Chapter 12

Truth be told, it was Edna who had caught all the fish for dinner at the lodge that night and she was in her glory. I had loaded up a plate of fish and sat myself down at the table across from Edna and Albert. The stories of the fishing expedition were already starting to become immortalized as Fred confirmed that Edna had hauled in a huge catch, while Albert and Fred had caught only minnows that they had to throw back. Judith was sitting at the end of the table with Uncle Albert and Aunt Edna. There was just one other couple in the dining room that I didn't recognize, and Fred was busily scurrying back and forth into the kitchen. He had just brought another big platter of fish out, and sat it on the table. Judith was in a very good mood, and was in the midst of giving a load of crap to Uncle Albert about not catching as many fish as Edna. Fred stood there with his hands on his hips as Albert explained to Judith.

"If I hadn't been so busy helping your grandmother land her fish and get them off her line and put them in the live-well, I would have had a lot more time to catch more fish of my own." He said. It was a lame excuse, but Albert was trying it on Judith, who clearly wasn't buying it.

I looked around for Audrey, but didn't see her. She must not have gotten back from her "errand" yet. We had lots of wonderful tasty fish, and Fred finally came and sat down at the table when the other couple had left. He mentioned that he was trying to get his marine radio installed in his boat and asked if I'd stop over at his shop tonight to help.

It must have been after ten o'clock when Fred and I finally gave up and I headed back to my cabin. It had started raining, and I noticed that Edna's car wasn't in front of the lodge when I walked by. It was raining steadily by the time I reached my cabin, and I had to dry myself off and change my shirt.

There was a bit of a chill in the cabin, so I started a fire in the fireplace and got a beer from the fridge. As I sat and stared into the fire, my mind wandered back to the events of the day. Things were about as out of control as I could imagine them, and I could stand to have things be simplified a little bit. I was enjoying just sitting here alone enjoying the fire. I poked at the fire a little bit, finished my beer, and then decided to go to bed.

I brushed my teeth and slipped between the sheets of my bed. I was watching the flickering light from the fire dance on the ceiling, and just about to nod off when there was a quiet knock on the door and Audrey let herself in.

"You're back." I said.

"Yeah, Mrs Chezney had dinner all ready for me when I showed up, so I stayed for dinner."

"I was a little worried." I said honestly.

"You shouldn't have." Audrey said, hanging up her raincoat on the hook by the door and kicking off her shoes. Audrey was wearing denim shorts and a t-shirt under the raincoat. She came over by the bed and just stood there in the light of the fireplace looking at me. She stood there with her hands on he hips.

"What?" I said.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" She asked.

"You mean just sleep?" I asked. She looked just a little sad, but she was smiling all the same and nodded.

"Yeah," she said, undoing the snap to her shorts and pushing them down her legs. "If that's OK with you."

"As long as you don't snore." I said with a grin. Then I had to ask, "Is everything OK?"

Audrey smiled a warm smile, and then pulled her t-shirt over head and put it on the chair. She reached back to unsnap her bra. She let the thing fall free and slide down her arms. She threw it on the chair. I stared at her in the flickering light from the fire. She was just gorgeous this way. Her rounded breasts seemed to defy gravity. Her big dark eyes and mouth were framed by her curly hair. Her skimpy panties were a pale pink fabric that didn't hide much. She stood there wanting to be welcomed into my bed, and I was wondering what she was thinking. She just stood there, with the glow of the fire adding warmth to her smooth skin and shading the wonderful curves and rounded parts.

I held the covers up. Her face lit up with a big smile and she slid into bed next to me. She snuggled into my arms and wrapped herself around me. Her skin was warm and smooth. I was wearing only boxers, and I could feel her breasts slide against my side as she snuggled against me. I could feel the stiffness of her nipples against me, and the fragrance of her hair was intoxicating.