Nerinne had to kneel in the dungeon room and count the strokes as Claire punished Mike exactly as she had been and tagged ten on for his behaviour at the cabin. To her utter amazement Mike went to work on Wednesday. She was aching all over and barely able to do anything.
Over the next month Nerinne forgot all about getting into Claire’s bed as she spent three pain filled night realising that Claire would not allow two sets of rules in her home. If she wanted to be there she would have to come in on very similar terms as Mike. Claire had made it clear that it was a bad idea to do that.
She was introduced to a police officer who gave her a phone number to call if she ever needed witness protection. Her matric exams location had been moved to a school near the gallery and she received a driver’s licence in the same package. It was no surprise to Mike.
At the gallery the refurbishments moved fast. Mike pushed the contractors to their limits and was on schedule to finish on time. He started looking at the work for the farm. As Malcolm started setting up the exhibition Mike travel between the farm and the gallery frequently. Nerinne was writing her exams and would spend afternoons or off days at the gallery helping out. This taught her a lot about exhibiting, how Malcolm zandrews used shading for depth while Mike used tinted varnish.