The Boat Ch. 03

"Anytime. By the way, the first two sessions were free, after this you have to start buying booze." He said earnestly.

"Not a problem." I replied laughing. I was really going to miss talking to him.

The urge to spend money swept over the girls at the ungodly hour of half past four in the morning. Debbie slipped from the bed and got ready and before she left gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and reminded me that we were going Christmas Tree shopping when they got back.

"Yes dear." I mumbled into my pillow and then rolled over and promptly attempted to go back to sleep.

"Don't forget to get the lights out of the shed."

"Yes dear." I mumbled again.

"Oh, and make sure you have the decorations in the living room."

"Why don't I just hire you a hot gardener to do all of that instead?" I asked sleepily.

"You can do that after you get the lights and decorations out and we get the tree."

"Yes dear."

"I love you Mike, see you soon." She said kissing my cheek again and running her fingers through my hair.

"I love you too Debbie."

As promised, by ten or so I had the decorations and lights in the living room, the tree stand, and skirt by the window and Jared and I were working on our third cup of coffee when the girls came back in carrying several bags and laughing. That doesn't look too bad I thought to myself. Jared arched an eyebrow at the bags Kristi was carrying and then said, "Looks like you got off light Dude."

Debbie kissed me on the cheek and said sweetly, "Can you two go and get the rest of the bags out of the trunk and backseat please?"

"Trunk AND backseat?" I asked incredulously sitting up straight in my chair and wondering what I would find out there.

"Nah, this is it. I just wanted to see if I could get a reaction out of you." she said smiling down at me and adding, "Let us get changed and we can grab brunch and go find a tree."

It was twelve feet tall and filled half the living room; Clark Griswold would have been proud of my selection abilities. The girls did a hell of a job trimming it and by sunset the place smelled like a pine forest. I was beginning to look forward to a quiet Christmas at home for the first time in two years.

The rest of the weekend went smoothly and when Jared was leaving, I told him that our door was always open, if he wanted to come up. Smiling he held out his hand and said "It's nice having a place to disappear to. I'll take you up on it."

The girls left for Kentucky shortly after Jared left, and I found myself alone again. A week or so later Kristi told Debbie that she and Jared would be spending Christmas with his college roommate in Gatlinburg. She also said that Jared would be driving to Kentucky after the semester ended to help them move their belongings to the house. Debbie called me shortly after the conversation and opened with "It's just going to be us for Christmas."

"Okay." I replied.

"You don't mind?"

"Mind? A nice quite Christmas morning, my second favorite elf snuggled up beside me with a fire roaring in the fireplace. Who would mind that?"

"Second favorite?" she said laughing as she spoke. "And who, pray tell, is number one?"

"Will Ferrell, but it really is a close race."

"You are just a cotton-headed ninny-muggins!"

"Guilty. See you Friday night Debbie. I love you."

"I can't wait. I love you too." Then she hung up.

Looking around at the empty house I sighed and realized how lonely I was. Maybe I should get a dog I thought to myself. A puppy for Christmas would be nice and I knew that Debbie had a soft spot for them so that wouldn't be a problem. And that is exactly how Christmas went; we sat on the couch watching as the newest family member, Duke the Wonder Beagle, bounced around on the floor sniffing everything he could and barking at the things that confused him.

By the second week of January Debbie and Kristi had transferred and were busy getting ready for the next term to start. They were together constantly, and it felt great not being alone in the house anymore. One bitterly cold afternoon Debbie and I went to check on the boat, more for alone time than anything else.

"Shit it's cold!" Debbie said as we trudged down the dock.

"Yup." I said, picking Duke up so we could walk more than three feet without stopping to sniff something. Stepping aboard I quickly turned the heat on and sat him down so he could get acquainted with his other home.

I was just going to give it a quick inspection and then head back home when I felt Debbie come up behind me and wrap her arms around my waist. "Too bad it's winter." she whispered softly.

"Why do you say that?"

"There won't be another storm for months and I was thinking that it would be nice to relive a very pleasant memory." She responded as she slipped her hands under my coat and began to rub my chest.

"Do tell? Which one is that?"

"The one where you lay in bed beside me and tell me to cum for my big brother while I play with myself."

When we walked into the house two hours later Kristi had a bemused look on her face and then burst out laughing when I removed my coat.

"What?" Debbie asked in a genuinely innocent tone of voice.

"Did we get lost or did we take advantage of an abandoned boat dock for a quickie?"

"What makes you think that happened?" I asked piously.

"Your shirt is on wrong side out Stud." she said leaving the room with peals of her laughter echoing through the house.

"Oopsie." said Debbie smiling up at me as I stood there dumbfounded.

I winked and said, "You're worth it."

"Perfect answer." She responded with her smile broadening into a grin.

January quickly faded into February and Valentine's Day was coming up. I had planned on taking Debbie to her favorite restaurant in Chattanooga. Then, on the 13^th, Fate stepped in and my life went to Hell in a handbasket for a day.

"Why did you even answer the fucking phone Michael?" Debbie's shout rang in my ears.

"I don't know! I thought it might be an emergency!" I replied.

"Why would you give a fuck if there was an emergency?" she said loudly and then added "Unless you still love that slut!"

The cause for this was that my ex, Susan, had drunk dialed me on the day before Valentine's Day and had told me that she was sorry for all that she had put me through and that she really wanted to try to make things work out; now that we had time apart from one another to think about our situation. I had answered the phone out of shock more than anything else. I had deleted her as a contact, but I recognized the number on Caller ID and answered.

