Tall, Dark & Distant (19 page)

Lying on the very comfortable king-sized bed in the cabin, she could clearly hear the guys talking on the deck above her.

‘Bro, you should totally take this boat to Sydney for New Year,’ Dim said.

‘That … would … be … awesome,’ Cameron said.

‘Really sick,’ Dim added.

Then there was a pause. Georgia put her magazine down, waiting for a response from Nik. She wondered if Sydney was on the agenda for New Year. She’d already agreed to go to a party in Noosa and had hoped to take him along.

‘I don’t know,’ Nik said eventually. ‘I don’t think Georgia’s really into the boating thing. She’s a mess in broad daylight. I think she’d be in hospital after a night of fireworks on Sydney Harbour.’

Dim and Cameron laughed. For a moment Georgia was annoyed – did Nik really think she was so weak and hysterical? But then she realised that he was just looking out for her. She was touched.

‘I thought I’d spend New Year’s here with Georgia,’ Nik continued. ‘It’s our first one together and Noosa is pretty special to us.’

Georgia smiled. It was one of the sweetest things Nik had ever said. He was changing, little by little, and letting her get to know him. But the guys just laughed, really hard.

‘Don’t be so lame, man,’ Dim said. ‘You’ve got every other day of the year to hang out with Georgia. Let’s leave the chicks here and make it a boys’ trip to Sydney. With a boat like this we could pull a thousand babes.’

‘Seriously – it’d be awesome,’ Cameron said.

Georgia felt sick. She had actually thought Cameron was a decent guy and even though she had reservations about Dim, she was surprised that he was being such an arse when he’d just got together with Mei.

‘I think I’ll just stay here,’ Nik insisted. ‘I want to be with Georgia.’

‘Oh, man,’ Cameron complained. ‘That’s harsh.’

‘Whatever, man,’ Dim added.

‘How about we go out fishing tomorrow?’ Nik said in a conciliatory tone, which Georgia thought was much more than Cameron and Dim deserved. ‘Just the three of us – a boys’ trip.’

Dim and Cameron seemed content with that. The conversation drifted to fishing and how much beer they’d need. Georgia left it a few minutes before she returned to the deck. By that time the anchor was up and the boat was heading back to the marina. Nik was steering on his own, and he smiled as she joined him. He gestured for her to take the wheel.

‘You trust me to drive the boat?’ Georgia asked.

He shrugged. ‘It must be love.’ He laughed, perhaps to cover what he had just let slip. But she almost choked.

‘You really have changed,’ she said, taking the wheel.

Nik put his arm around her. ‘I said I would.’

Georgia wasn’t sure what had triggered the change in Nik, but he was a different person completely.

Georgia had a theory that her near-death experience yesterday had something to do with it.

Later that evening, Georgia lay on her bed, reflecting on the change in Nik, while Alice, who was clearly in one of her foul moods, rifled through the wardrobe trying to find something to wear out that evening.

‘I hope you enjoyed your onboard lunch yesterday,’ Alice spat, ignoring Georgia’s philosophical musings.

Georgia shrugged. ‘I’m not really sure what you mean,’ she said. She had no intention of explaining herself to Alice and she certainly didn’t need her muscling in on the action – especially now things were going so well with Nik.

‘Don’t play dumb, you pathetic liar. I saw you on Nik’s boat. It’s not small. It’s enormous!’

‘I guess.’

‘That’s all you can say …
I guess
. It’s huge and I saw you on it – swanning around like some B-grade celebrity. Make that Z-grade.

Have a look at what you’re wearing.’

Georgia rolled her eyes.

‘Why didn’t you invite me?’ Alice whined. ‘I’ve never been on a mega yacht. I really wanted to go. You’re such a bitch sometimes. You make the White Witch of Narnia look like a saint.’

Georgia should have just ignored her, but Alice was getting on her nerves, which were already frayed from a day of looking for rogue tinnies. And two Narnia references in two days was creeping her out. She was sick of Alice’s sense of entitlement.

‘What have you been doing?’ Georgia growled, jumping up and stalking towards her sister. ‘Spying on us?’

Alice took a step back.

Georgia moved forward, sticking her nose in her sister’s face to make the point. ‘You’re the last person I’d invite on a yacht. And the last person Nik would want there too.’

Georgia stormed out of the room.

Alice was in a bad mood for days after Georgia’s outburst. Often it was hard to tell the difference between her good moods and bad moods – they just seemed to blend into one long period of sulkiness and sarcasm. But this was different. It started with the silent treatment. Then it was total non-compliance and all-out warfare. However, this just made it easier for Georgia to ignore her, which is exactly what she did. She had other things on her mind.

Georgia and Nik were inseparable for those few days. Every waking moment was spent together – helicopter trips to Fraser Island, picnics in the bush and dinners on Hastings Street. Georgia couldn’t believe the change in Nik. He’d scheduled her into his life and he was open and honest – so different to the cagey guy she’d had dinner with only a couple of weeks earlier.

New Year’s Eve arrived, and Georgia sat on the couch in the late afternoon, strapping on a pair of sandals. Nik would be picking her up any minute. The plan was to go to his place for a few drinks, then head to the party later in the evening.

As Georgia moved to the second sandal, Alice pranced in from the bedroom wearing Georgia’s black sequined dress.

