Reaper - The Curse

|Eleven|

June 13th, 2015
Fairview Marina
Fairview, Pennsylvania

"I'm so happy you changed your mind, Neil," Veronica gushed, "I know you don't like to be far from land, but I think you'll have a good night."

Neil nodded. He had yet to say a word. He knew this night wouldn't go as his wife had planned, but he wanted to make her happy.

They boarded the boat minutes before it parted ways with the dock. Neil's whole body tensed and he longingly watched the shore as it got farther away.

"This is my husband," Veronica put her hand on his shoulder and turned him to face the party. "Neil, these are Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth. They are the main sponsors of this event."

Neil smiled uncomfortably, "It's nice to meet you both," he held securely to the railing of the boat and reached his other arm out to shake their hands.

He noticed their eyes glued to his other hand's position, "I don't care for boats."

The two nodded at his comment, "Sorry to hear that," Mr. Wentworth replied. Then they turned to speak with other party guests.

Vee brought her hand to her forehead and shook her head, "If I had known you would be clasping the side to the boat like it was the titanic; I wouldn't have brought this up to you in the first place."

Neil took a deep breath and focused on his feet, firmly planted on a solid floor. There was nothing to be afraid of. He closed his eyes and counted to ten taking lung fulls of air with each number and breathing out between every second count; he would release the bar with one finger.

He rubbed his hands together and approached his wife. In his eyes, she was stunning every day. Somehow tonight, she had found a way to go beyond that. The knee-length black dress she wore had a high neckline and covered everything but her arms and legs. It wasn't tight and sleek like most women had squeezed into for this event. Veronica liked her dress clothes to be comfortable and wore loose-fitting pieces. Her choices were always classy and elegant, and she wouldn't feel on display in front of her bosses and their friends.

"You look amazing, Angel," Neil put his hands on her shoulders and took another cleansing breath, "I am going to make the best of tonight. Will you forgive me for my awkward approach in this situation?"

Vee kissed his lips and hugged him, "Thank you for doing this." When she turned around, a couple stood next to them.

"Veronica?" The woman asked.

"Mr. and Mrs. Carter, I didn't even see you there." Vee shook the woman's hand and pointed at her husband, "This is my husband, Neil."

Neil ignored the booming warning drums inside of him. Something didn't feel right. He needed to push through the gut instinct to jump over the side of the boat and swim back to dry land, if not for his safety than for his wife's reputation.

"It's lovely to meet you both," He shook their hands.

Mr. Carter whispered to his wife and then walked behind her. He got close to Neil and grabbed his forearm, "Can I speak to you alone for a moment?"

The man's breath smelled of mints and champagne; it made Neil's stomach twitch. "Yes, of course," he touched Veronica's shoulder, "I'll be right back."