Chapter 5

Crystal decided to take a year off from school and get some real-world experience. She was putting together her master’s thesis on the status of the fishery north of the Mexican border to Point Concepcion, the area just north of LA, including the Channel Islands. For a graduation present, we found her a 45-foot Cabo Sport Fisherman, a really nice boat, which had quite a lot of electronics, like charting equipment, depth sounding and mapping sensors, and fish finders, that she could use for her investigation of the situation. In the meantime, while she was compiling data and theories about bringing the gamefish back to a larger population, she ran charters. Both boats were scheduled and traveled together, for the most part, with Crystal, Alex, and Maria crewing the Cabo and Ashley, Dana, and Gloria performing duties on the Pursuit.

The charters were a big hit but scheduled infrequently. The girls and I all kept current and up to date on the local situations, fishing spots, changes in marine laws, and all that, but neither they, nor I, allowed ourselves to be overworked. We had the boats for fun and for Crystal to use for her studies, so we didn’t want it to become a chore. The girls and I, when I was involved later, would run a charter on each boat about once a week. I found it comforting that they always went out together when they could, trying to schedule both whenever possible. The clients probably never even knew it, but they were all keeping an eye on each other out in the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Their charters had wonderful ratings on their website and the local search engines, so there was really no shortage of calls for scheduling outings, normally just full days, however, when I was helping later, we ran some overnight trips advertised as late night and early morning fishing trips, which also helped Crystal to collect data on the nightlife around the Channel Island national park. That got scary a couple of times when we came across some lobster fishermen who weren’t exactly abiding by the appropriate laws concerning the dates for the actual lobster fishing season. They were taking what I would consider an unreasonable risk, for several reasons, since there were generally fish and game wardens, not to mention Coast Guard, patrolling the waters. But, we found, with the advent of today’s technology, the lobster trap marking buoys could be hidden underwater and found electronically, and they got away with it, for the most part. Well, these guys didn’t, but others do. We didn’t get close enough for them to identify us, but Crystal knew what they were doing, so we called it in and kept our distance.

Good thing, too, as we had enough excitement in our lives. George found out that there was some interest in Katarina Sokolov’s whereabouts that seemed to coincide with a launch of a certain payload on a Russian spacecraft that they were unable to get working. They evidently changed the cryptology of the command structure for the payload, but not the method. Within 48 hours of launch, Beverly Wilson had provided some people back east with the key to decoding the entire thing and creating havoc on the now worthless piece of equipment. To say the least, they were pissed. It was all covered as if it happened on the east coast in one of the big buildings at Fort Meade or Langley so Beverly and the contractor on the Pacific Coast Highway were never even looked at.

As a precaution, though, when the alarm went out, George called Linda and said he was asking her ‘nicely’ if we wouldn’t like to go on vacation somewhere for a while. She got the hint. Angela, Beth, Trish, Crystal, Ashley, Mia, Faith, and Cindy were all too deep in what they were doing, none of them really wanting to take time off so close to the Christmas break, so Linda asked, and was given, time off by a cooperative chief of police and she, Beverly, and I worked to get the four mouseketeers out of hock at school for a week, all with promises to write a report about our escapades, and off we went.

Two were seniors and two were juniors, but they were well liked at school, getting good grades and with Linda explaining to the Headmaster, with her official hat on, that we needed to do this as a safety and security precaution, it greased the skids nicely.

Dana and Alex signed up to do theirs on marine life, Maria and Gloria opted for plant life, and Beverly, Linda and I just told our other lovers we’d be good and stay safe. Hugs were plentiful all around, and after we saw them all off to work and school on a Friday morning, we took off away from the sun and didn’t look back. Ashley was able to set us up with a two-bedroom condo on the beach in Kauai. She had again spoken to George and although they didn’t have any direct threat information against Beverly, they felt that having her and Gloria away from the mainland, just in case the proverbial blind squirrel found the proverbial nut, would be in order.

The CIA had built a story around the two, obviously false, to anyone who studies international intrigue, or practices it, but the two Russian women burned to death in a fire, along with a Russian mobster who had been hired by the splinter group to find them and kill them. DNA was available from the fire residue, and although all three had been burned beyond recognition in the fire, slight bits of their bone connected flesh enabled identification. Then, what was left of the remains was cremated, and of course, subsequently lost. It’s all in the report. The DNA results are the only remaining documents. In an attempt to assure some sort of non-deniable plausibility, the DNA tests were real, and one of the three did actually perish in the fire. It just was not the targets of the hit.

