Chapter 46

Sally left the bedroom. She walked across the hall to the room her brother and Molly spent the night in. Without knocking, Sally opened the door. She moved to the bed, gazed at Tom and Molly for a moment, and then jumped on the bed. Squirming between Tom and Molly, Sally began to giggle.

"Okay you two, time to get up," Sally said. She used both hands to shake Tom and Molly's shoulders.

"What the hell? What are you doing?" Molly said as she rolled onto her back and looked up at Sally.

"I'm waking you up. We have to get going. Jack told me to tell you guys that he wants to leave in an hour or less," Sally said. She grinned at Molly. "How was your night?"

Molly rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Sitting up, she said, "It was wonderful, Sally. Did you get any sleep? We heard a lot of noise coming from your room."

"Yeah, I got plenty of sleep. Jack and Brad couldn't keep up with two horny girls."

Molly and Sally giggled. Tom woke up, saw his sister, and asked what was going on. Sally told Tom it was time to get up.

"I'm going to go wake Kim up and then I'll get Kathy and Eddie up. You guys have to get ready," Sally said.

Sally left the room. She went to Kim's room and walked in. When she saw Kim and Paul screwing, she giggled. "Hurry up, Jack wants to get going," Sally said.

"We'll be up in a few minutes—just as soon as we're finished," Kim said as she looked around Paul.

Sally went to wake up Kathy and Eddie. She rapped on the door, opened it, and saw Kathy sitting up.

"We're awake, Sally. Eddie and I will be out in a few minutes," Kathy said.

"Okay, Jack, Brad, Jenny, and I are going for a quick swim. We'll be in the pool," Sally said.

On her way back to her room, Sally stopped to tell Kim and Tom about going for a swim. A few minutes later, everyone except Kim and Paul headed downstairs. As they approached the kitchen, they could smell something baking. Molly giggled and said, "I think my mom is here."

"Cool, I can't wait to find out what she made today," Jack said.

The troop of naked teens walked through the kitchen on their way to the pool. Joel laughed when he noticed that the teens were naked. Laura greeted the group, telling them that there were sweet rolls in the oven.

Molly stopped long enough to give her mom a hug. When she wrapped her arms around Joel's neck, he stiffened. Molly giggled and said, "What's the matter, Dad? Don't you want me to hug you?"

"Um, yeah, sure I do, but you're..." Joel began.

"Oops, I almost forgot—I'm nude." Molly giggled and hugged Joel. He laughed as he relaxed and hugged her back.

"You should have seen the look on your face," Laura said to Joel after the teens left the kitchen.

"It shocked me, Sweetie."

"I think you're going to have get used to the new Molly just like I am." Laura put her arms around Joel's neck and kissed him.

Nodding, Joel said, "Yeah, so it seems. I have to tell you, my heart swells every time Molly calls me Dad. I'm so happy she accepts me."

Laura sat on Joel's lap. She kissed him again, this time with more passion. "Molly loves you, Joel. I love you too."

Marge, Anne, Don, and Marc came into the kitchen. They gathered around the coffee maker, filling their cups.

"What smells so wonderful?" Don said as he walked toward the table.

"I have a batch of sweet rolls in the oven. Joel and I borrowed Sam's car and came over early so I could bake something for breakfast," Laura said as she slid off Joel's lap. "I'd better get started on breakfast. The kids need to eat before they leave this morning."

"Anne and I will help you, Laura," Marge said. She looked out at the pool and chuckled. "It looks like all the kids are up."

"We are now," Kim said. She and Paul walked into the kitchen. The adults chuckled when Paul and Kim sniffed the air. They said good morning, walked out to the pool, and jumped in the water with the rest of the group.

The teens swam for a few minutes before getting out of the pool to shower. The other parents showed up, along with Sam and Joanne, and poured coffee for themselves. They joined the rest of the adults at the kitchen table and began talking about their night. They told the others they were welcome to stay with them anytime they were in Michigan.

As the teens walked through the kitchen on their way to the bedrooms, they greeted their parents. They went upstairs to get dressed for the trip across the state to Grand Haven. Once they were dressed and the last of their things were packed, the teens headed for the kitchen. The adults got up from the table so the kids could sit down to eat.

Anne, Marge, and Laura placed the food on the table. The teens reached for the homemade sweet rolls before putting anything else on their plates. Laura chuckled, telling the kids there were more sweet rolls.

