Todd was standing next to the table with his arm around a stunning young girl. She looked as though she couldn"t be much older than fourteen, but her figure made her look more mature. Her dark hair was pulled back by her sungla.s.ses and her lips curled in a charming crescent-moon smile, revealing perfect white teeth set off by her deep, chocolate cinnamon skin.
"Christy," Todd said, "guess who"s in the houseboat across the cove from us?"
"Natalie." Christy forced a friendly smile. "What a surprise!"
Katie poked Christy in the side as if to silently ask, "And who is Natalie?"
"Katie, this is Natalie. Natalie is the one who rescued us this afternoon."
Todd moved his arm from Natalie"s shoulders and was about to say something when Doug came in from the side of the houseboat with a platter of barbecued steaks in his hand. He apparently hadn"t seen Natalie arrive.
"Hi!" Doug said brightly, his grin dancing across his face. Doug looked to Todd for an explanation.
"This is Natalie. Our angel on the Wave Rider."
Natalie giggled. It was a cute, innocent giggle. What was it Todd had said about how irresistible innocent girls were?
"Would you like to join us for dinner?" Doug offered. "We have plenty."
"We already ate," Natalie said. "I just happened to notice it was your boat parked over here, so I thought I"d come say hi."
"This is awesome." Doug said. "We"re going to have a campfire on the beach after dinner; you"ll join us. won"t you?"
"I guess. Sure. Thanks for asking."
Then, as if someone had said to Katie, "Let the games begin," she jumped into the conversation. Gaining Doug"s attention obviously was her goal. "Those steaks look great, Doug. Did you cook them? I bet you guys are hungry. I sure am. We should sit down to dinner, don"t you think?"
Bob, who had been observing all of this from the kitchen sink where he was pouring a pan of hot peas into a serving bowl, joined Katie"s team. "Good idea. Let"s sit down."
"I"ll let myself out," Natalie said softly. "I guess I"ll watch for your campfire later on."
"Don"t leave." Doug slid onto the vinyl bench seat and patted the spot next to him. "There"s plenty of room. Natalie. Come sit by me."
Katie took the challenge and bolted to the table where she slid in on Doug"s other side. "Are you as hungry as I am?" Katie asked Doug, looking for an answer from him.
Christy found herself a chair and pulled it up to the table. She wasn"t sure how she felt about what was going on here. In a way she was glad Katie was flirting a little with Doug. Maybe all Katie needed was the compet.i.tive factor that Natalie brought into the situation. Still, Natalie had to be several years younger than Katie and Christy. If she was about fourteen, that would make Natalie eight years younger than Doug. Surely he knew that. He wasn"t really flirting with her, was he?
Throughout dinner Natalie giggled at all of Doug"s comments, and Katie popped off with some of her cla.s.sic lines at the right moments. Christy wondered if Todd had any clue as to what was going on.
Do guys ever? she thought.
After dinner Christy helped Bob with the dishes. Todd and Doug, followed by Katie and Natalie, took off to start the campfire.
"I brought some marshmallows," Bob offered, handing a bag to Christy after the dishes were done. "Some coat hangers are in the hall closet. Why don"t you join the others?"
Christy went in search of the coat hangers and glanced toward the sh.o.r.e out the window. The fire was already glowing. In the darkness she could make out Doug"s frame with both girls on either side of him. in the exact spots they had occupied at dinner.
Natalie seemed like a sweet girl, and it was fun to meet another Christian and to have been rescued by her. Christy just hoped that being so young and vulnerable Natalie wouldn"t misinterpret Doug"s attention. Even more than that, Christy hoped Katie wouldn"t get hurt, especially after Christy"s big pep talk with her.
Did I do the right thing, pushing Katie toward Doug like that?
Armed with marshmallows and five coat hangers, Christy grabbed a beach towel and headed for the campfire. She spread her towel on the smooth rocks next to Todd and asked, "Anyone ready for a marshmallow?"
Doug didn"t hear her. Katie had him tangled up in a thumb wrestling contest.
