Chapter 16

"We have decided you kids need to get a job to pay for your fishing," Harry said, trying his best to keep a straight face.

"Okay, Dad, I can apply at a few of the restaurants in town," Jenny said. Kathy agreed, saying she would too.

"Well, I was thinking about having you do something else, something a bit more challenging," Harry said, glancing at his wife, Jack, and Sarah. "I have an order for a boat and need some additional help."

"Working at the boatyard, Mr. Shockley?" Brad asked.

"Yes, working at the boatyard with your dad and me."

"What are we going to be doing?" Kathy asked. "Sweeping and stuff like that?"

"No, I need you kids to help design a fishing boat. I sold the seventy-five foot hull I have in the shed. My client wants a long range convertible."

Eddie, Brad, Jenny, and Kathy just sat and stared at Harry. After a moment, Eddie said, "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not kidding. It seems that this client has read about you kids and feels you will be able to offer good suggestions for the boat. You will be working with my architects and engineers on the design. Eddie, I want you and Brad to concentrate on the superstructure, the flying bridge and the cockpit. Jenny and Kathy will work on the interior. I don't have much information on the requirements yet, but I should have them in a few weeks.

"I think it would be a good idea to begin doing some research on large convertibles. Make sketches and notes so you're prepared when you meet with the architects. Once they have the drawings made, they will create the blueprints for the engineers. If this is something you kids don't want to do, you have to let me know so I can make adjustments to the plan," Harry said.

"I can't believe it! I have a lot of ideas, Dad. I don't have to think about it, I'm in," Eddie said. "The four of us are always talking about what the perfect fishing boat would be like."

"Good, but I want you to remember that it's what the client wants, not you guys. We have to take their ideas and requirements into consideration when we start the design. I just found out today so I don't have much more detail that that."

"When can we meet the client and get started?" Eddie asked, his excitement making it hard for him to sit still.

"I don't know, Eddie. As I said, they just agreed to buy the boat today. There are things we have to go over before we begin. In the mean time, learn as much as you can. There are books in my office and at the library that will help," Harry said. "Use what you've learned on our boat and the other boats you've been on. Take the best features from each one and see if they fit."

"Dad, do you have the original plans for the boat? It may help us," Jenny said. "How many staterooms are there going to be? How about heads? How big is the salon?"

Harry laughed as he told his daughter to slow down and take a deep breath.

"Mr. Shockley, how many staterooms can you put on a boat that size?" Kathy asked.

"It all depends on the design, Kathy. If you have large staterooms three or four, if they're smaller, you could put six in the hull. From what the client told me, the boat is going to be for fishing, not cruising. I think they are more interested in function than luxury. I know you kids are excited, but you're going to have to be patient. Trust me, you will be busy before you know it," Harry said.

"I think you kids should get to bed, you have school in the morning," Sarah said. "Jack, we should get going too."

Jack and Sarah told everyone goodbye and left with Brad and Kathy. Ted and Clare left too, telling the rest of them they would see them soon. Jenny and Eddie went to their rooms to get ready for bed.

"Can you believe we're going to be designing a boat?" Eddie said as he walked into his sister's room.

"No, isn't it great? I can't wait to get started, Eddie. You know, we never found out if we were getting paid," Jenny replied as she removed her clothes. "I don't really care if we get paid or not, I still want to do it."

Eddie sat on the edge of Jenny's bed, watching her move around the room. She was wearing a pair of burgundy bikini panties and matching bra. Jenny removed the bra, hanging it on a knob on her dresser. Turning toward her brother, she scratched the underside of her breasts.

"You and Brad have fun this afternoon?"

"Yeah, we did, how about you and Kathy?"

"We did too. I kind of wanted all of us to fool around together though."

Jenny sat next to her brother. She picked up her tank top, pulling it over her head. "Why?"

"So you and I could be together too, Jen. I really miss being close with you—I miss it a lot."

"I know, so do I, Eddie. Why did we decide to stop anyway?"

"Got me, wasn't it you and Brad that wanted to be exclusive?"