I called a friend in the police department there on the island and asked if he had time to meet us for a late lunch. He did. His new partner was a young woman of about thirty, maybe thirty-five, very pretty, and very smart. You could tell in the way she spoke. She was fun, too, and had a hell of a sense of humor. Too bad she and Crystal wouldn’t meet this trip. It looks like they shared the attribute of a large funny bone, as Ashley would say.

“Pappi, I think my Crystal would love Miss Sharon, don’t you?”

“I do, Alex. Two peas in that pod, for sure!”

“I remember her. Crystal. The taller of the two. Dark hair, pretty girl, Mr. Cooper,” Detective Bruce Lace said.

“Yes. She is. Bruce, if I may, please call me Charlie, for now. This is Linda, and Beverly, and these young ladies are Gloria, Beverly’s daughter, and Dana and Alex, both dependents of mine. Adopted daughters, if you must, and Maria, the adopted charge of a very close friend of mine in San Diego.”

“Yes, so I hear. I have friends in the State Department, as you already know. You wanna pull yours out and compare ... Charlie? Whose is bigger? You told me yours would be, but you never know.” He laughed. So did Miss Sharon Kalani, his partner. Evidently, she had some forewarning of the circumstances.

“Right. I remember now. A gorilla in an Armani suit handing me an envelope. He mentioned that you were involved. That’s why I called and asked you to lunch, by the way. If you have friends in high places, you may know why we’re here. You may not. Secrets are hard to keep, but necessary in some lines of work.”

“I have no idea why you’re here, and no one else does either. I plan to keep it that way. So does Detective Kalani. If it matters, she’s former Air Force Intelligence. She had a field day when I told her your story. She came back to work the next morning laughing. I couldn’t get her to look straight at me without giggling for a half an hour, but she finally did. You are an anathema, Charlie. Very popular to some and very much disliked by others, according to her sordid stories. But, safe at home, and here, I hope. In any case, let’s have lunch. You’re buying. She also told me you were ... Not hurting. She told me a couple burgers weren’t going to set you back too badly.”

I looked at her. Sternly. “Detective Kalani, I’m not sure what you know about me, but you must also know that I’m married now, so I only have half of what you told him I had.” I smiled at her. She smiled back.

“Got it. But she lets you fly the plane and takes you fishing. There is that.”

“You do know about me, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It’s Charlie, Sharon. Just Charlie, for now. I’m retired, and retired from being retired...”

“And still as dangerous as a two stepper. I heard about the incident at the Tradewinds. Typical from what I picked up from a couple of the old timers, no offense intended, that I know back at the shop and that knew of you.”

“I’ve been compared to a snake before, Miss Kalani...”

“Sharon. Just Sharon, for now, Charlie. Please continue.”

“I’ve been compared to a snake before, Sharon, but it wasn’t a krait. As a matter of fact, it was a cobra. I didn’t come here to cause trouble, instead to get away from the hint of it, but if those heathens find out I’m here and cause trouble, I may ask my escorts to take care of them.” Linda and Beverly both looked at me, smiling. “Nothing more ominous than a woman with a gun trying to protect their loved ones. The Reynolds boys can’t be happy.”

“They’re not. We’re glad you called. While I doubt they have forgotten about you, there isn’t anything specific out there. We would like you to stay away from the Tradewinds, unless you tell us beforehand, and understand that they, or their eyes and ears, will be there. Will something happen? Will they recognize you, especially with two other women and these four gorgeous little girls with you? We don’t know, but we’d like to be there, if you go, just in case.”

“Pappi, I think we are not supposed to go where trouble is. I think my Mammi would not like that. Soooo, Miss Sharon, we will go elsewhere, but can we still tell you where that is?” Dana said, then smiled at Sharon and got one in return.

Sharon handed her a card. “Yes, young lady, you may. If I am not busy with my partner, I will see what I can do.”

