I wasn’t ready to deal with my feelings for Josh. I ducked below deck and heard a quiet, ‘Goodnight,’ in return.

I tiptoed across the dining nook, knowing that every tiny sound was amplified on the small boat. I didn’t want to disturb anyone, especially not Hannah. I slowly turned the knob to our cabin and saw that she was asleep on the bottom bunk – my bunk. She seemed completely out of it, which I was glad for, but I was going to have to break out some pretty impressive manoeuvres to get over her and into the top bunk without waking her up.

I slipped into the small bathroom and washed up as quickly and quietly as I could. Moonlight pooled in through the ceiling hatch, and I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I looked – what? Happy, I looked happy. I eased the bathroom door open and stood beside the bunks for a moment, trying to work out my course.

I figured if I put my foot on the edge of the lower bunk and swung up and over Hannah, who was now lying spread-eagle across it, I might make it without disturbing her. I cursed the last glass of brandy and how tipsy I was, but holding on to the edge of the top bunk for leverage, I executed my plan flawlessly. I looked down at Hannah; she hadn’t even stirred. Either I was uber stealthy, or she was uber out of it.

I lay back on the bunk and thought back over my night with James. No one was going to believe this story when I told them; it sounded made up.

*

The next morning, the sun was a less than welcome sight. My eyes hurt when I tried to open them, and my head hurt when I tried to lift it off the tiny pillow.

‘Good morning, sunshine,’ crowed a cheery Hannah, as she stepped out from our bathroom. She was standing in the half-a-square-metre area that made up our floor space, wiggling her eyebrows at me. I frowned – that hurt too. ‘Fun night?’ she asked, her voice dripping in insinuation.

‘Not that fun,’ I replied, a little tersely. Great – speaking hurt too. How much had I had to drink?

‘Well, you must have come in late. I was totally out of it – and that only happens for me in the middle of the night.’ She wiggled her eyebrows again. Damn her and her wretched eyebrows.

‘I did come in late – yes, but nothing happened – not really.’

‘You mean you didn’t sleep with the billionaire?’ She sounded disappointed.

‘He’s not a billionaire – he’s just a millionaire many times over.’ Did I really just say that? Is this who I am now, a person who casually mentions multi-millionaires?

‘Well, whatever he is. You didn’t sleep with him?’ Yep, she was disappointed.