What she’d proposed sounded perfect.
‘You’ll have to wait and see.’
‘Ordinarily I wouldn’t accept a bet where I didn’t know the conditions but I definitely trust you, Nick.’
Their gazes locked. Words were unspoken but there was a great deal of communication between them in those moments.
She trusted him.
The woman who’d hated him initially now trusted him.
‘In fact, you’re about to learn how much I trust you,’ she continued.
He felt his brow creasing. ‘That’s cryptic.’
‘Wait and see.’
Her trust made his heart swell but he needed to think carefully about moving forward—about what each of them wanted and how much he was prepared to give. He wasn’t an eighteen-year-old as he had been when he’d eloped with Mandy. Now he was a father and he had to consider Katie at every turn.
‘You can go in again now, Mr Henderson. She’s had her sponge bath and is feeling a little fresher,’ the nurse said before doing a double-take and smiling broadly as she recognised Sarah. ‘Katie was just talking about you, Miss Bryant. She’ll be thrilled you’re here.’
‘Thank you.’
When the nurse continued on to the nurses’ station Nick suggested, ‘Maybe while you’re here you can dwell on all the negative aspects of a modelling career and remind Katie that there are so many other things she can do.’
‘I’m not going to dwell on any of the negatives today.’
‘You’re full of confidence.’
‘I’m not generally a gambling person but I’ve weighed up the stakes here and have decided to roll the dice.’ She pressed her lips together a little in determination. ‘The stakes for me are much higher than you’re imagining but I’ve thought this through and I’ve decided to follow the maxim of nothing ventured nothing gained.’
‘More riddles.’ He gestured for her to go ahead of him into the room. ‘I guess all will be revealed soon enough.’
‘You have no idea how right you are,’ she said to him over her shoulder before she greeted his daughter. ‘Hi, Katie.’
‘Sarah! Oh wow! Thanks for coming.’ Well that was a brighter smile from Katie than he’d seen since her operation. ‘Hi again, Dad.’
‘Ah, so you did notice I’m still here,’ he teased.
Sarah walked over to the edge of the hospital bed. ‘I hear the operation was a success, but I’m guessing you’re still pretty sore.’
‘They’ve got me on a morphine drip for the pain.’ Her voice had become flatter.
‘These are for you.’ Sarah reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a box of chocolates. ‘I knew Jenna and Olivia had already organised those beautiful flowers for you—’ she gestured to the arrangements, ‘—so I thought chocolates might hit the spot.’
‘Thank you.’
Knowing he was superfluous to their conversation, Nick walked over to the window and looked out absently at the view of the coastline from Cairns Hospital.
‘Your dad tells me you’re upset because you believe you’ll never be able to model.’
‘Well, it’s true, isn’t it?’ There was both sadness and challenge in Katie’s tone and it sounded as though her throat was starting to clog with tears again.
Sarah definitely had her work cut out for her.
‘No. It’s not.’ Sarah’s voice rang with confidence.
‘I’m scarred,’ Katie protested.
‘I’m sure your scar will fade, but even if it stops you from doing certain types of modelling, it isn’t going to stop you completely.’
Katie’s mouth trembled. ‘I’ll never have a chance to make it to the top like you have.’
Sarah let out a long breath. ‘That’s not true either.’
‘Of course it is,’ Katie moaned. Tears flooded her eyes. ‘You’re perfect, Sarah. That’s how you made it to the top. That’s how you stay at the top. You don’t have a scar like I have.’
Nick was about to intervene when Sarah raised her eyebrows at Katie then pulled a bit of a face. ‘No. I don’t have a scar like you have.’
Sarah walked briskly over to the door of the room and closed it. Then, she went back to Katie’s bedside. She looked over at Nick for a second, her chin lifted and she pulled up the edge of her top to expose her midriff.
Apart from registering his daughter’s sudden audible gasp, his attention was snared by Sarah’s naked midriff.