We ate, all of us with lunches from a little mom and pop place on the plaza in Princeville. Their sandwiches, hamburgers, and salads were grand, and the company wasn’t too shabby, either. Bruce filled us in on his crooked former partner, now doing time in Leavenworth. Federal issues, and they didn’t want him anywhere near his accomplices, so they sent him to eastern Kansas. They also got another detective, in Vice, for fostering a human trafficking ring. They both were involved and went down hard, taking about twenty known bad guys down with them, unknowingly. They just talked too much, and today’s technology being what it is, you can’t sell an eleven-year-old Burmese girl to a local businessman without someone hearing about it. Yeah. Technology can be good.

Before we left, Dana again told Sharon that we’d be in touch, and that we were on an open-ended trip. It might be a week, maybe two, but we’d let them know when we were leaving if it was important. They both asked us to do that. It was important, to them, they both said. They walked off, Dana smiling as she watched them leave.

“Dana, what are you doing, baby?”

“Sharon is a bomb.”

“What?” Linda asked her.

“She is bag of Fritos, like Crystal says.”

“Oh, honey, you are too crazy. It’s ‘the bomb’, and ‘all that and a bag of chips’ and Fritos are your favorite chips, aren’t they?” Linda wondered.

“Da. Crystal has many sayings, but Sharon is pretty and nice and funny, and all I can think of is bombs and Fritos.”

The group started laughing and a bit embarrassed, Dana turned to me and buried her face in my chest, laughing at herself.

“Dana, I love you so much. You are so ... Real. You are so real. Never, ever, leave me baby, and never, ever change. Please.”

She looked up, kissed my chin and I heard her say, quietly, “Never, my love. Never will happen.” Then she shook her head, cleared her throat and announced, “Take me to beach. It is Hawaii in the afternoon. I must swim, for I am Dana, Goddess of Sand, and I must conquer a beach today!” Laughter ensued at her antics and it got our minds off the discussions and off of Sharon, who I knew at that point had Dana’s attention. I could tell by the way she and Gloria, and I think Beverly, traded glances, that there was a bit of infatuation going on. All I could think at that point was, ‘Jesus, no, not another one’.

We got back to the condo after stopping at the grocery store for snacks, food, beer, booze, wine, coffee, pineapple chunks, and more snacks. I think we were going to be snacking a lot.

Linda checked in with the home front once we reached the condo, letting Ashley and Crystal know we met with Lace and letting the rest of the family know that we were all right, but heading out to keep the Sand Goddess Dana happy. That garnered some laughter on both ends of the phone call, both ends on speakerphone, then with some well wishes and talk of calls in a few hours after dinner and all, we said our goodbyes and headed out to the beach.

I was constantly reminded of how fortunate I was as many men, boys, and even women walked by, either speaking to, or just looking and smiling at my companions. Alex and Dana were in the surf, talking and playing in the waves when a couple of guys stopped by to chat them up. I could tell it was friendly for a bit, but they pestered a bit too long, so the girls reached for each other’s hands and walked back up to us. The guys left, after flipping one, or both of them, off. How to win friends and influence people, I always said.

The sun was still warm and full of tanning rays, so we stayed, and collected as much as possible, using oil as necessary on each other until about five in the afternoon. We packed up then and went back to the condo. After we were all inside and getting ready to shower and prepare to leave for dinner, there was a knock on the door.

The two guys chatting Dana and Alex up had followed us back to the apartment. While I tried to explain to the two young men that the girls had told me they weren’t interested, they wanted to hear it from the girls. I was about to get angry with them, but Linda took that opportunity to get involved. She was wearing a towel, and nothing else. It was, thankfully, anchored around her chest and long enough, just barely, to cover her private parts. She had a pistol in her hand.

“Guys, my girls said they weren’t interested. Dana, Alex, come here, please. Will you tell these young men why you aren’t interested in their invitation or their advances?”

“Si, Mammi,” Alex said.

“Da, Mammi,” Dana responded. “We are the lezbeen and we do not like the mans. We are sorry, but we do not be interested. Will there be anything else?”

“No dear, go shower for dinner.” She looked at the guys, gun still in hand, and used the front edge of the magazine plate to pull her beautiful full blonde hair back over her ear. “OK, guys, you heard it. No means no. You two have a great evening, OK?” They turned and left, white as ghosts, without a word being spoken by them since she went to the door.

That’s one way to handle unwanted advances. Much less noisy than what I was about to do, but still ... Linda chuckled when the door closed, then went to climb into the shower with whoever was already in there. She was a stout woman, emotionally, especially when it came to work, but I could tell it affected her. Anytime there is a threat and a gun involved, it affects a person. But she was strong, and it went away. Showering with a couple of teenagers that you love and love you will do that to a person.

