Homecoming (39 page)

They trooped down the dock to stop before a thirty-seven foot monster with a gleaming stainless tower sticking up, already holding two wakeboards and a pair of massive speakers. Black, white and red graphics splashed along the sides, giving it a menacing look. Jill stared at the boat for a moment, having never been on one that big or that powerful looking.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Jeffrey asked, his tone making it clear that was a rhetorical question.

“Yeah. Really nice. The fuel must kill you though.”

“Not an issue.” He started to unsnap the snug, black cockpit cover. “You can’t worry about stuff like that when you’re having fun.”

Well, that was one way to look at things. Jill pitched in and helped, while Lizzie stowed all of their gear in cubbyholes under the seats. Then Jeffrey sat in the captain’s chair, let the blower run for a minute, and started the engine, the low throaty roar making Jill’s skin prickle. She really did like to go fast… Maybe putting up with a leering jerk would be worth it.

Madison and Alexis settled down on a curved bench in the rear of the boat, clearly labeling themselves passengers rather than crew. So Jill and Lizzie helped cast off, letting the dock lines fall, then standing at the ready with aluminum poles just in case they were pushed around unexpectedly. Once they were clear of the marina, Jill headed for the bow, with Lizzie right behind her.

One of the many benefits of living on Lake Champlain was the fact that you rarely had to go far to be in deep water. Moments after leaving the dock, Jeffrey hit the throttle, snapping their heads back. Then they were flying, zooming past slower craft as they moved away from Burlington.

“Nice,” Jill said as the wind blew her hair straight back and made her sunglasses shimmy.

Lizzie leaned over and spoke just loud enough for Jill to hear. “Jeffrey’s kind of a prick, but his boat’s nice enough to make up for it.”

“So far,” Jill agreed. She wasn’t sure that would be true when the alcohol started flowing, but for now the boat was tilting the balance in his favor.

After they’d whipped past everything Jill recognized, the lake widened a bit. Jeffrey slowed down, stood up and said, “Who wants to go first?”

Madison and Alexis were game, but neither of them had been on a wakeboard before. Clearly it was not Lizzie’s first time at this rodeo, for she proved to be a very adept instructor when each of them tried to get up. It was slow going, with Jill acting as lookout, sitting next to Jeffrey, telling him when to cut the engine, which was about four seconds after he started off. Both of the young women seemed vaguely athletic, but it took lots of patient explanation from Lizzie, and lots of dunks in the cold water to get each of them up for rides of about a minute.

Then it was Lizzie’s turn. Jill couldn’t stop smiling at the confident grin that settled on her face as she got her feet locked onto the board and gave Jeffrey the signal to take off.

She rose like one of the osprey that lurked about the lake at dusk, graceful, elegant and effortless. In seconds, she was leaning back, carving the hell out of the wake that the big, fast boat kicked up. Jill wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d done a 360 degree flip, but Lizzie seemed content to just glide across the water, jump the wake with a “whoop”, then glide back across to do it again. She stayed up for a good five minutes, until Jeffrey made a very sharp turn, nearly sending her into the bank.

“Fuck you!” Lizzie shouted as her head popped out of the water. Luckily, she was laughing, allowing Jill to stay out of jail. Strangling a board member’s child would have been a faux pas, but she wouldn’t have been able to stop herself if his antics had hurt her brand new girlfriend.

“I was just trying to give you a thrill,” he called out when they got close to pick her up.

“I want another ride,” she yelled back. “This time, don’t screw with me!”

“She’s a spitfire, isn’t she?” he asked Jill, grinning lecherously.

“She is.”
My spitfire
, she wanted to declare, but they hadn’t talked about how open they could be. They’d have that conversation as soon as Lizzie was back in the boat.

***

Jill wasn’t as graceful or able to balance as well as Lizzie, but she could get up and stay up. Jeffrey didn’t try any tricks with her, allowing her to luxuriate in the cool water, with the wind blowing in her face, her thighs tensing as the board sent her flying over a wake. Life didn’t get any better than this. Speed, exhilaration, power, and a calm that she felt deep in her soul. But the thing that made it magic was seeing Lizzie in the boat, clapping her hands and shouting encouragement. Every time Jill would fly over the wake, Lizzie’s hands went up like Jill had scored a touchdown. She couldn’t hear her, but she knew she was letting out a loud cry of pleasure, just like Jill had done for her. Her thighs were going to complain in the morning, but this was a perfect capstone to the end of a perfect summer. The summer she fell for Lizzie.

