Chapter 27

I woke up with a start. I’d had a dream and I knew it was a good one but I couldn’t remember it. Right there. It was right there. What was it? I climbed out of bed and laughed. I’d gotten into bed naked, something I never did. I stood there in the bathroom peeing when the dream came back to me. A little bit at first and then a lot of it. I knew parts were missing but I got enough of it to give me a great idea. I washed my face and threw on some shorts and a T-shirt and went to the kitchen.

Mom wasn’t there. I looked out at the greenhouse and she wasn’t there either. I knew she was up because there was fresh coffee in the pot. I went out to the garage to see if her car was there. It was, and so was she. She was working out.

“What are you doing, Mom?”

“Just a light workout.”

“We were up really late, and you’re up and working out on a day off. Why ... oh.”

“What do you mean, oh?”

“Oh. I mean oh. I mean you’re out here working out because of Dane, aren’t you?”

“Hush.”

“I heard what he said before the two of you decided to join us on the mattress. Did you get content?”

“To be honest, it was pretty nice.”

“Good. Do you know why he has a boat?” She shook her head and I relayed the conversation we’d had the day before.

“So, for him to take me fishing was a big deal, then. Sort of inviting me into his private world.”

“Seems that way to me. He really likes you, Mom.”

“Do you like him?” she asked.

“I think the better question is, do you?” She nodded. “I do too. He’s funny. I told him you could be bossy sometimes and he said he always ate his vegetables and went to bed on time.”

“Except last night. I think we were both pretty jealous of you two. I’ve chewed you out before for getting entangled like that but I think I need to give you some slack. It’s obvious that you two are in love and the fact that you’re only fifteen doesn’t make it any less real.”

“No. I’m hoping it doesn’t get any less real as we get older, you know. Do you know how many times I’ve listened to Blue Kentucky Girl?” She shook her head. “Enough times to have the lyrics of every song memorized.”

“Oh, Buddy. You’ve got it bad.”

“No. I’ve got it good. Did you know that when the cheerleaders came out to cheer for us against Colleton County that it was the first time in Porter-Gaud history that they’d ever come out for a swim meet? Kim did that because I was swimming.”

“And you punched Dillon because he attacked Kim’s friend.”

“We don’t say that name, Mom. But yeah, I guess so. Anything. You know? Anything.”

“If it’s yours it’s hers.”

“Definitely.”

“Your heart, your time, your pride.”

“All of it. Mom, how much could I give her that would be too much?”

She hung up an attachment and sat down on the bench. She looked at me. She might have looked through me. “Say that again, loud and slow so I get it.” I did. “Damn, Buddy. Just, damn. That is so simple. Wow. Kim is pretty lucky.”

“Not the way I see it. And by the way, why are you out here right now? Dane, right? Maybe you more than like him Mom. I could be wrong,” I said and walked back into the house. She had it bad, I thought and smiled. I needed some breakfast.

After I got some bacon and eggs in me, I called Kim and got Mrs. McTighe. “She’s still asleep, sweetheart. I talked to your mom for just a minute last night and she explained. I can have her call when she’s up.”

“Thank you. She’s not in trouble?”

“No, no, sweetheart, we knew where she was. I’ll have her call.”

I sat in the library, without a book in my hand, something I rarely did. Mom walked in a couple of minutes later and it was clear that she had done much more than a light workout.

“What’s up?”

“I’m waiting for Kim to wake up and call me,” I said. She waited for more. “I saw her ten hours ago but she’s not here right now and it’s killing me.”

“Wow. That’s a nice kind of pain, though, isn’t it?”

“I hate it but I’d rather have this pain than any other kind of pleasure.”

“You’re just all kinds of philosophical this morning, aren’t you?”

“It might have something to do with listening to Emmy Lou Harris or reading Robert Burns.”

“My love is like a red, red rose that’s newly sprung in June,” Mom said.

“That’s the guy.”

“Do you have any idea how many books you’ve read?”

“Yeah. Kind of. I was bored a couple of summers ago and made a list. I know it wasn’t complete and I didn’t count little kid books but I figure right around five thousand, give or take a couple of hundred.”

“That’s a lot. I don’t think some people read half that much in a lifetime. What do you do? You just hang out by the phone until she calls?”

“Pretty much. It’s not like it’s always this bad. It just is right now.”

The phone rang, I smiled and picked it up. “Hey, Baby.”

“Hey, Baby, yourself. Is Christie up?”

My shoulders must have dropped six inches. I covered the mouthpiece and said, “Whoops. Dane. For you,” I said and handed her the phone. “I bet the air mattress still needs to be put away,” I said. She was smiling as she answered.

