to be.
She took a deep breath. ‘That I feel safe with you. That you make me feel like I’m OK. Like maybe I don’t have to screw everything up. And I don’t know what to do with that,’ Josie said, exhausted.
A look of deep relief, not to mention happiness, washed over Sasha. ‘Then let’s work this out,’ she said, taking Josie’s hands and smiling. ‘Let’s work it out while we sail people with more money than sense around the world.’
‘Hey!’ Kate said. ‘I don’t want to ruin this beautiful healing moment, but you’re forgetting something.’
‘What?’ Josie asked.
‘I’m not even close to saying yes to this,’ Kate snarked.
Josie turned and shook her head at Kate, still holding Sasha’s hands. ‘Don’t be so bloody dense.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Kate snapped.
Josie raised an eyebrow at her. ‘Do you understand what we could do for this yacht?’
‘What are you talking about? You don’t have the first clue how to run this thing.’
‘But we could learn, right? And once we have, do you know what we are? What this boat would come with?’ Josie asked.
Kate looked angrily stumped. ‘What.’
Josie smiled slowly. ‘A trained chef and a massage therapist.’
Sasha started laughing. ‘I hadn’t even thought about that.’
Kate’s eyes widened. ‘Jesus.’ She looked at Max. ‘Can you imagine the bookings?’
Max rolled his eyes. ‘Oh, have you remembered I’m here, too? Because I have to say yes as well.’
Kate glared at him. ‘Look, I actually think… Christ, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it might be a great idea,’ she admitted.
‘So what?’ Max shrugged.
‘So we could leave. We could have our lives back.’
‘And you could forget us,’ Max said, his shoulders dropping.
‘Yes, Max. Isn’t that what you want, too? It’s not like you were ever cut out for marriage, is it?’ Kate asked him gloomily.
Max’s brow creased. ‘Yeah, but… I just thought… I don’t know, I guess I sort of thought one day we might… You might come back around.’
Kate gave him a long look. ‘I was never going to take you back. No matter how long we were trapped on this boat. And you didn’t want me to.’
Max was offended. ‘You don’t know that.’
‘Max, be honest with yourself. If you really wanted that, would you be sleeping with Valentina under my nose?’
‘It was just sex,’ Max exclaimed.
Kate’s eyes narrowed. ‘Not to me. You know that. So just be honest with yourself. And while you’re at it, do something for me, for once. Let me go.’
Max groaned and took his cap off, running his hand through his hair anxiously. He put his cap back on and looked at Josie and Sasha. They looked back at him hopefully.
‘Let her go, mate,’ Josie said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
She wasn’t trying to sell him. He was screwing himself and dragging Kate through hell in the process. He needed to stop.
Max gave Josie’s hand a grateful pat. He turned to Kate. ‘Alright. I guess done is done.’
Kate let out a sigh of relief that seemed to last a whole minute. And then she turned to Josie and Sasha, puzzled and annoyed. ‘So, you two. I guess we’re about to go into business together? Please, please don’t make my life any worse by screwing this up.’
‘Yeah. Don’t fuck it up,’ Max said, looking at both of them meaningfully.
He turned and went upstairs to the flybridge. Everyone heard the unmistakable sound of a beer being cracked open. Max was toasting the end of his time on the Endless Summer and the real end of his marriage, or at the very least, the fantasy that it wasn’t long dead.
‘You know, I can’t make you work for free. It’s illegal,’ Kate noted.
‘No?’ Josie asked, worried.
‘So I’m just going to exploit you horribly,’ Kate finished. ‘Minimum wage for the pair of you.’
Sasha swapped a relieved grin with Josie, who couldn’t believe she was excited to hear the words ‘Minimum wage’ in relation to herself.
