No. I have strong moral fibre that prevents me.
I will not even tidy the papers back into a neat pile for him, in case he thinks I have been peeking.
I will put the tray down on the coffee table and take my coffee outside far from him and his confidential papers. I will enjoy a swim and read my book. I won’t give these confidential papers a second thought. Nor will I obsess over how adorable Cam looks in his sleep. Or whether he is single and attracted to me.
* * *
I’m mid-swim when Cam appears at the patio door. He fills the frame, reaching casually up to stretch his arms out to yawn. He shakes himself awake and stands watching me.
‘Sorry about nodding off like that,’ he says sheepishly. ‘I didn’t realise I was so tired.’
‘That’s okay,’ I shout back from the far end of the pool as I swim back towards him. Trust him to wake up now. I’ll have to stay in the pool or else climb out and give him an eyeful of the world’s skimpiest bikini. It’s so revealing I can barely feel it. I look down to double-check that it is still tied to my body.
‘Erm, I hate to ask this…’ Cam rubs one side of his face sleepily. ‘But did you by any chance…?’
Oh, my God, he thinks I’ve peeked at his stuff!
‘Did I by any chance look at your confidential papers?’ I say, pretending to be shocked. ‘No, I did not. I would never. I’m the sort of woman who wouldneverbetray a confidence. Those confidential papers fell from your hand, and I did not so much as glance at them. I swear to God. That’s the truth of it.’
I couldn’t sound more guilty if I tried.
Cam’s face breaks into a huge smile. ‘I was trying to ask if you by any chance brought some insect repellent?’ he finishes. ‘I forgot mine. And boy, do you need it over here, but it’s impossible to get hold of in the village. Especially the spray bottles.’
‘Oh. Insect repellent. Yes. It’s in my room. I’ll get it for you.’
Now I have the awkward dilemma of getting out of the pool without him seeing me. Ridiculous really, as soon I could be swanning around in a bikini for almost a billion people to watch on repeat for all of eternity.
I reach the steps and hesitate, plucking up the courage to just go for it, but Cam seems to immediately sense that I’m shy about him seeing my near-naked body.
He swivels around and goes back into the lounge. ‘I’ll just make some fresh coffee!’ he yells. ‘And chase the airport reps up about your luggage.’
I find his thoughtfulness very endearing and I quickly leap out of the pool, grab a towel and scuttle like a crab across the patio to my room. One glance in the mirror at my wet hair and face tells me that at least the streaks of make-up have washed off, leaving me fresh and natural-looking. And because I have barely eaten anything since I arrived, my stomach looks flat and toned. I throw the hospital gown back on as though it is a dressing gown, grab one of the small canisters of insect repellent and walk through the villa to find Cam.
‘You are a lifesaver,’ he says. ‘Thank you so much. Mosquitoes seem to love me.’
I’m not surprised.
As I hand it over, I glance down to see there is no wedding ring on his left hand. A small bolt of hope flashes through me.
‘I’m going to do some work on this dining table if that’s okay. And then I thought I’d cook us some dinner seeing as you haven’t eaten for days. Does gluten-free salad sound good? I’d hate for any mishaps.’
Ah, so he’s remembered my overshare. My cheeks flame instantly. ‘Does the salad come with roast chicken and chips? I’m starving.’
‘Chips? You would have potato chips with chicken?’
‘Ah, no. It’s the language barrier. Not crisps, I mean chips as in fries?’ I forgot about this huge cultural difference.
Cam seems delighted to have a roomie who likes to eat complex carbs. ‘Perfect. That’s settled then. About seven for dinner?’
‘Great. It’s a date.’
Not a date date, obviously, but I will simply make this worse if I try to clarify. A thought pings into my head as I make for the sunlounger. Do Canadians wear wedding bands on the left or right hand?
* * *
I’m halfway through my book when a splashing sound draws my attention. Cam has dived into the pool and is doing lengths. I peer over the top of my book to see him slice through the water, his arms pumping and his head coming up for air every so often. It’s very impressive.
He catches me watching him and stops swimming. ‘I thought we could eat out here,’ he calls over to me from the far end of the pool. ‘What do you think?’