Chapter 3

Sometimes nature just overwhelms you. I dropped to the sand and just admired it's majesty. The moon was full and bright. As it shone down it made the waves that were crashing onto the sand almost glow. Every one of Tami's six thousand three hundred and thirty-two stars was out, each trying to outshine the others. And they brought friends. A gentle breeze drifted from the west, carrying the salty smell of the sea with it.

Nature was magnificent.

Especially the six naked bodies cavorting in the surf in front of me. That was nature at her finest.

Skinny dipping had been Robbie's idea of course. Though the others joined in quickly. Traci and I had been the most reluctant, each very conscious of the other. I know that Traci had seen me naked, having caught me with a couple different girls. And I'd seen Traci, having caught her with a girl too, though she didn't know it. But this was different.

Eventually we relaxed and enjoyed the feel of the surf and the cool night air against our bodies. We'd gotten lucky. The park had several different camp areas, and ours was deserted on a Sunday evening except for us. We had the beach to ourselves. After a while I'd come to sit on the sand and watch as the girls played. Like I said, this was nature in all her glory.

Tami and I had gotten back to camp earlier, before the others, and Tami had taken the half-full bottle of tequila out of the gym bag I'd packed after Mom gave me my luggage and thrown it away. Then she and the others, when they got back, made dinner. I didn't have to lift a finger. And somehow, one of them was always on my lap chatting about anything.

I decided that maybe, just maybe, life was fair after all.

Baked potatoes, sweet corn on the cob, and steaks any Texan could be proud of. Life was good, even if I did have to eat with one hand, cause the other arm was wrapped around Kelly as she sat in my lap.

There was a nice big campfire that felt good to sit next to, even if the night wasn't cold enough to need it.

After dinner Kelly had to get off my lap to clean up, but Tami quickly took her place. Come to think of it, it was Tami who decided that it was Kelly's turn to clean up, but I'm sure that was just a coincidence.

"Enjoying the view?" Tami asked, coming out of the surf and plopping down next to me.

"Oh yeah," I agreed enthusiastically.

"You pervert! That's your sister out there."

"And you know, she doesn't look half bad for an eighth-grader and a sister."

From the corner of my eye I saw Tami cock her head as she looked at me.

"When the hell did she grow tits?"

Tami laughed. "You might open your eyes and look at her occasionally."

"They're open now."

"Pervert." She draped her arm across my back and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Was this a good idea?"

I knew instinctively that she wasn't talking about the skinny dipping. "This was a great idea. I think we all needed it."

"And you and Robbie... ?"

"I think we're us again, or at least we're getting there."

"Good."

We watched the girls for a while. Kelly had climbed onto her sister's shoulders, and Traci was riding Robbie, and the girls were having a chicken fight, trying to pull each other down.

"And Zoe?' Tami asked just as Traci managed to unhorse Kelly.

"Zoe's shy. She's in the bushes watching. She's not ready to go skinny dipping in a group yet." I could feel Tami nodding her head against my shoulder.

We kept watching as Darlene and Robbie raced toward the surf and dove, trying to imitate the lifeguards we'd all seen on Baywatch.

"So where to tomorrow, madame tour director?"

"Nowhere. We stay tomorrow. There's some hiking trails and a couple of lighthouses. We'll leave Tuesday."

"Where?"

"South. Or east. Maybe north. Definitely one of those."

"You're getting pretty devious in your old age."

Tami leaned up and kissed me on the cheek. "I learned from the best." She laid her head back on my shoulder. "I'm surprised that Big Tony hasn't joined the party."

I looked down at my crotch, surprised. I hadn't even thought about it, but I wasn't erect. Not even a little. Six beautiful naked girls, and I wasn't hard. "I guess it's the nudist camp thing. They say that in a nudist camp, guys don't get hard all the time because the nudity is so natural it's not sexy. I never believed it."

"And what are you two doing up her alone and naked?" Robbie asked as she squatted down on my other side."

"Talking," I told her.

"I always knew you two were boring. Your wedding present is going to be a pair of rocking chairs."

Cool," Tami and I said together.

The other girls settled to the sand in front of us.

Did you hear about school?" Darlene asked, and we all shook our heads.

"Mr. Kincaid and Mrs. Jeffries are leaving."

"Kincaid's no loss," Robbie said before I could.

"Jeffries might be a problem if Parker's going to replace her," I added.

"My mom said the school board hasn't decided yet," Darlene said.

"That's something." The thought of Parker in charge of everything was unsettling at best.

"Where are they going?" Tami asked.

"Mom said that Kincaid's quitting teaching and is going to be a some kind of curator for some company. I guess Jeffries got a job offer from a school in Idaho," Darlene explained.

I looked at Robbie, "Think I should write them a letter and warn them?"

"I think you should be good," Tami said before Robbie could answer.

"Can I ask you something?" Kelly said shyly.

"You can ask me anything, squirt."

"Hey! I though she was the squirt," Kelly protested. pointing at my sister next to her.

"You both are," Robbie said before Traci could protest.

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

"It's about Zoe, is that okay?"

I swallowed hard, but nodded.

"It's just... I don't understand why... I mean you and Tami, and you and Zoe. I..."

"Breathe," Tami said, trying not to laugh at the flustered younger girl. She reached over and took my hand, entwining her fingers in mine. "Tony, I think you should tell her a bedtime story."

I felt the heat rush to my face.

"You don't have to," Kelly said quickly. "I just wondered."

"No, I think Tam's right. She was a pretty amazing girl, I think you all should know that." I reached my other hand out and found Robbie's, holding it and giving her a squeeze. Robbie seemed startled at first, then squeezed back.

I looked up at the stars, wondering if Zoe was up there among them, looking down.

"Once upon a time there was a far-off kingdom called New York. It was a strange land of tall towers and mysterious tunnels."

Kelly pouted. "I'm not a baby. You don't have to make it a fairy tale."

"That's okay, I like fairy tales," Tami said.

"Me, too," Darlene said.

"Zoe liked fairy tales too," Mikee added.

I grinned. "And into this mystical kingdom, in the month of September, a beautiful raven-haired princess was born. The princess grew up amid the wonders of the kingdom. The park called Central, the museum called Metropolitan, the statue called Liberty, and many others.