question just where Suzanne had got the invitation from, Maggie boarded.
As the yacht set off, it became increasingly clear to Maggie that they weren’t on a trip out to the coral reef. Instead, it was a very exclusive party and it would seem that they were there to pretty up the numbers!
But, other than jumping overboard, there was little she could do.
And so, wearing nothing more than a bikini and sarong, Maggie felt underdressed and over-exposed. She tried to grin and bear it at first but was all too aware of the roaming eyes drifting over her body. It made her feel supremely uncomfortable, as well as irritated, as Suzanne constantly told her to relax.
Maggie declined the free-flowing champagne that was floating around but, sick of water and needing something sweet in the fierce sun, she asked for a mocktail.
It was spicy and laced with cinnamon and tasted utterly delectable, until it was halfway down and Maggie suddenly felt dizzy and ill.
Perhaps they had got her order wrong—though Maggie doubted it—but was grateful when Suzanne steered her away from the blazing sun and led her to a cabin to lie down.
* * *
‘You were gone for ages,’ Suzanne said as the hostel came into sight. ‘Come on, spill, what did you and the sexy prince get up to?’
Maggie halted mid-stride. ‘Nothing,’ she responded. ‘How was I supposed to know it was the royal cabin?’
‘And how was I?’ Suzanne calmly answered. ‘Maggie, it was an honest mistake.’
Maggie shrugged and did her best to let it go. She seemed to have to do that an awful lot around Suzanne, though. But again she said nothing, telling herself that it really had been a simple mix-up and thankfully no harm had been done. In fact, it had been nice to hide for a couple of hours in the cool of the cabin, though it had been a touch awkward at first when the prince had come in to find her lying on his bed!
Suzanne assumed more had happened.
It hadn’t.
Nothing like that ever did!
Maggie sometimes wondered if she had been born missing a fuse, for not even the sight of a sexy prince with just a towel around his hips could ignite her.
It had been a touch awkward at first; she’d apologised, of course, and they’d ended up talking.
There had been nothing more to it than that.
As they walked into the hostel, all Maggie wanted was to have a shower, some supper and answer a few emails. Paul, her boss at the café where she had worked before heading off on her trip, was short staffed and had asked her to let him know when she would be home and whether she wanted her old job back.
She also wanted to send a long email to her friend Flo who would, no doubt, laugh her head off at the thought of Maggie alone in a bedroom with a sexy prince and nothing other than conversation taking place!
After that she just wanted to read in peace.
Perhaps peace was a slightly tall order given that she was in a four-bed dorm at the hostel, but Suzanne was doing the star-gazing tour tonight and the two other women had checked out this morning.
Hopefully nobody else had checked in!
‘Maggie!’
She heard her name being called from Reception and Maggie headed over to the desk as Suzanne made her way to the dorm.
Tazia, the receptionist, gave Maggie an apologetic smile as she approached. ‘We have just heard that tomorrow’s star-gazing trip has had to be cancelled as there is a simoom predicted.’
‘Simoom?’
‘A large sandstorm. I’ve got a refund here for you.’
‘Oh, no.’ Maggie sighed because she had been really looking forward to it.
‘I am sorry,’ Tazia said as she handed over the cash. ‘The earliest I can book is Monday but even that would depend on the storm clearing in time.’
Maggie shook her head. Her flight was on Monday morning, so that was no good. ‘How about tonight?’ Maggie asked, even though she was incredibly tired.
‘It’s fully booked. I tried a couple of other operators but given the unpredictability of the weather most aren’t taking any tourists out tonight.’
It was such a disappointment and Maggie could have kicked herself for not booking the trip for tonight when she’d had a chance. Though she knew the real reason why she’d avoided this evening’s excursion—Suzanne had booked a ticket and, in truth, Maggie had wanted to take this trip alone.
‘Thanks anyway,’ Maggie said. ‘If there are any cancellations, can you let me know?’
‘I wouldn’t count on it.’ Tazia shook her head. ‘You are tenth on the list.’
It simply wasn’t meant to be.
Maggie went into the dorm to collect her toiletry bag before heading for the shower.
‘What did Tazia want?’ Suzanne asked.
‘The trip to the desert tomorrow has been cancelled.’ Maggie sighed. ‘I’m going to take a shower.’
‘While you do, is it okay if I borrow your phone? I just want to send a text to Glen.’
Suzanne’s phone had got wet and so for the last few days she had been using Maggie’s.
‘Sure,’ Maggie agreed.
The shower was far from luxurious but after a year spent in hostels Maggie was more than used to it.
The water was cool and refreshing and so Maggie stayed under for a while, rinsing off the copious amounts of sun lotion she had applied to her pale skin. Then she massaged conditioner into her long red curls while trying to let go of the hurt that Suzanne’s thoughtless words had caused.
‘It’s not the same, though, is it?’
It had been a throwaway comment, yet it still buzzed around in her head and so, rather than think of old hurts, Maggie turned her mind to all that had happened today.
Or rather all that hadn’t!
She was terribly aware that she was light years behind her peers in the sexual department.
It wasn’t through lack of opportunity. In the café where she worked at home there were endless clients who tried to flirt or outright asked her out. Occasionally Maggie went along, but it was always the same outcome—a few awkward kisses were the sum total of her dating repertoire.
Still, even if there hadn’t been so much as a flicker of attraction, Hazin had been interesting to talk to. For all his good looks and privilege, he had seemed refreshingly down to earth. Usually when she told anyone that she had no family they would offer awkward sympathy. Hazin had grinned and told her she was the lucky one, then had proceeded to tell her about his parents and the cold way in