Far from being the perfectly smoothed flesh he expected, Nick received a solid, winding blow to his solar plexus. The jagged, faintly purple scar lines that traversed Sarah’s abdomen left him speechless.
What the hell had happened?
This was no ordinary surgery. Not even the worst surgeon in the world could butcher a patient this badly. It looked like Sarah had a war wound—like her middle must’ve been blown apart, cut by scores of razor-sharp pieces of shrapnel.
‘I’m willing to bet my scars are a lot worse than the little scar line from your operation,’ Sarah ventured in a conversational tone.
Nick looked away from her tummy and saw the trembling of Sarah’s hands as her fingers continued to hold up her top. Despite the evenness of her voice, Nick realised how much it was costing Sarah to expose her scars.
She’d said she was playing for high stakes and he knew now what she’d meant. She thought revealing herself to him this way might make her less attractive to him.
She was completely wrong.
Now he saw Sarah’s courage and selflessness—qualities that were far more important than physical good looks.
Feeling humbled that she’d placed her trust in him, his gaze went back to the evidence of her wounds. One major scar ran across her flesh and another ran from just below her navel on the right, disappearing under her top to a point beneath her left breast. They weren’t the only scars either. There were a series of finer, whiter scars that ran off the main ones.
‘What happened to you?’ Katie asked, not bothering to disguise her undiluted horror and distaste for the ugly pattern.
Sarah swallowed before she delivered what Nick thought was an incredibly brave smile. ‘When I was six years old I was in an explosion. I remember an enormous pain ripping through this area of my body. The next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital room not unlike this one.’
‘But … But … How can you be the world’s top model when you look like that?’ Katie shook her head in disbelief, her voice and expression full of horrified incomprehension. ‘Those scars are so ugly.’
‘Katie—’ Nick warned.
‘It’s okay, Nick.’ Sarah pulled her top back into place. ‘They are ugly.’
The scars were hidden but Nick would never forget the sight of them. Even more importantly, he wouldn’t forget the magnitude of Sarah’s kindness in revealing them to Katie.
‘You might think I’m a fraud now and I can understand why you question my title as number one model,’ Sarah said quietly. ‘I constantly think of myself as a fraud.’ She took a deep breath before she continued. ‘I showed you my scars because as ugly as they are, those scars haven’t held back my modelling career.’
‘Do people know?’ Katie’s question was almost whispered.
‘No. I have a clause written in all my contracts that I don’t model swimwear or lingerie.’
That’s right. Nick remembered now how disappointed Jocelyn had been when Rose insisted on the condition.
Sarah gave a small shrug of one shoulder. ‘Nobody ever sees these scars, Katie. The fashion contracts I’ve had—photographic shoots mainly—have all produced images of me where my scars are well and truly covered up. The contracts I’ve had for make-up and perfume have been head shots, and when I’ve been in fashion parades, my agent’s insisted I have a private dressing room rather than getting changed with all the other models.’
‘But …’
‘Nobody but my agent, doctor and my brother—and now you and your dad—knows about how scarred I am.’
‘Not at all.’
As his daughter lapsed into thoughtful silence, Nick walked around the hospital bed and placed his hands on Sarah’s shoulders, trying to let her know that her scars didn’t make her any less attractive to him. He’d rather draw her completely into his arms and kiss her but couldn’t do that in front of Katie. ‘What Sarah has shared with you was an incredibly selfless gesture, Katie. I hope you appreciate the courage it took for her to show you her scars. I know I do.’
Sarah turned her head to look at him for a second and he saw a glistening of moisture in her eyes. He also saw gratitude.
She was grateful?
She shouldn’t be. He was the one who was grateful to her.
‘Thank you, Sarah,’ Katie told her in a small, somewhat subdued voice.
‘Our society is full of judgement,’ Nick voiced firmly. ‘Katie, you and I have often spoken about how advertisements are always promoting an ideal of perfection—everything from the perfect holiday destination and the perfect car to the perfect hamburger. We can get caught up in those supposed ideals but we must never lose sight of the things that are really important. Haven’t we always said that the way something or someone looks isn’t the most important thing?’