"Aren't these great?" Kim said to Paul. Paul nodded as he chewed his mouthful of buttered sweet roll. "Molly's mom bakes things for us all the time."

"You're going to get fat, Kim," Paul said with a chuckle.

"No I won't! I plan to exercise and swim so I can eat all of the yummy things Mrs. Durham makes," Kim said.

Don moved closer to the table. He cleared his throat, causing the din of conversation to fall off. "I want you kids to be careful. When you get to Grand Haven, call us. I want to hear from you at least twice a day," Don said.

"Don't worry, Dad. We'll be careful," Jack said.

"I believe that you will, Jack." Don moved closer to his son. "If I didn't say something, your mother would yell at me," Don whispered.

The other parents gave their children last minute instructions. The teens finished their breakfast and began to clear the table. When Laura said she'd take care of the dishes, Marge told her the teens would do it.

The teens gave their parents hugs. The entire group headed outside. The boys placed the luggage in the back of Tom's Expedition. Jack asked Brad to help him check the lights on the boat trailer while Tom inspected the hitch, safety chains, and electrical connection.

"We're ready," Jack announced. "I want to stop at the gas station for sodas, snacks, and stuff. Tom, you can drop Paul off and meet us there."

Jack, Sally, Brad, and Jenny got into Jack's pickup truck. Tom, Molly, Kim, Paul, Eddie, and Kathy climbed into Tom's truck. The teens waved out the windows as they headed out.

Tom drove to Paul's house. Paul said goodbye, got out, and walked toward the house. As Tom pulled away, Kathy said, "You didn't kiss Paul goodbye."

Kim shrugged her shoulders. "Paul and I are just friends—you know. Last night was fun, but it isn't as if we have anything other than sex between us," Kim said.

"Do you want to sit up front with Tom and me?" Molly said to Kim.

"No, I'm going to sit back here so I can seduce Eddie," Kim said with a giggle.

"Hey, what about me?" Kathy said and she giggled too.

Kim leaned over, gave Kathy a kiss on the cheek, and said, "Don't worry; I plan to seduce you too."

Kathy grinned. She put one of her hands on Kim's breast and said, "You don't have to seduce me, Kim. I'll go willingly."

"Do you think Eddie can take care of both of us?" Kim said. She put her hand between Eddie's legs, rubbing him.

Molly laughed. She looked over the seat at Kim and said, "Yes he can!" Everyone in the truck laughed.

Tom met Jack at the gas station. He and Eddie got out, putting ice in the cooler. They divided the sodas, bottled water, and snacks between the two vehicles. After a brief discussion about their route, Tom and Jack got into their trucks. Jack led while Tom followed closely behind him.

"I hope the kids don't run into any trouble," Sarah said. The adults sat at the kitchen table eating their breakfast.

"They'll be fine, Honey," Jack Waters said trying to reassure his wife.

"I know, but I still worry about them. I never did anything like this when I was their age," Sarah replied.

"Our kids have opportunities we never had," Ellen said. "When I was a teenager, we didn't have money to do much of anything."

Marge laughed and said, "Neither did we. It's a good thing we discovered sex."

All of the adults laughed. Several of them made comments about when they were younger, and the things they did for fun.

After eating, the women cleared the table. The men offered to help, but their wives told them that they didn't have to. The men refilled their coffee cups and went to sit in the pool area.

"It'll be nice sitting outside drinking coffee in the winter," Marc said.

"No kidding. I'm looking forward to the move," Don said.

"What are you going to do with the property next to the house?" Jack Waters asked.

"We plan to build a house on it, Jack. Do you know Gayle Killian?" Don said.

"I sure do. She's one of the better architects I know of. I worked on several of the projects she designed," Jack replied. "Why?"

"She did some work for us on the Florida house. We're thinking of hiring her to design the new house," Don replied.

"I'm sure she'll do a good job for you," Jack said. "What style house are you thinking of building?"

"We want something that will go with the existing house. We may want to open the yards and create one large property with the two houses on it," Marc said. "I know we'll keep one of the boats there. The seawall is in good shape so we won't have to do too much work on it."

"Do the kids plan to take delivery of Tomiko when they get down to Florida?" Harry asked.

