No Tan Lines

"Okay," I called back.

Out through the entrance, into the river and I was glad it was quiet. Good to be heading out early, I guess, and there were only two boats ahead of us. Way ahead, and I was looking around, and nothing else in sight. Nothing on the radar either, and Dave'd taught me not to rely just on my eyes. Eyes miss things. Radar did too, but it picked up anything big. I eased her downriver, increasing power slowly now, and No Tan Lines was leaving a wake. The engines rumbled happily, the salt air blew against my face, and I was smiling as we approached the cut.

Slack tide, Dave'd timed it right and the surface was smooth as glass. We cut through the water smoothly and then, out of the cut and in the Atlantic, I smiled and boosted the power, easing the twin engine levers forward, smiling as the breeze of our passage blew my hair out behind me as I stood behind the wheel. Fifteen, twenty, twenty-five knots and we were up on plane now, heading straight out and I held her there, on twenty five, taking her straight out.

An alert sounded on the radar, a red dot behind us, coming up on us and I glanced over my shoulder. Some kind of powerboat, racing up behind us, bouncing over the waves, and the guy driving it waved as he cut past us, a couple of his buddies up on the flybridge with him. Me, I waved back and then Dave was up there, beside me, grinning.

"Take her up to thirty," he said.

"Okay." I eased the levers further forward, feeling 'No Tan Lines' respond effortlessly, and now we weren't falling behind. We were pacing the other boat, bouncing a little in her wake.

"Take her over to starboard, out of his wake," Dave said.

I did, a gentle turn of the wheel, 'No Tan Lines' curving out to the right before I turned again, paralleling the smaller boat.

"Thirty-five," Dave said, grinning at me as he stood beside me, hands clamped to one of the grab bars coz we were bouncing a little as the waves grew in size, white spray off the bows in great sheets as we powered outwards.

I glanced at him a little nervously, feeing her light and skittish under my hands, responding to every twitch of the wheel.

"You're doing great," he said over the noise of the wind and the sea, and even this fast, those two big engines were only a low rumble. "We're catching up."

We were, easing up until we were parallel with the other boat.

"That's a Viking," Dave said. "No idea who. One of the other marina's I think, haven't seen him before."

"Let me take her now," he added, smiling as we swapped, and now it was me standing next to him, holding the grab rail tightly as Dave eased the engine levers forward,

"Forty-five?" I yelled over the wind and spray sheeting up and off to each side and wow, this was really up on the plane, the bow high, our wake a white line behind us, straight as a ruler through the green sparkling sea, and that other boat was falling behind us, and I knew we'd be fishing soon, and I couldn't wait.

Running back in at the end of the day with a cooler full of mahi-mahi on ice, and I knew Uncle Wayne would be happy, and I was sore and tired, but it was that happy sore and tired. We'd go have dinner at the restaurant, come back to 'No Tan Lines', go to bed together and make love, and I'd be in Dave's bed, and I'd wake up in his arms, and this was as close to heaven as I could imagine.

"I could stay here with you forever," I said at last, leaning back against him, my hands holding his forearms as they wrapped around me, and 'No Tan Lines' was steering herself, her wake a line of white on blue behind us.

"I'd like that, Jenny," he said, kissing the back of my head. Then, after a long pause. "Would you like me to take you out on her for a couple of days? Down the keys. Just a short trip, couple of days. We can run around outside of Key Largo, do some fishing on the way, overnight down at Marathon or Islamorada. Come back up the inside. Be a nice trip for you.". We could leave tomorrow morning."

"I'd love that," I murmured sleepily. "I'll tell Auntie Suzy tonight."

"Hi Auntie Suzy, it's me," I said, when she answered the phone.

"Hi you," she said. "Enjoying yourself? How was Islamorada? Coming back tonight?"

"We went out a bit further south than we planned too, all the way to Key West, and we're overnighting in a Marina near Islamorada. Be back tomorrow."

"You went all the way down the keys," she said.

"Yeah," I said. "It was the most amazing run. We came back up with a couple of other boats, we're tied up with them now, people Dave knows. We're coming back up with them tomorrow. We'll come see you when we get back."

"You really do need to talk to your Mom and Dad about him and you, Jenny," Auntie Suzy said. "It was okay staying on his boat for a few nights but it's more than that now, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," I said, coz it was. A lot more. "I'm sorry, Dave did tell me to call you, but I was so excited I plain forgot until he reminded me. And I'm safe with him, Auntie."