‘Yes, Dad.’ Katie nodded.
Nick firmed his hold on Sarah’s shoulders. ‘I admired Sarah before I knew she had scars, but now she’s shared them with you to boost your confidence, I admire her even more.’
Although she stood slightly in front of him, Nick could see the side of Sarah’s throat moving as she swallowed and he guessed she was battling to control her emotions. It was one thing to reveal physical scars but she’d probably opened up a whole lot of psychological wounds too.
Nick let one hand slide down to clasp Sarah’s.
As though she wanted to play down the enormity of what she’d done, Sarah rushed on. ‘Anyway, you could change your mind about what you want to do between now and leaving school, but remember that scar won’t stop you from modelling.’
‘That’s true,’ Nick said. ‘For now concentrate on your school work and achieve the best marks you can so that many doors will be open to you when it comes to choosing your career.’ Then, he delivered a warning in his most serious fatherly tone. ‘What Sarah has shared with us today stays between us, Katie.’
‘I swear I won’t tell anyone,’ his daughter agreed immediately.
‘I know I can trust you,’ he said, ‘but Sarah took a giant leap of faith because she only met you last night.’ Leaning forward he said quietly against Sarah’s ear, ‘Thank you.’
‘Do you feel better now we’ve had this chat, Katie?’ Sarah asked.
‘I really do.’ Katie’s eyes were solemn as she nodded.
Sarah turned her head to look up at him. He could see she’d forced her emotions back under control, but there was a note of bravado in her voice when she said, ‘I believe you owe me dinner.’
‘I’ll enjoy it more than any other bet I’ve lost.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘In fact it’s the only bet I’ve lost that’s made me feel like I’ve won.’
‘Hey! You’re awake, Katie!’ Luca greeted as he and Olivia entered the room with Christiana.
‘Hi, guys. She’s awake and starting to feel a lot happier,’ Nick said as he let Sarah’s hand go to greet the Borghettis.
‘Yay!’ Katie greeted them with a sunny smile. ‘Hi, Christiana. How are you?’
‘I’m coming to see you in hospital this time,’ Christiana said. ‘I remember all the times you came to visit me when I was sick.’
While the young girls chatted, Nick spoke to Luca and Olivia. ‘Katie’s only supposed to have two visitors at a time so if you don’t mind, Sarah and I might leave the three of you to visit and we’ll come back after we grab a coffee?’
‘Sounds good. Scoot away and enjoy your coffee,’ Olivia insisted. ‘We’re planning to stay about an hour. Max and Jenna are busy looking after Isabella and Alessandro for us, then we’ll go back to the hotel and look after Jackson so they can come and visit.’
‘We’ll be back soon, Katie,’ Sarah told his daughter who lifted her hand to give a small wave.
‘See you soon, minx.’ Nick planted a kiss on Katie’s forehead then grabbed Sarah’s hand. As soon as they were out of the room and in the corridor of the ward he spun her around to face him. ‘What you did …’ He shook his head slightly and looked at her in awe. ‘I don’t have enough words to express my thanks. I’m incredibly touched by your generous gesture.’
‘I thought my scars would put her small one into perspective,’ she replied without quite meeting his eyes.
‘That was a really selfless thing you shared with us.’ He didn’t feel he could emphasise enough that he understood the enormity of what she’d done.
‘My scars must have been a horrendous shock for you both.’
He shrugged. ‘I certainly hadn’t been expecting them but I’m humbled by your trust in me.’
She finally met his eyes and he saw the apprehension in them. ‘I thought you should know the truth about me too.’
‘Revealing your scars only shoots you further up in my estimation.’
‘Katie was right. They’re ugly.’
He pulled a bit of a face. ‘They’re not the best look for a bikini cover on Sports Illustrated, and I wish you hadn’t been traumatised but they reveal that you’re as brave and caring as you are beautiful. I wouldn’t have thought you could be any more attractive to me but—’ he smiled and shrugged, ‘—you are.’