"We thought we did, but I think we were wrong. Brad and I talked about it today. He said he wanted to be able to have sex with Kathy—I told him I understood. Eddie, we all love each other and I don't see why we can't go back to the way it was. Brad and I still want to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but we want to..." Jenny leaned her head against Eddie's shoulder.

"I'll talk to Kathy, Jen. I like having sex with her, but I love when we do it. There has always been something there that I never felt when I was Kathy, at least not as strong as I do with you."

"We're all screwed up, aren't we, Eddie?" Jenny said as she wrapped her arms around her brother.

"Not really, we're just in love, Jen—there isn't anything screwed up about that."

"I don't think so, but what about everyone else?" Jenny asked.

Eddie chuckled. "Okay, everyone else is screwed up."

"Do you think Brad and Kathy are as confused as we are?"

"Truthfully, I think it may be worse for them, they're twins. I've read that twins share something special."

Jenny released her brother. She slipped under her sheet, holding it open for Eddie. He removed his shorts, climbing in next to her. They kissed for a moment and then snuggled together, falling asleep in each other's arms.

When she woke up the next morning, Jenny knew what she wanted and what she needed to do. She shook Eddie's shoulders, kissing him when he opened his eyes.

"Get up, we have to go to school," Jenny said as she straddled his body. Sitting on his stomach, she leaned forward and kissed Eddie again.

"What's gotten into you?" Eddie asked.

"Nothing, but we don't have time to fix that right now. I'm going to take a shower, if you don't come in and wash my back, I'll never forgive you."

"What about Mom and Dad?"

"I'd rather have you wash by back," Jenny said and then she giggled. "I'll go tell them we going to shower together, they don't mind."

"You're acting weird this morning, Jenny!"

"So what? Get up!"

Jenny went to the bathroom, striping her tank top off on the way. After using the toilet, she started the shower. Eddie came in to join her. While they showered, Jenny sang. Once they were finished, Eddie and Jenny dressed for school. Jenny picked out a short sundress knowing how much her brother and Brad liked it when she wore a dress or skirt.

"Morning, Mom," Jenny said as she skipped into the kitchen.

"Good morning to you. Why are you in such a good mood this morning?" Ellen said.

"I just am. What's for breakfast?"

"I made eggs and bacon. Your mood wouldn't have anything to do with the fact your brother spent the night in your room would it?"

"Kind of, but not entirely. You're not mad at me are you? It isn't Eddie's fault, I asked him to stay with me last night," Jenny said as she sat at the table.

"No, I'm not mad—just curious. Is everything okay between you and Brad?"

"Yup, just perfect, everything is perfect!"

"Are you going to tell me what's up then?" Ellen asked.

"Yes, but you have to wait until later. I have to do something first. Don't worry, no one is in trouble, Mom," Jenny said.

After breakfast, Eddie and Jenny left to pick up Brad and Kathy. When Brad got into the van, Jenny threw her arms around his neck. She gave him a kiss and then plopped into her seat. Kathy noticed Jenny's mood and asked why she was so happy.

"We have to talk, no, I have to talk and you have to listen," Jenny said.

"About what?" Brad asked.

"About us, all of us. I think we're fooling ourselves and it has to stop. Brad, I love you and I know you love me. I also know Kathy and Eddie love each other. The problem is I also love Eddie and I'm not talking about like a brother.

"Brad, Kathy, did you two have sex last night?" Jenny asked. When she saw their reaction, she said, "I thought so. Look, why should we have to feel guilty when we do what we all love to do? Why can't we just have fun and make love with who we want, when we want? I don't know about you two, but I don't want to feel like I'm doing something wrong when Eddie and I have sex."

Kathy got out of her seat and moved to where Jenny was sitting. The two girls hugged and then Kathy said, "Oh my God, you are so right! I do love Eddie, but I love Brad too. I never wanted to hurt you or Eddie." Kathy giggled, pulled her head back and said, "How about you and me?"

Jenny started giggling too. She put her hand under Kathy's skirt and then into the leg opening of her panties. Kathy let out a moan when Jenny's finger penetrated her. Jenny fingered Kathy for a moment before removing her hand. Holding her moist finger in the air, Jenny said, "Hmmm, it looks like Brad did some banking this morning. It seems he made a deposit!" Jenny sucked her finger clean and giggled. "Yup, I'd know that taste anywhere!"

