The week was ending, and during another meeting with Pasco, Tully made one more request. After listening to something Bailey said, and her own gut, she was willing to pay for this item herself.
While Tully worked, Libby accepted the assignment of putting the house up for sale, using a realtor who also supplied a list of potential properties for Tully to buy. She’d recruited Bailey and Ralph for that part of the deal.
After the third day of summer vacation both kids had told her they wanted to spend the summer with her instead of working at the summer camp, and because they had found their own replacements, she agreed, glad she had done so because they worked diligently filing and doing other tasks.
She didn’t really expect them to become attorneys, but she liked that they were focusing on something constructive instead of getting into trouble. She realized that most kids changed their minds dozens of times before they knew what they wanted to be.
“Is everyone packed and ready?” Tully asked Friday morning during breakfast. “I want to leave from the office, so throw your bags in the truck.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be taking Libby out on a first date tomorrow?” Bailey asked.
“I am.”
“Then why are we going to Gran and Pop’s place? It’s taken you forever to get moving on this, and you know we’re going to the most boring town on the planet, no offense, with no nice restaurants.” Bailey rolled her eyes and sighed. “You want the girl to like you, clueless.”
Ralph jumped in. “Mom knows what she’s doing.” He glanced at Tully with a question in his eyes. “You know what you’re doing, don’t you, Mom? Bailey’s right. You want her to like you, and we want her to keep cooking for us.”
“Thanks for the confidence, dating professionals, and Libby isn’t just here to cook.”
“We know that, but we like her, so please tell me you put some thought into this,” Bailey said.
“I’ve put plenty of thought into it. Don’t panic thinking you’re going back to daily Pop-Tarts.”
“If I find those things in the pantry again, Badeaux, there’ll be hell to pay,” Libby said as she entered the kitchen. “Just so you know.”
“We’re eating the bran muffins you made last night, and our colons thank you,” Tully said before she kissed her. She waved the kids out of the room to the pool house to help with her surprise.
“Why do I smell a conspiracy?” Libby asked when they broke apart and she noticed they were alone.
“Such paranoia, pretty lady. The kids just know how much I want to spend time alone with you. I’m sure they think they’ll get a raise if they vamoose every so often.” Tully pulled her closer and kissed her with a little more passion. “Thanks again for agreeing to reschedule our date.”
“It’s your mother, honey. Of course I don’t mind. What exactly is the problem again?”
“They got some legal papers and she’s not sure why. If it’s nothing, I’m sure we can make it back in time to go somewhere.”
Though Libby was a little disappointed, she understood how important Tully’s family was to her. “There’s always next weekend, so if we have time we can take the kids to a movie or something.”
Libby turned around when she felt Tully’s hand come off her back. Bailey was standing in the window waving for no apparent reason, but she didn’t ask and just followed Tully to the door. “I’m confident we’ll get to do something,” Tully said as she started the car.
She drove toward the office, but when they got to the interstate she turned onto the up ramp. Libby just looked at her, then back at the kids, and sat back in her seat, silent. She was just going to trust Tully since she’d never been given a reason not to.
At the speed Tully was going, they soon left the city behind. The marsh, its huge cypress trees draped in moss, dominated the scenery, and the white cranes napping in the morning sun provided the only color in the deep green of the tree canopy. As Libby slipped her hand into Tully’s lap, she tilted her head to the side so she could enjoy the landscape.
Gaston was loading the Alma Mae with supplies when they arrived, and Tully drove up to the dock instead of turning into the drive. She was surprised to find both her brothers coming off the boat after her father, both with huge smiles. While Tully had excelled in the classroom and in her career, Jerrold and Walter Badeaux had wanted to stay home and continue the family tradition on the water. Both had graduated from college with business degrees and with Tully’s help now ran a seafood processing plant not far from their father’s dock.
“You guys got everything ready?” Tully asked as soon as she opened her door.
“We’re set, but we aren’t going anywhere until we meet your new friend,” Jerrold said. He and Walter had missed Sunday dinner the week before to attend a boat auction.
“Libby, these two overgrown troublemakers are Jerrold and Walter, my brothers. Try not to embarrass me now,” she said to the boys as she put her arm around Libby’s shoulders. “This is Libby Dexter.”
Once the men had said hello, they greeted Bailey and Ralph by picking them up and tossing them around like they had since the kids were born.
Out of the corner of her eye, Libby noticed Ralph load two bags onto the boat and vaguely wondered what he was up to, but she was distracted when Gaston approached her.
