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He was so pleased with himself.
“I was so disappointed when I didn’t get one. I was going to buy it for myself. I love this one because it’s got the firefighters’ prayer on it.
“Now open yours.” She picked it up with both hands to give to him.
“This is heavy!” He tore the paper off, and it took him a minute to see what it was. “No way.”
“Are you okay with it?” she asked, eager to know if she’d done as well as he had.
He sat down next to her and opened up the box. She’d spent a small fortune on the nicest professional manicure set she could get without sending away for it, since she’d waited until the last minute.
Jake turned to her and gave her a kiss. “You have no idea.”
“No, I do. Big Mike told me you wanted to go to beauty school, but the other boys didn’t want you to. Jake, if you want to go now, it’s not too late. I’ll support you in every way.”
“You’d really do that?”
“You know I would. We have the perfect job, too. You could even still work while you go to school.”
“I’ll think about it,” he said, going through the box. “This is really nice. Thank you so much.”
He leaned over to kiss her.
“Let’s explore this boat,” he said. “I’m hungry, too.”
They left their room and went to the outside to walk around the ship. At the port side, they waited to watch the sun set. The big red ball slowly sank, but as it reached the horizon, it disappeared in seconds. They continued on to the other side.
The gleaming, polished brass and shiny teak with rows of teak lounge chairs looked like something out of a movie.
“I feel like a rich person,” Geri said.
“You belong on a boat like this,” Jake said. “You’re beautiful. You look like a movie star.”
“Aw, I’m glad you think so.”
They stood at the starboard side as the ship cruised north. The lights of the coastal towns lit up the night.
“Look!” Jake said, pointing to the shore. “That’s Barnacle Ben’s at the Oceanside Pier.”
“Wow, how cool. I’ll be happy to sit here all night.”
Music drifted out from the cabaret. “Listen. I love this song.Music’s in the air,” Jake sang, sliding his arm around Geri’s waist. “It makes me want to dance with the prettiest girl around.”
With her hand on his shoulder and holding his other hand, they slow danced around the deck.
“We’ve never danced before,” she said.
“And I’ve never sung to you. This is a night of firsts.”
Smoothing his face with her hands, Geri kissed his face, then his lips, her body against his from her knees to her shoulders.
“Can we go back to our room?” she whispered.
Taking her hand, he led her back to the entrance door. The lights were low in the passageway to their stateroom; the thick carpeted floor muffled their footsteps after the teak of the deck. They ran along, conspirators headed for romance.
The dining room was practically empty the next morning. The couple sat at a table for two at the window. The coastline in the distance moved quickly by. The port of call that morning was Santa Barbara. Sipping coffee from a white china cup, Geri sat with one leg tucked under her and her arm on the table.
Jake’s pale face gave away what he’d done the night before. “You know I can’t drink.”