The girls called Sharon and told her of the restaurant we were headed out to, inviting her for dinner if she’d like. She said she’d meet us there at the appointed time, and by golly, when we pulled up and walked to the door, there she was. She had changed clothes, no longer wearing slacks and light blue dress shirt with a sports coat, but instead a sundress and high heeled sandals. Her almost black hair was in a very long ponytail instead of the bun she was wearing earlier. With it down, you could see bright naturally red tint in it when the light hit it just so. Her light brown tanned skin was smooth and shiny. She was a very pretty woman and it was easy to tell she was mostly islander, but her green eyes were mesmerizing, and spoke of some type of European mix in her heritage.

Gloria spoke first. “Miss Sharon, you are most beautiful. Very pretty woman. Your eyes. They show power. The eyes of power.”

Sharon smiled at her. “Thank you, Gloria, that’s sweet of you to say. My eyes were given to me by father. A very strong Irishman who fell madly in love with the little island girl that was my mother. He was killed in a storm, a shipwreck, just after I was born. I don’t remember him, but his pictures are ... Thank you. Shall we?” She waved the girls all in and then preceded Linda, Beverly, and me into the establishment. She knew someone here, evidently, and they had a table for eight waiting for us. Linda sat at one end with Beverly to her right and I sat at the other, with Sharon to mine. The girls filled in, Dana to my left, then Gloria, Linda, Beverly, Maria, and Alex next to Sharon on the other side. Sort of a natural pecking order for the girls, I’d say. As close as we’d get with a guest and without their respective mistresses at the table in any case.

The girls asked Sharon questions about her job, she asked them questions about school and activities, then they got to talking about fishing, swimming, our house, all the people, and got Sharon a bit curious. Slowly, as she asked questions, we let the girls answer them.

Dana looked at me in askance, and I nodded. “Sharon, we have beautiful home, and beautiful house next door. If you would ever like to come to visit, please do. We would love to have you. Before you, at this table, you see one cracked and three broken young women.” All four of them giggled at that. “Gloria was kidnapped and almost lost her life. Long story. Maybe Detective Lace with his friends can tell you someday. Maria, Alejandra, and I were all in very bad situations. All four of us can know people easy. We see things in people most do not. We know you are honest. We know you can be caring. What I say is we know you are good person and we like you. There. Come visit. We make you blue cactus blossom drink and show you Sea World.” She giggled, then all three of the urchins looked toward Sharon and nodded.

“Wow. What a welcoming invitation. Thank you. I just may take you up on that. Now, tell me about the rest of your clan.” The four of them took turns telling her about each of the others, and how Mia and Faith had joined us a year ago, then explained how Angela, Cindy, and Ashley were their Mammis or Mother figures and how that worked. Sharon looked at me then back at Dana, sitting across the table from her. “Dana, are you happy? Really?”

“Miss Sharon, you have no idea. I am knowing these girls. I am knowing girls in school. Daughters of business men, politico,” she looked at me.

“Political leaders.”

“Political leaders. Rich, famous. I think Becca is daughter of state senator, and Francesca is niece of mayor of next town. Her father owns much land. They are not happy. They are not happy at home, or with boys, or much anything. Gloria is happy. Alejandra and Maria are happy. We are happy. Da. We are know what it is to be not happy. Cold, dark, life without love or caring. Hurt, pain, use...” She cleared her throat and shook a little. “Now in the warm, in the light, we can enjoy our life. We enjoy love given to us by our family. We enjoy returning that love and cleaning the pool.” She giggled again.

“Wow. Chuck. I’m impressed. Her story does not sound like that of any child in the western world. I do hope someone has looked in to where they came from and the problems they faced?”

I told her, “I’d tell you there are ruined careers and dead bodies strewn all over two continents, but that would be talking out of school.” Linda laughed from the end of the table. Beverly giggled. “I will tell you this, though. I’d do it again for each of them, any of them, or all of them. Ashley’s story is much the same. My wife is an amazing woman, just approaching the age of twenty. So amazing, that if she and her girlfriend, Crystal, could get some time off from school, they could come pick you up in our plane. Alone. Without me.” Her eyes opened wide. “Yeah. I am surrounded by wonderful women. I love each of them. They love each other, and say they love me. That’s good enough. Oh, yes, as we rescued each of them, things happened to keep another girl from following in their footsteps.”