“It’s nice of you to come out here today, Libby,” he said. “Alma and I realize that y’all are busy, but sometimes you just got to put all that aside and have a little fun.”
“That’s true, sir, but we’re here to go over some papers she received in the mail.”
“I’m sorry, honey. I was just trying to help my little girl plan something nice for you,” Alma said as she walked up. She handed Jerrold a covered dish, and he jumped on board to put it away. “You best get on that boat before she leaves without you.”
Everyone except Tully and Libby got into Tully’s Explorer, Walter and Jerrold slapping Ralph and Bailey on the back after they hugged Libby before leaving.
Libby watched the vehicle cross the road until it disappeared around the slight bend. Only then did she turn and put her hands on her hips as she faced Tully.
“If you say so, we’ll go back to town and go with plan B,” Tully said.
“What’s plan B?”
“We drive back and go to the restaurant that I made a reservation for tonight.”
“And plan A?” Libby smiled and walked toward her like a woman who really wanted to go on a boat ride.
“I get you alone for the night on the water, catch you dinner, and show you how bright the stars look when you don’t have anything around you but fish.”
“And you thought I’d pass that up to go with the second choice? Shame on you, Badeaux. I get you alone for the night someplace where I really get you alone, and I’m going to want a dinner in the city instead? I think not, baby.”
“Then step aboard and I’ll cast off. I just thought this would be a memorable first date.”
With the ropes clear, Tully started the engines and turned the wheel to head down the bayou. The usual four-hour cruise into the open Gulf of Mexico would take just a little longer with what Tully had in mind. Once underway, she went into the cabin and changed, and when she came out in shorts, an old T-shirt, and bare feet, Libby went in search of her bag to change too.
*
The trawl net was dragging behind them when Libby emerged in an outfit similar to Tully’s, and she listened, apparently really interested, as Tully explained the process of catching shrimp. The local fishermen trawled in the bayous close to the Gulf for brown shrimp, which most cooks believed had more flavor, but which didn’t sell as well. The white shrimp most diners were used to seeing on their plates were found in the Gulf, but Tully had grown up in her mama’s kitchen with big pots of wonderful dishes that centered around the browns.
Her months of working out and dieting made it easy to lift the nets up when she was ready. While they were culling their catch, Libby laughed and shrieked a few times as a few crabs scampered along the box Gaston had set up to use when they separated what was in the net. Afterward, Tully sat with a beer and a bushel of shrimp and started peeling while she told Libby which direction to steer the boat in.
Soon the dark waters of Bayou Terrebonne started to clear as they entered the Gulf of Mexico, and the birds that had been feeding off the shrimp shells that Tully was throwing overboard flew back to their perches in the trees. With enough clean shrimp, she took the wheel and headed east. The longer they traveled, the fewer boats they saw, and most of the owners called out to Tully in French to welcome her back to the water.
“Hungry?” she asked Libby when the sun was directly overhead.
“You’re going to cook?”
“I’m going to cheat a little, but if you make yourself comfortable I promise I won’t make you sick.” Tully went into the small galley, found the bowl in the refrigerator that contained their main course, and set it on the counter.
Taped to the top were directions written in Alma’s hand. Tully put a little butter in the bottom of the pan, along with some minced garlic, and added the brown shrimp. When they turned pink she added the sauce her mother had made and stirred until everything was hot. The other bowl Alma had included went into the microwave, and when the buzzer sounded, she was finished.
“Lunch is served.” She handed Libby a plate and laughed at the accusatory glare she received. “I haven’t been holding out on you, honey. I had a little help from my mother.”
“We might have to spend more time here so I can learn to make this Creole sauce. She’s a miracle worker.”
After they washed the plates together, they settled into the back of the boat in the chairs the boys had set out for them. In the distance was a small barrier island with a few gulls on shore, but aside from that they were alone.
“Did you spend a lot of days out here like this?” Libby asked.
“Not like this, no. I experienced a lot of days doing what we did earlier, only we started at dawn and worked until sunset. This is a working boat, and we only made money when we were trawling. Pop used to joke he had a built-in crew, and growing up we spent our summers out here learning what he liked to call ‘earning a good living.’”
Libby moved from her chair into Tully’s lap. “It sounds like you didn’t agree.”
“No, he was right about that. I love my father and my brothers, but this wasn’t the life I wanted. I earn a good living too, and while my family likes to hear about some of our more interesting cases, I don’t think they really understand what I do.”
