Chapter 46

The grill was already hot when we got there, and The burgers went on as we were tying up. Darius and I cleaned the skis and gear off and put it away while Kelli headed to the bathroom to change. I came back from taking my turn at getting changed, and brushing my teeth a little – got to keep my breath kissing fresh!

Kelli was helping Gloria get things set up while Tina was cooking. I offered to help, but was told to go away, and that lunch would be in twenty minutes. I grabbed a fresh ice tea and wandered off, finding Ken in the living room watching a baseball game on the Satellite TV system.

"This is the life," he hailed me with as I came in, hoisting his glass in my direction. "Too bad a teacher's salary isn't conducive to this kind of lifestyle."

I didn't say anything to that, since my new life was conducive to this kind of lifestyle. Any lifestyle I chose, I realized as I sat down in front of the TV. So far I'd been using my new wealth to satisfy small, immediate needs. I hadn't considered the long term consequences of the wealth I'd found myself with. Nor was I going to today, I resolved, hearing Bud and Harley laughing in my head at the thought.

"So, do us Santa Rosans root for the Giants?" I asked, nodding at the game. The San Francisco Giants were playing the Cincinnati Reds at Candlestick Park – excuse me AT&T Park, as the TV broadcast reminded me.

"We do," most of us," Ken told me. "A lot of Santa Rosans are from someplace else, so they also root for the home team of wherever they're from, but for the most part we're Giants fans. Not looking good for us so far today, though. Our ace Lincecum is pitching but we're already down 3-zip in the third."

I hadn't been a big baseball fan before this, but I had enjoyed it when I had the chance. I was a Philadelphia Phillies fan when I was being a fan at all. It was a lot closer than the Mets or Yankees. Even the Baltimore Orioles were looked on more favorably than the New York teams.

We watched with little enthusiasm until we were called to lunch.

Lunch was delicious, loud and boisterous. The burgers were delicious and so was the potato salad. There were kettle chips as well. Everyone was talking about the excellent skiing they'd had and how good the water felt. The little inlet we'd anchored up in was shallow and sandy bottomed, so there was some discussion of swimming whenever we weren't water skiing or riding the jet skis.

When it was time for dessert, I brought out the sherbet with some pride. Everyone tried it straight and with the dark chocolate sauce that Kelli brought. We all agreed that the sherbet was delicious by itself, but even better with the topping. There's just something about the combination of cherries and chocolate.