Chapter 10
They dressed for the days boating. Somehow, Luke had slipped in while they were having breakfast and all her clothes she bought were lying on the bed or hanging up in the closet. She bought some boating clothes at the boutique and today she was dressed in a pale yellow top and dark yellow shorts. White boating shoes that he had bought for her and a new hat: a baseball hat that said ‘Penny’ on it and a wind-breaker coat. She looked striking: her model body and long perfect legs and beautiful golden hair. His entire body and soul belonged to his future wife.
After breakfast, Todd made a phone call to the marina telling his guy to make the boat ready. He took his brief case and put the camera in it. He turned his back and from his pocket he put something else in it. She wondered what that was, but quickly turned her mind to the day's events. He took her by the hand and out the door to his car.
On the way to the marina, she called her mother to tell her their plans for the week end and that she would be home on Monday morning. They stopped at a deli and picked up some meats and cheese and other things to munch on. He bought a chicken for the crabs. At the marina, he went to the bait shop and picked up some bait for fishing. Fishing poles and such things were already on the boat in storage.
Casting off and motoring through the harbor to the open bay, Jen stood next to the mast, looking very much like a model on her way to work. He noticed her breasts were a little big for a model, but he said to himself, who am I to complain, she is all mine. He took his camera that was around his neck and snapped a picture or two. Then as they reached open water, he handed her the camera and set sail for a morning of sailing. While she was tending the tiller, she took some pictures of him setting sail and pulling rope. His muscles bulging and his powerful legs pumping up and down; and the exertion produced a sweat on his forehead. She loved looking at his body. He was all business when setting sail. He glanced at the direction the Penny was going and satisfied, he finished up and went back to her position.
The wind was blowing steady from the east and he told her to get a comfortable chair and sit by him. No changes in course were needed and they could relax and enjoy the ride. He was cruising up the southern coast opposite the north coast where Millie’s restaurant was located. Like the opposite coast, beautiful houses were scattered along the shoreline. Many had docks with boats tied up and some even with a boat garage, she noticed. They sailed past the cove and headed out to the open sea. Jen was a little nervous and she went down to the cabin and got her windbreaker. She knew Todd was an expert sailor, she relaxed and held onto the mast. Big waves made the sail boat raise up and down. Her stomach felt a little woozy. Todd noticed and told her to go down to the head and take a little Dramamine pill. “It'll help, but make you a little sleepy.”
She did as he suggested and came back up to even bigger waves as they crossed the harbor opening and he turned a little to the north.
He thought the water a little too rough for her so he turned and headed back down the north coast line. Calmer water right next to the water's edge was more to her liking. Soon the pill relaxed her and she moved back to her chair and sat next to her man. She played with the hair on his leg while he piloted the boat. Being down wind, he cut the sails somewhat and slowed the boat down. He asked her to man the tiller while he went to the head and then he brought up some drinks in the cooler. They drank some fruit juice and talked about different things in their lives.
He told her about his meeting on Monday with a powerful relative of his grandmother’s. He told her the Lincoln Corporation was much larger than he imagined. “For the life of me, I can’t believe my grandmother ran the entire company by herself. She has a fantastic memory for details. I asked her a couple questions from the files I had been reading and she gave me quick answers to all of my questions.”
He went on to tell her that he would have a big job ahead of him. “I’m already formulating a plan for some changes in the structure and operation of the Lincoln Corporation. I will have a lot of opposition, but I will be firm in my position. My plan is to make our holdings and especially the manufacturing end of things environment friendly. The Lincoln name will be aligned with the leaders of conservation groups and in particular, with a strong focus on the global warming problem.”
She never said a word. Just listened to him talk because her father had taught her listen and not talk when someone is telling her something she doesn’t know about. When he was finished, she said to him, “Honey do you have the knowledge to head up such an empire that you have told me the Lincoln Corporation is all about?”
“Yes, honey, I have the education and with grandmother’s guidance, I should do fine. After graduating Stanford, I went to Harvard business school for two years and I have a MBA; after that I went to medical school. I entered Stanford when I was seventeen. I left Stanford at twenty one; then Harvard for two years and off to medical school. The rest you know about.”
He went on to tell her that he felt comfortable and it felt natural for him to lead the Lincoln Corporation into the future.
“Before we get married, I will formulate and complete a future long range plan for it to follow. I will put in place people I can trust and will delegate like no other leader of a company has in the past. I will concentrate on the areas I think need the most attention and leave the rest to management already in place or replaced as the case may be.”
“Honey, what say you to docking at a little restaurant for lunch?”
“Yes, I would like that. Need to put my feet on the ground for a little while.”
He knew a little place not far down the coast and when he neared the restaurant, he slowly docked and he made fast the boat to the dock. She was still a little unsteady on her feet. A climb up the hill to the restaurant, which was located on the narrow coast road, did her good and by the time she sat down to lunch, she felt much better. Smiling at him and she took his hand in hers and stroked it with her soft fingers. A nice feeling of love passed between them as the waiter brought them menus.