“I know I’m repeating myself, but ... Wow.”

Alex took a turn. “Miss Sharon, I was in the hands of a slaver, taking me to Cuba to sell me. I was bought from our orfanata. It is where Maria and I were kept. We were sex toys of man in charge. I hear he is in jail in Cancun. The man who bought me is in jail in, where, Chuck, in Aruba?” I nodded. “In jail in Aruba. Chuck saved me and gave me to Crystal. Crystal is love of Ashley who is wife and love of Chuck. They help me go back to get Maria who is love of Linda who is love and wife of Cindy who loves Chuck. We are happy. Never angry, never mean, always smiling. We work together, play together, fish together, clean pool together, do laundry, all of it, together. Even man of house helps me fold the towels and sheets because I am not big enough. We do not want to make you bore and sleepy, but this is our life, and it cannot be better.”

Sharon looked at Maria. Maria shook her head. She looked at Gloria. Gloria shook her head. She looked at Beverly. Beverly shook her head. Linda reached out to touch and rub Beverly’s neck. Sharon noticed the smile as Beverly leaned her cheek down to rest on Linda’s shoulder.

“Wow.” I smiled at her. “OK, then. I think I’ll have the Chicken Monterey. And a drink. That was a lot of information. A LOT.” We all ordered, the conversation turned toward less traveled beaches and we talked her into taking us to a couple more nice places to eat while we were there. The girls asked, and Sharon found a place we could go to dance without showing up at the Tradewinds, so Friday night, she got us reservations at a place called ‘The Ballroom’. They had dinner and dancing, so we were able to sneak the girls in with us and keep them there. Sharon told us at the table it wasn’t that hard since a friend of hers ran the place and didn’t have a problem with it at all.

She could dance. Very well, I might add. I was afraid I would be unavailable to dance with my Dana, Alex, and Gloria, but Beverly saved me, asking Sharon to dance with her. They did a couple numbers, Sharon leading, then the same thing happened with Linda. The next time the opportunity arose, she held her hand out for Beverly, and the two spent several numbers, dancing, talking, and seemingly getting to know each other.

“Chuck, I saw it earlier, the way Beverly looked at Sharon. Sharon looked back, and I told her to go.” Linda wanted me to see the underlying current. “I told Beverly to have fun and get to know Sharon. No reason not to. She’s a gem, Chuck. Not even uncut. She is a gem. Cindy won’t mind a bit, and I certainly don’t. I hope they get along. Dance with me, Prince Charles? Please?”

We danced like lovers, as we were, me thanking her for making our trip so much fun. “I love you, Linda. I truly do. I miss my wife, and your wife, but it’s almost as though they are here, with you and me. It’s a wonderful feeling to be this loved.”

“It is. I’m going to make love to you tonight, Chuck. I want that. I really do. I think I’ll send the girls to the other room and have Kat, I mean Beverly, help me ruin you.”

“OK.” I kissed her, right there on the floor. We were surrounded by giggling girls and a couple of women that were sounding like they couldn’t decide if they were teasing, or jealous.

I heard one of them, the one without the accent, say, “Are you sure Beverly? This seems a bit ... Quick?”

The other replied, in her accent, softer each year, “Yes. I like you, Sharon. I’d like to show you how much. Nothing will happen to you that you do not want. We are very calm and quiet people. I just want to hold you for a while. Like this.” Beverly’s arms went around her, and they kissed, too. Sharon returned it.

“Yes. I think I would like that, Beverly. I think I would like that.”

Linda heard, too, and we looked at each other. I shrugged. She smiled. “We’ll be fine,” she told me. “We’ll be fine. Don’t need to scare her off, but maybe you and I can quietly make love while they hold each other.” She smiled and kissed me again. We went to sit after another number, then Sharon and Beverly did. The girls came over after a couple of fast songs they had fun with, bumping bottoms like the teenagers they were, then the consensus was made to head back to the condo.

After we sat around and had a drink, the girls made the rounds with goodnight kisses and went into their bedroom. That left the four of us sitting there.

“Can I have another glass of wine, Beverly?”