***

Jill had to give credit where it was due. Jeffrey was a damned good host. He’d brought a big basket full of sandwiches which he’d had made at Jill’s favorite deli, along with all sorts of side salads and chips. Lizzie, in keeping with her endless appetite, gobbled down two sandwiches, her own bag of chips, and seventy-five percent of Jill’s. Then she started eyeing the brownies and cookies lying on the little table in front of the curved aft bench.

“Are you going into the water again?” Jill asked. “’Cause you’ll sink like a stone if you keep eating.”

“Ha!” She grabbed a huge chocolate chip cookie and took a big bite. “I’m not afraid of a stinkin’ cookie.”

“I don’t know where you put it all,” Jill said, unable to stop staring at her ridiculously toned belly. The thought of licking her way across that savory flesh was too damned distracting, so she got up and fetched them both a beer. They hadn’t yet succumbed, but it was hot and why the hell not?

Lizzie took three big gulps. “Why does being in the water make you so thirsty?”

“Dunno. Maybe…” Jill shrugged. “Dunno.”

Jeffrey had been paying rapt attention to Madison and Alexis, but he came to stand in the bow, where Jill and Lizzie had stretched out, letting the sun dry them.

“Good day, huh?” he asked.

As Jill regarded him, she had to acknowledge that he wasn’t such a bad guy. He probably just wanted to be liked. Undoubtedly, he also wanted to screw all of them—at the same time—but he wasn’t a bad guy. He’d probably been bullied a little in school. Something about him gave off that air, and now he was using his money—probably family money—to buy friends. Jill felt a moment’s guilt, then decided he’d gotten his money’s worth. A full tank of gas for a day of looking at scantily clad women who wanted him to like them. At least three of them wanted that. Jill was fine either way.

“We’re having a great day,” Lizzie said, beaming up at him. “I wasn’t happy when you tried to kill me, but other than that…”

“Oh, I wasn’t trying to kill you. You’re just so damned good that I have to knock you off or we’d be out there all day.”

“I’m not that good,” Lizzie said, even though you could tell she knew just how competent she was.

“I go out with a lot of people, Liz, and you’re the best.” Jill didn’t like the “Liz” comment, but if Lizzie didn’t mind, it wasn’t any of her business. “You’ve got those incredible legs.” His gaze went to her thighs and stayed there longer than Jill was happy with. “I bet you could crack walnuts with those babies.”

“Never tried,” she said, sloughing off the comment. “Can I get you something to drink? The guy who owns this place has it
stocked
.”

He held up his glass, still half full of vodka and tonic. “I’m set. Speaking of legs, are you still dancing?”

She shrugged that question off too. “A little. I’ll have more free time now that summer’s over.”

“Have you seen her?” Jeffrey asked Jill.

“Seen her dance? No. Where would I see that?”

“She was in something… Where was that?”

Lizzie sighed. “When I’m not swamped at work, I’m in a group that performs around the area. Nothing big,” she insisted. “Just amateurs who like to play around.”

“She’s excellent,” he insisted. “You put one of those black, clingy things…” He gave Lizzie a quizzical look. “What do you call those things?”

“A leotard?”

“Yeah. Put a leotard on this girl and I swear to god, you’d bet she was the model for a Greek sculpture.” His gaze grew a little more familiar. “If you ever need some cash, you could make a fortune dancing in a club.”

Jill had a very good idea of what kind of club he was talking about. And she didn’t like it. At all.

“I don’t think my boss would like to see me shaking my ass for twenties,” Lizzie said, clearly not bothered by his obvious leering.

“Your boss doesn’t have an ass like you do.” He took a big sip of his drink, laughing at his joke. Jill tried to determine if she could hit the cup with the heel of her hand and drive it up into his brain, but she stopped herself. If Lizzie didn’t mind this jerk, she had to keep her jealousy to herself. He hadn’t said one suggestive word to Jill—probably because she was too old for him. Still, Lizzie had chosen to come, knowing Jeffrey was a letch, and Jill didn’t have the right to tell her how to spend her free time.