“You might be wrong on that one, baby. My afternoon with Alma last weekend after we had that nice time on the swing makes me think they not only understand, but they’re extremely proud of you.” She took Tully’s baseball cap off and ran her fingers through her hair until they landed on the nape of her neck.
“That I do know. Funny thing is, for as much as I tried to outrun this life, I love being out here now. That’s why I wanted to share it with you. This is where I came from, love, and you’re where I’m going.”
Libby moved so that she was straddling Tully’s legs and pulled her into a kiss. “I love you.”
“Say it again.”
Libby put her lips right by Tully’s ear. “I love you, and I want very much to have a future with you. I want to be the one who comforts you.” She placed a kiss just below her ear. “I want to be the one you turn to when you need anything.” She moved to Tully’s jaw. “And the one you want to make love to.” She ended at Tully’s lips and gave her a kiss that drove Tully’s passion to the point of no return.
Libby’s T-shirt felt soft in Tully’s hands, but she was more interested in what it covered. Without losing eye contact, she lifted it slowly until it cleared her head and dropped it to the deck. She scanned the area one more time, not wanting to share this view with anyone else. Libby leaned back, keeping her hands on Tully’s shoulders as an obvious encouragement for her to touch her.
Every other woman Tully had ever been with melted from her mind when she dropped her eyes to the pink, very alert nipples. She had figured Libby wasn’t wearing anything under the T-shirt, but this was proof. The last thing she was expecting was a finger to the forehead when she moved to wrap her lips around the closer nipple.
“You don’t want me to?” Tully asked, figuring she had a long swim in her future.
“I want you to in the worst way, but you have to take your shirt off first. In the interest of time, why don’t you just stand up and take everything off, because once we start, we aren’t stopping.”
Tully stood and placed Libby on her feet before removing her own shirt. “Do you want to go inside?”
Libby helped her take her sports bra off and popped the button to her shorts. “I fell in love with a fisherman who happens to be an attorney, so I want my first time to be out here on the water and under the sun that make up a big part of who you became.” She unzipped her own shorts and let them drop to the deck with the rest of the clothing and stood before Tully, not making another move.
“My God,” said Tully in awe.
“What?”
“You’re beautiful.”
Libby laughed before pushing her back into the chair. “Yeah, yeah, you can slap yourself on the back later. The way you’re looking at me makes me believe you, though.”
They both moaned when they touched for the first time with nothing between them, and Tully just put her hands on Libby’s back and held her. Libby was so close Tully could feel how wet she was getting since her sex was pressed up against her lower abdomen. Wanting to go slow and savor the moment, she leaned Libby back a little and headed back to the hard left nipple. When she sucked just hard enough to feel it on the roof of her mouth, Libby moved her hips closer.
After that nipple turned deep pink, Tully moved to the other one and gave it equal treatment until Libby grabbed her hand and pushed it toward her center.
“Let’s take our time, baby,” Tully said, but Libby didn’t let go of her hand.
“Just not too much time, okay?” Libby’s skin felt like it was on fire, which was caused not by the sun but by the calluses on Tully’s hands that made her hyperaware of where she was being touched, accentuated by how maddeningly slow Tully was going.
Libby tugged on her hand, and for a second Tully gave in and ran her fingers through the wet heat, but only for a second. She moved from there to Libby’s butt, then down her thighs to behind her knees. Just when Libby thought Tully would quell some of the throbbing between her legs, she headed back up to the undersides of her breasts.
Libby felt worshipped and devoured all at once, and her senses were shifting into overdrive. She sank her fingers into Tully’s hair and pulled hard when she sucked on her nipple again, wanting to keep her in place. The pressure was building, and as much as Libby wanted to turn the release valve, she waited. The only way she could think to describe it was a delicious torture.
Tully moved to the other breast, and when she sucked, Libby felt as if a live wire ran from her nipple to her clitoris. The sensation made her moan so loudly that Tully let go with a pop.
When Tully leaned back, she watched Libby take some deep breaths as if trying to regain control. But that was the last thing Tully wanted her to do. She wanted Libby wild and desperate for her touch, to lose some of that control that had helped her survive the deaths of her parents and the loneliness that followed. She also wanted Libby to crave this experience and the commitment it implied as much as she did.
This time Libby didn’t have to guide her hand. Tully put just her middle and index fingers between Libby’s breasts and dragged them down her body until she dipped them into Libby’s wetness. She smiled at not only how turned on Libby was, but also how hard her clitoris had gotten. If Libby got any relief from the touch, it was fleeting.
