Paula darted a glance at the woman beside her. In just a few minutes she had already let them know that she’d been in Mexico in the summer, and was a frequent visitor to New York. Add in this cruise, not to mention the designer dress she was wearing and the expensive face powder she had given away so freely, and there was clearly no shortage of money.

‘What do you do for a living, Anna?’ she asked as they paused next to the lift that would take them to the restaurant.

‘I oversee a nationwide firm,’ replied Anna. ‘My team are mostly freelancers, and I ensure they’re all in work. It’s a tough job – we’re in the process of going international, so I need to be available all the time, literally day and night.’ She smiled suddenly and swept her arms in a wide arc. ‘A holiday like this is my reward!’

Paula blinked. This tiny woman with the body of a boy oversaw an entire company? And earned enough money to keep herself in luxury and allow her to go on holidays like this one several times a year?

‘Wow,’ she muttered. ‘That’s impressive.’ She paused, eyes narrowed. ‘What does your husband do?’

Anna laughed. ‘No husband, just me. I never had the time nor the inclination for husbands or kids or all the mess that comes along with them.’

Tommy, previously uninterested in the women’s conversation, swivelled his eyes to regard Anna, a move that Paula didn’t miss.

‘And what do you do, Paula?’ asked Anna politely as they stepped into the lift.

A silence descended. Usually Paula answered that question with a hint of pride that she had a husband who earned enough that she didn’t have to work herself. But somehow, next to the pocket rocket beside her, the answer she normally gave would just seem… sad.

‘I keep house,’ she managed, aware even as she spoke that it sounded lame.

‘Oh, housekeeping?’ said Anna. ‘I was a part-time cleaner when I was working my way through college.’

Paula heard the disconnect, and swallowed as Tommy smirked in her direction. ‘No, I meant I just look after our house.’ She paused. ‘I don’t work,’ she clarified.

The lift sped on down to the dining deck, opening with a little chime as they emerged, and Paula wondered if Anna had actually heard her. As the other woman walked ahead, Paula yanked on Tommy’s sleeve. ‘She thinks I’m a cleaner!’ she hissed.

He pulled his arm free and straightened his cuff. ‘For God’s sake, relax,’ he said, moving up to stand beside Anna as they waited to be seated.