"I"d like one." Natalie left her post next to Doug and joined Christy. As she skewered the white puff, Natalie looked past Christy and said to Todd, "I still can"t believe you guys are all Christians. That is so cool!"
Todd, Christy, and Natalie chatted, quietly roasting marshmallows while Doug and Katie continued their contest. When they seemed to have had enough thumb wrestling. Doug and Katie joined the other three and started another compet.i.tion. This time it was to see who could get his or her marshmallow the brownest without burning it.
After three marshmallows, Christy was full of the sticky sugar and placed her coat hanger against one of the large rocks lining the fire pit. As she let go of the hanger. Todd stretched out his hand.
She thought he was reaching for her coat hanger, but instead he grasped her hand and wrapped his thick, warm fingers around hers. She turned to him and smiled. Todd smiled back. They were together, sitting close under a star-filled sky, holding hands. This was what Christy had always dreamed going together would be like. She moved a little closer to Todd so their hands could rest comfortably on his folded leg.
That"s when she noticed Natalie looking at them, and Christy realized how awkward Natalie must feel with two college guys paying all their attention to Katie and Christy while Natalie sat alone like a leftover. Christy remembered how explosive her emotions were when she was fourteen, and she tried to draw Natalie into a conversation. Even though Todd and Christy were sitting close and holding hands. Christy thought it didn"t have to mean they excluded Natalie.
Doug and Katie continued their marshmallow compet.i.tion until the entire bag had been devoured. During their contest Natalie and Christy talked about school, family, and church. When the topic of Jet Skiing came up, Doug sat down next to Natalie with a string of questions.
Now it was Katie"s turn to look like the leftover. The more Doug and Natalie talked, the more Katie seemed to withdraw. When Natalie asked Doug if he wanted to try out her Wave Rider tomorrow morning, Doug lit up with excitement and gave Natalie one of his hugs.
Christy wondered how Natalie would interpret Doug"s affectionate expression. She seemed to glow a little brighter in the dwindling firelight as the two of them made their morning plans. There was no problem trying to guess how Katie took Doug"s gesture toward Natalie. Katie excused herself from the group and walked back to the houseboat.
Instinctively Christy wanted to rush to her friend"s side and comfort her. Still, she didn"t want to leave Todd and the warmth of his hand encircling hers. Even though Christy knew it was probably not the best decision, she let Katie go off by herself.
"You think she"s okay?" Todd asked.
"I think so. It"s been a long day for everyone," Christy said.
After all, Christy told herself, Katie should be old enough to handle these kinds of disappointments on her own without always having me there to cheer her up. She"ll meet a nice guy someday who will appreciate her.
Christy tried to convince herself that it wasn"t her fault Doug didn"t seem to be as interested in Katie as Christy had hoped he would be. Doug and Katie had been around each other before at get-togethers, but somehow Christy had imagined this would be the trip that would draw the two of them together the way she and Todd were finally together.
Oh well, Christy thought with a sigh, I guess it wasn"t meant to be. Certainly Katie can see that. She"ll snap out of it by morning.
Christy"s prediction was wrong. Katie didn"t snap out of it. Christy lingered in bed, hoping to talk to Katie when she woke up, but Katie pretended to be still asleep.
"I don"t know what to do," Christy confided to Uncle Bob at the breakfast table where only the two of them sat. "I think Katie"s not just hurt because Doug didn"t pay much attention to her last night, but I think she"s mad at me for even suggesting she flirt with him."
It was easy for Christy to pour her heart out to her uncle. This morning she did it as if the confession would release her from the guilt she felt for pushing Katie into something she wasn"t convinced she should do.
"You can"t do anything," Bob said. "You tried to do something yesterday by coaxing her toward Doug, and that didn"t work out. There"s not much you can do or say at this point until her feelings mend some. It"ll happen. It just takes time. Until then, leave her alone."
Then with a smile and a sip of his coffee. Bob added, "Trust me. When it comes to advice on women getting over being mad at you, I"m talking from experience." He gingerly nodded toward the closed bedroom door down the hall, where Christy could hear her aunt humming as she got ready for the day. Apparently Bob had taken his own advice and had allowed his wife time to be alone last night so she could mend from the trauma of the previous day.