“Please, baby, don’t go,” Libby said when Tully took her hand away again.
“Just one…little…taste.” Tully pinched Libby’s right nipple between her fingers before she painted it with the wetness she’d collected. “I just want a little taste, but I like having you this close to me and don’t want to let go.”
She finished by taking her prize, and this time she moaned when the sweetness that was so purely Libby exploded against her tongue.
In that moment her resolve to go slow shattered, and she slid her hand back down to make love to Libby. She felt Libby’s fingers wrap around her wrist, but this time it wasn’t to encourage her to keep going; she was making her stop.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Libby shook her head and seemed a little shy despite what they’d just been doing. “I just—”
“Honey, you can tell me, even if you want to stop. It’ll be okay.” She swept back Libby’s hair and tried to get her to raise her eyes.
“I don’t want to stop, but could we trade spots? I’ve thought about this for so long, and I just want you over me, making me feel safe and like I’m yours.” Libby laughed when she finished, her blush adorable. “It’s stupid, I know, but…”
Tully slid down to the end of the lounge chair and very lovingly lowered Libby. “How you want me to touch you will never be stupid, love. Because you’re mine, I’ll always take it very seriously.” The feeling of desire sprang back instantly when she stretched out over Libby, careful to keep her weight off her. “I love you.”
“I love you too, and I’ve waited all my life for you.”
Libby spread her legs and took Tully’s hand, not resisting when she moved it down. To rebuild their passion, Tully wet her fingers again and rubbed from the opening of Libby’s sex up and gently over her clitoris. The sweep from bottom to top was so soft that Libby seemed to be chasing her fingers by tilting her hips up with every pass.
“I love you,” Tully whispered in Libby’s ear again. She sped up just slightly and felt Libby dig her fingers into her shoulders.
“Please go inside.” Libby had tensed every muscle in her body and appeared to be willing to beg for release.
Holding herself up with one hand, Tully looked down as she eased her fingers in, only to whip her eyes back up when she felt a barrier she didn’t expect. “Honey?”
“Don’t stop—I want it to be you. I meant what I said. I’ve waited all my life for you.” Libby laid her hand on Tully’s cheek and kissed her. “I wanted our first time to be special, and because it’s you, it’s going to be.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve had some opportunity if all I wanted was sex, but I wanted to hold off.”
Tully just gazed at her and smiled.
“I wanted it to be with someone who cared about me, and who meant something to me.” Libby kissed Tully. “I waited for you.”
Tully resumed her sensual massage, wanting Libby to be as aroused and open as possible. Slowly, never taking her thumb off Libby’s clitoris, she slid a finger in just enough to feel the top of Libby’s sex, then pulled out again. When she went back she pushed a little deeper until she had broken through the last of Libby’s innocence.
They stopped moving as if by mutual consent to allow Libby to grow accustomed to the fullness. When Tully pressed her thumb down, their dance began again. She sped up, feeling Libby clutch her fingers in the most intimate of ways, all the while continuing her stimulation.
“That’s it, baby. Let go for me,” she said, not knowing if Libby heard her over her moaning.
Libby felt like she was falling, but she wasn’t afraid. Tully was there for her to hang on to, so she opened herself up and gave in to the overwhelming sensation of her orgasm. It came in one life-changing moment, and she welcomed it by tightening her body in an arc before slumping like a rag doll. She had no doubt because it forever bound her to Tully in a way no one could ever share.
“You okay?”
Libby nodded against Tully’s shoulder, still grasping her until Tully moved and held her close. The boat drifted around the anchor, with only the sound of the water lapping at the hull and the cry of gulls in the distance.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tully asked again some time later.
“I’m fabulous, actually. I was just wondering about something.”
Tully stopped running her fingers along Libby’s spine and made eye contact with her.
“When can we do that again?”
“In about two minutes, sweetheart.”
“Then what?” Libby propped herself up so she could see Tully’s face. “This isn’t a fling for you, right?” She tried to sound like she was joking, but even she could hear the slight desperation in her voice.
“I have to marry you now, huh?”
“It hasn’t been that long—” Libby didn’t know how to finish.
“When my parents met, my dad said it took him one afternoon to know how long he’d be with my mother. True love doesn’t need time to grow. It just needs a heart to take root in.” Tully wiped the tears from Libby’s face. “And it needs its other half to flourish.” She tapped over her heart. “You’ve taken root in here,” she tapped Libby’s chest, “and in here is where it will flourish.”
