Chapter 12

After a week of preparation, flights were booked, bags were packed, and arrangements were made. Otis and Beulah gladly moved into the condo for the duration of their holiday, so that Elvis and Tappy would have company. Their destination was Grand Cayman Island via a few days in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. Jennifer, Spencer, Jess, Chad, Genevieve, and Bobby traveled First Class all the way and took advantage of every amenity presented to them.

By the time they reached their final destination, they needed several days just to rest and recover.

It turned out that Genevieve was not only an avid scuba diver; she was a certified dive master. Back at home, in the large pool, she began teaching them all the fundamentals for earning their basic open-water PADI certifications. They were all required to undergo a medical examination before completing their dives, but by the time they reached their posh condominium in GC, they were eager and ready to begin swimming with the fish. Some took to it better than others — Jen and Chad had the hardest time, while Jess and Spencer proved quick learners. Bobby was a natural, completing his four open-water dives in a single day. Within a week he determined that he was ready to go cage diving with the great whites.

During their stay over in the Bahamas Evie took him for a personal tour of the Bimini Biological Field Station, specifically the Shark Lab. He met and spoke with many of the staff and several research scientists. He was regaled with lectures on their volunteer internship programs and by the time they left he knew he was going to dedicate his life to marine biology.

One afternoon the six of them were lying about on the beach near their condo. Jen and her sister had to slather on the SPF to prevent burning while Genevieve’s skin darkened from her original mahogany tone to an alluring dark walnut. Chad, Spencer, and Bobby frequently ignored the suggestions, warnings, and reminders of their betters — and suffered the wrath of the sun for it. In the late afternoon, sheltered by the giant umbrellas, they enjoyed the cool gentle breeze from the ocean. It was Spencer who changed the course of their lives forever with six little words.

“I could just live here forever!” he intoned dreamily as he lay back on his lounge chair.

“Mmmhmm,” his mother agreed.

Jess casually looked over to her mate and they shared a look, silently communicating even through their darkly tinted sunglasses. With a single nod, Chad let his head fall back onto his chair.

“So why don’t we?” she asked.

There was so much involved with relocating to a foreign territory like the British Commonwealth. But Jess and Jenn were up to the task, and they quickly immersed themselves in learning all the steps and obstacles involved in expatriation. They researched the private schools, cost of living, taxation, and home ownership. A lot of Americans became permanent residents of Grand Cayman. It wasn’t an easy process nor was it cheap. But when you had the financial resources, it was straight forward and attainable.

Chad helped by looking for a suitable home that would comfortably house them all and offer the amenities that they craved, namely the ocean. He found the perfect home overlooking the south end of the island near Beach Bay. It was a mansion in every sense of the word, but they fell in love with it as soon as they pulled up to the property and got out to walk around. Despite the nearby beachfront, it featured two large swimming pools, one indoor. There was also a private dock tucked safely behind a massive breakwater. He didn’t even blink at the $2.5 million price tag. They retained the services of a local real estate attorney and began the process immediately.

Jennifer took over an entire guest room in their condominium just to organize all the files and paperwork required for each of them to apply for residency. Of course, there was no question about bringing Elvis and Tappy — the quarantine requirements were minor. When the time came, they would relocate via a chartered flight to transport them in comfort.

Several evenings later found Chad seated on their massive bed, with his back against the headboard. Jess sat cozily on his right side likewise propped up — while her sister sat with her legs crossed at the foot of the bed. They were all scrolling through their phones casually.

“Bobby and Spence will do really well in this school,” Jen stated. She had researched all of the mandatory private education institutions on the Island. There was never a doubt that Jennifer would join them with her son. Though mostly recovered from her loss, she still clung to her twin and welcomed the occasional ‘servicing’ from her betrothed. Their threesomes were discreet and very satisfying.

There was a quiet knock on the door. “Come on in Evie,” Jess answered sweetly. It was late and the two boys were finally tucked in and sound asleep. The demure young woman entered the room and regarded the three of them bashfully.

“Come in sweet girl,” she said again pulling her legs under herself cross-legged like her sister. “Whassup?”

Evie closed the door quietly and walked up to the bed uncomfortably. Jess patted the mattress next to her and the dark girl sat tentatively. “Um. I was just going to say that the boys are down hard.”

Jen laughed bringing a smile to her uncertain face. “You wore their little butts out!”

An awkward silence fell over the room as everyone waited for someone else to speak. Finally, Jess broke the ice as she reached out and took the nanny’s delicate hand. “Gee, I’d like to ask you something.”

Genevieve looked into the pixie’s bright green eyes and saw nothing but love and warmth, putting her at ease. “What do you need Jess?”