"Yes, that's one of the first things they want to do. I'm sure you'd like her out of your boatyard," Don said.

"The yacht isn't in my way now, but we do have a new hull that we'll need to launch soon," Harry said. "Jeri says that Tomiko is ready to go."

"Your kids are going to be busy. Between the yacht and fishing, they won't have much spare time," Jack said.

"That's fine with me. If they're busy, they won't have time to get into trouble. Not that we worry about then getting into trouble. Your kids are going to be just as busy as ours are going to be," Marc said.

Harry chuckled. "Too true, Marc."

The men began talking about what they planned to do that day. In the house, the women sat at the table drinking coffee.

"When are you two planning to move down?" Laura said to Marge and Anne.

"We haven't set a date yet, but Anne and I will move quickly. We don't want our kids down there without us," Marge said.

"If you'd like, Joel and I can stay at the house with them. I have to be there everyday anyway," Laura said.

"Thank you, Laura. We might take you up on your offer. That way Marge and I don't have to rush or worry," Anne said.

"You know I'd be more than happy to stay with them." Laura chuckled. "I'll bet that it wouldn't upset Molly if she had to stay too."

"I'm sure you're right, Laura. How are things going between Joel and Molly?" Marge said.

"If you ask me, they couldn't be better. This morning, she gave him a hug and called Joel Dad. I thought he would faint," Laura said with a chuckle.

"Doesn't Joel want Molly to call him Dad?" Joanne said.

"Yes, he loves it that she calls him Dad. I think the fact she was as naked as a jaybird when Molly hugged him was what shocked Joel," Laura said. "I can't tell you how much better things are for Molly. Since she started hanging around with your kids, she has changed for the better. I don't remember the last time I saw her so happy."

"Friends will do that, Laura. Molly has found something she's interested in doing," Anne said.

Nodding, Laura smiled. "You folks have given me the opportunity to do something I love too. I guess many people think that doing domestic work is degrading, but I don't."

"I don't think any of us feel it's degrading, Laura. We're very happy to have you helping us," Marge said.

"We sure do, and we enjoy the benefit of your wonderful baking too," Anne said.

"If you don't mind, can I ask why you do it? I mean help people the way you do. You guys manage to help people like Laura, Bob, and I fulfill our dreams," Joanne said.

Marge smiled and said, "Because we can, Jo. You all know our story. When Don discovered we'd won the lottery, the first thing he did was call Anne and Marc. There was never a moment that we didn't feel that the money was all ours. Don made it clear that, as family, we'd share it equally.

"Anne, Marc, Don, and I talked about our good fortune. We decided that while we would vastly improve our lifestyles, we'd also help others."

"You certainly do that. I'll never forget the night Don, and the rest of you, told the kids about the fishing team. Then, to top it off, I found out that the boat Eddie, Jenny, Brad, and Kathy helped design was for the team. I don't think a day goes by that one of our kids doesn't mention the team," Ellen said.

Marge and Anne smiled. Both of them felt a little embarrassed, but they endured the praise.

"We want the kids to have different opportunities than we did when we were their age," Marge said. She reached over, patting Joanne's stomach. "Now and in the future. What they choose to do with the opportunities is up to them."

"Molly was on the wrong path. Her ex boyfriend used her and got Molly involved in drinking and smoking. I don't know what would have happened if she hadn't met Eddie, Brad, Kathy, and Jenny," Laura said. "Now, she has Jack, Sally, Kim, and Tom as friends too."

"Tom and Molly are cute together, aren't they?" Anne said.

"They are beyond cute!" Laura said with a chuckle. "No offence to you and Ellen, Sarah, but I think Molly is much happier now than when she was with Eddie and Kathy."

"None taken. I think we both knew that relationship wouldn't last long," Sarah said. "I'm glad they all remained such close friends."

"Eddie and Kathy gave Molly the love she needed at the time. They helped her get past a very trying time," Laura said.

Don came out to the pool area. "We're ready to go. I want to show everyone the golf course and the subdivision," Don said.

The women went into the house with Don. They gathered their things and went outside. Don and Marc sat in the front seats of the new vehicle while the rest of the group got in back. Joanne and Sam waved goodbye as Don pulled away.

Tom followed Jack into the parking lot at the motel. Jack told the others he wanted to check in before launching the boat. Jack and Tom went into the office, took care of registering and then went out to get the others. The teens carried their luggage to the four rooms.

