Chapter 31

Their plane landed at Miami International just after noon, local time. Once in the concourse Devlin had to take a minute and just stare at the people; nearly everyone was wearing shorts or a short skirt, and tank tops and tee-shirts were everywhere.

"One of the best ways you can tell you're in Florida is the tee-shirt signs," Krissi said as they walked past a souvenir shop. "I think the Florida State Motto should be '3 Tee-shirts for $10'."

"They do seem to be everywhere," Devlin said, looking at the third tee-shirt shop they'd passed since getting off the plane. "Remind me to say nice things to your agent when I meet her. How on earth did she get two tickets? If we'd driven we'd be somewhere in Kentucky right about now."

"I have to do a book signing in Orlando and Jacksonville," Krissi said. "She has a sister who works for the airline, that's why she found those tickets. We'll drive back, though. That'll give us a few days together, and there are some things I want to see in Florida." She stopped at the Departures display. "Here we go, Gate E1. We have about 40 minutes before they start boarding."

"How far away is it?"

Krissi bit her lip, thinking. "We're at Gate D34. I would say at least 10 minutes, maybe longer. That doesn't include a potty break. We should save that until we get to the gate and we find out when they're going to start boarding. We can change at the same time."

They made it with time to spare. Devlin had packed her blue floral print sun dress just for this moment. Krissi had one just like it, but in red. They weren't the only ones changing in the Ladies Room; for a few minutes it seemed like that was the only thing people had come in here to do.

"Much better," Krissi said as they picked their way through the crowd. "I know a sweater and jeans were appropriate for the Midwest, but not here in Miami." She paused as an older woman walked by wearing shorts and a sleeveless blouse. "Shorts can be worn by anyone here, just keep that in mind."

Devlin nodded, her attention on a tall, bronzed young man wearing much the same thing as the older woman; but he was much better to look at, especially his shoulders.

Krissi nudged her. "Come on, we have to check in."

A few minutes later they were airborne, circling out over the water before heading toward Key West. Devlin could see downtown Miami off in the distance, and a blue ocean that seemed filled with boats. She commented on that to Krissi.

"And the funny thing is, Miami doesn't have the most small boats, either in absolute numbers or per capita," Krissi said. "That's Seattle, another place I'd like to visit."

"Count me out. I hear it rains all of the time there."

Krissi frowned. "No, I understand it only rains 360 days out of the year. The other five days it's about to rain." She wiggled and leaned back in the airline seat. "No rain for this girl, not for the next 10 days. It'll just be sun, sand, palm trees..."

"And bronzed male bodies," Devlin added quietly.

Krissi broke up. "Yeah, especially those bronzed male bodies."

They arrived in Key West, rented a car, and stopped briefly at the exit from the airport. "Which way do you want to go?" Krissi asked. "If we go left its downtown Key West; if we go right, it's on to Islamorada and what we came for."

"I thought we'd planned on visiting Key West on our way back," Devlin said. "Turn right."

"Turning toward bronzed male bodies," Krissi said as she cranked the wheel. "Hard male bodies.

"As long as they're hard in the right places," Devlin replied.

"I think we can count on that." Krissi accelerated into traffic, and a couple of minutes later they both turned as a pair of Navy jets streaked into the sky. They pulled over to watch them until they were out of sight.

"Even if nothing else happens," Devlin said, holding her arm out the window, "this was worth it."

"I'll take blue skies, white sandy beaches and warm water every time," Krissi said. "If I make enough money from my stories I'll move to the Gulf Coast."

"Not the Keys?"

"Too many people move to Florida. Of course I may end up moving to Colorado or Wyoming so I can enjoy the mountains."

"I've decided I want to live some place warm," Devlin said. "I want some place with only two seasons, not four."

"The mountains may make you change your mind," Krissi said. "Snow, you and someone special in a hot tub... um."

"Have you actually been to Colorado or Wyoming?"

"The Swiss Alps," Krissi said. "And, no, there wasn't that someone special. I was 11 and still pondering important things like 'where does your nose go when you kiss someone?'."

"Well, now you know." They rumbled over another bridge, and Devlin tried to count all of the different shades of blue in the water. "So tell me how to pronounce the name of this place we're going. Is-lam-oh-rada?"

"Eye-lah-more-ah-dah," Krissi said slowly. "Say it fast, Islamorada."