"Okay, okay, I know you are. We'll talk when you're back. You enjoy yourself, Jenny," she said. "Make sure you're back tomorrow night though, and you really do need to talk to your Mom about you and him if you're going to stay with him like this."

"I will, Auntie Suzy," I said. "Promise. I'll call you tomorrow when we're getting close to home. Say hi to Uncle Wayne for me, and tell him Dave said we'll be fishing on the way back, we'll bring him some."

"I will, bye dear. I have to get back to work. You enjoy yourself, bye now, Jenny."

"Bye, Auntie." But she was already gone.

"Jenny," Dave was back. "I'm taking you to the restaurant here for dinner. The way they cook the fish is out of this world."

"That was amazing," I said, looking at my empty plate. "How do you know about places like this, anyhow. I mean, this marina is nowhere. Like, literally, nowhere, and that was the best fish I've ever eaten."

"You spend time down here, you get to know these places," he said. "Now, back to the boat and bed, we've got to leave early in the morning," and he was taking my hand in his, smiling, and I was smiling as we left, hand in hand.

I woke up alone, and 'No Tan Lines' was moving, I could feel her, hear the low rumble of the engines and yeah, he'd said we'd leave early. Really early. When I looked at the time, it was five, and I yawned, and stretched. I could climb up and sleep on the sunpad, and up there, I'd be close to him.

"Hi," he said, when I climbed up, and I'd brought a banket and a pillow with me, and he grinned, and about sixty seconds later I was curled up with the blanket wrapped around me, fast asleep.

"Want some coffee?" I asked at last, after the sun had risen. After I'd woken up again, and stayed awake.

"Love some," he said. "Can you make me some toast as well. Too many boats around to go down and make it myself."

"Sure," I said, taking the time to hug him before I headed down.

"Jenny," Dave said when I climbed back up onto the flying bridge where he was seated. "Are you enjoying this?"

"Yes," I said, simply. "I am, but it's you I'm enjoying, Dave. I like being with you, and everything else, it's just icing on the cake."

"How'd you like to go across to the Bahamas and send a couple of weeks there?" he said, eyeing me as he drank his coffee, and I sat in the next seat, drinking mine.

"Dave," I said, sleepily, my heart pounding, and not just because I was in his bed with him, although looking at him as I woke up, knowing I was in his bed, with him, that was more than enough reason for my heart to pound.

"Mmmmm," he said, and I loved the way he turned towards me, the way he wrapped his arms around me, pressing his body against me. Pressing something else against me too.

"Were you serious yesterday, about wanting to take me to the Bahamas for Christmas?" I eased one leg up and over his hip, smiling as one of his hands moved to rest on my inner thigh, not quite touching me.

His eyes opened and looked into mine. "I can't think of anything else I'd rather do," he said, his lips brushing mine. "Christmas in the Bahamas. Just you and me, together. Can't think of anything I'd like more," and his lips brushing mine, and he was smiling.

"How long would we be gone?" I said.

"Ten days," he said. "Two weeks." He kissed me again. "Longer if you want to. We could go all the way down to Barbados and back again if you like, We can make it across to Nassau in a day, and the diving and snorkeling is great, better than here. Less boats, too, once you get away from Bimini. I was thinking about just taking you cruising if you'd like to come with me for a couple of weeks. Fish now and then, dive, swim, lie in the sun, spend some time together. But you need your passport. Getting into the Bahamas is no big deal, but you need one to get back in to the States."

"Really?"

"Really," he said. "I told you, I don't need to work, Jenny. You and me and 'No Tan Lines', we can go anywhere you want. Do you have a passport?"

"Yes," I said. "But I don't have it with me. It's at home, and I'd love to go."

Dave nodded. "You'd have to ask your parents to send it down, right?"

"I'll have to call my Mom and ask her to FedEx it down, but I have to call her and talk to her about us anyhow."

"They're not planning on coming down for Christmas, were they?"

"No," I said. "They asked me if I wanted to go back for a few days, but I said no. The rest of my family all lives around Minneapolis, only Uncle Wayne and Auntie Suzy down here. We've got some cousins in LA, but we don't get together with them much. Just for weddings and stuff like that."

"Call your Mom, then," Dave said. "The sooner the better. If she can get your passport Fed-exed off to you today, I can start getting the boat ready for the trip, we can leave in a couple of days, head across, spend a couple of weeks there and come back."

"I'll need to explain you to her," I said, swallowing nervously.

"Yeah, you will," he said, serious. "But I guess you were going to have to do that anyhow."

"Yeah," I said, and there was that black pit inside me.