"Who are you staying with, Kim?" Molly said.

"I'm sharing a room with Eddie and Kathy." Kim giggled and added, "At least for tonight."

The couples selected their rooms. Jack reserved four rooms, all of them adjoining. Jack and Sally were the first room, followed by Tom and Molly, Jenny and Brad, and finally Eddie and Kathy. Eddie and Kathy took the room with two beds on the opposite end from Jack and Sally.

Kim put her duffle bag on the floor of the room. "Which bed do you guys want?" Kim said to Kathy.

"It doesn't matter to us, Kim." Kathy flopped on one of the beds. "We'll take this one."

It only took the group a half hour to settle in. The teens opened the doors to the adjoining rooms, making it easy for them to move from one room to another. They left the motel to get lunch and then launch the boat.

Brad and Eddie helped Jack and Tom put the boat in the water. Jack parked his pickup in the lot and Molly took Tom's Expedition to the marina to meet the boat.

"We can go out if you'd like to," Jack said after securing the boat in a slip.

The girls stood on the pier, watching Eddie, Brad, Jack, and Tom getting the rods out and placing them in holders.

"It's up to you, Jack. What time is the evening bite?" Brad said.

"I don't know. We should take a walk and talk to some of the charter captains. They might tell us about the fishing," Jack said.

The group walked down Coho Pier. They stopped at one of the charter boats to talk to the captain. At first, the captain was reluctant to share information about the fishing, but after Jenny told them that they were up from Florida, the captain offered a few suggestions.

"I think we should go out," Kim said. "It doesn't feel too windy so the lake shouldn't be rough."

Returning to the boat, the group prepared to go fishing. Jack warmed the engines while Tom showed Brad and Eddie how to rig the rods. The girls tried to stay out of the way on the small boat. With nine of them onboard, it was cramped. Before casting off, Jack went over the boat. He told everyone where they stowed the lifejackets and fire extinguishers.

Kim and Sally cast off the lines. Jack pulled out of the slip into the Grand River. As he motored toward Lake Michigan, Jack pointed out a few of the things along the shoreline.

"This is nice," Jenny said as she stood next to Jack. "I didn't realize the Great Lakes were this big. It's almost like being on the ocean."

"Lake Michigan can get almost as rough as the ocean. Lake Superior can be just as rough. They get thirty foot seas up there," Jack said.

Jack pushed forward on the throttle when he pasted the pier heads. The charter captains told Jack the fish in shallow water and close to shore. Watching the depth finder, he found the depth he wanted. Jack slowed the boat to trolling speed and turned to the north.

Sliding out of his seat, Jack said, "Jenny, can you take over? Just keep her in about seventy-five feet of water. We troll at about two miles an hour."

Nodding, Jenny climbed into the seat. Jack went over the controls, telling her about each one. While Jenny knew what everything did, she listened. Jack went to the stern to help set the lines.

"We run two downriggers out to the sides. The other two we run straight down," Jack said as he showed Brad how to rig the lines in the downrigger releases. On the portside, Tom showed Eddie how to rig for salmon.

"You have to keep your thumb on the reel while lowering the cannonball. If you don't, the spool will over-run. Once the cannonball is down where you want it, flip the free-spool lever." Jack demonstrated as he told Brad what he was doing. "We put the rod in the holder before taking up the slack line. You have to be careful or you'll pull the line out of the release."

After setting the outboard rod, Jack moved so Brad could set the other rod. He watched, giving Brad pointers. Once both of the starboard rods were set, Jack took another rod out of a holder. He showed Brad the device on the line, explaining how the weighted diver would take the line down and away from the boat. Brad set the Dipsy-Diver rod, letting out one hundred fifty feet of line.

"We're set," Jack told Tom.

"So are we. Now all we have to do is wait for the fish," Tom replied.

"This is the first time I've been on a boat this small," Molly said.

"You're okay, aren't you?" Sally said.

"Yeah, I'm fine. This boat is cozy," Molly replied.

Pointing down at the cuddy cabin, Sally said, "If you think standing our here is cozy, you should try sleeping in the cabin. Jack, Tom, Kim, and I spent a night in there during a storm last year."

"I'll bet that was fun," Kathy said.