The four teens broke into laughter. Kathy grinned, her face turning pink from blushing. After giving Jenny a quick kiss, Kathy returned to her seat. While Eddie drove to school, the four of them chatted about the project that lay ahead of them. They decided to get together after school to begin placing their ideas on paper.

Jenny and Kathy met for lunch. They sat at a table away from the other kids so they could talk.

"I wanted to talk to you about Brad and me, but I didn't know how to say it," Kathy said quietly. "I'm so glad you said what you did."

"I'm glad you understand, Kathy," Jenny said. "It isn't that I want to have sex with Eddie all the time, I just don't want to feel bad when I do. To be honest, I want to cool things down for a while. I love Brad, but I'm not ready to be completely committed to the relationship."

"You're right; we're too young to be all tied down. I don't want to date anyone else, but like you, I don't want to feel that I can't have a little fun too." Kathy took a bite of her sandwich. After swallowing the food, she said, "I don't think Brad or Eddie will have a problem with it, Jen. As long as they're having sex, they'll be happy—and so will we."

"So, are you going to tell me what happened this morning?" Jenny asked.

Kathy giggled and said, "Brad bent me over the sink while I was brushing my teeth. He screwed me while I finished brushing."

"That sounds so cool! You didn't care?"

"No, not at all. I didn't even care that he didn't make me get off, it still felt good."

"I'll have to try that, it does sound like fun," Jenny said. "You know what I've missed? I miss the times all four of us fooled around in the same bed."

"I think we should fix that, Jen. Where are we going to go to work on our ideas for the boat, your house?"

"We can go to my house. I think we'll start going to the boatyard once we get started. I'm really looking forward to this."

"So am I. Brad and I talked about it last night on the way home. Brad said we should check the internet and see if we can find some floor plans for boats that size. He said we can look at the boat ads," Kathy said.

Finished with lunch, Jenny and Kathy left the cafeteria. They went through the remainder of their classes eager for the day to end. After school, Eddie, Brad, Jenny, and Kathy met at the van. The moment they got in they began talking about their ideas for the boat. Eddie said he had made a few sketches.

When they arrived at Eddie and Jenny's house they grabbed snacks and went to work. Brad and Eddie sat at the kitchen table making sketches and discussing what they thought would be the best design while Jenny and Kathy searched the internet for sites where they could get some ideas.

"Are we okay with what the girls want?" Brad asked, taking a break from the drawings.

"Yeah, we're cool, Brad. I think that we were putting too much pressure on ourselves. If we were to keep going the way we were, we could have ended up hurting the girls or us. Jenny's right you know, it isn't about the sex, it's the guilt."

"I hope you still want to be with Kathy, I know I want to be with Jenny. I really care for her."

"You bet I want to be with Kathy! We get along great and I love having her for my girlfriend," Eddie said.

"How about Kim and Sally, what do you think of them?" Brad asked.

"They're both hotties! I would do either of them if I had a chance."

"No shit, I wonder if Jack and Tom would be cool with all of us fooling around. We could really have a hell of a party, couldn't we?"

Eddie laughed and nodded. "Who knows, they may be hip to it. They will be coming back down here in a month or so. We should plan to go fishing and spend the night on the boat."

"It'll be cool when they get their new boat. Can you believe their parents are having a seventy-five foot fishing boat built for them? I guess a yacht isn't enough," Brad said.

"My dad said they might not to get to use the yacht that much, not if their charter business is successful. Besides, their yacht isn't going to be very good for fishing, not for billfish."

Eddie and Brad went back to making sketches and talking about the boat. Jenny came out of the bedroom, hugged Brad and hung over his shoulder. "When you get a minute, Kathy and I have something to show you guys. We found a bunch of cool boats on the internet."

Jenny led her brother and Brad to the bedroom. The two boys stood behind the girls as Kathy started bringing up the sites she and Jenny had found. After looking at a half dozen boats it was obvious there were many possibilities.

"This is fun, but we don't have a clue about what we're doing," Eddie said. "I'm not saying we should stop, but until we have more information from my dad, we have no idea of what we're dealing with. Maybe we can go to the boatyard tomorrow and take a look at the hull and the original blueprints."