"Hi Mom, it's Jenny," I said, standing out in the cockpit breathing in the fresh sea breeze, listening to the seagulls. 'No Tan Lines' rocked as Blaine's Huckins 45 Sportfisherman headed out past us, Blaine waving from the flybridge, and I waved back, smiling.

"Jenny!" my Mom said. "I was just talking with Suzy. She said you were out on that boat with your boyfriend. She said you were staying with him on it for a night or two. I hope it's safe."

"Yeah, it's safe, Mom," I said. "It's a really big boat and he knows what he's doing."

"I hope he doesn't take you too far out," Mom said. "These little boats... Suzy said you were spending a lot of time with him? How big is it? Does he have life jackets?"

"Mom, wait one, she's totally safe. I'll send you a photo of her," I said, hunting for that photo of 'No Tan Lines' I'd taken from the dock. There it was. Send.

"Her?" my Mom said, and yeah, all of a sudden she was panicking. "Her? I thought Suzy said he was a boyfriend? I mean, not that I want to sound old-fashioned and too restrictive or anything, Jenny, but she said boyfriend, not girlfriend. Didn't she?"

"Mom, Mom, Mom," I said. "Wait one, okay. 'Her' is the boat. Boats are 'her', okay. I just sent you a photo of the boat so you know not to worry. Just take a look will you, okay."

"Oh, alright dear, just a sec... oh my... that's the boat? That's not at all what I'd imagined... that's huge... just... what does your new boyfriend do, Jenny? Is that his Dads boat or something? Suzy mentioned he was ..uhhh..."

"Loaded?" I said, just a little bit sharply, coz I did know her and the way she jumped to conclusions. "It's not like that, Mom."

"I trust you, dear," Mom said. "But guys with lots of money, they, you know, that does have an influence on some girls you know. I just thought I'd..."

"Mention it?" I said. "Well, you have, Mom, so just leave that one, okay. It's nothing like that at all. You should know me better than that." Oh god, I was getting short of breath. "Hang on, Mom. I have to sit down, I need to catch my breath..."

"I'm sorry, honey. You sit down, take your time. Now about this young man...?"

"His name's Dave," Mom, I said. "He's really wonderful, and he looked after me when I got sick again, and he's taken me out snorkeling and fishing and uh, yeah, I've been staying on his boat for a couple of days..."

"Suzy said a couple of nights," Mom said, not quite sharply. "I mean, you are eighteen, Jenny, almost nineteen I guess, but I do hope you know what you're doing. It all seems rather sudden."

"Yeah, well, we met just after I arrived," I said. "And he knows Auntie Suzy and Uncle Wayne, and he lives down here, on the boat." I smiled. "And yeah, he is wealthy, and it's his boat, not his Dad's, but that's got nothing to do with him and me, okay, Mom."

"Okay, okay, I believe you, dear," she said. "From what Suzy says, he's a nice young man. And before you say anything, you know Suzy doesn't gossip, Jenny. She said it was your business and you'd tell me all about him." She hesitated. "It does sound serious though. I hope you're not getting carried away with him."

"Carried away?" I giggled. More like swept of my feet, but I wasn't telling my Mom that. Not yet, anyhow. "Mom, let's just say he's a wonderful guy, and we're spending a lot of tome together, and I feel better than I have since before I went into hospital, okay."

"You do sound a lot more chirpy, Jenny. I'm so glad you're feeling better. That pneumonia. When Suzy called us, it gave us a real scare. Suzy said your new boyfriend took care of you. He sounds a very capable young man. Just how..."

"Oh, he is," I said, real quick, cutting her off. "Very capable, but Mom, I need to talk to you seriously about something else."

"Well," Mom said, cautiously now. "We did talk about that last year, Jenny, when I signed off on those contraceptives. I mean, I don't necessarily approve of course, but if you and your new boyfriend... maybe it's a little fast, but if you're staying with him... and it's better to be safe of course, but I do hope you use condoms as well, and ... well, I must say, I'm glad you found someone else you like, and not that Kyle. I never did like him that much, Jenny..."

"You didn't?" I said, totally surprised.

"No, I didn't," Mom said. "He reminded me very much of a couple of guys I dated back at College before I met your Dad. White guys with yellow fever, that's what Kyle reminded me of, and he didn't have the decency to stick around after you went into hospital, either."

"You dated guys like that?" I asked, and okay, I never ever pictured my Mom dating white guys like that. She was so wrapped up in my Dad.