"It was before any of us started fooling around. We just slept," Sally replied.

One of the downrigger rods sprang up. Tom spotted it and said, "Fish on!" Eddie grabbed the rod.

"Pull the rod tip up and start reeling. It's just like catching a wahoo or a dolphin," Tom said.

Eddie fought the fish while the others watched. When he reeled it close to the transom, Tom netted the small Coho salmon. After removing the lure from the fish, Eddie held it up. Tom cleaned his hands, grabbed his camera, and took a few pictures.

"That was fun. It didn't fight too hard, but for its size that salmon is tough," Eddie said.

Jenny held her course. A few minutes later, a rod on the starboard side went off. Brad fought the fish until Jack could net it. Tom took pictures of Brad and the ten-pound salmon.

"Maybe we'll get into the kings. They fight harder," Tom said.

"Jen, why don't you head out? We'll try fishing in a hundred feet of water," Jack said.

While trolling, Jack and Tom showed Brad and Eddie how to adjust the depth of the downriggers. They changed the lures, trying to find a color the fish wanted.

"The more I think about it, the more I think that we can use downriggers in Florida," Eddie said. "I've read a few articles about using them in saltwater, but I didn't think they would be useful. Now I do."

"It makes sense to me too. When we fish, we try to entice the fish to the surface. With the downriggers, we can put our baits where the fish are," Brad said.

The rod in the starboard downrigger went off. Tom grabbed the rod, set the hook, and called for Kathy. She came over to fight the fish. The fish made a few good runs before it came up close to the surface. When the salmon jumped, Kathy let out a squeal.

"Did you see that?" Kathy said as she cranked on the reel. "I didn't know that salmon jumped."

"That looks like a king, Kathy. Keep pressure on it," Jack said. He took the net out of the holder so he'd be ready to land the fish.

Kathy reeled the fish close to the transom. Jack leaned over with the net, waiting for the fish to be close enough for him to scoop it up. Eddie stood behind Kathy, encouraging her.

"Fish on," Tom yelled as he grabbed the portside Dipsy rod. "Here you go, Molly, give it hell."

Giggling, Molly took the rod from Tom. He moved back so Molly could fight the fish. Placing his hands on Molly's hips, Tom coached her.

"That's it, Sweetie, keep the rod tip up and reel," Tom said.

Jack netted Kathy's fish. He removed the hook and handed the king salmon to Kathy so Tom could take her picture. Tom told Molly he'd be right back. He grabbed his camera and took several shots of Kathy and her fish.

"How are you doing?" Tom said to Molly. She turned to look at him and he took a picture of Molly.

"I'm fine," Molly replied. She turned her attention back to the fish and continued to reel in line.

While Molly fought her fish, Eddie reset the rod Kathy caught her fish on. Kathy went to the helm to relieve Jenny.

"You're up next, Jen. I'll take over for you if you want," Kathy said.

"I'll drive so you guys can fish," Sally said. "I've caught salmon before.'

Jenny slipped out of the seat and Sally sat down. She took over, steering the boat on the same course. Jenny went to the stern and stood next to Brad.

"I can't get over how different this is from the ocean. It smells so fresh," Jenny said.

"The size of the lake amazes me, Hun," Brad replied. "I never thought that you could be on a freshwater lake and not see land."

Molly's fish made a few jumps and several long runs before she was able to bring it close enough for Tom to net. Tom brought the fish onboard, removed the hook, and helped Molly hold the twenty pound king salmon. He took several pictures before Jack put the fish in the cooler.

"Let's raise the two outboard downriggers and change to green lures. We can try to catch a steelhead too," Tom said.

Jack and Tom watched as Brad and Eddie changed the lures on the two rods and reset them. Jack suggested they set the downriggers for fifteen and twenty feet.

"The steelheads usually feed closer to the surface," Jack explained.

About twenty minutes later, one of the shallow running rods went off. Jenny jumped for the rod, pulling it from the holder. She began reeling against the fish.

"I think we hooked a steelhead," Jack said. "They're very acrobatic. Steelies don't fight as hard as kings do, but they're fun to catch."

The fish came out of the water, making several jumps. Jenny giggled as she tried to keep the line from going slack. The fight only lasted ten minutes, but Jenny loved every moment of it.

"These are so pretty," Jenny said as she posed with the steelhead. "It was fun to catch too!"