“I love you so much.”
“Enough to want to make this permanent?”
“Are you asking because I need reassurance, or because you want to?”
“Remember how I told you the first of the three cardinal rules of being a good attorney is never ask questions unless you know the answer?” she asked, making Libby nod. “The second rule is that we sometimes ask blindly because we really want to know something that we don’t. Libby, will you marry me?”
“Over and over again.”
Tully rolled them over slowly, never letting go of her. “Just once is all I’m asking. I love you so much that once is all it’ll take.”
“Do you think the kids will be okay with this?”
“Bailey and Ralph wanted to make sure I didn’t screw this up, so they gave me a good grilling on how much thought I’d put into our first date. I’m sure they didn’t think a first date would turn into a proposal, but I’m sure they’ll be happy for both of us.”
Libby laughed as she started to run her hands up and down Tully’s back. “Didn’t want to go back to Pop-Tarts, huh?”
“There was that and the reality they’d have to go back to crabby Tully, who was more than happy to hand out groundings.” Tully stopped her teasing to kiss Libby until they had to pull apart for lack of oxygen. “And I should’ve mentioned there was an additional clause to my proposal.”
“If you want a prenup , that’s all right, baby.”
“I don’t believe in those, so no. My terms are that you never mention to our grandchildren that I proposed to you naked.”
“But I accepted when I was naked too. What’s wrong with that?”
“Because when it’s Bailey, Ralph, or any Badeaux’s turn, I don’t want to have to listen to how they were naked when the big question was popped. There are just some things I don’t want to know about our kids.”
They laughed, but Libby locked away exactly what she’d said. Ralph and Bailey were already in her heart, but the mention of future children won her over completely. As an only child she had often wondered what it would be like to have someone to turn to like the Badeaux kids did when they experienced heartache.
“The other thing I should’ve done—” Tully said.
“You did everything perfectly, honey.”
“Was get a ring before I asked.”
“There’s always time for that.” Libby tried to bring her head down close enough for another kiss. “Where are you going?”
Tully had not only not met her lips but had gotten up and was headed into the cabin.
“I’m going to teach you the third and final rule to what makes a successful attorney. Care to review?” She stood just out of Libby’s reach with her hands behind her back.
“Never ask a question you don’t know the answer to.” Libby held up one finger.
“Very important number one rule.”
Another finger went up. “Ask even when you don’t know the answer when it’s important enough to you.”
“Number two should be used sparingly, but can be rather effective.” Tully dropped to her knees and put her fists on the edge of the cushion. “The third is the most important, though. Three is what will guarantee your success every time.”
“Does it have to do with questions?”
“It’s more of a statement than a question, love. Prepare for everything. I asked you, not knowing what your answer would be, but the hopeful soul in me remembered the third rule.”
Libby sat up and framed Tully’s face with her hands. “What do you mean?”
“I asked myself, what if my girl says yes?” She opened her right hand and in her palm sat a ring. “So I came prepared. Are you willing to say yes again?”
“You can ask all day long and my answer’s always going to be yes.”
Tully took Libby’s left hand and slipped a ring, a large sapphire flanked by two equally sizable diamonds, onto Libby’s ring finger. When it was in place she lifted Libby’s hand and kissed it.
“There’s just one thing left to do,” Libby said.
Before Tully could think of an answer, Libby’s hands were between her legs, and still turned on from their afternoon, she never made it off her knees before a strong orgasm shot through her.
“If I lose my mind and tell the story to our grandchildren, I wanted to make sure they didn’t think it was all one-sided,” Libby said as she bit down gently on Tully’s earlobe.
*
After a swim Tully started the engines and moved them closer to the island where she planned to anchor for the night. She brought out a few rods from the cabin and baited the hooks with some leftover shrimp.
“What are you doing now?” Libby asked. She had rinsed off in the small bathroom and thrown on a fresh pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Her hair was slicked back and starting to dry at the ends in the warm breeze blowing from the south.
“I was planning to fish for dinner, but I got a little sidetracked.” Tully’s first cast landed well away from the boat, and she settled the rod in a holder in the rail before casting the second line.
“You call it sidetracked and I call it wonderful. Whatever you decide is fine, as long as you know that we’ll be doing it often.”
Tully had to laugh at Libby’s infectious giddiness. They’d been pretty much glued to each other since the first item of clothing had come off, and their closeness hadn’t changed now that they were dressed again. Libby was so different from Jessica. Not that Tully wanted to compare, but it was difficult not to. She could feel the genuineness of Libby’s feelings in every touch.