“Certainly, Sharon. Right away.” She rose and got the wine, handing it to Sharon, then did something that Linda and I did not expect. She pulled her heels off, leaned forward, kissed Sharon on the lips, then sat at her feet and laid her head on Sharon’s thigh, rubbing her leg, then pulling the woman’s shoes off and rubbing her feet. Sharon moaned.

“Beverly. Linda. Chuck. I’ve never done this. I’ve never been with a woman before. I’m not afraid, but I’m ... Beverly, you are so pretty, so wonderful. I’m so ignorant.”

Linda went to her and sat next to her on the sofa. She placed her hand on the woman’s cheek. “Sharon, you are not being judged, pushed, coerced, or in any way conned into something that you don’t want. My Beverly wants you to hold her, that’s all. Just let her take care of you and relax. Please.”

“Your Beverly?”

“It’s a long, long story, but suffice to say she wants to be with you tonight, in whatever way that turns out to be. Just ... Just touch her. Hold her. Let her pamper you a bit. Beverly, you might want to remove that dress, so you don’t ruin it on the floor.” Beverly stood, Linda unzipped it, and they let it fall, Beverly retrieving it and hanging it in the hall closet. She was left in a lace lingerie set with a garter belt holding her stockings up.

Sharon gasped. “Jesus, Lord, Beverly, you have a gorgeous body.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I thank Him for all I now have, often.” She looked up, blessed herself and once again knelt at Sharon’s thighs and continued her foot and leg massage, her head lying on Sharon’s lap. Sharon reached out and started playing with her hair, then running her fingers across Beverly’s back and shoulders. I saw the poor Russian woman shiver. “That feels nice, ma’am, thank you.” It continued for a bit, until Sharon reached for a handful of hair, then very gently pulled Beverly up on the sofa and started to kiss her.

Linda and I took that moment to leave them alone, went in the master bedroom and after taking a quick, warm, and intimate shower, laid together, her pulling me on top of her and telling me, “Chuck, make love to me. Show me I’m yours, please. I am, you know. I am but one of your women, and I belong to my wife, but I am yours, as well. Please ... Yes. That’s it. Oh, God, you feel so good in me. Yes. The only man to ever ... And always, any ... TIME. Oh Jesus, yes, Chuck. UNGHHH. Fuck me, Chuck. Fuck me and make me yours.” She grunted in time with my stroking into her and just as I was getting her to her second climax, and mine was almost ready to burst forth, I felt a hand on my back and another, different feeling, hand on my ass. I lost it, of course, coming hard and strong into Linda, my friend’s wife, both of whom I loved to no end.

“That looked so beautiful. You love each other, don’t you? In love as well, maybe?” That was Sharon.

“Without bounds,” Linda said. “My wife loves him the same way, now. A friendship turned into an eternal love affair. Yes, Sharon. I love him. Yes, I am in love with him. He is the only man that will ever touch me with my permission.”

“Move, Chuck, I need to help Miss Linda for a minute.” I rolled off, away from Sharon while she watched our Beverly go down on Linda to clean her up, then went after me to do the same. Sharon watched with a bit of lust in her eyes, but as soon as the cleanup was finished, Beverly went to Sharon and kissed her. “Sharon, please stand.” Sharon stood and was undressed, completely, by our lady. Beverly removed her dress, then hung it up. She removed the bra next, then her panties, laying them carefully over the back of the chair in the room. Sharon didn’t wear stockings. Not that night. She didn’t need them, at all, but ... Sometimes... “Please Miss, lay back. Please. Let me. Sharon, I want to please you, that’s all.”

Sharon laid back on the bed, Linda helping her by placing a pillow under her head and rubbing her arm. “UHNNN. Uhnnggg. Oh Jesus. BevERLY. God, ALMIGHTY what are you DOING.”

“I’m showing you how much I like you, Sharon. Relax, Miss, please.” Linda rubbed her tummy, then pulled her legs back so Beverly could go to town on Miss Kalani.

The seemingly endless screeches and sounds of passion were muted, thankfully, since we were in a condominium complex, but continued for about twenty minutes to include at least two and probably three orgasms from the local woman. She started shaking, and Linda had to tell Beverly to quit and come up to snuggle her new friend. She did, and as she laid there holding Sharon, Linda took care of her. It was a soft, loving come, but it happened, while she and Sharon were kissing.