I put away the air mattress and threw the blanket in the wash then went to my room to take a shower. I dried off and took a good long look in the mirror. My mustache would be filling out any day. I was sure of it. I heard a knock on my door and Mom said, “If you want to go riding, dress appropriately. Kim’s here.”

I threw on some jeans and a long sleeve shirt, pulled on my Dan Posts and looked for my Stetson. I didn’t have a Stetson. I needed a Stetson. Well, didn’t that just suck! No mustache and no Stetson.

I found Kim in the Kitchen with Mom and they were talking.

“So, you two got down with us?” Kim asked.

“Yeah. It was pretty nice. I hadn’t been held like that in a long time.”

“SOOO...”

“Yeah. I don’t know.”

“You know what I think?” I asked.

“No. Tell me,” Mom said.

“I think Dane likes us. I think he likes me and Franklin and the whole Pierce family and everything. I think he likes the entire package. That’s nice and all. I mean it’s good that I like Kim’s folks but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I didn’t. It’s just kind of a bonus. How was he when it was just you two?”

She thought for a moment. “Considerate. And attentive.”

“And affectionate?”

“Yes. Definitely,” she said and put her hand over her mouth and lowered her eyes, trying not to be obvious, I thought.

“If you weren’t sunburnt, I’d guess you were blushing. Can’t tell, though.”

“He’s affectionate. This is crazy, though. He’s like some random guy we met at a boat launch.”

“Mom, you’ve been working out to get a sexy Vee like some random biker chick. Look at all the people who have been important to me that I’ve met sort of randomly.”

“It’s true, isn’t it? Going riding?” Mom asked. She could change subjects just like that.

“Yes, ma’am. It’s a lot easier when it’s not raining and it’s especially nice when I have someone to ride with. Are you doing anything special today?”

“Oh, my gosh. I’m a mess. I need to shower and get dressed. Dane’s picking me up in fifteen,” she said and ran toward her bedroom. “We’re going to lunch up in McClellanville.”

“Do we have a set time to be there?” I asked Kim and she shook her head. “Let’s wait until Dane gets here.”

“Okay. But only if we do something enjoyable to fill the time while we wait.”

I held her. She held me. For a long time. We just stood there in the kitchen and held each other. I finally stepped back and took her shoulders in my hands.

“Yesterday,” I started and she smiled. “Baby, your smile. Wow. Yesterday, nothing changed but everything changed. Is that stupid?”

“No. I think that about sums it up. I love you so much, Jack. Yesterday was just perfect. The whole day.”

“Wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time?” I said, using Van Morrison’s line from Coney Island.

“What a nice goal to have.” We hugged some more. We hugged until the doorbell rang.

I went to get the door and Kim leaned back against the counter and picked up her coffee.

“Good morning, Dane.”

“Morning, Jack. Sleep well?”

“I did until you and Mom jiggled the mattress all around. Want some coffee?” I asked and he followed me to the kitchen. “I heard what you said to Mom before you two joined us.”

“I didn’t,” Kim said.

“He said we fell asleep, content and trusting each other, right?” He nodded. “And then he and Mom laid down on the mattress next to us.”

“It was too appealing not to,” he said.

“Just don’t take it too fast, young man,” I said and he laughed.

“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked.

“Are you kidding? Mom’s happy. Plus, you two got down with us last night instead of chewing us out. That was pretty sweet. She hasn’t had a lot of romance in a while.”

“Neither have I,” he said quietly, and took a sip of coffee rather than say anything else.

There didn’t seem to be anything else to say. Kim took my hand, made a little wave to Dane, and started to pull me toward the door. Dane reached out and touched my shoulder. Kim saw it and paused.

“You two set a pretty good example. Just so you know. Have fun,” he said and smiled.

We went out and got into Kim’s truck. I rode shotgun. Kim drove and I recognized that she was a pretty good driver. Kim seemed to be pretty good about whatever she did, except riding a bike. How could she have not known how to ride a bike? That was crazy. I wondered what else. Cards? Probably a bunch of other stuff but I didn’t think there would be anything important.

“I’m still floating, just so you know,” she said.

“Floating is good. Is Dane floating? What about Mom?”

“I’m pretty sure when they’re floating, we’ll know it,” she said and we looked at each other in sudden recognition of our situation. “Does everyone know we’re floating? I mean, do they know why?”

“I feel like we changed yesterday and you know it and I know it but does everyone else?”

“Oh, my gosh, Jack. Have I been walking around with a just-fucked look on my face? I mean does everyone know? You know what your mom says about you, that you should never play poker. Does everyone know?”

“They don’t know. The worst would be that they might suspect but I don’t think that’s very likely. But you know what? Mom and Dane are a new thing and they don’t care about us so much as each other right now so they didn’t notice and anyone else who cares would already know we love each other and Mom and Dane would be the big story.”