Marti emerged bright and smiling, ready for a fresh start. "Good morning, you two. Beautiful day, isn"t it? I thought we could all relax a little today. Take it easy, soak up some sun. What do you think? Are we all ready to enjoy ourselves?"
Christy thought her aunt was a little too perky, but she preferred perky over sulky any day. Besides, she agreed with Marti"s advice on taking it easy. Maybe that would be the best thing for Katie and Doug too.
For two sun-drenched, gentle hours, Christy sat by Todd"s side on the top of the houseboat, reading while he fished. It was wonderful to be together without feeling they had to be doing or saying something to fill the time. Todd caught two medium-sized trout, which he cleaned while Christy watched.
Meanwhile Katie was off by herself, swimming for a little while, then kicking back on the deck while Bob and Doug worked on the rudder. Bob thought it needed some attention, so he had Doug in the water while he gave directions from the boat.
"Why don"t we fry your fish for lunch?" Marti suggested once Todd had them cleaned.
"There"s only enough for about one bite per person," Todd said.
"That"s okay. It"s all part of the experience of being on the river, don"t you think?"
They were really on a lake, not a river, but no one mentioned this to Marti. It was nice to have her in a good mood.
You really can be a sweetie when you want to be, can"t you, Aunt Marti? Now if only Katie would perk up a little, Doug could see what a sweetie she can be.
"Who"s up for some water skiing?" Bob asked after lunch. "The rudder is as good as new. Katie? You want to go out with me?"
Katie gave him a wry smile. "I guess I"d better take you up on the offer. You may be the only male who ever asks me to go out with him."
Bob gave Katie a friendly hug and said, "I want to see you up on one ski again. You"re very good, you know."
Katie shrugged. Christy interpreted the gesture to mean Katie would give up her athletic ability in a second if it meant a guy would be interested in her.
"You coming too, Christy?" Bob asked. "Or how about you guys? I made sure the tank is full, Todd."
"Good thinking," Todd said. "Sure, I"ll go."
"How about you, Doug?" Bob sounded like a coach trying to get all the cool guys to sign up for his team.
"Actually, I told Natalie I"d go out on the Wave Rider with her at two." Doug looked a little sheepish. "I"ll stick around here. You guys go have fun. Maybe I"ll see you out there."
When Christy, Bob, Todd, and Katie headed out for a good skiing spot, the awkwardness Christy felt with Doug the day before returned, only this time it was with Katie. She could feel her best friend"s snubbing as if it were a chill wind.
Why is it that everything started to go bad with all my friends the minute Todd and I started to go together? Is there some unwritten rule that once you have a boyfriend everyone else is commanded to turn against you?
What hurt Christy the most was that she had been so eager to talk to Katie about Todd and how they had decided they would go together. Now that was the last thing Katie wanted to hear.
"Hit it!" Katie called from her position in the water sometime later. It was the last run of the day, and Christy had spent the afternoon mulling over her thoughts while she held up the ski flag whenever Todd, Bob, or Katie had gone down in the water.
"Do you want to try after Katie"s run?" Bob asked Christy. "It looks like we"ll be leaving fairly early in the morning, so this may be your last chance."
Christy thought of the pep talk she had given herself after her last attempt at water skiing and decided she needed to give it one more try.
After Katie successfully completed a perfect run, she let go of the towrope and dropped into the water. She seemed surprised to see Christy coming into the water.
"You"re not going to try skiing again, are you?" Katie asked.
"I think I need to give it one more sincere effort before giving up." Christy tried hard to sound confident.
Katie shrugged, climbed back into the boat, and tossed Christy the rope. "Don"t you want these skis?" Katie held up the two skis while Christy struggled in the water to fit both her feet into the single ski.
"No, I think I"ll try this one."
"Most people learn how to ski on two before they try one," Katie reasoned.
