Soon, the boys have changed into suits as well and, as much as I don’t want to admit it, Hugh’s forearm was a pretty good indicator of what the rest of him looks like. I try not to stare as he rubs sunscreen on his face. His abs ripple as he maintains his balance on the rocking boat. He’s strong. All over. Like a vegan who does an Iron Man every year. He’s sporting a deep tan, which I still find incredibly annoying. Why did I have to come to Australia’s summer during Ohio’s winter?

‘Sunscreen’s over here!’ Vanessa yells, pointing to a bag full of bottles of sunscreen she’s carried up to the captain’s room. Hugh looks up towards Vanessa and catches my eye. He looks at the bottle in my hand and smirks. I wince at the memory of trying to slather it over my shoulders myself. Thankfully, Pippa is nearby to help me cover my back.

‘I saw you talking to Miguel,’ she says, while she rubs on sunscreen. ‘He’s cute!’

I laugh. Pippa reminds me of Millie, always on the lookout for something fun to talk about.

‘He is cute,’ I admit. ‘But being nice is his job. And, anyways, I’m here for work,’ I say definitively, hoping if I say it enough times out loud, it’ll crystallise in my brain. The only thing I am here for is the butterfly wrasse.

Andrew asks Pippa for help before she can say anything else, and I take the opportunity to duck downstairs for a moment of peace.

I need to reset my focus before our first dive. I squeeze past the tiny kitchen and the table that is bolted to the floor. I make my way down the narrow hallway, almost bumping my head on the ceiling. Hugh’s bag is now resting on a lower mattress. It’s a sleek navy duffel bag. I resist the urge to peek inside it, and instead, grab for my phone.

I stare at the screen blankly, thinking about my sister. If she was here she would be making a joke, probably one at Derek’s expense, and her laughter would ease my nerves. I scroll through my camera roll to find a selfie she sent me right after she dropped me off at the airport. She’s giving the camera a thumbs-up, beaming. I try to channel her positive energy.

I open the book of notes she gave me quickly and review what she’s written down about Treasure Cove, our first dive sight. The last sighting of the butterfly wrasse was in 2017, on the west side of the reef.

‘Have fun!’ she’d written in big letters. ‘It’s your first dive! ENJOY IT. And don’t use up your oxygen too quickly, then they’ll know you’re a rookie ;)’

A sharp knock on the door startles me so much that I drop the notebook.