A Karat of Patience

Chapter Twenty-Two

Mick plonked himself next to Christine and she helped herself to a slice of cucumber from his salad. "You should ring Stephanie and see if she'll listen to the song," he suggested.

Lindsey shook his head. "She won't pick up if I call her."

Christine gave an exasperated sigh before calling Stevie on her cell phone. "She probably won't answer me either. She might be in the middle of recording."

Stevie was in Nashville recording a new album featuring revised demos she had created back in the day. As her call went unanswered, Christine reasoned that Stevie was in "work mode" and pressed 'end', returning to her own music.

----

That evening, Christine was sitting in bed when Mick entered, holding a wrapped gift.

"What's this?" Christine smiled as he sat beside her.

"Oh, it's a little something from me," Mick explained, handing the present to her. From the weight and texture, Christine guessed it was a framed photo. "It felt too personal to give to you in front of Lindsey."

Curious, Christine carefully prised open the papery wrapping and gasped at what she saw: the mermaid sketch she had done on her first plane trip to Maui with Mick last year. During her stay at Maui, she had coloured in the picture with beautiful, shimmering shades of pastel ink, but had accidentally left it at Mick's. Seeing it now brought a wave of pride. The painting was a symbol of Christine finally stepping into herself, and leaving her wilderness years behind for good.

"Oh, Michael, I love it!" Christine gushed, leaping into her dear friend's arms and gripping him tightly.

"Anything for you, my girl."

----

Washed in late afternoon shades of coral pink and amber, Estoril was like a slice of a perfect dream. From their suite balcony at The Palacio, Christine indulged in the uninterrupted view of Praia de Tamariz beach, the golden strip watched over by the impressive Forte da Cruz. The scenery was as sweet as a shining red apple, and Christine had never felt at peace with her life. She recalled this time ten years ago when she had felt worn and trodden upon like fallen fruit, a sad time in her life, but, it had ultimately led her to where she was today.

Christine's sense of contentment was emphasised when Stevie snuck up behind her and playfully tugged on her ponytail.

"Hey, you," Christine said, kissing Stevie's temple. She let her eyes wander over her girlfriend's kimono-clad form, noting appreciatively that Stevie wasn't wearing anything underneath. "You look divine."

"Thanks," Stevie responded, looking at Christine from under her eyelashes. "Enjoying the view?" She smiled at the diamond sea that stretched out before them.

Christine brought the petite woman to her and gently squeezed her ass, letting her palm rest there while Stevie giggled into her chest. "Mmm, of course."

Stevie wrapped her arms around her and sighed contently. "We really need this, huh? It feels like between me being in Nashville and you being in L.A. we haven't spent a whole lotta time together."

Christine nodded and stroked Stevie's silky hair. Both their schedules were airtight, but Karen had managed to find an overlapping reprieve for the couple to run away to Estoril for a few days. She lifted Stevie's head off of her chest and cupped her cheeks, staring deeply into those bright, brown eyes she loved so much. Christine's heart thudded when she thought about what she had in store for Stevie during this little getaway...in particular, the blue sapphire engagement ring that was hidden in her suitcase.

Throughout their first relationship and the years following, Christine had known she would eventually marry Stevie. It might have taken some time—with several moments of friction and distance between them—but the pair had inevitably found their way back to each other. She reasoned they weren't getting any younger, so, Christine wanted to officially make Stevie hers. And what better place to do it than Estoril? The magical setting was the focus of one of her love songs about Stevie, after all.