“I want to know if you will still live with us after we get settled down here permanently,” she inquired gently as she squeezed the girl’s hand. “You know how much we love you,” Chad and Jen both nodded encouragingly. “I know the boys will be in private schools, but you have become such an incredible part of our lives — the thought of not having you here is...” she shrugged as her voice began to break.

“I would love nothing more,” Genevieve replied with a whisper, “I don’t want to impose though.”

Jen scoffed and matched her twin’s incredulous expression. “Dear one. You are a part of this family. We would be lost without you.”

Another awkward pause filled the room as she tentatively nodded her head in agreement.

Jess bounced excitedly on the bed and hugged the girl. “Oh God! I’m so happy! Thank you!” she squealed.

“So have you heard from Kurt lately?” Jen asked coyly.

Evie blushed and nodded sheepishly. “That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about,” she replied softly.

They all looked at her expectantly before Chad spoke up. “When will he be here?” he asked intuitively.

“Next week,” she replied. Her face was flushed and they could feel the tension in her as she anticipated his visit. “He says he has to ‘bounce’ for a while before he can settle down again.”

Another awkward silence followed as Chad grinned at her knowingly. “And he has invited you to come along for the ‘bouncing’,” he chuckled.

Jen and Jess both covered their mouths at the same time as the nanny blushed furiously and nodded. “I’ve never been to Iceland, Norway or Sweden...”

“Nothing like a good Icelandic ‘bounce’,” he chortled. Jess slapped him and Jen threw a pillow at his head.

“You are so bad!” his fiancé exclaimed darkly. “Evie darling, would you like to hit him? He deserves it!”

Genevieve just giggled and let herself be pulled onto the giant bed.

“Jen and I need to travel back home to collect our household goods and a few other things,” Jess stated as they all sat around the dining table after feasting on the traditional Thanksgiving meal. “The wedding will be in three weeks, and we need to bring our guests back along with Elvis and Tappy.”

“Are you sure you two can handle all this?” Chad asked uncertainly.

Jen punched him in the shoulder. “Relax Bro, we got this,” she quipped, “You need to get everything here cleared out and moved over to our new home.”

“Evie and Kurt should be back in three more days to help you and the boys,” Jess added.

The next day he took the twins to the airport in Georgetown and began hiring the help to get things set up with their new residence. As he drove by the marina, he saw a beautiful sleek sailboat flying a banner advertising group diving charters. He continued his trip as he considered it. He hadn’t thought a sailing vessel could be used for diving; it just didn’t seem convenient or practical. The charters they had hired so far were all on motorboats designed solely for diving. He made a mental note to check on it when he was next in town.

That proved to be a few days later when his old 89 Chevy pickup broke down and he had to go purchase a new water pump. He used the other car, a Dodge Opal to make the trip and took the boys with him to give Evie and Kurt some alone time. While they were in town he parked at the marina, and they walked down to check out the large single-masted vessel. It looked to be about 55 feet in length with nice sleek lines. As soon as they approached it, he noted the hinged portion directly on the stern that was open to reveal an inner well with its deck just inches above the waterline. There was a middle-aged couple seated in the cockpit area and they invited the trio aboard to examine her more closely. Brian and Sonja Davenport lived aboard ‘Chelsea’s Dream’ and operated the diving charter service on the side to earn their living. When he stepped over to the stern Chad saw how ingeniously they had arranged the space to accommodate the task. The hatch opened internally to provide access to the ocean yet sealed tightly when closed forming a solid stern panel.

Chelsea’s Dream was named after their deceased daughter who lost her battle to breast cancer. The couple were British citizens and had lived in GC for the past 15 years. They gave Chad and the boys a full tour of the boat and the three were amazed at how much was packed into the space. She had a full galley with all the appliances and could sleep 8 in berths that were located all over the main cabin. There were two full bathrooms with showers, an inboard Lehman diesel engine, radar, and a complete state-of-the-art NAV/autopilot system. The dive locker contained room and racks for 30 tanks as well as a built-in manifold system with a compressor to refill bottles and provide continuous air through umbilical supply hoses.

Chad talked with them for over an hour and expressed his appreciation for their hospitality and their home. “If you ever dream of selling her, please give me a call,” he said as they parted ways.

Later that evening when everyone had retired for the evening, Evie knocked on the master suite door and entered to find Chad sitting up reading. He smiled at her and waved her in. “What’s up?”

“I just got a text from Jess,” she replied curiously. “She said she was going to Skype with us in a few minutes.”

He reached over and opened the laptop computer on the nightstand and set it in the middle of the bed. She joined him and rested her back against the headboard.

“Where is Kurt?” he asked.

