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2269 Words
When Nicki woke, she was alone. Siting up she held the blanket to her chest and looked around. Dominic was gone, but on the pillow next to her was a portrait of her sleeping. Nicki picked it up and looked it over. It was breathtaking. He had made her look angelic. Was this how he saw her? In his eyes she was beautiful.
Nicki got dressed in her swimsuit since it was all she had. She tied the wrap around her waist and taking her cane she navigated her way up the stairs to the main deck. She came up into the galley to find Cassia and Maxine prepping a meal for the whole ship.
“Oh, good you’re up,” Cassia said placing a cutting board and some vegetables on the table. “You’re just in time to help us make dinner.”
“Dominic says you’re a farm girl,” Maxine said placing a knife on the table. “We assume that means you know how to cook.”
Nicki slowly made her way to the table and sat down. She picked up the knife and began to slice the vegetables in front of her. She was happy to help. It was good to feel useful finally. “What are we making?” She inquired.
“Ratatouille,” Maxine said.
Nicki shrugged her shoulders. “What is that?”
“It’s a vegetarian dish,” Cassia said stirring the sauce she was making. “It’s really good.”
“Is someone on board a vegetarian?” Nicki asked.
“No,” Cassia said, “but vegetables are better for the figure than meat.”
She supposed as a supermodel Cassia had to watch her weight, but the woman looked like there wasn’t an ounce of fat on her. She was thin and lean. Nicki looked down at her own body. She didn’t look like Cassia or Maxine. They were both beautiful and accomplished.
“Do you want a drink?” Maxine offered.
“No thank you. I’m not a big drinker.”
Maxine opened the fridge and took out two sodas. “Well, then you can be on the wagon with me since I can’t drink either.” She said sitting at the table and placing the can in front of Nicki. “So how did you and Dominic meet?”
It was a little embarrassing to admit they met on a dating site but she supposed honesty was the best policy. She didn’t know what Dominic had already told people. “We met online.”
Cassia laughed. “No way? I guess you really can find a good one online.”
“I can’t believe Dominic of all people would have to resort to a dating site,” Maxine said curiously.
“The way I understand it he was humouring his mother. As for me, my sisters thought it would be a good distraction for me since I can’t work the farm anymore.” The room went quiet, and Nicki noticed how the other two women were trying very hard not to look at her cane. She knew they wanted to ask but neither would. Nicki sighed. She might as well address the elephant in the room. “I was a victim of a home invasion. I was home alone when four men broke in and beat me half to death. They crushed my leg shattering it is four places. I now have a steel rod and four pins in my knee and ankle. It’s why I have a nasty scar and why I will always walk with a cane.” She said adjusting the wrap, so it hid her scar better.
“Well don’t feel bad about the scar. We all have our scars to bear.” Cassia said pulling the top of her halter top aside to show off the circular scar just above her right breast. “I got shot six years ago, and it almost killed me. The doctors had to reconstruct my lung. Even now I get winded if I try to run.”
She had to admit it was a nasty scar but it was small and easily hidden, plus it hadn’t left her mangled and crippled. All in all, Nicki’s injury was considerably worse. “Why were you shot?” She found herself asking.
“Industry rivalry.” She simply said. “Another model had some difficulty getting booked, and she blamed me, so she took a pot shot at me outside a photoshoot.”
“Did they catch her?”
“Yes. She’s serving ten years for attempted murder.” Well, there was another difference. Cassia had justice whereas Nicki had to live with the fact that someone she sees every Sunday in the church had done this to her and would very likely never be punished for it. “How long did it take to catch the guys that attacked you?”
Nicki looked down at the knife in her hand and tried to contain her outrage. “They didn’t.”
“They don’t know who did it?” Maxine asked.
“Oh, we know who did it the law won’t do anything about it. I see them every Sunday in church. They sit two pews behind me.”
“Oh honey, I’m sorry,” Maxine said sadly. “That has to be hard on you.”
“Excuse me,” Nicki said taking her cane and getting up. She limped out of the room out onto the deck. She made her way to the banister and looked out over the vast open water. She could feel the pain and hatred building inside her, the bitterness that rotted her soul. She found her faith wavering. How could a just and fair god allow this to happen to her, a good person, and allow the men that hurt her go free without consequence?
***
Dominic lounged on the cushions at the bow of the boat browsing the internet on his cell phone. Even out this far he had service. He was reading up on physiotherapy. He knew that Nicki usually had appointments to work on her leg and he was taking her away from these appointments. He didn’t want her condition to regress, so he was looking for something they could do together to keep her ambulatory.
Justin and Lucas came his way with skis in their hands. “Get up Dom; we’re going skiing,” Justin said. “Come on you know you want to.”
