Caroline's Sail

By Ross Venner

There are a few niches for small models but Caroline had to face it, her career as a model was petering out. The few jobs where her small size - the agency promoted her as elfin - would make boats, cars and flats look bigger than they really were, were not going to pay the bills much longer.

When she gets recruited to crew for a property developer's ambitious nephew she has to become more than just decorative and also has to learn some hard lessons about people and communities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ross Venner
• Release date: Aug 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370737703

Ross Venner

Boats have been a part of my life since my earliest days. I still remember with affection the toy boats in my bath. I learned to sail at school, and still remember the smell of new sawn timber from the woodwork shop and the excitement of seeing flat sheets of plywood bend to become something almost animated, a boat.

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Caroline’s sail

Copyright 2017 Ross Venner. All rights reserved

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organisations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

The boats too are fictitious, with the one exception of the Firebug Dinghies which are used in the narrative with the kind permission of Peter Tait, who with the late John Spencer designed the Firebug.

http://firebug.co.nz

Published by Smashwords

Cover art by Ross Venner using Canva

Chapter 1 - Boat shoot

Yes, it’s a cliché to begin the story this way, but that’s how it happened… The buzz of my mobile woke me. As I picked it up I saw the time, five thirty, Damn.

Caroline, can you do a shoot for us this morning?

George, it’s five thirty, I groaned.

Yes, you’ll have to be at the airport by seven. I’ll have the ticket organised for you and you’ll be met at Southport.

I hadn't heard from the agency for months. I knew the reasons, No, George I won’t do topless. You know - just as I do, it won't stop there.

I also knew what his reply would be, The fashion market demands taller girls, Caro. You know I can't help that. It was true. I also felt insulted when he abbreviated my name, it was just too patronising, too familiar.

I kicked off my doona and went to the bathroom.

I made the check-in desk with five minutes to spare. I had read the briefing notes, such as they were, on my tablet in the taxi - the agency was a little old fashioned, they were still not comfortable with Uber, still they were paying. All I had to do was drape myself over a little yacht, pout and look beautiful, easy.

April, the agency’s local rep greeted me at the arrivals gate. I’d worked with the woman before. She was tall, less kind people might call her gangling, but she was good with makeup and an effective, for want of a better word, chaperone.

Glad you could make it, Caroline. Good trip?

Bit early, April. George only called me at five thirty.

Yes, we had a sudden cancellation. Another boat shoot, you’ve done them before.

About all I get these days.

Yeah, it’s a tough market, but it’s as bad for the catwalk models, you know. It’s hard for most of them once they’re your age.

Hey, I’m only twenty-five.

Precisely, I was there once.

I looked at April, and wondered if my career was coming to its natural end, too. What would I do? I’d been refusing to consider the situation, but my bank account would not give me that luxury much longer.

April pulled the hire car up at the boat ramp. Being mid-week there was little enough activity, just a half dozen utes and 4x4s parked there with empty trailers attached. Their owners and their boats were presumably out fishing.

April steered me to the small group waiting on the pontoon. A tall guy waved back and stepped towards us. Hi April, this the new girl? He looked at me, My name is Harvey, call me Harv. This is Lachlan, he’s the client.

Lachlan was a nuggetty guy in his fifties. He gave me a smile but his gaze started at my face, descended to my toes and returned slowly to my face. I don't like that appraising look men give you. Women give you the same look when they know your job, but I guess it goes with being a model.

His smile wrinkled the lines around his eyes. Good of you to come at short notice, Caroline.

Harv gestured to the motorboat and said, Let's go, Steve. Gary, the lines!

We climbed aboard and Lachlan headed to the