“He likes to run at night along the beach,” she replied. “I tried to run with him a couple of times but he can go for hours!” Her words caught up with her and she blushed at the slip as Chad grinned back at her. She slapped his arm. “You know what I mean!”

“Uh-huh,” he smirked just as the computer lit up with an incoming video call. He reached over to answer it and found himself looking at Jessica’s bright face. “Hi babe! How’s things in Iowa?”

“Hi, honey! Hi Evie!” she replied happily. “It’s great! The movers have come and packed up everything I didn’t want to leave behind. They are hitting Jen’s house tomorrow. Matt, Oty, and Bea all send their love and will be coming back with us to attend the wedding!”

Jennifer shoved her sister aside and bounced excitedly. “We have news!” she clapped her hands with a grin.

Jess shoved her back, “Let’s just show them!” She turned to the side, and they could hear her calling, “Tappy! C’mere girl!” She slapped her thighs. “Come say hi to yer mama!”

The picture bounced as two cream-colored paws appeared, standing over the tablet on the other end. Evie could hear her sloppy panting and clasped her hands together. “Tappy!” she cried, “Hi baby! Look at me.” There was an excited bark followed by a whine and then the tablet fell over. Jess and Jen laughed, and they could hear a rustling.

“Oh jeez!” Jen’s voice said. “Just a minute...” The image reappeared as she righted the tablet and the creamy Pitbull’s bulky head took up the entire screen. “There we go. Back up Tappy, show your mommy what a naughty girl you’ve been.”

The screen was pushed back until the dog could be seen seated between the two red-haired sisters. They each took a foreleg and lifted her so that they could easily see her swollen belly and large puffy nipples.

“Wow baby, you are getting chunky,” Evie commented innocently causing Chad to burst out laughing. The twins joined him as Tappy shrugged out of their grasp and charged the tablet. Her snout knocked it over (screen up this time) and she whined as she smeared her face across it to everyone’s delight.

“Oh, good heavens,” Jess said as she rescued the tablet and propped it up once more. “Congratulations mama,” she winked.

Evie looked stunned. “You mean she’s...”

“Preggers,” the twins said together.

“With...”

“Yeah,” Jen laughed gazing at her future brother-in-law. “Chadwick! Your dog has been a very bad boy!”

“Oh my God!” Evie squeaked, “Tappy’s gonna have babies!” She turned and grabbed Chad with a fierce hug. “You’re gonna be a daddy!” Then she turned back to the screen, “How soon?”

“We figure she’s 4 or 5 weeks along,” Jess said. “She’s gonna see the vet tomorrow for a check-up to make sure she’s okay to travel.”

“Oh, thank you so much for taking such good care of her.” She sniffled and Chad hugged her tenderly. “I can’t wait to see her again.”

“Soon sweety,” Jess reassured her. “Probably three or four days. We are still arranging the charter.”

The wedding occurred two weeks later on the shore before their home. The afternoon was pleasantly warm and the ocean calm. There were dozens of guests, many coming from far away. Chad’s only living relative was his mother — his dad died the year before of pancreatic cancer, but she made the trip with the twins, along with Mathew, Otis, Beulah, and several of their friends and acquaintances. Chad invited the Davenports who graciously accepted, and their daughter’s ‘Dream’ was moored to the dock in the background.

Billy and Bethany attended as well and were completely shocked to see the change in their little brother. Bobby was no longer the skinny pale 11-year-old dweeb they remembered. He had grown several inches over the last year and his skin was tanned to a dark bronze complexion. His hair was bleached out from all the sun and he had developed a hard-toned swimmer’s physique. He greeted them both with friendly hugs but tended to keep to his circle of friends, who were mostly classmates.

Jennifer insisted they be wed standing ankle-deep in the sea, surrounded by ocean, land, air, and the fiery torches that burned all around them. It was a touching ceremony with a brief exchange of vows and rings. Afterward, there was an all-night celebration that incorporated a Hawaiian-style luau, dancing, drinking, karaoke, and swimming. Elvis was all about being present for everything, but his expecting mate only made short appearances before returning to her bed to rest and grow.

Chad and Jessica decided to forego the traditional honeymoon since they couldn’t imagine a better place to be already. So, Brian and Sonja treated them to a weeklong sailing trip around the south Caribbean. During the tour, Brian brought up the topic of eventual retirement for him and his wife. They loved the lifestyle, but the charter business was exhausting, constant, and necessary to afford their moorage fees. Chad made their day by offering them free moorage at their dock for as long as they wanted. He reasoned that they could cut back on the dive charters and enjoy living again, and he would get first rights of refusal to purchase ‘Dream’ when the time came. They graciously accepted his offer and even began teaching them all the technical aspects of sailing, diving, and fishing.