Devlin repeated it until Krissi nodded. "I won't ask how it got its name."

"Good, because I don't know. I think it's one of those Spanish things, sort of like Cayo Hueso... I think I pronounced that right."

"Cayo Hueso?" She tried to remember her Spanish from high school. "Bone Island?"

"That's the original Spanish name for Key West. And, no, I don't know why they called it that. There've been a lot of shipwrecks in the Keys, maybe it's because of that."

A little while later they pulled to a stop by the side of the road and Krissi took out her directions. "We're looking for the Islamorada Marina. Not the main one, but the smaller one."

"You navigate," Devlin said, "and I'll drive."

Krissi nodded. "Works for me." They switched places and Krissi began comparing her directions with the map she'd printed out. "Seven Mile Bridge and Marathon, and then we're close. The bridge is just up ahead."

"Seven Mile Bridge? I suppose that's because the bridge is seven miles long."

"Got it in one. We're looking for the shopping mall. When we see it we turn left at the next light."

Devlin dutifully turned at what she thought was the correct light. When they got to the water's edge without seeing a marina they had to backtrack. She saw a small restaurant and pulled into that to get a bite to eat while Krissi called for updated directions.

"They wrote the directions assuming we were coming from Key Largo," Krissi said when she joined Devlin at their table. She snagged a fry. "Um, maybe I should eat. I haven't done that today."

"I'm told it's supposed to be good for you," Devlin said. She waved at the waitress. "Hamburger and a diet coke."

Krissi practically inhaled the food when it arrived. "I'll have to try that again in a day or two."

"You're not getting into the model's mindset are you? You know, if you can taste the food you've eaten too much."

Krissi shook her head. "No, anorexia was never my thing. Finished?"

Devlin took a last sip of her coke. "All set. You're sure you have the right directions."

"We'll be there in 10 minutes."

Not quite 10 minutes later Devlin pulled to a stop at the gate to the marina. Krissi identified them to the guard. He nodded. "Park most anywhere," he said, and opened the gate.

There were a lot of cars in the parking lot. Devlin found a place near some trees and killed the ignition. The engine popped and clicked in the silence.

"Getting anxious?" Krissi asked.

"Sort of. I was wondering: do guys start getting hard about now?"

Krissi laughed. "Judging by the way they park at Emma's, they must. Of course that might be the wives driving. I wonder how hard it is to drive with a hard-on."

It was Devlin's turn to laugh. "We'll never know, that's for sure. And before you ask, I'm not going to reach between my legs and find out if I'm wet, not here." She reached over and felt Krissi's breast. "Your nipples aren't hard. I can change that if you want."

Krissi removed Devlin's hand. "Later, if we both feel like it. Not right now, we'd have an audience." She got out, opened the trunk, and pulled out their luggage.

"Sure the car will be all right here?" Devlin asked.

"That's why we park here," Krissi said. "It's a guarded lot. Got everything?"

"You've got my small bag?" Devlin glanced around in the car one last time. "I think that's it." She locked the car and followed Krissi to a gate next to the water.

There was a couple there holding small suitcases. Krissi waved at the woman. "They were here last year," she said in an aside to Devlin. "Tina, hi!"

"Krissi," the gal said. She had short strawberry blonde hair, was slightly taller than Krissi, and was wearing black shorts and a white tee-shirt emblazoned with palm trees and seashells framing the words "Conch Republic".

In moments they were hugging. "So glad you could make it," Tina said. She turned and nodded at her companion. "You remember Joe."

"How could I forget," Krissi said. She gave him Joe a quick hug, then returned to Tina, holding her at arms length. "You're looking good. Love your hair."

"Thank you," Tina said. "You look pretty good yourself." She glanced at Devlin. "No boyfriend?"

"Not really," Krissi said. "I met someone, but he had family obligations, not that I'm sure he would be ready for this."

"I understand," Tina said.

Krissi motioned Devlin forward. "I want you to meet someone. Tina, this is Devlin. Devlin and I met at a party a couple of months ago, and hit it off right away."

"So, are you two... ?"

"Not really," Krissi said. "You know me, I prefer my partners to be male."

"Hi," Tina said, holding out her hand. "I'm Tina."

"Devlin."

"I love your hair."

Devlin picked at one of the ends. "Oh, this. It's probably a rat's nest from blowing in the breeze."