“Are you happy with our first official date so far?” She took her eyes off the fishing lines and concentrated on Libby’s face.
“I’m comparing it to my first first official date.”
“My competition, huh?” The cork bob she’d put on the line sank suddenly, so she turned Libby around just in time to see the other one follow. “Start reeling in slowly.”
Libby’s face was the picture of concentration as she copied Tully’s actions. When their catch was close enough to the boat, Tully spotted a fish on each hook of the double-rig lure.
“You’re a natural, sweetheart,” she boasted as she kept her catch a little farther away so their lines wouldn’t tangle. She put her rod back in the holder and reached for the net to bring in Libby’s catch.
“It’s my day to try new things.” Libby’s blue eyes sparkled in the waning light as her two speckled trout landed on board.
“A fisherman and lover—sounds like my luck is changing.” With the net in one hand and the rod in the other, Tully brought in two more trout. “This is going to be the quickest fishing trip in history, since four should be enough. Or did you work up a voracious appetite today?”
“Just promise me we’ll do this again.”
At the boat’s small cleaning table, Tully unsheathed a filleting knife and made fast work of their dinner, throwing the scraps back into the water. “Whenever you want. You were right. This is a nice way to spend time with you with no interruptions.”
“Can I ask what happens now?” They hadn’t really talked about anything serious, but Libby looked scared.
Tully read the directions taped to a cabinet in the galley and coated the trout fillets in mustard before dredging them in Alma’s fish fry. “What do you want to happen?”
“Once we eat tonight I want to go to sleep in your arms and wake up there tomorrow. When we get home I want to know we’re moving toward that being a normal occurrence.”
“Today was all about that, Libby.”
She washed the mess off her hands so she could put her arms around Libby. “You made me believe in second chances, and I’m not going to squander the opportunity.”
“No more doubts about anything?”
“You love me and my kids. You want to build a life with us and I want the same thing, so no. No more doubts about any of it.”
“Good.” Libby slapped Tully on the butt and kissed her chin. “Get back to work.”
After they ate, Tully sat with Libby on her lap and just enjoyed gazing up at the stars until they went inside to a bunk. It was tight, but Libby got her wish of being held all night.
The smell of breakfast woke Tully the next morning, and she shook her head when she spotted a very naked Libby sliding a shrimp omelet onto a plate for them to share. She continued to watch as she thought about how much her life had changed in the span of a day.
“Did you have a good sleep?” Libby asked when she turned and found her awake.
“Not only that, but I’m having a really good morning too.”
“I was just trying to prolong our first official date.” Libby put the plate down and walked back to the bed, climbing in until they were pressed together from shoulder to feet. When their lips parted, Libby rested her left hand on Tully’s shoulder and gazed at the new adornment on her ring finger. “Thank you for yesterday and for giving us a chance. I realize how hard it must’ve been for you to try again, but I promise you won’t be sorry.”
“Darlin’, you were the easiest decision I’ve ever made, because loving you was something I could’ve no more stopped doing than breathing.” Tully kissed her again before putting a T-shirt over Libby’s head. “Let’s go out and eat.”
*
They were back in the bayou and would be back at the Badeauxes’ dock in a few hours. Libby had stood with her arms around Tully’s waist the whole time, resting her head on Tully’s shoulder.
“Something I can help you with?” Tully asked.
“Sorry, what?”
“You’re lost in thought, so I’ll be happy to help you work through whatever’s bothering you.”
Libby kissed the soft cotton of Tully’s T-shirt. “I wasn’t thinking about a problem, honey.”
“What, then?”
“If we get a boat, can we get one with at least a double bed?”
Tully was still laughing when they tied up to the dock. She didn’t have clue as to what the future held for them, but after spending the night with Libby she really didn’t give a damn. Having Libby with her would make even the plague bearable, she was sure.
Bailey and Ralph were standing, having put down the cast net they’d been practicing with. When Bailey gave Libby a hand down from the boat her eyes fell instantly on the new ring and on the finger it sat on. Its ramifications meant drastic changes for not only Tully, but for her and Ralph as well.
“I have to give you snaps,” she told Tully.
“For?”
“You really did know what you were doing. I didn’t think you’d actually get it right this fast.” In Bailey’s opinion, it was all that needed to be said on the subject, and Ralph obviously agreed since he was nodding. “Congratulations.”