Chapter 11 Convincing Mike
Nikki had left the officers' mess and had returned to her own ship.
"Jack, did it take long?", she asked her XO as she came back at the bridge.
"Well uh, boss, I thought for a moment you had been hired aboard the Darwin and that I would have the ship", he said dryly.
"Nope, I had to come back to protect the crew from you", she replied with a grin.
"Hmm, Ok, got it, laud and clear. But, how was it?", Jack asked.
She looked at him with a raised eyebrows, "You're really a curious man, isn't it? But, good, I think it's a lucky ship now."
"Nice, otherwise it should be a pity. For all of them", he said nodding.
Cairns
A week later Dylan was waiting at the pier when the Hammersley entered the naval port. He stood a little aside from the usual group of sailors who were watching when one of their ships came back.
He smiled when he saw his wife waving from the bridge after the vessel was safely moored. They walked to each other and they met at the gangway.
"Hey sweetie, how was your patrol?", he asked her after giving her a kiss.
"Great, apart from 2Dads who has been evacuated with an appendicitis attack."
"Yeah, I know, he has been transported from the Darwin with a chopper. I think he's already up and about because I've seen him last night in one of the pubs and he had obviously quiet some fun."
"Ok, that's good. Not that he's my favourite sailor, but he has improved a lot and in difficult situations he's reliable."
Nikki's eyes became bigger, "Hey? What do I see? Another band?", she noticed surprised when she saw his shoulder boards, now with two gold bands of a full Lieutenant.
"Yep, promoted to Lieutenant. ", he said with a smile.
"Oh darling that's great! Since when?"
"A week", Dylan said dryly.
"Ooh! And you haven't said anything!", Nikki replied indignantly.
He chuckled, "I wanted to keep that as a surprise."
"You naughty!", and she slapped him on his arm and gave him a pouting face.
"You know what? We're going to have diner tonight to celebrate it", he said as he caressed her cheek.
"Wonderful idea, but first, I'm going to finish my job here on board", she said.
That evening the couple sat at a terrace of a local restaurant, enjoying their meal. The temperature was fine and there was an agreeable slight breeze.
When Nikki had finished her dish, she leaned back in her chair and stretched her legs. "What do you want more? A good, long shower, a sun dress, slippers, your husband, a drink, good food. Far more better then rough camo trousers, heavy sea boots and the smell of grease and soup", Nikki said, before grabbing her glass to sip from the wine.
"Well, from time to time, I want to switch with you. Sometimes it becomes a bit boring at Navcom. Even Mike became more serious", he said.
"You'll never know in the Navy. Maybe within a few years, you're at sea again?", Nikki replied.
"Yep, the Navy is unpredictable. And you?", he asked her.
"Well, I'm happy with what I'm doing and I don't want to go further. I think that I'm going to do this until my retirement. But… that doesn't mean that our situation has to be steady, no?", she asked.
He frowned, "What? I can't follow you honey".
She rolled her eyes, "I mean we could to be three. Clear enough now?"
"Aaah! I've got it!", Dylan replied.
"Jeez, men always need a drawing when it comes to certain subjects", she grumbled.
"Well, we'll make a test tonight!", he said whereby she returned him a smirk.
"But how was the situation at the Darwin?", he asked.
Nikki sat upright again. "Miraculous! Kate is completely different. I spoke to her and to her XO. Kate was kind and friendly and she realises now that not everyone can be perfect like she wanted to be. She's working on it and it works. But that's not what you can say about her relation. That's as stuck as can be."
"How?"
"She loves Mike, but I can't deduce if she's too proud or too afraid to approach him to date. She's persuaded that he will not accept her because she had sent him away five years ago. "
"She can always try, can't she?"
"That's just the point. She's more afraid to hear a 'no', than to hear a 'yes'."
"And now?"
"I told her that she has to keep herself busy with the ship and that I will take care of Mike."
"Hmm, that's a serious challenge! What are you going to use for that?" He asked her thoughtfully.
"Yeah, laugh at me", Nikki answered a bit piqued.
"When are you going to start with your impossible mission? And when is the deadline?"
"Ah, tomorrow. I'm going to put my uniform on, especially to see Mike. Kate will arrive back again in Sydney within three weeks. Perfect fit. Then I'm back from a patrol and she can come over."
Dylan nodded. "It sounds that you have a plan and you are already convinced of your success?"
"Of course, you silly."
He didn't say anything anymore, but just looked at her in silence.
"You don't believe me huh?", she asked.
He lifted his hands, "We'll see, we'll see, but Mike is a hard nut to crack!"
The next day, Nikki, complete in white shirt and trousers, knocked on Mike's doorframe.
"Hey Nikki, come in, what can I do for you?", he asked joyously as he noticed her.
She padded inside, "Good morning boss. I have an off the record question."
"Ah? Take a seat and shoot", he offered her.
