Christy Miller Collection, Vol 4 Read online

  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 noble 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 analogy 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.

  “How does this look?” Katie stepped out on the deck wearing an oversized white T-shirt and shorts.

  “Oh my!” Marti said, looking concerned. “Is that the best you can do?”

  “Well, this was originally an invitation to go houseboating, not to the prom,” Katie said sarcastically. “I would have brought my black sequined evening gown with matching gloves and mink stole if you had told me.”

  Christy glanced down at her own jean shorts and the rolled-up long-sleeved denim shirt with a torn pocket. I wonder why Aunt Marti didn’t criticize my outfit? Does she think a person only has to look good when she’s trying to get a boyfriend?

  “Let’s do this.” Marti fussed with the long ends of Katie’s T-shirt and tied them into a knot at her right hip. “Much more flattering. Shows off your flat stomach.”

  Katie laughed, startling Marti. “Thanks for the tip, but I’m not much of a knot-on-the-hip type of person.” Katie untied it and let the now-wrinkled shirt hang naturally. “I did put on some makeup. Did anyone notice?”

  In the dimming light of the evening sky, Christy hadn’t. She and Marti both moved in closer to examine the makeup. It was hard to tell, but in a subtle way Katie’s green eyes looked larger and more sparkling.

  “There’s always your personality.” Marti stepped back and gave Katie another up-and-down scan. “You have a wonderful personality. Use it to your advantage, dear.”

  Then excusing herself to find the boys, Marti waltzed past Christy and Katie and into the bright lights of the houseboat kitchen.

  “Use your personality, dear,’” Katie mimicked. “I think I just got slammed big time. What do you think?”

  “I think we should both relax a little and enjoy my aunt’s game of Enchanted Evening. What do you think?”

  “I think…” Katie hesitated. “Never mind what I think. You’re right. This could be a lot of fun. Just the four of us. No unexpected angels’ dropping by. I hope.”

  “I don’t think so. Natalie’s houseboat pulled out while you were in the shower.”

  “So we just stand here and act casual until the guys show up?”

  Just then the motor to the houseboat started, and Bob began to maneuver their way out of the cove and into the main part of the lake.

  “What’s going on?” Katie asked.

  “My uncle wanted to be closer to the marina so we can check in earlier in the morning. Aunt Marti is going to serve our dinners while Bob floats our restaurant under the stars. Pretty fun, don’t you think?”

  Katie started to brighten up a little. “Yeah, I guess this could be kind of fun. It’d be even more fun if I didn’t feel like such a fashion degenerate.”

  Christy laughed. “You look fine. Look at me though. I’m the slob of the year!”

  “Hardly. You always look cute. Even in grubbies you look cute. How do you do that?”

  “Do what? I don’t do anything.”

  “That’s what I mean,” Katie said. “You’re one of those people who looks good in anything.”

  Before Christy had a chance to return a compliment to her insecure friend, the guys entered the kitchen, filling the compact area with their presence. They immediately evoked Marti’s laughter.

  “What’s so funny in there?” Katie asked, trying to peer through the mesh in the screen door.

  The guys turned toward them and headed for the back deck. Apparently they had taken Marti’s grooming threats to heart. Both guys had parted their hair in the middle and watered it down so that it stuck to their heads. They both had on T-shirts and shorts, but they had constructed bow ties out of paper towels and had somehow fastened them to their T-shirts at the neckline.

  “Come meet your dates.” Marti said with hints of laughter still tickling her voice. “Right this way, gentlemen.”

  Marti ushered them out to the deck, where Katie and Christy stood waiting. The guys smiled, and Christy noticed something dark on Doug’s upper lip.

  “Good evening,” Doug greeted them, twitching his face a little and drawing attention to his paint
ed-on mustache. “I’d like to thank whichever one of you left your mascara in the bathroom. I found it very useful.”

  They all laughed. Todd pulled out his chair and sat down. Doug followed his example. Under Marti’s firm glare, Katie and Christy remained standing, waiting for the guys to pull out their chairs.

  “Oh, I beg your pardon, miss.” Doug caught on before Todd and rose to pull out Katie’s chair. “May I?”

  Katie graciously lowered herself into the folding chair and played right along. “Oh, thank you ever so much, kind sir. There’s nothing like a man with a mustache to add that festive touch to any occasion.”

  “That’s me.” Doug pretending to twirl his mustache. “The man with the festive touch.”

  Todd pulled out Christy’s chair, and Marti said, “Please make yourselves comfortable. Your salads are before you, and I shall return momentarily with a basket of bread sticks.”

  The houseboat slowly motored across the lake as the sun slid behind the hills. A gentle evening breeze rose from off the water.

  “Look over there.” Todd pointed to the hills to the left. As they watched, the moon rose like a prize-winning harvest pumpkin and lit their table the way a paper lantern lights up a garden party.

  “Awesome,” Doug said.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” Katie asked. “What a perfect night. A ‘bella notte,’ as they say. All we need is spaghetti and meatballs and a couple of Italian waiters to sing to us.”

  “Why?” Doug asked.

  “Because it feels like the night in that movie when the dogs are eating spaghetti, and the boy dog uses his nose to push the last meatball over to the girl dog.”

  “Why didn’t you say so?” Doug playfully used his nose to nudge the cherry tomato from his salad off his plate and toward Katie. The tomato made it about halfway to Katie’s plate before it toppled over the side of the card table and hit the deck with a splat.

  “Now we know why they used a meatball in the movie.” Doug said dryly.

  They all laughed, and Christy felt happy. Very happy. She wondered if Todd was enjoying all this as much as she was. He looked downright silly with his slicked-back hair and paper towel bow tie. She would expect this kind of goofing off from Doug. It was a nice surprise to see Todd acting a little crazy.