"That would be a real bummer," Tina said. "But I know the feeling. I love the feeling of the air here blowing over me. Are you a student, too?"

"I'm a Business Major," Devlin said.

"Biology Grad Student," Tina said. "I've been specializing in reproduction, which is kind of funny when you think about it."

An electric cart towing a trailer with seats pulled up on the other side of the gate and a deeply tanned short brunette woman in a halter and shorts hopped out. "Hi folks," she called. "I'm Linda, your hostess. Tina, Joe, Krissi, nice to see you again." She gestured at the trailer. "If you'd go ahead and load your stuff we'll be leaving in about 10 minutes."

Devlin followed Krissi and they made themselves comfortable. Tina and Joe sat opposite them. Linda was about to start up when another couple hurried up.

"Thanks for waiting," the guy said. "Traffic was a real bear."

Linda waited until they were settled before leaving the gate. They followed a meandering path that ran along the end of the docks. Boats were bobbing in the afternoon swell, sailboat masts waved back and forth against the blue of the sky, and gulls wheeled overhead, searching for food.

Presently the path split, one arm running to another section of the marina. Linda followed the path to the left around a clump of palm trees and over a slight rise. The path ran along the shore for several hundred yards before bumping across a causeway and out to an island dominated by a large building. Linda followed the path past several bungalows. She finally stopped at the far end of the island, at a gate in front of a small bridge that led to an island on the other side of a small channel.

"We're here," Linda said, getting down. "You'll have to carry your luggage from here." She used a key card to open the gate. The bridge was over a hundred yards across, and several jet skis raced by underneath, splashing the bridge deck with water.

"I think introductions are in order," Linda said as they walked across the bridge. "Tina, let's start with you."

"I'm Tina Walker," Tina said. "I'm from Newark, New Jersey." She patted the elbow and smiled at the guy next to her. "And this is my boyfriend."

"Joe Crane," he said. "Tina and I were here the last two years. We flew in to Miami and rented a car to drive down here."

"Kristal Carpenter," Krissi said. "I go by Krissi. I'm from Bloomington, Illinois."

"Devlin McCabe," Devlin said. "I'm Krissi's friend, and I'm from Bloomington, Illinois, too."

"Joan McMillan," the woman who'd come running up the dock said. She was a short brunette wearing a denim miniskirt and a tee-shirt tied under her breasts. "We're from Knoxville, Tennessee," she added with a decidedly twangy accent.

"And I'm Brian McMillan," the guy next to her said. He smiled. "And before anyone asks, we're brother and sister, and we're not married."

"I didn't think so," Linda said as people chuckled.

"But it's good to get that out front," Joan said. "In parts of Kentucky and Tennessee we might be."

Linda nodded. "Okay, here's what's going to happen. We'll check you in, and you'll be told which bungalow is yours. For those of you who've been here before we'll have a brief refresher talk. For those of you who haven't, I'll meet with you individually starting in about half an hour. We'll go over the rules, I'll get some material for our records, things like that." She looked around. "Any questions?"

"Is there going to be a Get Acquainted Party like there was last year?" Tina asked. She grinned. "That was fun."

"That's what we're planning," Linda said. "That'll be tomorrow night after dinner. The main resort is having a get-acquainted dance tonight, and you're free to attend that. Any other questions?"

Nobody else said anything. Devlin looked across the water. Islands covered in green seemed to bob on the blue of the water. One blue shaded into another. 'Blue' was inadequate, there were more shades than she could name. The sun, the water, the white sand, "... we're not in Kansas any more," she quoted quietly to Krissi."

"I know. Don't you love it? Not a cornstalk or a snowflake in sight."

There was a small shack at the end of the bridge. Linda grabbed a list from the counter in the shack. "All right, Joan and Brian, you're in #3." She looked at them. "If you want, I can split you two up."

"No, we've seen each other naked before," Joan said. "It's no big deal." She picked up the bag she'd dropped. "Which way?"

"Up the path. The bungalows are numbered. #3 is on the right near the house." She looked at her list. "Alan and Ellen, you're in #4, which is across from Joan and Brian. Krissi and Devlin, you're in #5. Tina and Joe, you drew #6."

Krissi practically ran up the path. "I want to see what changes they made from last year," she said. "Linda told me they'd put in quite a few improvements."

