Feeling stunned still by the extravagance of our travel, I thought, not for the first time, about his house and land back in the Alberta Rockies. I figured it was a pricy chunk of land and house, but I hadn’t thought he had as much money as he obviously had. I mean, how rich did one have to be to own a private plane?
I didn’t know the answer to that question. It boggled my mind - the idea of my being married to a man so obscenely wealthy. Actually, it made me sort of uncomfortable and I decided I didn’t want to know the level of wealth my new husband held. If my mind couldn’t fathom him owning a plane, I doubted I would be able to fathom the millionaire, or worse yet, billionaire title.
Yes, I was most definitely better not knowing. When that decision was final, I found myself feeling excited by the space we were traveling, getting nearer and nearer to the water. I loved water. I was excited that Calix had chosen to spend our stay in a hotel near the beach. It would be not only beautiful, but also relaxing.
In all my studies of Greece, I had never looked up a hotel - so I was utterly clueless when it came to the ones available. My confusion skyrocketed when the car bypassed every hotel I could see, driving down to the marina. I had a mini vision of being murdered and then dumped in the water by our driver, but Calix was sitting beside me as though he expected this, so I nestled in closer to him before settling back into the seat. Surely, if Calix wasn’t questioning the man, then he was driving us to the right place?
Noticing my unease, Calix curled one arm around my shoulder before moving his other hand to rest on my thigh beneath the skirt of my dress. If I wasn’t so concentrated on our whereabouts, I might have blushed at the feel of his hand there on my thigh - in a public-ish place. The car was a public place, wasn’t it? I mean, there was a man in the driver’s seat only a few feet away from us - that did constitute, in my mind, as public.
Leaning into Calix, I asked in a whispered breath. “Do you know where he’s taking us?”
His lips curled up at the corners. “You can calm your imagination, love. I know exactly where we’re going.”
I narrowed my eyes and muttered under my breath. “Calm my imagination.”
Calix’s body shook beside mine and feeling in a huff, I made to move away from him, but he held me tight against his side. “I don’t think so, Nova. You can stay right where you are.”
“Calix,” I hiss-whined.
He settled determined eyes on my face and I knew there was nothing I could do to untangle myself from his arms. So I didn’t try. Instead, I folded my arms over my chest and harrumphed. Again, he chuckled quietly.
My attention shifted to the driver as the car came to a stop. The sky had turned dark at least an hour ago, probably more, and the there didn’t appear to be much in the way of life outside the car. Again, I felt my heart thump nervously in my chest as I recalled a few of the thriller movies I’d seen. There had only been a few considering the fact that I do have a wild imagination and I’m a bit of a chicken.
The driver unfolded from the car and Calix opened his door before stepping out. I followed closely after him, careful not to allow too much space between us as I stood, looking out over the massive marina.
What on earth were we doing here? At night? Why weren’t we going to the hotel?
“Everything has been brought aboard, sir.” The man announced as he closed the car door behind Calix. “Shall I accompany you?”
Calix shook his head, pulling out an embarrassingly large lump of money from his pocket. Gods! The man was begging to be robbed, I thought to myself as my eyes darted to the driver in warning. “This is spending money for your stay.” He handed the man the wad of cash. “Neil and Jared are waiting on board, I assume?”
The man nodded and I felt understanding flash in my mind as the man answered. “They are, sir.”
“Good.” Calix nodded before placing his hand once again on my back. “We’ll be on our way now.”
“Goodnight, Mr. and Mrs. McKnight.” The man smiled at me for the first time. “Enjoy your trip.”
I blushed furiously as I forced a smile. “You as well.”
And then the man was lowering himself into his car and Calix was leading me over the long wide dock where numerous large boats had been stowed for who knows how long. I walked numbly, my brain still trying to piece together the fact that not only were we staying on a yacht, but Neil and another man, presumably on Calix’s staff, were also staying on this yacht.
My mind was spinning and I felt my feet stop moving forward. Beside me, Calix also paused to turn to stare at me.
“Nova?” Calix spoke my name in question. “Is there something wrong?”