Dominic placed his cellphone on the cushion next to him and stood up. He was about to join in the fun when he spotted Nicki standing by the stern of the ship. “I’ll be right with you.” He said and headed over to Nicki. He snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist startling her. “Sleep well?” He asked nipping playfully at her neck. She turned her face away from him, and he realized she was trying to hide the tears in her eyes. Oh god, what had happened now?
“Yes, I slept fine.” She said wiping a tear away.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.” She lied. She put on a false smile and then looked at him like she wasn’t dying inside, but he knew something was wrong. Had someone said something they shouldn’t have? He was sure he made it clear that no one was to stare or bring up her cane but he had a sinking suspicion that someone had said something.
“The guys and I are going to go water skiing; you want to come to watch?” He asked not pushing the matter. The boys were already climbing down the stern of the yacht to prepare the rope and skis. Lucas was going first. He strapped on the skis and dropped down into the water holding the length of rope tied to the back of a seadoo that had been attached to the back of the yacht.
“Sure.” Nicki and Dominic walked over to the edge where Nicki held on to the banister. Dominic stood with his arm around Nicki for support. Lance was about to fire the seadoo up and start moving. Justin made a wide gesture, and then they launched forward. The movement pulled Lucas up on the skis and dragged him behind the seadoo. As they whipped around Lucas did some spins and flips that brought an amused smile to Nicki’s face. Leave it to Lucas to turn everything he did into a stunt. But Dominic was happy his crazy brother was so nuts. The show had lifted Nicki’s spirits.
They slowed down and brought Lucas back onboard and then Dominic took his brother’s place on the skis. He was in the water and ready to go. The seadoo launched forward bringing Dominic up on the skis. He spun around and did a few tricks, nothing nearly as risky as Lucas but enough to impress Nicki nonetheless. He looked up to see her smiling and applauding his successful stunts. They slowed down, and Dominic climbed back onto the yacht then helped Justin strap in. He gave the thumbs up to Lance who started the seadoo up again and took their baby brother on the ride he was looking for.
Dominic looked up to see Nicki’s face. It was good to see her smiling and enjoying herself. When Justin finished skiing, Cassia announced dinner. So, they packed up and joined the ladies in the galley. It was a large table, but with ten people it was still a tight fit. They sat around enjoying their dinner while the boys told embarrassing stories about one another focusing most of the stories on Dominic and his rise from kid to artist. Telling Nicki about how he used his art to get women into bed. Dominic defended himself as best he could, but the problem was the stories weren’t false. He had used his artist status to get women to go to bed with him and frankly it worked rather well.
Lance, in particular, was trying his best to get Dominic into trouble as retribution for what Dominic had done to him when he had first started seeing Cassia. Their mother had not been found of Cassia and after a brief spat between brothers over the pretty little thing Lance popped the question and Dominic had outed them to their parents before they were ready to tell them. So now Lance was looking for payback.
After dinner, Cassia and Maxine cleaned up, and Dominic took Nicki out onto the deck to look at the stars above. Out on the water, the clear night was stunning. The sky filled with stars, and the moon was full and big hanging low in the sky. The stars shimmered over the calm waters and Dominic could not have asked for a better night.
“I hope those guys didn’t make you think less of me.” He said holding her as they leaned against the banister.
“Why was none of it true?” She asked with a smile.
“Oh, they were true. What can I say? I was like any horny teenage boy, but I’ve grown since then, and I’m not that guy anymore. They’re just trying to embarrass me.”
“And are you embarrassed?”
“Yeah, a little bit.” He grinned, and she laughed.
“Well, I won’t hold it against you.”
“That’s so kind of you.” He said with a smile. “So, are you having fun?”
“Actually yes.”
“I wish we were alone though.”
She shrugged and looked up into his eyes. “It’s not bad. Your family is very nice.”
“Well, they are on their best behaviour.” He confessed.
“Are we going back to the marina tonight?” She asked noticing how late it was getting.
“I think the guys are planning to spend the night out here, but if you want to go back to the house, I’m sure I can talk Lucas into taking us back to the dock.”
“No that’s ok. I’m in no rush to go back. But where are we all going to sleep?”
Well, there were five rooms below deck. They were small, but there were enough to give everyone their privacy for the night. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out. It’s a big ship I’m sure we can make room somewhere. What do you say we go to bed?”
“I’m not tired.”
Dominic flashed a wicked smile. “I didn’t say anything about sleeping.” His lips curved in a seductive grin.
“You’re bad.”
“Let’s go be bad together.” He said taking her hand and leading her below deck. He was going to make the most of his night at sea. Tomorrow he had to go back to work.
- Writer