“Ha-ha. That is probably true. Definitely. How long does it take to get to McClellanville?”

“An hour each way,” I said.

“Plus, maybe an hour to eat. I wish they were going to be gone longer.”

“Kim, I would spend the rest of my life naked, in bed with you.”

“I’d die from feeling too good,” she said with a sort of breathiness in her voice that could melt me. Then she smiled. It was a nice smile. A glorious smile with wonderful dimples.

“Something’s on your mind. I mean, besides the obvious.”

“It’s always been your house, pretty much.” I waited. “Except for after school. Mom and Dad are kind of homebodies. Not today. They’re sailing down to Savannah for dinner. That’s the plan. Dad said the weather was too nice not too. He said they were going there for dinner and he was going to take Mom to that chocolate shop.”

“Wow. Wow. Do you know what I want to do while they’re gone? I want to put a just-fucked smile on your face, that’s what.”

“I think I could live with that. Look,” she said holding her arm out.

“What?”

“Look at my arm, you doofus. I have goosebumps just thinking about it.”

“And so, you should. I love you so much, Baby. I really, really do. This sounds crazy or perverted or weird or something but you know what I want, besides the obvious. I want Mom to have that kind of smile on her face.””

“I don’t think Dane would mind giving her that kind of smile. Your mom, it’s so weird hearing her called Christie, is a little older than Dane. But she’s seriously hot. And you’re younger than me but you don’t look it,” she said and ran her hand across my smooth face.

“Plus, you’re seriously hot. Do you know who’s jealous of me?” She shook her head. “Every guy at Porter. Every freshman, every guy, and every teacher and staff, too. They all are.”

“Right. Does that matter?”

“No. Not really. It’s not a bad reminder to me, though. Don’t screw it up. You know who’s really jealous of me? The guys who know you, so it’s not just a looks thing. You know who’s the most jealous? Birch. He wishes you would have connected. And last night, I heard Dane talking to Mom and she wanted to wake us up but he stopped her and then both of them looked at us and were jealous of us. That’s really cool that they were and then they did what we were doing.”

“Do you think they’ll be doing what we will this afternoon?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. Maybe not today. But Mom’s been married twice so she’s experienced and maybe Dane isn’t. Who knows?” I said.

“If we don’t get married until we’re older, we’ll have made love a bunch of times before that. They’re going to figure it out,” she said.

“If they haven’t already. We think we’re being sneaky and all but maybe they’ve already figured it out.”

“If they had, would that change anything? If you had to guess who would figure it out first, who would you guess?” she asked.

“Your mom. Don’t ask me why.”

“Maybe. The day she came home early would have been a good chance for her to figure it out. If she did, she didn’t say anything. I think we’re good.” We pulled up to the stables and walked up. There were three or four people talking after their ride. One of them was Sandra Welch, Ghost’s owner.

“Hey, Kim, hey Jack,” she hollered as we approached. I was glad I’d met her at Kim’s birthday party.

“Hey, Sandra. Just starting or just finishing?” Ghost looked ready.

“Just finished, but I couldn’t ride for long. He’s good to go, if you want to ride. He could use the exercise.”

“Sweet,” I said.

“You like that, huh? Having a horse ready to go?” Kim asked.

“It’s nice sometimes,” Sarah said, “but you miss bonding with your horse. But Ghost isn’t yours so ... Hey, if you ever want to ride Ajax or Spitfire, feel free. As long as you’re with Kim, it’s okay, until I know you better at any rate.”

“Spitfire. I don’t think so. Maybe Ajax. But Ghost, today, right? I like Ghost. Spitfire?” I asked.

“Spitfire has a certain disposition,” Kim said in a slow, drawn-out way that conveyed certain danger.

“Spitfire is enthusiastic,” Sandra clarified. “Why don’t you ride Ghost today, then Ajax when you’re a bit more experienced.”

“And Spitfire after I buy a Stetson.”

“That’s probably about right,” Sandra said, laughing.

We said goodbye and I helped Kim get Diva ready and we started our ride. We took an easy walk along a beautiful trail I hadn’t been down before. It was lined with azaleas and magnolias with a few live oaks. The trail was mostly in the shade, undoubtedly a favorite trail when the summer heated up.

“Does anyone else ride Diva?”

“No one has tried in a long time. I wouldn’t mind but Diva does. You might be able to ride her if I rode Ghost beside her. Otherwise, she gets skittish.”

We rode in silence for a while, just enjoying nature and our horses. It was really peaceful and I tried to keep quiet but after a while, I couldn’t.

“This is nice but it seems strange.”

“Why is that?” she said.

“Because we’re riding together quietly and we both know what we’re going to do later.”

“Anxious?”

“Yes. Aren’t you?”

