alright?”
Michela
put her hands to her face and rubbed it vigorously as if to scrub away sad
memories. “It’s okay, I’m fine. It’s just I had a bad breakup after
four-and-a-half years of what I thought was love ever after. I think your
question shook me, that’s all.”
“When
did it happen?”
Michela
smiled in resignation. “Oh, not long before I flew out to Christchurch.
Not the best timing I’ll admit.”
“I’m
terribly sorry. It can’t have been easy coming all that way, when there was
unfinished business at home.”
Michela
shook her head. “That’s the good thing about high paid lawyers. They
managed to come to an agreement that suited us and didn’t involve too much
financial acrimony. No, coming to New Zealand happened at the right time.”
A
comfortable silence descended between them as they retreated into their own
thoughts.
“I’ve
never really thanked you for saving me that day,” Allison said.
Michela
frowned before realizing Allison was referring to her fall at Mount Cook. She
shrugged. “There’s no need to thank me.”
Allison
took Michela’s hand. “No, I’m serious. I don’t know what I’d have done had
you not acted so quickly. I was a right royal pain in the backside over there
and you never once lost your temper. I’d hate for you to think I was ungrateful
as well.”
Michela
looked at the smaller hand softly clasped around her own. Despite the lightness
of touch, the heat between them was palpable, forcing her to wonder if Allison
could also feel it. She locked eyes with Allison, seeing something there she
couldn’t readily discern. Was it recognition or fear?
“I
don’t know about you two but I’m about ready for bed and if I stay here any
longer, someone’s going to try and get me into theirs.” Sarah cocked her
head toward the group she’d just visited.
Michela
smiled as she removed her hand from Allison’s light grasp. “Yes, well, you
will get yourself into these situations, won’t you? Alli, you right to
go?”
Allison
stood and pulled her purse from her bag. “I’ll just fix up the bill.”
Sarah
watched Allison until she was a safe distance from the booth. “What was
that all about? Did I interrupt something?”
Michela
quietly laughed as she stood. “Not at all. She was merely thanking me for
saving her in New Zealand.”
Sarah
smiled. “That’s a relief, because I’m here to tell you, you’ve got a
not-so-secret admirer in Maddi.”
Michela
glanced at the group and straight into Maddi Walker’s appreciative gaze.
Gallantly tilting her head in Maddi’s direction, she smiled and turned to
Sarah. “Yes. Well something tells me she’d be a bit of a handful and not
one after long term commitment.”
“Maddi
would be devastated to discover you’d worked her out in less than one
meeting.” She nudged Michela good-naturedly. “Given she’s on the same
ship as us, you’ll have to tread warily.”
Michela
visibly cringed, while at the same time a twinge of excitement coursed through
her. “Great. Just what I need. An oversexed God’s gift to women on the
same boat as us. Give me strength.”
MICHELA
LET OUT a relieved sigh that her team was present for the ship’s final brief
before sailing. The final day on the Australian mainland had been a frenzy of
activity, with cargo manifests confirmed and personal equipment checked one
final time.
The
authoritative tones of Durville’s captain forced her mind back to the
meeting.
“Dr.
DeGrasse, are you with us?”
Michela
looked up. “Yes, I’m sorry, captain, I was doing one final crosscheck.
What was it you said?”
“I
was recommending that your team get a final good meal inside of them before we
get into open water. If you remember from your first trip to the continent,
maintaining your energy is important, especially if you suffer from
seasickness.”
“Thanks,
captain. By the looks of some of them, they’ve indulged in nothing more than a
liquid diet over the past
Michela
put her hands to her face and rubbed it vigorously as if to scrub away sad
memories. “It’s okay, I’m fine. It’s just I had a bad breakup after
four-and-a-half years of what I thought was love ever after. I think your
question shook me, that’s all.”
“When
did it happen?”
Michela
smiled in resignation. “Oh, not long before I flew out to Christchurch.
Not the best timing I’ll admit.”
“I’m
terribly sorry. It can’t have been easy coming all that way, when there was
unfinished business at home.”
Michela
shook her head. “That’s the good thing about high paid lawyers. They
managed to come to an agreement that suited us and didn’t involve too much
financial acrimony. No, coming to New Zealand happened at the right time.”
A
comfortable silence descended between them as they retreated into their own
thoughts.
“I’ve
never really thanked you for saving me that day,” Allison said.
Michela
frowned before realizing Allison was referring to her fall at Mount Cook. She
shrugged. “There’s no need to thank me.”
Allison
took Michela’s hand. “No, I’m serious. I don’t know what I’d have done had
you not acted so quickly. I was a right royal pain in the backside over there
and you never once lost your temper. I’d hate for you to think I was ungrateful
as well.”
Michela
looked at the smaller hand softly clasped around her own. Despite the lightness
of touch, the heat between them was palpable, forcing her to wonder if Allison
could also feel it. She locked eyes with Allison, seeing something there she
couldn’t readily discern. Was it recognition or fear?
“I
don’t know about you two but I’m about ready for bed and if I stay here any
longer, someone’s going to try and get me into theirs.” Sarah cocked her
head toward the group she’d just visited.
Michela
smiled as she removed her hand from Allison’s light grasp. “Yes, well, you
will get yourself into these situations, won’t you? Alli, you right to
go?”
Allison
stood and pulled her purse from her bag. “I’ll just fix up the bill.”
Sarah
watched Allison until she was a safe distance from the booth. “What was
that all about? Did I interrupt something?”
Michela
quietly laughed as she stood. “Not at all. She was merely thanking me for
saving her in New Zealand.”
Sarah
smiled. “That’s a relief, because I’m here to tell you, you’ve got a
not-so-secret admirer in Maddi.”
Michela
glanced at the group and straight into Maddi Walker’s appreciative gaze.
Gallantly tilting her head in Maddi’s direction, she smiled and turned to
Sarah. “Yes. Well something tells me she’d be a bit of a handful and not
one after long term commitment.”
“Maddi
would be devastated to discover you’d worked her out in less than one
meeting.” She nudged Michela good-naturedly. “Given she’s on the same
ship as us, you’ll have to tread warily.”
Michela
visibly cringed, while at the same time a twinge of excitement coursed through
her. “Great. Just what I need. An oversexed God’s gift to women on the
same boat as us. Give me strength.”
MICHELA
LET OUT a relieved sigh that her team was present for the ship’s final brief
before sailing. The final day on the Australian mainland had been a frenzy of
activity, with cargo manifests confirmed and personal equipment checked one
final time.
The
authoritative tones of Durville’s captain forced her mind back to the
meeting.
“Dr.
DeGrasse, are you with us?”
Michela
looked up. “Yes, I’m sorry, captain, I was doing one final crosscheck.
What was it you said?”
“I
was recommending that your team get a final good meal inside of them before we
get into open water. If you remember from your first trip to the continent,
maintaining your energy is important, especially if you suffer from
seasickness.”
“Thanks,
captain. By the looks of some of them, they’ve indulged in nothing more than a
liquid diet over the past
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