Debbie had heard every word Susan had slurred out in a teary, drunken outburst but before she heard my response, "Thanks Susan, but I'd rather suck a dick on prime-time TV than to have you in my bed again." she had fled the room.

"No Debbie I don't still love her." I said as I caught up with her in the living room. "I was just surprised that she called, and I answered to see what was going on. That is all there is to it."

"How many times have you spoken to her?" she asked, sitting down on the couch.

"That was the first time I have heard her voice since the divorce finalized."

"How do I know that?" she replied with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, grow up!" I snapped and instantly regretted it.

"What?" she shouted at me.

"Debbie, look, there is nothing going on with her. She was drunk and called me. I'm not going back to her. Ever."

She sat there looking at me and then climbing to her feet she walked quietly out of the room. A moment later I heard the front door shut and looking out the window I saw her get into her car and drive away. I stood there silently and thought to myself, "Dude, you fucked up."

"Dude, you fucked up." Kristi said, sitting across from me on the couch.

"Yeah, I know."

"When I spoke to her earlier she said she would be home tonight. She isn't mad, she is hurt that you told her to grow up more than anything else."

"Yeah." I replied, "It wasn't one of my better responses."

"Not even close. She was ranting about men in general though and not you specifically. So, I wouldn't worry about it too much."

"Ranting?"

"Yeah women do that when we get angry. You will be happy to know that men are disingenuous, self-centered, egotistical, immature, selfish, crude, imbecilic, worthless, spineless cretins with no socially redeeming values what so ever." Kristi said with a clever smile on her face.

"Really? Hell, I could have told you that." I said chuckling.

"She still loves you or she would have resorted to profanity."

"Thanks." I replied dryly.

Debbie came back home around seven and walking into the living room she uttered the most feared four words any man can hear.

"We need to talk."

"Okay." I said dreading the conversation already.

"I know I overreacted this afternoon but there are so many things that can go wrong with us that when something like this happens, I'm probably always going to overreact. Michael, I'm terrified of what could happen if anyone finds out about us and if that slut thought for a minute that there was something going on she would be at the police station before you could get an attorney on the phone."

"True." I said quietly.

"I just need some time to think." Those are seven words that no man ever wants to hear either because the next six are inevitably "I will always love you but,"

"I will always love you but, I as much as I thought I was, I am not prepared for all of this. We need to slow down or even stop altogether before we get caught."

"No, no and fuck no!" I said firmly.

"What?"

"No." I said firmly.

"It's not like you have a choice Michael. I'm the one making the decision."

"Will you at least listen to me?" I pled.

"Sure. Go ahead." she said softly.

"I almost left when my divorce was final. I was looking at places in New England to move to. Then Dad got sick and I stayed to help and to make sure you got through college. I had planned on leaving as soon as you graduated, then, well, this started. I will leave when you graduate if that is what you want me to do, but honestly, I'd much rather have you come with me when I do."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"And what are we going to do then Mike? Settle down in some quaint, idyllic cottage in the mountains of Vermont and make babies during the long cold winters?" she asked looking down at the floor.

"If that's what you want."

"That's a pipe dream Michael and you damn well know it. What is going to happen is that I am moving into the guest room and this is ending; tonight."

"No Debbie, what is going to happen is this; you're going to bed in our bed and we will work through this together. I love you too much to give up after a single blip. I fucked up and I know I fucked up and the least you can do is give me the opportunity to make it up to you. I am truly sorry.' then pausing I added, "One night, that is all I am asking for, just one night."

"And tomorrow?"

"I'll ask you for another." I said quietly.

From behind us we both heard "Oh for the love of God Debbie! Give the poor bastard another chance!"

We both whipped around to see Kristi standing in the hallway. She was holding Duke who was busy trying to lick her face and shaking her head she added, "If I wasn't already in a relationship I would make a move on your brother so fast you wouldn't know what I was doing until I asked you to be the maid of honor at our wedding! Jesus woman, men like him don't just drop out of the sky."

Walking toward us she stopped and placed Duke on the ground and then walked over and hugged Debbie for a moment; then she held her left arm up and waved her hand at me. Stepping over to them I wrapped them both in a hug and we stood there silently holding each other.

Finally, Kristi broke the silence and asked, "I guess this is as close to a threesome as I am going to get with you two huh?"

I leaned down and kissed the top of her head then responded, "Afraid so Bilge Rat."

"God!" Debbie said laughing. "What am I going to do with you two?"

"I suggested something, weren't you listening?" Kristi replied giggling.

Debbie stared at her for a second then said, "I'll share him when you share Jared."

"Really?" Kristi said looking down at her.

"No." Debbie said flatly.

"Tease!"

Raising up on her tiptoes she kissed Kristi softly on the lips then responded, "Always."

Late April 2015

Jared and I stood on the back deck of the Deborah Jo watching Debbie and Kristi walk down the dock leading a bouncing Duke and carrying the last of the groceries to the boat. It was a beautifully warm Spring day; the engines were idling and aside from one line on the bow she was ready to go.

Jared looked over at me and asked, "How did you manage to get the entire week off?"

"I told them my sister had friends coming in for Spring Break and that we were going to spend it on the river."

"That works."

"Yeah, the fun part was when my boss got curious as to how many people I could sleep on this thing."

"What did you say?" Jared asked grinning.

"Four, but you have to be on very close terms with everybody."

He was still laughing about it ten minutes later when we turned into the channel.

As always, I hope you enjoyed it.

YDW