"Well," Christy said, feeling foolish and n.o.ble at the same time, "I guess I"m not like most people."
She positioned the ski toward the boat, tightly gripped the tow rope, and tried to remember everything Todd had told her. Then she bellowed, "Hit it!"
The rope edged across the face of the water as the boat pulled it taut. The instant she felt its tug, Christy began to lean back and let the boat do the work. The ski seemed to bounce and wiggle, making it difficult for her to find her balance. Then it happened. Miracle of miracles, she was standing up! She was skiing. And on one ski, no less.
"All right, Christy!" she could hear Todd cheering.
The boat slowly turned to the right. It was just enough of a shift to make her lose her balance. Christy wobbled and then tumbled into the water.
She must have been up on the ski for forty seconds, but to hear Todd tell Doug back at the houseboat, it sounded like Christy had broken a world record. Maybe it was, for her. Maybe she was, as Katie had said, "athletically impaired," but at least she had tried. And in that effort she had experienced enough achievement to make her feel like an Olympic medalist.
Christy was the first to shower and change while the guys secured the boat. Bob had decided they needed to camp closer to the marina that night so they could get an earlier start in the morning for their long ride home.
"I heard you experienced a great success this afternoon," Marti said when Christy emerged from the bathroom.
"It was a pretty big deal for me," Christy admitted. "But you should have seen Katie. She"s incredible on skis!" Christy flashed a smile at Katie, who was helping to get dinner ready. Christy hoped it might mend some of the holes in their communication line.
Katie took the compliment and looked over her shoulder at Christy. It was the first time their eyes had really met all day. "You inspired me, Christy, to keep trying at the things that don"t come easily for me."
"I can"t imagine there would be very many things that don"t come easily for you, dear," Marti said.
"Guys don"t come easily for me. Particularly guys like Doug."
"Why didn"t you say so?" Marti asked. "How silly of me not to have noticed! Well, if you"re serious about taking Christy"s inspiration to keep trying, then I have a plan."
Marti motioned for the two girls to come closer so she could fill them in on her scheme. Marti whispered, pointed outside, looked at her watch, and then gave Katie strict instructions to take a shower and not to come out "until you look and feel as pretty as a picture."
It was an ironic a.n.a.logy for Katie, who worked for a photographer and often told Christy about the secret touch-ups used on all the best pictures in the shop. Christy thought maybe Marti would be just the right touch-up artist to get things going between Katie and Doug.
Perhaps the best part was that Katie was willing to try. It made Christy feel like they were being drawn back together as friends to work on Marti"s project.
Christy noticed that the water Katie had started on the stove was boiling, so she added the measuring cup of rice, put on the lid, and turned the flame down low.
"Now, the chicken is already in the oven. It looks like we need to get this salad going," Marti said. "I"ll have Bob set up the card table on the back deck."
Marti busied herself with her dinner arrangements while Christy made the salad and watched Todd and Doug out the window. They both had dark tans after a summer of endless surfing and looked relaxed in their T-shirts and swim trunks, helping Bob tie up the boat. Marti joined them and gave firm instructions on what time they were to be ready for dinner and how they were to look and smell when they showed.
Christy sprinkled a bag of croutons on top of her finished salad and smiled at her determined aunt. With Marti back in her "cruise director" mode, there was no telling how their dinner might turn out.
"We need one more chair," Marti instructed.
Christy pulled the last folding chair from the closet and carried it to the back deck, where Marti stood by the card table. Not just any card table. This table had been transformed into an elegant dining spot for Todd, Christy, Doug, and Katie, complete with tablecloth, candles, and Marti"s handsome name cards at each place. This was all part of her surefire plan to bring Doug and Katie together, a romantic sunset dinner on a floating restaurant.
"There." Marti tucked the last chair into its spot. "The boys should be done with their showers soon. Where"s Katie? You two lovely young ladies should be standing out here by the deck, casually waiting for them to arrive. And remember, neither of you is to sit down until the boys pull out the chairs for you."
Christy nodded at all her aunt"s "charm school" instructions. She had to admit, this was fun.