"Do you remember our last conversation? About Kate?", she asked.
"Yes, I do".
"Have you thought about it since then?"
"Hmm, yes I did", he answered, not really sure in which direction Nikki wanted to go.
"Last time, I sensed that you still have feelings for her, isn't it?", she tried prudently.
He shifted uneasy on his chair.
Yes, your body language says enough!, Nikki thought.
"Uh, as a matter of fact, I still like her." He said nodding.
Not that shy Mike, you're still crazy of her. Here's contact. I can go further.
"Did you take contact with her?"
He leaned back in his chair.
"No, how can I? Last time you told me that she has divorced. She knows probably already someone else. It goes like that usually. When you divorce, there's already someone else. Moreover, for sure she will ignore me, just like last time", he said in defence.
"No, she's still single. Why don't you give it a try? You both were good together", Nikki tried again.
He lifted his eyebrows. "Together? I wouldn't say that. Our hands were tied, you know. I was still posted on the Hammersley and she too. The few occasions during shore leave were scare and at the end it was she who ended it. She didn't even elaborate on it. I couldn't understand it, because we had already booked a voyage to Tahiti together".
He shook his head, "No, I'm not going to get another 'no' if I still had to ask her", he answered embittered.
Ai, ai, this is going to be tough.
"Hmm, I see, and it doesn't help when I insist?"
"No, I'm sorry Nikki", he replied firmly.
"Ok boss, then I'll leave you. Thanks for your time. See you later."
"Ok, see you later", he replied plainly.
Nikki stood up and left his office feeling angry.
Aargh! Damn stubborn guy. As worse as the one on that ship.
She padded to her husband who saw her coming. On her facial expression he could guess that it had become a flop.
"And?", he asked her.
"Nope!", she answered with her hand deep in her pockets.
"That was to be expected", he said.
"Shut up!", she grumbled, looking away angrily.
"Fancy a brew? I think you need it."
She sighed, "Yeah, indeed, I need one, and a big one!"
"And hopefully a real on, not that brown water that they call coffee here!", she grumbled.
They stood up and walked to the officers' mess.
A few minutes later they stood at a high table, with their cups of coffee.
"Luckily it's good coffee here", she said after she had taken a sip.
"Did you really think that it would have been that easy?", he asked her.
Nikki shrugged, "Oh, I'm in fact angry at myself. In such cases, I'm always too naïve and too optimistic. Then it hurts when you get the door at your nose, you know".
"How did it go?", he asked.
"Awful. So stubborn. He still loves her, but he doesn't want to say it directly and when I start talking about making contact with her, he pulls up walls. She has someone else. She ended it. I'll get a 'no'. That kind of things. Really, every excuse is fair enough. He's more afraid to be rejected, than having a good relation!", she said angrily.
"I was already afraid of that."
"No wonder that their relation didn't work. They are both so proud and so stubborn that they don't want to talk to each other."
"What now?"
Nikki lifted her eyebrows while she was drinking
"Hmm, the secret weapon. I'm going to talk to Maxine. But not here, this evening, in private, then there are no hierarchical barriers of the Navy."
"And do you think that that will work?", Dylan asked while playing with his cup. At the bottom of the cup, a remains of coffee was turning circles.
"Stop playing! Within a second you'll make spots and it's a fresh shirt!", she said concerned.
He put down the cup.
"I've become prudent now, but there's a great chance that it might work. If Maxine wants to do it and if Mike wants to listen and if Kate wants to come and if the other two don't bit their heads off", Nikki said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, honey, I wish you good luck, but there're quite some 'ifs' in this plan", he said.
Nikki ' at him, "Don't you want that it succeeds? Ok, you're right, there are a lot of ifs here, but I really want to give it a chance. She also has helped my when I lost Josh, now it's my turn. Her visit to us was an ultimate scream for help, although she didn't say it literally. You know also how private she is", she said fiercely.
"Hey, don't bite my head off. I want that too, but I'm trying to be realistic", he said lifting his hands in defence.
She dropped her eyes, "Sorry, I know, it's just my Italian temper. Sometimes it takes control of me".
"Never mind, but I've to go now. I don't want that Knocker to be near us within a second", he said.
"Yeah, let's go. In theory I have shore leave", Nikki said as both started to walk away from the table.
Nikki went to Maxine's office and knocked on the doorway.
"Ma'am?"
Maxine looked up. "Nikki, tell me."
"Would it be possible for me to come to you this evening to ask you something off the record?"
"Uh? Yes, of course." She looked questioningly at Nikki.
"Ok, thank you. See you this evening."
Maxine stared with lots of questions through her window to Nikki who left the operation room.
That evening Nikki rang at Maxine's apartment. When she entered she was a bit surprised to see a different Maxine. Not so reserved, more open. She had loose hair and wore a T-shirt over a dark blue trousers.
