“Roberta! Over here!”
As Roberta glanced around, her eyes landed on Nadia, who was waving her over. She almost let out a groan. She didn’t dislike the motley crew who campaigned with Nate, but she would never completely fit in with them. Today, though, she sucked it up and walked towards the small group hogging the back of the boat.
The cruise looked to be at full capacity, yet apart from Sophie and Nate, she hadn’t expected to recognise anyone else. Now she spotted Brent and a few of the others whose faces she recognised. Brent’s frown wasn’t unexpected, so in true Roberta style, she upped her smile wattage as she made her way towards the group.
“Excuse me, are you the young lady who saved our special guest?” a man holding a clipboard asked as she walked past.
Roberta halted for a moment and nodded but was saved from replying when Nate’s voice vibrated through the PA system. “Ladies and gentlemen, please find a seat so we can get started.”
She hadn’t considered all that. Heck, did this mean she’d be in the newspapers again? Locals might start to recognise her if she kept this up. She secretly smiled, liking the idea locals might call her a media tart. An apt term she’d heard once for something similar.
“Sorry about your accident.” Nadia squashed herself closer to Brent, giving Roberta a small space to sit and remove her hat. “We’re so glad you’re back on your feet again.”
With seating at a premium, it was a tight fit, but it afforded her a seat as Nate started up the boat and let it idle. Just what she needed to get her racing heart to settle down. Had she really been the sassy bitch? No wonder Nate sounded pissed off and confused. What made her kiss him? Her lips still tingled.
To be so close to him again, to be reminded of what they’d shared on those magical nights, had done something to the wires in her brain. Twisted them, tangled them, which resulted in a loose tongue taking over. She inwardly groaned, not sure what message eventually came out and what Nate had ended up thinking.
She twisted her hands together under her hat. A gentle elbow jabbed on her side reminded her she hadn’t answered. “Thanks, Nadia. It’s great to see you again.” Weirdly, she meant it. Being close to Nadia meant Nate was nearby.
Nadia gave her a quick hug in the confined space while Brent grunted. Roberta couldn’t help the short gurgle of laughter that escaped. A little bit of the old Roberta was back, and she mentally fist-pumped the air. Riling up Brent was going to be so much fun. She hadn’t forgotten Tash’s words about Brent pointing the finger at her, and she was going to make it worth her while. If not today, in the future.
“I can’t wait to work together and make a difference. This donation is a game changer.” Nadia flashed her a smile, her excitement caught up with her words.
Roberta flinched but kept a reply in check. Did they all assume she was staying? Had she pushed herself into a corner where there was no getting out?
She slumped back. Frick! Her head and hormones were all over the place. Of one thing she was certain: she missed Nate. There! She finally admitted it to herself after weeks of denial. All it took was five minutes in Nate’s presence for the truth to smack her in the face. She loved everything about them being together. Their banter, conversation, craziness, and especially the sex. They were so darn good together. Day and night.
She studied Nate while he was busy talking to reporters. He was a natural and so passionate. It was enough for a light-headedness to settle all over her nicely. Add in some heat, and already she needed to tamper down a build-up of desire. Would Nate have her back?
She pushed that niggling worry aside. For now, she wanted to enjoy the cruise and not misbehave. She had free rein to ogle Nate from where she sat and soak in his words.
Apart from the first cruise where she saved the man’s life, she’d only ever been on board one other time to serve Devonshire tea. Forgetting how relaxing it was, she took a moment to enjoy the beautiful, cloudless day.
If she wasn’t sporting the moon boot, she’d want to fling her clothes off and dive overboard. It was a thing—that refreshing feel as cool water rippled over your skin—and her skin continued to tingle as the urge to do so with Nate burnt furiously inside her.
She clamped down on those thoughts, looking instead out over the shimmering water. A cool breeze lazily drifted in from the open windows, cooling her suddenly warm cheeks.
Had she really threatened to manage the donation with or without Nate’s help? Was this her way of saying she was here to stay? Longer than intended? Dammit! She was so confused about what to do. For now, she could only concentrate on what it felt like to be near Nate again. He looked smoking hot with a recent hair trim, all dressed to kill in his neatly ironed khaki skipper outfit. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that he’d made a special effort to look good with the television crew and reporters around today.
She scanned the crowd, hoping to identify the American tourist, and spotted him up the front surrounded by the television crew filming and interviewing him. She suspected Nate was waiting a few more minutes, allowing them time to record a short segment before the cruise started.
“We were so worried about you, Roberta. I think Nate was worried the most.”
Huh? Roberta twisted in the limited space to face Nadia. She didn’t mind Nadia, and she smiled warmly in her direction. “Thanks for thinking of me. It wasn’t too bad, and I’m coming along just fine.” Nate worried the most?
There was another grunt from Brent, but she ignored him as the cruise began and she lost herself in Nate’s spiel about why the cruise that day was a special one.
* * *
“And lastly, I want to thank this special young lady for saving my life,” Brian announced to the crowd as Roberta walked forward to the front of the boat, smiling shyly at the guests as the applause rang out.
“My beautiful wife told me it was Roberta who didn’t hesitate to dive overboard and take my life into her hands. Her quick actions saved me, and I’ll be forever grateful.”
Roberta took Brian’s outstretched hand, hers shaking with all the accolades. This was a first for her. She’d saved many lives over the years, but none as dramatic and life-changing as this one. Cameras clicked nearby, but she discarded the handshake and gave Brian a big hug instead before giving his wife one too.
Facing forward to pose for more photos was a weird thing; it took her mind back to the wild brumby night. If her friend hadn’t died tragically that night, she might not have taken up nursing as a career. Might not have been at this very spot, this moment in time. A shudder rippled over her skin at the memory. The old saying ‘there’s a reason why things happen’ surfaced to remind her you never could tell which road your life took you on.
On that thought, she turned to Nate who stood behind her. The boat remained idle in the middle of the lake. The cruise was nearly finished, and Nate would only be waiting for the formalities to be over before bringing it back to shore.
During the cruise, he always seemed to have her in his sights, but always with a frown or a look of concern. Now, she sent him a genuine smile, thankful for the chance to make amends. It took Nate a few heart-thumping moments to interpret her smile, but when he did, he transformed like a work of art. One she wanted to ooh and aah over. Run her hands over, feel its stubbled edges, touch his lips with her fingers. Let him nibble her tips.
“Roberta will receive this final donation. I’d like to give her the chance to pay it forward to whichever charity she deems deserving of it. I trust she’ll do the right thing because I’d trust her with my life.”
Roberta disengaged from Nate, snapping back to attention. The crowd laughed at Brian’s unintended pun, and Roberta accepted the gift, still a little awkward with all the attention but burning with a heat that had nothing to do with receiving the sizeable sum of money. A sense of relief washed over her, not concerned at all now about the burden of delivering half a million dollars to the right organisation. She had a feeling she could call on Nate to help counsel her on this decision.
With one of those oversized cheques clasped in her fingers, she now deemed herself all in. Nate held the two-million-dollar donation handed over earlier. No nerves here, she joked to herself as she smiled for the photos with Brian and his wife, with the full knowledge they would be splashed all over the news and social media in the coming days.
This was a great day for Far North Queensland and its natural tropical beauty. As much as Roberta was doing everything to deny its magnetic attraction, the special appeal of the north was wrapping its tentacles around her and drawing her closer to its heart.
Melbourne was a different planet.