“After we dock,” Jeffrey said, “we should go out. There’s a new place on College I like.”

“Been there,” Lizzie said. “But we can’t go tonight. It’s a school night, you know.”

“Oh, come on,” he said, his smile getting a little insistent. “Don’t tell me you don’t go out on a weeknight.”

“I really don’t,” Lizzie said.

“Are you dating someone? Is that the problem?”

“There’s no problem,” she said, still smiling calmly. “But I’m going home when we get back to the dock.”

He obviously didn’t get turned down often, because he didn’t have any idea how to gracefully let it go. His brow furrowed as he leaned towards her. “That means you’re dating someone, doesn’t it.”

“Uh-huh.” Lizzie got up and plopped down onto a stunned Jill’s lap. “I’m dating this gorgeous thing.” She draped an arm around Jill’s neck, grinning up at Jeffrey.

His mouth dropped open, then he started to laugh. “Yeah. Sure you are.”

Lizzie didn’t say another word, content to just smile up at him.

“You are?”

“We are,” Jill said, trying to look menacing.

“Okay.” He finished the rest of his drink in one gulp. “I’m not selfish. I don’t mind sharing.”

“I do,” Jill said sharply.

“Hey, don’t get all bent out of shape. I’m just being friendly.”

“I’m friendly too,” Jill said, knowing she didn’t sound it. “But we’re going home—alone.”

“Fine. Fine.” His hands rose in surrender, then he turned and headed back to Alexis and Madison, grumbling, “You try to show people a good time and they act like they’re going to punch you in the face.”

Lizzie leaned close and whispered, “You did look like you were going to punch him in the face.”

“I was close,” Jill admitted. “I’ve never hit anyone in anger, but today was going to be a first.”

“Come on,” Lizzie said, playfully jumping around on Jill’s lap. “You can’t take guys like him seriously. They’re always on the hunt. You just have to make it clear you’re not catchable.”

That last little interplay had rubbed Jill the wrong way. Big time. Her mouth started moving before she was sure what was going to come out of it. “If you want to go on a boat next year, we’ll rent one. If we can’t find a place to rent one, I’ll save up and buy one. If you can’t wait for that, you can go play with Jeffrey any time you want.” She could feel her anger growing with each word. “But this was my last time on Stiff Fucking Ripples.”

“Okay then…” Lizzie stood and looked at Jill for a few seconds, then turned and moved back to join the others. Jill saw her take another beer from the cooler, then perch on the side of the boat, immediately joining in whatever stupid conversation stupid Jeffrey was cracking himself up about. Jill turned and stared out at the water, trying to get her temper under control. She knew she was pouting, but she couldn’t help it. Still steaming, she dropped the bow ladder and stood on the seat. “Going swimming,” she announced before she launched herself into the lake via a shallow racing dive. The water had never felt so refreshing.

***

Lizzie spent more time with Madison and Alexis on the way back than she did with Jill. When the boat was going slow, she was gone, but when it was flying at speeds too loud to consider talking, she came back. Clever.

They returned to the dock about eight, with the sun already dropping behind the trees. There was a decent amount of work to do to rinse the boat and get the cover on, and they all pitched in, with Lizzie directing the project. As soon as the last snap snugged the cockpit cover up tight, Jill and Lizzie said their goodbyes, leaving Jeffrey trying to convince Madison and Alexis into accompanying him to whatever club he could get them into. He probably had a handy supply of fake IDs for the underage girls his daddy’s money reeled in.

Lizzie took Jill’s hand as they walked to the car, but she didn’t try to engage. After starting the car, Jill put it into drive and went towards Lizzie’s apartment, going south rather than north. After a few minutes, Lizzie spoke quietly. “Are you really mad at me?”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then why are you taking me home?”

Jill shot her a look, seeing that she looked like she might cry.

Reaching out, she took Lizzie’s hand and kissed it. “I’m taking you home so you can get some clothes and your car. If you leave from my house in the morning, you’ll save time.”

Her frown disappeared in an instant. “I get to sleep with you?”

Jill tried to look serious, but couldn’t keep it up. A sly smile settled onto her lips. “If we run out of steam, yeah. If not, we’ll sleep some other time.”

“Really? We’re really going to…you know.” She took her fists and rubbed them together, then put a finger inside a fist and pulled it in and out.