‘Oh, Nick.’ Tears welled in her eyes. ‘What you said the other night about the inevitability of us being lovers …’
‘Still stands,’ he told her firmly. ‘I want to be your lover, Sarah.’
‘Really?’ She sounded as though she simply couldn’t fathom his response.
‘I never say things I don’t mean.’
Finally the troubled light in her eyes dimmed and her cheeks dimpled. ‘No, you don’t. I’ve figured that much out about you.’
‘I would never have taken the cold, waspish image of perfection I first met to bed but I want the woman who stands before me.’
‘That’s so good to hear.’
‘Let’s get that coffee.’ His mind was full of questions as he urged her to walk with him. When they got into the hospital elevator and were the only ones in there he ventured, ‘Is your PTSD from the explosion?’
‘Yes.’
‘The pieces of the puzzle that are Sarah Smith-Bryant are starting to fall into place slowly for me but there are still gaps.’
‘I’m ready to supply the missing pieces.’
After they were seated with their coffee he sat back casually in his chair waiting for her to fill in the puzzle—to open up to him in her own time and in her own way.
For a few moments she said nothing. She sat cradling her coffee mug in her hands as though the warmth soothed her from the memories that clouded her eyes and gave her features a haunted appearance.
Nick waited.
Sarah sipped on her coffee.
Her eyes closed for a moment before her words chilled him to the bone. ‘It was a terror attack.’
Shit. He sat forward.
A streak of pain was present in the pinch of her brow and the quiver of her lower lip and Nick’s instinct was to jump up from his chair to comfort her. But he sensed she needed some space so he waited quietly for her to continue.
‘Mum, Dad, Ryan and I were all at a huge indoor stadium watching a national ice-skating championship.’ Every word was dull. Flat. ‘We hadn’t been there for long when a massive explosion rocked the stand we were in.’
‘People were killed?’
‘Over a hundred.’ Her eyes were focused on the coffee cup as she continued to hold it with both hands. ‘Both in the initial blast and when the whole lower part of the stadium collapsed shortly afterwards. Dad managed to pass me to someone and that guy was trying
to get me to safety when the second explosion literally ripped into me.’
‘Bloody hell.’ What a terrifying and gruesome ordeal it must’ve been.
‘The surgeons operated even though they believed I mightn’t live through the surgery. I came out of it well.’
The muscles in Nick’s shoulders were tense as he absorbed the seriousness of her words. It was, perhaps, a miracle that she’d survived. ‘Your parents must’ve been worried sick.’ God, if it had been Katie …
Placing the mug down on the table, she turned it around absently. ‘Mum and Dad were both killed in the second explosion. Ryan ended up stuck under Mum’s body and a whole heap of the rubble that collapsed on top of them. That’s how he sustained his spinal cord injuries.’
Shit. Shit.
What a tragedy.
What a bloody, needless tragedy.
It was almost too much to absorb.
Anger, shock and sadness ran through his veins in a potent cocktail but he tamped down on his reaction trying to tailor his response to what Sarah might need from him. ‘I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.’ The words were inadequate but he was at a loss to know what else to say.
She sent him a wry smile. ‘Now you understand why I don’t do bikini and lingerie modelling.’
Yes. He did.
She let go of the coffee mug and moved her hands expressively. ‘You spoke about advertising as being fixated on perfection and you’re right. If people realised I was far from their idea of being physically perfect, I don’t think I’d have reached where I am today.’
He agreed. ‘People are highly judgemental and those scars might decrease your marketability in the eyes of some.’ He smiled as he added, ‘I’d still have signed you up for our NOCO documentary.’
‘Because you’re not using my physical appearance to market as much as you’re relying on my high profile.’
Nick sat back in his chair, still reeling at Sarah’s revelation. ‘The terror attack must’ve exposed you to all sorts of panic and horror.’ He watched her closely and ventured carefully, ‘The most painful scars run deeper than the mere flesh wounds, don’t they?’
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