“Yes. I want you inside me all the time. I want to eat breakfast with you inside me. All the time. So, yeah. I’m anxious,” she said and smiled at me.

“Not just me, then. Good. Oh, yeah. I had a dream last night. Our moms were in it but it gave me an idea. Want to go to prom together?”

“Definitely, but that’s not for another two years.”

“Right. But that’s where the dream comes in. Remember how your mom said he met your dad? Crashing a wedding? We’re going to crash a prom. Maybe Bishop’s. Our faces might look familiar but no one would know who we were. Or maybe Summerville’s. Their high school is huge.”

“You’re serious. You are, aren’t you?” she said and slowed Diva to look at me. “You’re crazy is what you are.”

“What kind of trouble could we get in? What would they do? Throw us out?”

“Well, we definitely couldn’t do St. Johns. Too many people know us.”

“See? You’re thinking about it. I think we should.”

“That’s pretty funny.”

“I bet your mom would approve, especially if you told her she gave us the idea. Do you know how to dance?”

“A little. Doesn’t matter. It would just be funny to do it. We should do Bishop England. I mean, they are our crosstown rival so that would be fun, I think,” she said and we were talking a mile a minute.

“Unless we got caught. They would kind of suck.”

“Want to head back,” she asked.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

We turned our horses and started walking them back to the stables. I nudged Ghost up to a trot, Kim passed me at a canter and we ended up at a full gallop until we were close. We slowed down and walked them in, giving them a chance to cool off. We groomed our horses in record time and were on the road to her house. Kim guessed we were early by an hour and that’s when I remembered I had never put the sheets back on the bed in their boat.

Kim drove to our house; I raced in and grabbed the folded sheets from my room and we went to the marina. Their car wasn’t there yet. We ran down the dock together with our clean sheets and remade the bed, laughing about it the whole time. We were laughing as we walked back up the dock when I spotted their car circling for a parking spot.

“Kim, they’re here. They’re parking. They’re on the other end of the lot from your truck and you’re wedged between two bigger trucks with trailers, so that’s good. I don’t think they saw it.”

“But we’re kind of trapped out here and that’s not good. Let me think,” she said and we looked around. There was nowhere to go. We could walk up the dock toward them or back down but they’d see us, either way. “Here,” she said, grabbed my hand and tugged me to her. We stepped onto another boat. She tried the cabin door but it was locked. “Back side. We’ll just hide on the back side until they’re gone.”

“Whose boat is this?” I asked.

“No idea, why?”

“Sort of trespassing.”

“You mean like if we crashed a prom we wouldn’t be?”

“Oh yeah. Shh.”

The cabin was tall enough for us to hide behind if we crouched a little so that’s what we did. We waited an eternity, both trying to calm down and get our breathing under control all without laughing. Finally, we heard them walking down the dock together, talking. They were discussing dinner plans and the people they were going to meet in Savannah. I didn’t like eavesdropping. I just wanted to hear them go by. They passed us and when there were a couple of boats between us and them, we stood and stretched our legs.

“My heart’s racing,” I said. “I’d make a shitty spy.”

“Me too. Dad doesn’t waste time. They should push off in five minutes or so. It didn’t take us long when we went sailing and he and Mom will be a lot faster.”

“Is your mom good help?”

“The best. She used to sail when she was little. I think she could probably do one of those around the world trips on her own if it wasn’t for the climbing.” I didn’t know what she meant about climbing. Later, she told me you would have to climb the mast on occasion and she didn’t think her mom would be willing, even if she was able. The mast on Inherit was pretty high. No thanks.

We watched them leave the dock under power as her mom was uncovering the sails so they could be used as soon as possible. When they were far enough away, we started walking back toward the truck. We’d been in a hurry before but then we had lots of time. Kim started driving the short trip back to her house and she was really quiet. I could wait. As we pulled into the driveway, she turned to me.

“I liked what we did before. No. I loved what we did before. And we have time today. A lot of it. We can do whatever you want but I want to tell you what I want the first time.”

“Anything,” I said, game for whatever she wanted.

“Fuck me. You can make love the second third and fifth times but the first time today, I want you to fuck me. I want you to pound me. I want to feel just how much you want me.”

“Holy crap. I think I can do that.”

“You know what I want? I want you to hammer me like you’re trying for a personal best. Don’t worry about me or whether or not I have an orgasm. I’ll get mine. I know you. I will.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” I said and she laughed.

We went inside taking clothes off on our way to her room. By the time we got there her top and bra were off and when she stepped into her room, she kicked her shoes off. I did too. I ripped the covers off and grabbed a pillow and set it on the edge of the bed. We pulled our pants off and she looked at my throbbing dick. I pushed her back to the bed and sat her on the pillow, at the edge of it. I walked up to her and lifted her legs. She caught on and put them up and on my shoulders.