The day was so hot and humid next to the water, they decided on a salad for both of them. Tonight their plan was cheese and deli meats with the crab or fish they caught, or maybe both.
After lunch he said, “Let’s sail across to our cove and go for a swim and see if we can catch a fish or two.”
“Come on big boy, I know how to catch a big fish; I caught you didn’t I?”
He laughed and down to the boat they went. They climbed aboard and after casting off, they sailed directly across to their cove.
Approaching the cove, he lowered the sails and they coasted into the cove so as not to disturb the fish. He lowered the anchor and they went to the cabin for a drink of something refreshing. Not to mention a little body fondling. She put on a sun halter and her big straw hat to protect herself from the sun. He put sun block on her back and front. “Do you think that I have enough sun block on?” She said, after a minute or two of rubbing her front with the lotion.
He smiled into her eyes and told her that a doctor knew how much lotion to put on and to keep her comments to herself. She hugged him and grabbed his behind and squeezed hard. “Wow, I didn’t know you were so strong," he said.
She ran up on the deck and took out the crab pot and while he brought up the chicken from the deli, she made the pot ready. Carefully making sure the rope was not tangled up. Trying to be a good sailor and to please him was foremost on her mind. She said, “All is ready mine captain.”
He smiled and put the chicken into the pot. She watched as he tied the chicken securely to the pot. “Ok, throw it overboard, sailor,”
He baited the fishing poles and showed her how to work the reels. She was a quick learner and he set the bait just off the bottom. Hoping to catch a bottom fish or two; they had lots of bones, but had good flavor in a lemon garlic combination and fried in olive oil. A little fresh lemon on the side is needed he thought to himself.
The crab pot over the side and the poles baited
and set to rest, Jen and Todd sat back in two deck chairs and enjoyed the rest. He said, “It’s too hot” and went to the storage area and brought back a big umbrella. Placed it in a holder on the side of the engine cover and sat back down. “Much better,” She took her hat off and closed her eyes. She had wraparound sun glasses on so he couldn’t see her eyes. He watched the poles for any bites. Soon he saw the pole wiggle a little bit. He nudged Jen and she looked at the pole. He told her a fish was playing with the bait.
Todd said, “Wait a minute until the pole really dips down and then set the hook by jerking the pole up.” The pole took a big dip and he told her, “Now, give the pole a jerk up.”
She did as he said and jerked the pole up and she jerked so hard she fell backwards into her chair and fell on her backside. The pole fell on the deck and Todd was laughing so hard he didn’t help her up. She had a red face and said with a smile, “Where is the fish?”
“Maybe it’s still on the hook,” he was still laughing.
Recovering from her fall, Jen got up and picked up the pole. A fish was still on the line. He told her to keep the pole at a forty five degree angle and reel it in. He helped her and up came a little fish about eight inches long. She got so excited when she saw the fish. She exclaimed, “This is my first fish I’ve ever caught!”
Todd had an empty bucket next to the rail and he took the pole from her and dropped the fish into the bucket. She watched it flop around while he took a pair of pliers and unhooked the fish. He reached over the side with the bucket and scooped some water into it. The little fish swam around and around the bucket. Jen was amazed. Just then the other pole took a dip. Todd nudged her and she looked at the pole and moved over to it, watching it all the time until it took a big dip and she jerked up gentler this time, and the fish put up a big fight. She called for him to help her.
“No way,” he said. “It’s all yours to bring in.” She remembered to keep the pole at the proper angle and fought the fish. Soon the fish tired and she reeled it in. Todd saw it was a much bigger fish and took the net and scooped it up onto the boat. The fish flopped around and he took a small fish club and whacked the fish over the head.
“That’s kind of cruel, isn’t it?”
“Not really, the fish never knew what hit him. Instant death as Nature intended. We humans, at the top of the food chain, need to remember to be merciful and quick when it comes to death of a lesser specie.”
He put the fish in the bucket and said that is enough fishing for one day. This is all we can eat at one time. He told her that now was time to clean the fish and she told him she had no idea how to clean a fish. “I’ll show you,” he said.
He brought out a cutting board from the kitchen and proceeded to show her how to clean a fish. He left the heads on both fish and washed the board and threw the insides of the fish overboard. “That will bring more crabs to the pot,” He washed the deck while she took the fish to the refrigerator.
“Now, let’s go for a swim. Time to wash some sweat off,” he said. She changed into a two piece suit and he pulled off his T-shirt. They put on the goggles and went for a swim. They circled the boat a couple times and pulled up at the back by the ladder. He said, “If you can hold your breath and dive about fifteen feet down, you will see the crab pot.”
“I’ll follow you,” she said. Down they went. She was a natural in the water. They both were in good shape because of their exercise routine every day. She saw many crabs in the pot eating the chicken. She was happy to be in their environment. She had learned a lot from him about Nature’s creatures and the need for ecology. She hoped she could play a role in his conservation program. But, she would not say anything to him until much later.