"Eddie's right," Kathy said. "Why don't we do our homework and then go swimming?"

The four teens went to the living room to study. Jenny and Kathy sat on the floor, giving their brothers peeks under their skirts while they did their schoolwork. Brad and Eddie sat on the couch, trying not to be too distracted, but it was very difficult.

Jack and Sally sat next to each other on the plane. Kim and Tom sat in front of them and the adults were nearby, waiting for the plane to take off. They were on their way back to Michigan. Joanne had remained in Florida, along with Liz, to take care of the details of the new home. The two women would return home after approving the drawings for the new building that would serve the yacht.

The trip had been fruitful for Tom, Jack, Kim, and Sally. They all had learned many new things and realized they needed to learn much more. Tom and Jack had copies of the manuals for the electronics. Jeri had told them to study the books so they would be able to operate the equipment. April told Kim and Sally to read a few books on setting tables and other things that the crew would be required to do.

"Are you glad to be going home, Sweetie?" Jack asked Sally.

Shrugging her shoulders, Sally said, "I want to go home, but I don't want to have to sleep without you next to me. I've gotten used to it and I don't want it to stop."

"I know, maybe we can ask our parents if we can stay together a few nights a week. I like sleeping with you too." Jack leaned close, kissing Sally's cheek. "It's nice to have someone to snuggle with."

"At least you have Kim to cuddle with when I'm not there—and I have Tom if you don't mind me sleeping with him once in a while."

"Frankly, I'd rather we slept together. I'm going to see what I can do. You and Tom will be moving in soon you know. We won't have to worry about it then," Jack said.

Sally took Jack's hand, holding it with both of hers. She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Jack, I love you."

"I love you too, Sal."

"When do you think we'll go back to Florida?" Kim asked as she looked over the seat at her brother and Sally.

"In about five or six weeks I think, Kim. Jeri will call if we need to go down any sooner," Jack replied.

A flight attendant came by, telling Kim to put her seatbelt back on. She turned around and sat down, fastening the belt around her waist. Tom put his hand on Kim's knee, rubbing her.

"I hope the guest house is ready when we go back," Tom said. "Staying in a hotel gets old."

Kim giggled and nodded. "I want to be able to hang my bra on the doorknob if I want to, or leave my jeans on the floor. Having a maid clean the room is nice, but it doesn't feel homey to me."

"Is that what I have to look forward to, underwear hanging on the doorknobs and dirty clothes on the floor?" Tom said with a chuckle.

"Yup, I'm going to leave them where ever they land when you undress me, Baby!"

Tom laughed and said, "I can live with that."

"What, my dirty clothes or getting me naked?" Kim asked.

"Both, Honey, I can live with the clothing, and I love getting you naked. Are you ready to go back to Mrs. Phillips' and start studying again? We have a lot of catching up to do."

"I guess so, I'm not really looking forward to all the work, but I know we have to do it. Do you think we'll go back to Florida during spring break? I think it's in March," Kim said as she twisted in her chair so she could see Tom better.

"Maybe, I know Jack wants to go back pretty soon. We talked about it last night. He said there isn't a lot for us to do, but he wants to stay close to the progress. I do too," Tom said.

Leaning close to Tom, Kim whispered in his ear. "Baby, I hope you move into our house soon, I've really gotten used to sleeping with you."

Tom gave Kim a quick kiss and said, "I have too. You always have Jack to sleep with until I move in."

"Yeah, and you have Sally!" Kim responded sharply.

"Take it easy, I was just kidding. Are you telling me you don't want to fool around with Jack anymore?" Tom asked.

"Not unless you're there—you AND Sally. You made me fall in love with you and now you're stuck with me."

Sally, hearing her name, stood up to look over the seat in front of her. "What about me?" she asked.

Kim giggled and said, "We were just talking, Sally." Kim released her seatbelt so she could kneel on the seat and talk to Sally without the two passengers in the aisle seats hearing her. "I told Tom I didn't want to fool around with Jack unless you and he were with us," Kim whispered.

"Really? I thought you'd want to—you know," Sally whispered back.

