The New Year Resolution Read Free

eye contact.
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nicole,” said Vincent Mahler, an elegant gentleman with thick white hair and twinkling blue eyes. His handshake was surprisingly firm for his age. Nicole liked him immediately.
    “This is my wife, Sylvia.”
    The beautiful dark-haired, dark-eyed woman sitting next to him reached forward to take her hand. She must have been at least a good ten years younger than her husband, and wore a deep-magenta dress that sparkled with crystals around the neckline. Her hand was cool and soft, and glancing down, Nicole noticed her fingers were adorned with sparkling gems.
    “How do you do, Nicole?” Sylvia greeted her graciously.
    Nicole smiled, overwhelmed by the woman’s elegance and obvious beauty. Sylvia Mahler was probably in her fifties, but you wouldn’t know it. Her skin was flawless, and her eyes sparkled with vitality.
    “Very well, thank you,” Nicole replied, “It’s wonderful to meet you both.”
    They settled into their seats and a waiter materialised to fill their wine glasses. Nicole blinked as she read the label on the wine bottle. This New Year’s Eve party was on a whole other level to what she was used to. Even the airforce’s “black tie” event wouldn’t have been this classy. 
    Taking a tentative sip and savouring the richness on her tongue, Nicole realised the award-winning South African Cabernet Sauvignon was the same colour as Sylvia’s dress.
    Vincent and Ryan engaged in small talk for a while, mostly about the status of local mining stock, while Nicole and Sylvia discussed some of the outfits they’d seen floating around the room. By the time the first course arrived, Nicole was feeling very relaxed and even enjoying herself. Ryan was appropriately attentive, refilling her glass and smiling at her from time to time. He hadn’t mentioned anything more about the girlfriend remark, but Nicole fully intended to take him up on it later, in private.
    “So how did you meet Ryan?” enquired Vincent, as the waiting staff placed dishes of paté, crudités and wafer-thin crisp-bread in front of them.
    “Through a mutual friend,” Nicole replied, carefully spreading liver paté onto a crisp-bread.
    “Dave and I were at university together,” explained Ryan. “Engineering department.”
    Vincent nodded, looking from Ryan to Nicole.
    Would they hold up under scrutiny?
    “Dave’s wife, Janine, is a close friend of mine,” said Nicole, putting down her knife. “We’ve been friends for over twenty years.”
    “Friends like that are hard to find,” remarked Sylvia. “You’re lucky to have her.”
    “It says a great deal about a person’s character, that they’re able to sustain a friendship like that,” commented Vincent idly, but his eyes were on Ryan. Why did Nicole get the feeling there was more to the history of these two men than Ryan had originally let on?
    “Have you known each other long?” Sylvia asked with genuine interest.
    Nicole felt a warning hand squeeze her thigh. She ignored it. “Not really.” She turned to smile into Ryan’s eyes. “But long enough to know what a great guy Ryan is.”
    She could have sworn he was blushing.
    Sylvia nodded. “It was like that for me too, with Vincent from the beginning,” she said, leaning over to kiss her husband on the cheek. “I knew straight away he was the one for me, even if his values were very different to mine.”
    “Values?”
    “Oh, yes.” Sylvia gave a deep throaty laugh. “Vincent was a mining boss who exploited the land and the workers for corporate gain.”
    Nicole was struck by how animated she became. Her skin flushed and her eyes glittered with energy. Sylvia patted her husband’s hand. “He’s since learnt the error of his ways. Haven’t you, my darling?”
    Vincent gave a tiny nod. “I now invest in renewable energy,” he explained to Nicole, who was watching with amusement. “I’ve made my millions working for large mining corporations and now I’m