They broke the surface and she told him what a sight that was seeing the crabs in their home water with the fish and other sea creatures. She said that she would like to do more of this kind of boating and diving. He only smiled to himself. He knew she liked it and he had a plan to do a lot of boating and diving. First they would go to France with Jan and tour Europe and then they would go to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
They swam to the beach and back as fast as they could swim. Again, as before, they reached the boat at the same time. Breathless, they climbed up the ladder and dried off with towels she had brought up before their swim. He told her she was first for the shower and he would follow. He told her some snacks might be a good idea and she said she would work on that while he was taking a shower. No longer did she have to undress and dress in the head. Even though he was up on the deck putting the fishing poles and other things away in the storage locker, she felt very comfortable being naked around him. He too, showed no embarrassment being around her without any clothes on.
Hard to imagine it was just over a week since they met. She thought that it took much longer in relationships before one felt this free and easy with each other. God is good to us, she thought to herself.
After her ‘boat shower’, which is faster than a regular shower, she came out with a towel wrapped around her head and nothing else on. He was fussing with something on the counter and turned to look at his future wife. He felt weak at the knees and slowly moved to the floor on his knees. He held out his arms and she came to him. He buried his face in her stomach and put his arms around her. She held his head in her hands. She smelled fresh and clean. He drank in her loveliness and kissed her flat stomach. “Don’t stop honey,” she said.
He looked up at her and said that he hadn’t taken a shower yet. She dropped to her knees and lay down on her back. He took advantage and proceeded to devour her. Animal sounds escaped from her throat. He took his time and brought her to the peak and over the top. He raised his head up and put it on her stomach. He was breathing hard. Sometime later he got up and helped her to the sofa. He kissed her and softy told her he would take a shower and be back in a minute. She didn’t want him to leave. She wanted to make him feel good too, but later would be a special time for that method of lovemaking.
She had on a T-shirt that said, ‘I love sailing.’ No bra and a pair of white shorts and no shoes. He came out of the shower and as she was at the sink cutting some tomatoes up, he reached around her and cupped her breasts. Kissed her neck and told her how much he loved and adored her and she smelled so good. “You hungry,” she asked him.
“No,” he lied. “I just had lunch thank you.”
She leaned back into him and felt her knees so weak that she was having trouble standing at the sink. His hands went up under her shirt to her stomach and played with her belly button and moved up to find her nipples hard to the touch. She felt his hardness and moved her hips against him. He had no shorts on as he just came out of the shower. He lowered her to the floor and made love to her next to the sink. Jen thought that words could not explain how she felt at that very moment. The physical part was wonderful, but the mental part of love between two people could be explained: after they both reached a place only intended for people truly in love.
They laid in each other's arms till their breathing and heart rate returned to normal. They were both hot and sweaty. He told her they should go skinny dipping to cool off. She agreed and she grabbed a towel for each of them and followed him to the back of the boat. She looked around and saw nobody and dropped the towel and followed him into the cold water. They played around for awhile and got out.
He told her they had lots of water so another shower was ok. After their shower she made up the plate with the deli food and crackers. He poured the wine and they ate the plate clean. It was late afternoon and he said they should make up the bed and take a nap. She agreed and while she cleaned the dishes and glasses, he made up the bed. Because it was so hot out, one sheet was all that covered them. He had two fans blowing from the battery, but later he would start the motor and charge the batteries for lights tonight.
They fell immediately to sleep and he woke an hour later thankful that his dream did not return. She still slept soundly. He got up and put
his shorts on and went up on deck to look around checking the boat. The sun was going down sooner in the west as August was just about over. He looked to the east to check the weather, but nothing but clear skies was evident. Satisfied with everything, he returned to find her stirring and stretching her arms in the air. Her blond hair was splayed over the pillow and she looked lovely. She sat up, no sheet covering her this time, and asked, “What time is it honey,”
“Time to go on deck and have some wine,” he said. She put on a pair of shorts and her T-shirt and they went on deck. They sat so the setting sun was not blinding their eyes and sipped some chilled wine. She was beginning to like wine. Maybe she was a little influenced by his winery. She put her head back and closed her eyes. She listened to him talk about his grandmother and the idea she might be ill. He told her he would have her checked out and that he would call her doctor on Monday. She was his last living close relative. Yes, some distance cousins and so forth, but no one close to him. While he was telling her about his grandmother, his cell phone rang in the cabin and he rushed down to answer it. He came back up talking to someone. They talked for awhile and then he closed up the phone. “That was grandmother’s doctor,” he said.
The doctor told him his grandmother was very sick and in bed. There was nothing he could do as she was sleeping and resting comfortably. She had heard Todd say he would be up in the morning if he was sure there was nothing anyone could do for her.
“We will leave in the morning honey.” I knew something was wrong when I looked at grandmother at breakfast the other day.” He had a concerned look on his face and she reached out to hold his hand. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. “We can’t live forever and that includes my grandmother.”
However, unknown to them at the time, grandmother was destined to live a few more years and see her first great grandchild.