‘Well, they all look very… nice. You can stay at home when the rest of us go shopping.’
‘If it’s all right with you, I’d like to come. Like I said before, it’s time I expanded my world a little and I’d appreciate your opinion. I think we have the same sort of taste and you always look lovely. I really like that shirt you’re wearing so, well… time to shut up now, Elliot.’
Oh boy, I did not know how to handle a compliment from Elliot Ollerton. The last time he’d called me lovely, he’d kissed me so passionately I’d forgotten how to breathe. The only thing I could think of to do was bend over and pet Penny, who was wearing a cute blue bow that matched Elliot’s shirt.
‘You look beautiful, Penny,’ I said, wondering how long I could get away with crouching under the table.
‘So, who won?’ Arthur asked, bending down to find me.
‘Won what?’
‘The most impressive outfit.’
‘Arthur! This is not a round in the Cup. No scores, no points, no first place. The plan is that you’ll all emerge winners when you end up more confident and happier with yourselves.’
‘Okay. But if there was a first place, who would it be? Definitely not Isaac, right?’
‘It would be Penny. Now, time to eat. And talk about your topics.’
The others insisted I led by example.
‘Okay. So…um…’ I tried to buy myself a bit more time by adjusting the collar on my mint-green, satin blouse. ‘Seb was telling me last night he’s been offered a job working behind the bar on a river cruise. Have any of you been on a cruise?’
No, no one had, of course, all being twenty-eight-year-old men who barely left their village.
‘Right. So, if you could go on a cruise anywhere, where would it be?’
Isaac pulled his eyebrows down as he thought about that, chewing an enormous bite of pizza. I made a discreet gesture to indicate he’d got a string of cheese dangling off his chin, but he refused to take the hint.
‘What?’ His eyebrows dropped even further as he tapped his chin with one finger. ‘What does that mean?’
‘It means you have cheese on your face,’ Elliot said, prompting Isaac to swipe it off and into his mouth.
‘Cheers, sis.’
‘Right! Useful tip.’ Arthur practised discreetly tapping his finger on his chin, nodding to himself.
‘No! Not “cheers”. This is supposed to be a civilised meal. Food dangling off your face is gross.’
‘I didn’t know it was there!’
‘Well, if you can’t manage to get 100 per cent of the food in your mouth then use a napkin.’
‘Alaska,’ Elliot said, causing us all to look at him in confusion.
‘That’s where I’d go on a cruise.’
‘Okay, great!’ I leant back in my chair. ‘An interesting choice. Why there?’
‘It seems peaceful. Simple. I think my brain would find it a pleasant change.’
‘Nice.’ Isaac nodded.
‘Day one, leave Southampton,’ Arthur said, pointing his pizza slice at me. ‘Next stop, Gothenburg, Sweden. Disembark and explore the botanical gardens. The following day, onto Bornholm, Denmark. Time to visit the fourteenth-century fortress Hammershus before taking in a few rock carvings. Possibly a wander into Ronne for some smoked herring. Day four. Or is it five? Hang on…’ He started counting off on his fingers.
‘Wait!’ I barked, perhaps a little too harshly, but I really couldn’t bear to go back to day one. ‘That’s a very detailed itinerary, Arthur. Perhaps keep it a little shorter, so you don’t end up monopolising the conversation.’
‘Boring your date senseless,’ Isaac said.