Hmm, that will make the conversation a bit easier.
"Nikki, take seat. What can I do for you? Something fresh? Wine, juice? Or coffee?"
"A juice is fine", she replied.
"Ok, moment", Maxine said as she padded to the kitchen.
Meanwhile Nikki's curiosity took over and glanced around. She noticed dark, warm colours, a heavy coffee table in white and yellow metal with a heavy glass plate. The other furniture was in the same style. Club chairs in velvet with wood.
Hmm, that's her style? Looks expensive and heavy. Although not my style, even far from that! It looks too old for me.
"Here you go", Maxine said as she entered the living room and she put the glass on the coffee table on a cork glass mount.
Nikki noticed that she had a glass of sherry in her hand.
"Thank you ma'am", she said and took a sip.
"Shoot Nikki, what do you want to ask?", Maxine pushed directly.
Ma'am, as a matter of fact, it's not for me, but for a common friend, namely Captain Flynn, Mike."
"And what about Mike?", she asked slightly frowning.
"Well, he feels for Kate, Commander McGregor…."
"Again? Hmm, why am I not surprised", she mused.
For an instant, Nikki was confused by Maxine's reaction, but she quickly got on track again.
"No, no, still !"
"Hmm, I see. But isn't she married?", Maxine said as she leaned confidently back in the club chair.
"No, not anymore. She's divorced. I've had a chat with both and they told me that they still have feelings for each other, but I noticed that both don't want to make the first step. They fear that the other one would say no."
"Understandable, but why are you telling me this?", Maxine asked before taking a sip.
"Hmm, it's a difficult question and I don't know your feelings for Mike...", Nikki said unsure.
"Pardon?", Maxime replied indignantly as she sat upright.
"Listen Nikki, this question passes all bounds and I want to say that it's none of your business, but I know that stupid rumour also and when I say that's none of your business, then I'm just confirming that there's something going on. So, I'm not going to do that because I want to get rid of that bloody idea. I'm really wondering which nutcase had created that!", she said angrily.
"I'm really sorry for the question ma'am, but Kate is persuaded that you have a relation with him."
"Mike and I? No, we are friends. Nothing more", she said convinced.
"Yes, I thought so too, but Kate is persuaded there was something more?", Nikki tried.
Ouch, if she doesn't throw me out now, then I kept the door open for a chat.
Suddenly Maxine began to laugh.
Nikki looked surprised.
Huh? Did I say something weird?
"Oh that? Some time ago, we both had discovered something shocking and we had comforted each other. The next morning we knew it was wrong. Unfortunately the evil was done."
Ok, the ice is broken, I can try the next step.
"Yes, but Kate told also me that you told her to leave Mike because his life was the sea."
Maxine's mood changed immediately.
"Hmm, that!", she said annoyed. "It looks that I'm going to be doomed to be pursued by that case. Yes, years ago, I had a fight with Mike about that. Agree, I was wrong. I told her that because I wanted to protect him."
"Protect?", Nikki asked frowning.
"I know Mike for much longer than you. He's a perfect captain, but once he's on shore, he's as vulnerable as can be. I knew they were hiding a relation, but as long as they kept it off the ship, you can't forbid it. Kate was a very ambitious woman with very good results at the ADFA and with a very high aim. A clever woman, but she didn't give her away yet. You know what I mean?" Nikki's frown was an answer for her. "You didn't know anything from her. She was that private person and that frightened me that she could use Mike to get the top of the career ladder. I thought she would dump him once she achieved her goal."
Nikki shook her head, "No, I know her and that's not true."
Maxine sighed and shrugged. "I realised that too after a fierce quarrel with Mike. There's another Kate behind these commander stripes. I apologised but the evil had been done." She paused a bit and Nikki processed her answer. "But now you are saying she's single again?", she asked for confirmation what she just had heard.
"Exactly. I've already tried to bring them together, but they refuse bluntly because they have fear to be rejected."
Maxine nodded and took another sip, "Right, and which role do I have to play in this case?"
Ok, gained!
"If you could tell him that he must attend an official dinner with you and some other high-ranking officers then he will go. I'll arrange for Kate to be there too, but without him knowing, otherwise he'll refuse right away."
"Hmm, good, I can arrange that. But I hope I shall not have to attend?", Maxine asked lifting one eyebrow
"No, just for the booking. Tell him at the last minute you were blocked with something."
She emptied her glass, "Ok, I'll fix something. I think I owe that to them. When?"
"Ok, thanks a lot Ma'am. Kate will be back within three weeks. I'll get her to Cairns and without her knowing she will have a private dinner with Mike. I'll tell her that we, Dylan and I will accompany her."
Maxine stood up showing her that the meeting was over. "I'll do the necessary and I wish you good luck with your matchmaking", she said.
"Thank you ma'am".
When Nikki left the building, she could not hide a 'Yes!'.
To be continued