Brad placed the steelhead in the cooler. He gave Jenny a hug, telling her she did well.

"What do you think? Do you guys want to keep fishing or head in?" Jack said.

"Why don't we go in and get something to eat?" Brad said.

The group agreed that it was time to head in. Brad, Eddie, Tom, and Jack reeled in the lines and put the tackle away. Eddie took the helm, heading for the waypoint they'd programmed before leaving the mouth of the river.

Kim, Kathy, and Sally went below. They sat on the small bunk, talking about the trip so far. Tom sat on the cooler with Molly on his lap.

"Did you have fun?" Tom asked Molly. She giggled and nodded. Twisting around, Molly gave Tom a kiss.

Eddie maneuvered the boat into the slip. Jack and Brad tended to the lines, securing the boat to the pilings.

"You did a great job of docking. I didn't know you could handle a single screw that well," Jack said to Eddie causing both of them to chuckle.

"When Dad taught Jenny and me to operate our boat, he made us bring her in and dock on one engine. It's different, but not too hard once you get the hang of it," Eddie said.

The guys covered the boat while the girls waited on the pier with the cooler of fish. The group walked to the fish cleaning station so the boys could clean the fish before they headed to the motel.

"What are we going to do with the fish?" Brad said.

"The motel should have a freezer we can use. Most of the motels and cottages have freezers for the fishermen," Jack said. "Fishing is a big part of the draw for these ports."

"I can see why. Salmon fishing is a blast," Eddie said. "There are a lot of charter boats here. I wonder how they do."

"I don't know about this port, but where we stayed last summer the charter boats did well. Tom and I talked to a few of the captains. They told us that during the summer, they're booked almost everyday," Jack said.

Jack and Tom started filleting the fish. Eddie and Brad watched and then jumped in to help. "You fillet them the same way as any other fish," Jack said. "The salmon are easier than the dolphin and wahoo because they're smaller."

It only took a few minutes for the four boys to clean and package the fish. While they worked, the girls stood back watching them. A charter captain came to the cleaning station pulling a cooler behind him. He moved to the stainless steel table, pulled out several of his fish, and placed them on the surface.

"How did you boys do today?" the captain said. His clients moved closer to watch him clean his fish.

"Not too bad for the first time at this port," Tom said. "Thanks for the tips."

"No problem. There are a lot of fish out there. If you come back later this summer, you'll catch the big ones," the captain said.

"We'll be in Florida. We're moving down there after this trip." Jack used his knife to point to Brad and Eddie. "Our friends are up here for a few days. We wanted to show them how we fish on the Great Lakes," Jack said.

"How did you boys like it?"

"It's great. We fish in Florida, but this is different," Eddie said.

"What do you fish for down there?" the captain said as he made short work of the fish in front of him.

"We fish for dolphin, wahoo, sails, and marlin," Brad said.

"I always wanted to give off shore fishing a try. My wife and I have talked about making a trip to Florida one of these days. Can you recommend a good charter?" the captain said. He skinned the filet, dropping the meat into a plastic bag his client held open.

"There are a lot of good charter captains in our area. We live in South Florida on the Atlantic. If you decide to go down you can look us up. We'll take you out," Eddie said.

Jack, Tom, and Brad nodded.

The captain finished cleaning his catch. He washed his hands, reached for his wallet, and pulled out a couple business cards. "Here's my card. If you give me your phone number, I may take you up on your offer."

Jack took one of the cards while Eddie took the other. Eddie asked Kathy for a pen so he could put the information on the back of the card.

"I'm Buzz Hammond," the captain said as he began shaking hands with the boys. Jack, Tom, Brad, and Eddie introduced themselves.

"Those beautiful girls are the other half of our group," Tom said as he pointed.

Buzz smiled as he nodded.

Finished with the fish cleaning, the boys went out of the station. They stood with the girls while Buzz finished talking with his clients. After the two men left with their filets, Buzz went over to meet the girls.

"We invited Buzz to fish with us if he ever gets down to Florida," Jack told the girls.

"We know, we were listening to you guys talk," Jenny said. She turned to Buzz and smiled. "We'd love to have you. We enjoy taking people out on the boat."

"Are you kids in a hurry? I'd like to buy you a soda and we can talk if you're not," Buzz said.

"We have time," Kim said.