The path, looped back and forth through the brush and trees, finally giving way to flagstones set in mortar. In moments they were surrounded by palm trees and other kinds of trees, including, Devlin was surprised to see, pine. The breeze found its way through the trees and brush. It was just enough to keep the heat down. In the distance Devlin could see the roof of the house. Beside the path were stones about 18" high with a single number painted on it. Krissi turned at the one marked "5". There was a short path to a small cabin with a door and a single window facing the main path. Krissi opened the door, flipping on the light.

"Just as I remembered," she said, looking around.

Devlin pushed past her, looking around. The interior was cool and shaded by the trees outside. There were two rooms: the main room was the bedroom, with two double beds. The other was the bathroom, containing a sink, a toilet and a small shower. There was a small 3-drawer dresser made out of dark wood next to each bed with a lamp on top. The bathroom was painted white, the bedroom was painted a very light blue. Blue curtains framed windows on each side of the room. The beds were firm without being hard, with plenty of room to sprawl out. The blankets were folded at the foot of the bed, leaving only light sheets as covers.

"This is it?" Devlin asked. Somehow she'd expected more.

"It's enough," Krissi said. "These bungalows are little more than detached bedrooms, with a small bathroom. We take all our meals in the main house, unless we want to picnic somewhere else."

"Where are the improvements?"

"Let's check around outside."

Devlin tossed her bag on one of the beds and followed her friend out the door. They followed the path around back of the bungalow. Just a few yards away were the backs of three other bungalows. And in the middle, where the paths intersected, was a gazebo containing a hot tub, chairs, and four picnic tables.

"That's new," Krissi said. She glanced around. "This'll be kind of handy."

Joan came around the side of her bungalow. She waved, and knelt to check the hot tub. "It's on," she said. She knelt and trailed her hand through the water. "And it's nice and warm, too."

Devlin knelt and felt the water. "I've almost fallen asleep in these things," she said.

"Easy enough to do," Joan said, nodding.

"We'd better see about orientation," Krissi said. "Come on."

Linda was sitting on the patio of the house. "There's another couple due in about two hours," she said. "Tomorrow morning two more couples will arrive, and then we'll be complete. But before they get here I thought I'd cover a few things.

"The island is just over 4 acres in size and is heavily wooded, so there's plenty of room and opportunity to be by yourself it you want. We have our scenic outlook on the west end of the island, but don't get your hopes up, it's a tree house set 15 feet up in a tree. There's no piece of land on this island higher than 10 feet above the water. We do have a small natural pond, on the north end of the island. I would advise each of you to make time to visit it. For these two weeks we don't sell romanticism so much as fun, but, guys, all of us gals like a little romance in our lives, even if it's just the setting.

"We're part of a larger resort. There are six other islands like this one, each separated from the main part of the resort by a small bridge. You aren't allowed on the other islands, just as the folks staying there aren't allowed on this one. Everyone is allowed on the main island. That's where you'll find a pool, jet skis and boats for rent, and the other things people like to do in Florida while on vacation. They can also arrange tours here in the Keys--I recommend you check them out, there's a lot to do here in the Conch Republic."

"What's the difference between this island and the others?" Joan asked.

"They're clothing optional."

"Well, so are we."

"Ah, but those are all for families; the rule there is the same as it is in most nudist camps: no sex. That doesn't apply here. And, by the way, we'd appreciate it if you didn't let people know what we do here.

"Okay, on this island we have the house and 16 bungalows, as well as a few other things. They're leftovers from when this island was a separate resort. Jim's folks bought it at a bankruptcy auction quite a number of years ago. We joined in a partnership along with the main vacation resort, and most of the time we run it as such. But twice a year, here in the spring, and again in the late fall, we keep it for ourselves Over the years Jim's parents rebuilt the bungalows, rebuilt parts of the house and so on. About seven years ago they got tired of the resort business and retired, moving back north up into the other Florida, and Jim and I took it over. Since then we've added water and sewer connections to Islamorada, added eight bungalows, rebuilt the pier, put in better pathways and electricity, and, this year, added the hot tubs.

"Besides the pool and the hot tubs, we have a sheltered anchorage where we'll dock our boat this evening. That's one of two secluded beaches, for those who want to do the thing with the waves. Because we put in a small breakwater, wave action in the moorage is pretty minimal, which we're glad of. We do get hurricanes through this part of the world from time to time. I would advise you to use the other secluded beach, there's a little more cover from curious passers-by.