finally, everyone,’ he was saying, ‘we’ve got the first sinking at the end of this week, so the safety team will have to go over each of your boats. Have a look at your roster – there won’t be any filming while they’re checking your boat.’
‘Um, sorry,’ one of the contestants said, lifting his hand. ‘You know how we had that trouble earlier on? Are we going to lose any fitout time if the safety checks run long?’ Beside him, a well-groomed woman nodded.
‘Yes, that’s part of your storyline,’ Bernie said. ‘If the safety checks run long, you’re just going to have to deal with it.’
‘More camera time for you!’ chimed in another contestant, and they all laughed.
‘Right,’ said Bernie. ‘Now, we’ve got a night shoot on Friday, but the council noise regulations mean we can’t use any power tools. So make sure you get all your drilling and sanding done in daylight hours. But save something speccy for the evening. We’re not going to film you guys just standing around patting each other on the back.’
Dan stepped forward. ‘And our trade support team aren’t getting paid any overtime, so if you get into trouble at night, you’ll just have to wear it. Plan out what you’re doing, so that you’re finished with us by six o’clock Friday.’
Another contestant raised her hand. ‘I just want to say we’re really thankful for all the hard work the tradies have been putting in for us,’ she said, as several of her colleagues made sounds of agreement.
‘Absolutely,’ added a third contestant. ‘You make us look great out there, and we totally couldn’t do it without you. Round of applause for Dan and the guys!’
The contestants all clapped. The tradies looked embarrassed. ‘Just doing our jobs,’ Dan said. ‘We’re all in the same boat.’
Bernie raised his voice over the mix of laughter and groans. ‘Okay, okay, that’s all for today. Everyone back to work. Jo and Luke, Trang and Minh – I need you guys to stay behind for a minute. We’ve got to go over some of your rigging choices.’
The group dispersed – the tradies heading to the back of the shed, and the contestants ambling towards the door. A pair of contestants came directly at Rose, lost in their own conversation. She quickly stepped aside; her job was to be not heard and not seen. But the pair stopped and smiled at her. They were a man and a woman, the guy in his mid-twenties, the woman maybe a decade older.
‘Are you new here?’ the man said, holding out his hand. ‘Hi, I’m Marlon.’
‘Rose,’ she said, shaking first his hand, then the woman’s. ‘And yes, I just started yesterday.’
‘I’m Laura,’ the woman said. They both had a presence about them that Rose couldn’t quite pin down. They didn’t exactly look more attractive than regular folk … well, they certainly weren’t as hot as Dave from Mansions in the Sky. Marlon was kind of a surfer type, while Laura would have been at home on a cattle farm, but they somehow seemed just that little bit more interesting than your average person on the street. Charisma, Rose thought. That must be what you needed for television.
‘How are you liking it here?’ Laura asked.
‘It’s great,’ Rose said, ‘it’s a really good opportunity for me.’
They both nodded. ‘I think that’s how all of us feel,’ Marlon said. ‘This is such a huge break for everyone.’
‘Are you guys professional renovators?’ Rose said.
‘Nah,’ Marlon said, ‘I’m here because my girlfriend wants to get into home decoration and I don’t mind getting handy.’
‘Don’t sell yourself short,’ Laura said. ‘My husband and I are here because we love being on the water. We have our own yacht.’
‘So you two aren’t a team?’ said Rose.
‘Oh no,’ Laura said. ‘David is out working on our boat.’
‘And Kikki is getting supplies. In the meantime, Laura’s giving me some advice on weatherproofing.’
The older woman nodded. ‘It’s really easy to overlook that stuff when you’re tied up at dock. But sea trials are only a few weeks away.’
‘If we even get that far.’
‘Don’t be silly – you guys are doing a great job.’
‘Not compared to you,’ Marlon said. ‘Your boat is amazing.’
‘Yeah, well, the decorating stages are still to come. That’s where we’re going to struggle.’
‘You can always ask Kikki and I for help there, you know that.’
‘Thanks,’ Laura said. ‘We’re definitely going to need it!’
‘Well,’ Rose said, ‘if there’s anything I can help you with …’
‘Oh no,’ the contestants both said at once.
‘You guys already do too much,’ Marlon said.
‘You tradies are amazing,’ Laura said.
‘Go on,’ Rose said. ‘Seriously, don’t stop.’
The pair laughed.
‘I’d better get back to it,’ Rose said, ‘amazing doesn’t just happen.’
‘Good luck,’ Laura said as they walked away, ‘I’m sure you’ll be great.’
‘Same to you,’ Rose said. She hadn’t met people that nice on the job since … since before the Old Steve days, and maybe never. Nicola was definitely not going to be a fan of this show; if everyone was so nice, and got along so well, where was all the drama going to come from?
That Thursday night, Rose’s family put aside their small screens and gathered around the big TV in the lounge to watch the current season of the show she was now working on. It was strange to see a commercial TV broadcast coming from a screen that was usually alight with Criterion Collection Blu-rays, downloaded prestige dramas, or at its most plebeian, the ABC. For once, Rose hadn’t had to bring dinner home; to celebrate her new job, Alan was in the kitchen cooking up what smelled like … well, it mostly smelled like burning, but Rose hoped something edible would emerge at the end of it.
Tonight’s episode of The Dock began with a handsome Nordic man striding purposefully along a dock that Rose realised was not the one where the boats were moored, but another far more glamorous structure. He had a close-cropped beard and piercing blue eyes. His shoulder-length blond hair tousled in the sea breeze.
‘That’s Thor Thorsson, the host,’ Rose told the room. ‘He was a famous solo yachtsman in the ’80s. He said hi to me once.’
‘Famous in the ’80s?’ said Renton. ‘Sounds like he’s washed-up.’ He looked around, eager for a reaction. ‘Get it? Washed-up!’
‘Shut up,