Kim shook her head. "Not anymore, not since I found out what it's like to be in love with Tom. I would really like it if you and Tom didn't do anything when you're alone either. If we're together it's okay with me though."

Sally grinned at Kim and nodded her head. She sat down, leaning against Jack. After a moment, Sally noticed Jack was glancing down. She giggled when she realized Jack could see into her shirt. Sally hooked her finger in her shirt, pulling it away from her chest.

"Is that better?" Sally asked Jack, watching him grin.

"Yup, much better, Babe," Jack replied.

"You're so funny! I'll get naked for you anytime you want me to you know?" Sally told him.

"I know, but its sexy when I see into your shirt and stuff like that."

Sally hugged Jack's arm and said, "I love you so much!"

They landed in Detroit and once their bags were loaded on a cart, they all went out to catch a shuttle to the offsite lot Don and Jerry had parked their cars in. Jack and Tom loaded the suitcases into the back of the Lincoln Navigator Don had bought to replace the Suburban the teens left in Florida. Jerry and Sam loaded Jerry's car with their bags. Jack and Sally rode in the back seat of Jerry's car because there wasn't room in Don's SUV for them.

It was just after three in the afternoon when the two cars pulled into the driveway at Don and Marge's house. The group removed the luggage from the Navigator, taking it into the house. Jerry and Sam accepted the offer of coffee from Marge and went in.

"Do you want me to put our suitcases in the car, Dad?" Tom asked Marc.

"No, I want you to take them upstairs with Jack, Kim, Uncle Don, and Aunt Marge's bags, Tom," Marc replied. "Put your mom's and mine in the recreation room."

Tom didn't know what was going on, but he did what his dad asked. Jack and the two girls helped carry the suitcases upstairs. When they entered the recreation room, Sally let out a screech. What had been the recreation room was now a large bedroom, void of the pool table that had been in there.

"I think we live here now," Sally said as she looked around the room at her parents' furniture. "Let's go see what else has been done."

The four teens went to the guestroom that adjoined Kim's bedroom, finding Sally's clothes in the closet and the dresser filled with her things. Tom's things were in the other guestroom. Jack and Tom were stunned, Kim and Sally giggled. They headed downstairs to find out what was going on.

"Are we going to live here now?" Sally asked her mom.

"Yes, we moved in before we went down to Florida. We moved the things we felt you'd need and put the rest of our things in storage for now," Anne replied.

"Um, do we have to stay in the rooms where our things are or can we change things around?" Sally asked, holding her breath while she waited for her mom's answer.

"Leave things as they are for now, we'll talk later," Anne told Sally.

"Did you move everything?" Tom asked.

"Almost, we still have the exercise equipment and your darkroom," Marc said. "We're having the basement worked on here to accommodate our new arrangement. You can go downstairs and see how far the construction crews are if you'd like."

When they went to the basement, the teens couldn't believe how much different it looked. The once wide-open space had been divided into several rooms. The first room they went into was almost an exact replica of the exercise room in Tom and Sally's basement, right down to the mirrored walls and the television suspended from the ceiling. A door in the room led to a shower and changing room. The pool table was in another room, decorated to look like an old-time pub.

Tom opened the door to his new darkroom, commenting on how nice it was.

"We used to have some fun in your old darkroom, didn't we Tom?" Sally said with a giggle.

"Used to is right! If you want to have fun in your darkroom, you can have it with me," Kim said.

"What's this? Is my little sister getting possessive?" Jack said with a chuckle.

Kim put her arm around Tom's waist, giggled, and said, "Yeah, what's it to you?"

"Nothing, I just never thought you would ever be a one guy girl. I think it's cool," Jack told Kim.

"Does that mean our days of all of us fooling around are over?" Jack asked.

"No, but I don't want to do anything with anyone unless Tom is there too." Kim giggled, glancing at Sally. "At least with guys—right Sal?"

Sally looked up at Jack. He knew what she wanted and nodded his head, giving his approval. Sally grinned as she nodded her head.

Kim was about to ask Sally if she had to have permission to go to the bathroom, but thought better of it. Sally was happy with her relationship with Jack and how she wanted to live was none of Kim's business. If Sally wanted to be submissive, it was up to her.