‘Alice, get that dress off!’ Georgia snapped. ‘It’s not yours!’

‘You’re not going to need it,’ Alice whined. ‘Mum, tell Georgia to stop being so mean.’

‘Off!’ Georgia shouted at her sister.

‘Okay, okay,’ her father interrupted. ‘Calm down, girls.’

Alice stared at Georgia defiantly. ‘You’re not even going to wear it!’

‘I am so!’ Georgia said. She hadn’t been planning to – Nik had already seen her in it, after all, and it felt a little dressy for a beach party. But she wasn’t about to let her sister take her stuff without even asking. It was the principle of the thing.

Alice stomped to the bathroom. ‘I hate you!’ she screamed over her shoulder.

Georgia followed, banging on the door until Alice handed her the black dress. Georgia disappeared into her bedroom and slipped it on, changed her sandals, let down her hair and added a touch of mascara. As she was putting the finishing touches on her outfit, the doorbell rang.

‘It makes you look fat,’ Alice growled, glowering at her from the doorway to the bedroom.

‘Why, thank you,’ Georgia replied with a smile, not giving her the satisfaction.

‘Georgia, Nik’s here! Don’t forget your mobile,’ Georgia heard her mum shout towards the bedroom.

‘Okay,’ she replied. She grabbed her phone, but didn’t think she’d need it. There was only one person she wanted to speak to and he’d just rung the doorbell.

Georgia rushed out of the bedroom to rescue Nik before he spent too much time with her parents. She knew it was only a matter of time before her dad got onto melanomas and the Queensland sun. It was a personal campaign of his, to inform every member of the public of the dangers, one by one.

Nik was on the balcony with his back to her. Her father was rattling on, getting worked up about something, but once Nik turned to face her, Georgia couldn’t hear a thing.

It was like the first morning in the national park all over again. Was it possible for someone to get better-looking in the twenty-four hours since she’d last seen him, or had her mind just failed to preserve Nikolai Morozov’s glorious combination of features? She felt like she was seeing him with her heart rather than her eyes. The late afternoon sun had turned the leaves behind him golden-green, framing his perfect face and lighting up his hair.

She floated towards Nik, past the kitchen and through the lounge area. Unfortunately she drifted too close to a sofa, stumbling slightly. It definitely spoiled the moment, but Nik pretended not to notice.

‘All set to go,’ she smiled, leading Nik out of the apartment.

‘Stay away from drugs and alcohol,’ Alice shouted from the doorway. ‘I’d hate you to drown in your own vomit.’ She slammed the door, which made Nik jump. He looked quite jittery.

‘My sister’s a psycho,’ Georgia said. ‘Don’t worry about her.’

Georgia didn’t even give Alice a second thought. How could she when she was about to spend her first New Year’s Eve with Nik? Tonight was going to be amazing – she already knew it.

‘That’s nice, Mei returned your car,’ Georgia said as she climbed into Nik’s Ferrari.

‘Mei had a fight with Dim. I think she gave it back mostly to annoy him.’

Georgia laughed. ‘He
was
looking very comfortable in it. He’ll probably rob a bank so he can buy one of his own.’

Nik opened the driver’s door. ‘That’s exactly what he said he’s planning to do. But I wouldn’t worry – I don’t think he’s smart enough.’ There was a hard edge to Nik’s voice.

‘Ouch,’ Georgia said. ‘I thought you were friends.’

Nik shrugged. ‘So did I.’

‘Something go wrong on the fishing trip?’ Georgia asked as they drove towards Nik’s house.

‘A difference of opinion,’ Nik replied shortly. ‘Cameron and Dim spent all day trying to talk me into going …
fishing
in Sydney for New Year.’

‘Oh,’ Georgia said, feigning innocence. ‘What do you mean?’

Nik didn’t reply. In fact, he offered no more than two words to anything Georgia asked. The closer they got to his house, the less he seemed to want to speak. The boat trip must have been a bad one. Nik looked pale, and he seemed really tense.

‘Are you sure everything’s all right?’ Georgia asked.

‘It’s fine,’ Nik insisted, giving her a hollow smile. ‘I think I’ll get a security firm to start in the new year,’ he said, as they pulled into the garage at his house. ‘It’s probably a good idea to have some security around here.’

Security arrangements were the last thing Georgia wanted to discuss. They walked through the tropical garden, watching the sun sinking behind the mountains. It was her favourite time of day. She liked the way the sun’s blistering heat mellowed and the glaring white sunlight turned golden. It didn’t just make pretty patterns in the sky – it gave everything a special glow. As they took a seat under the frangipanis, she noticed the colour returning to Nik’s face. The golden sunset gave him a glowing aura.

But Nik seemed immune to the beauty. He was still on about security. ‘I’m thinking we could have a proper security fence and gates. I mean the gates here are a joke – anyone can just walk in.’

Georgia let him talk on about his security plans, snuggling into his shoulder and
mmm
-ing here and there. Nik had brought a bottle of champagne into the garden. He popped the cork, and poured her a glass. As Georgia sipped, he picked up a frangipani that had fallen onto the seat next to him. ‘These flowers remind me of the first time I saw you.’

Georgia was only half-concentrating, so she took a moment to register what he said next.