"Yes, well, we're all young once, Jenny," she said, rather primly. "There's no need for your Dad to know of course, but I did date a few white guys. When I was your age, too." She giggled. "So I do understand, Jenny. Just make sure he uses a condom as well, okay."

"Uh, that wasn't actually what I wanted to ask you about, Mom," I said, not quite blushing.

"Oh?"

"Well, I've been staying on his boat with him, Mom. Actually, I've sort of moved in with him," I said, and okay, now I was blushing, coz I really wasn't used to talking to my Mom about stuff like this. "Auntie Suzy knows where I am, and she said as long as I talk to you..."

"Well, you've done that, Jenny," Mom said. "I don't really approve. Dating's one thing, even staying overnight now and then, and before you say anything, yes, I did that myself when I was your age so I'm not going to be hypocritical about it, but Suzy said you'd stayed there a few nights now..."

"Uh, yeah, I have Mom..."

"All I'm going to say is you're eighteen and you don't really need my permission, Jenny. If you hadn't been sick, you'd have been going away to College in September anyhow, so all I'll say is, don't get too carried away, Jenny. He may be a nice young man, and that boat of his may impress you, but don't get carried away and let him use you. I don't want to see you hurt, Jenny."

"Don't worry about me, Mom," I said. "Him and me, we've talked a lot. He doesn't want to see me hurt either, and I don't want to hurt him, but anyhow, that wasn't what I wanted to ask either."

"Oh?" my Mom said. "What did you want to talk about then?"

"Well, you saw his boat, Mom. He'd like to take me across to the Bahamas for a couple of weeks. Snorkeling, fishing, go to Nassau, that kind of stuff. And before you ask, I don't need any money and it's not going to cost me anything."

"He is wealthy, isn't he," my Mom said. "Are you sure he's not just using you? I mean, there's guys down there that invite girls to stay on their boats..."

"Boat bunnies?" I said, indignantly. "Mom, he knows I'm not a boat bunny, and besides, he doesn't like boat bunnies. Like I said, we've talked, and he's really... I don't know how to explain it, Mom, except we really get on well and, well..." No way I was telling my Mom I loved him and he loved me. Not yet. Later. That was for later.

"I think I love him, and he loves me, Mom." God, blurt it out, Jenny.

"Uh, well, I remember when I was your age, Jenny, and okay, I know how you feel, just be careful, okay, and if you two are that serious, we'd like to meet this young man."

"Okay, Mom," I said, sort of totally relieved, because this hadn't been anywhere near as hard as I thought it was going to be.

"So he wants to take you off on his boat to the Bahamas for a couple weeks and how long have you known him? A couple of weeks?" Mom said. "That doesn't exactly sound too safe though."

"Mom!" I said. "Aunt Suzy and Uncle Wayne know him. He's lived on his boat in the Marine here for a couple of years. The Marina knows him, lots of people here know him. It's not like he's just some guy passing through or anything. I did ask."

I had, too, at the Marina office, and the girl there, she'd laughed.

'Very well," Mom said. "You have my permission, Jenny, and thank you for asking. Could you call me every day, though? I do worry about you." Suddenly she sounded a little sad. "My little girl's growing up."

Okay, I giggled. I did. "Thanks Mom, and, uh, could you send my passport down to Aunt Suzy's by FedEx? I didn't bring it with me. Overnight? He wants to leave tomorrow while the weather's good."

"Okay, sure, Jenny," Mom said. "And remember, call me every day, even if it's just a short call. I want to be sure you're safe."

"I will, Mom, and Aunt Suzy has all Dave's contact info as well."

"Okay, okay. I've found your passport here, I'll go send it off right now. Be sure to call me, alright. Love you, Jenny."

"Love you, Mom, and thanks. Give Dad a hug for me."

"I will, and enjoy yourself, alright. You are sounding so much better."

"He's good for me, Mom," I said, totally honestly.

"Just don't get hurt, Jenny," my Mom said. "Please. We were so worried about you for the last god knows how many months. I just want you to relax and get well."

"I will, Mom," I said. "You wouldn't believe how much better I feel. Being out on his boat with him, it's just... it's like I'm a new me. I can forget about all the hospital stuff when I'm with him, and I really do feel so much better."

"I'm glad for that," Mom said. "Tell him thanks from your Dad and me for looking after you so well, too. Is he around? I'd like to say thanks myself."

"He is," I said. "But he's down in the engine room doing something right now."

"Later then," she said, and I kind of swallowed, thinking that yeah, they were gonna meet him sometime, and I wasn't looking forward to them finding out he was, like, way older than me. Oh well, cross that bridge...