The four teens went upstairs. Their parents were in the kitchen, drinking coffee with Jerry and Sam. Sam was talking about the families' investments, stopping when he saw the kids. Don told Sam to go on.

"We should be able to finalize the purchase of the property next week," Sam said. "Once we own it, we can begin having it rezoned for single-family homes."

Don noticed the teens' confusion. "We bought some acreage north of here. We are going to develop it into a couple of upscale subdivisions and build homes on it." Don told the kids. "If everything works out the way Sam thinks it will, we'll make a lot of money."

"How much property did you buy, Dad?" Kim asked.

"When we close on the last parcel, we'll have over three hundred acres. Our plan is to build about two hundred homes and a small shopping center. Sam has several businesses interested in leasing stores," Don replied.

"We plan on building larger homes on half acre lots," Marc said.

"Are we going to move into one of them?" Sally asked.

"No, I don't think so. We've been talking about what we want to do now that we have the Florida house and the yacht. It's one of the things we want to talk to you guys about," Marge said. "We want to know what you'd think about spending summers in Michigan and the rest of the year in Florida."

"We don't want you to make a decision yet, we still have a few things to talk about," Anne said. "I think we'll have a family meeting in a day or two. We have a few things to consider first."

"Like what, Mom?" Tom asked.

"Well, school for one thing. You kids aren't ready to take your GED tests yet," Anne said.

"Um, there's something I want to talk to you guys about concerning the GED. I want to graduate rather than taking the test," Jack said.

Sally moved closer to Jack, wrapping her arms around his right arm. She looked up, smiling brightly.

"When did you change your mind?" Don asked.

"I've been thinking about it since we met Jenny, Eddie, Kathy, and Brad. Jenny said something that got me thinking. She said we shouldn't quit the first important thing in our lives. After thinking about what she said, I decided she was right. How can we be successful if we start taking the easy way now?" Jack said.

Don glanced at Kim and Tom, noticing their surprised look. He looked at Marge, smiling when he saw her grin.

"I want to finish school too," Sally said. "I'd like to go to a real school, not be home schooled by Mrs. Phillips or anyone else. I miss school."

"Baby, you can go to a real school if that's what you want—can't she?" Jack said looking at the parents.

"If course she can," Anne said, her voice cracking with emotion. "It's up to you what you and Sally do, Jack."

"How about you, Kim, do you want to go to school and graduate or take the GED?" Tom asked.

"I don't know, what do you think?" Kim replied.

"I guess going to school wouldn't be bad. I don't think any of us realized what we'd be doing regarding Tomiko. I kind of thought we would be more involved with the charters than it appears we're going to be. The chartering is going to be more business than fun like I thought it would be."

"The charter business will be fun, Tom. So will just going out on the yacht. I still want to get my captain's license and learn to operate Tomiko. We can't get our licenses until we're twenty-one so we'll have to be happy being part of the charters when we can rather than actually running them. Jeri is a good captain and we can learn a lot from her—April too," Jack said.

"Well, I guess finishing school is a good idea. Where would we go to school?" Kim asked looking at her brother.

"I'd like to go in Florida. I think it would be cool to go with Jenny, Eddie, Kathy, and Brad. They're really nice and we'd know someone at the school," Jack said.

"What are you going to do for the rest of the year?" Marge asked.

"I wanted to talk to Mrs. Phillips and find out what our options are. The worse thing that can happen is we have to repeat the second semester of this year. Maybe we could get caught up, but we've missed quite a bit because we've been studying for the GED," Jack said.

"I think you'd be surprised how much catching up you can do if you kids put your minds to it," Marc said looking right at Jack. "Personally, I think you're making a wise choice."

"Dad, why did you guys let us decide to take the GED in the first place?" Sally asked.

"We thought you kids should make the decision, not us. None of us were happy about it, but it wasn't really our decision to make. While we could have insisted you finish school, I think you've learned a valuable lesson," Don said, answering for Marc and the rest of the parents.

Sally, overcome with emotion, was unable to contain her excitement. She threw her arms around Jack's neck, repeatedly thanking him. Jack hugged her, holding Sally's quivering body to his.

"It looks like Sally is happy with the decision," Anne said with a chuckle.