Senior Year Box Set

“I heard the weather today is supposed to be nice for your boat trip,” Megan said to try to change the subject.

I decided I would let her. The poor girl might spontaneously combust if I pushed her much further. Perhaps I would have a talk with Cindy and see what was up with little Megan.

◊◊◊

I’m embarrassed to admit that I put some thought into what I would wear today. My goal was to look good but not come off as a total Hamptons trust-fund douche. I decided that because we were going boating, I needed nautical attire. Since I didn’t really have anything of the sort, I did the best I could.

I started with white slacks that were a silk-cotton blend. For my shirt, I picked a blue Range Sports t-shirt and a gray Abercrombie sweater. With my Japanese sunglasses, I thought I’d pulled it off.

When the time to meet everyone finally arrived, I walked across the street. I spotted my princess standing alone out in front of the hotel. When she saw me, her face lit up, which made my day.

“Hey. It’s just going to be us today,” she said when I got close.

I couldn’t say that disappointed me in the least.

“I hate to ask,” I said.

“Let’s just say the drama didn’t end at the fundraiser and leave it at that.”

I was okay with that.

I was starting to realize that Cinderella—that’s right, I still hadn’t found out her name—had money. Her personal driver picked us up and drove us to the marina. The streets in Monte Carlo were narrow, and traffic was heavy. I was impressed that her driver knew the back roads well enough to avoid the worst of the congestion.

When we arrived at the marina, we met Winston, who seemed to know my princess. I was sure she was putting one over on me when he greeted her.

“Princess,” he said and gave her a little bow. “Your boat is ready. Are you sure you don’t need someone to captain her for you today?”

“No, Winston. We aren’t going far, so I should be able to handle her.”

“As you wish. Call if you need anything,” he said and then led us to the dock where her boat was moored.

At first, I had my doubts about us piloting the large sailboat I spotted as we got closer. I suspected it would be more than the two of us could handle, even if I had known what to do. My doubt turned into pure joy when we walked past the monstrosity and came to what is called a go-fast or cigarette boat.

Go-fast boats are speedboats designed for open water. This one was a Marauder fifty-footer. The hull was hydrodynamically designed to handle the high-horsepower, dual turbocharged Mercury Racing engines. 1340 horsepower, to be exact. If I hadn’t already come to the conclusion that she had money, this sealed the deal. This sort of boat ran into seven figures.

I had a twinge of guilt when I thought of Brook and how much she would love to be with me right now.

“You want to drive?” she asked.

Not only yes, but HELL YES, I wanted to drive.

“If you want,” I said, trying not to show how much I’d just lost my cool.

She tossed me the keys. I jumped in as Winston untied the boat. The driver didn’t actually have a seat. Instead, a wraparound backrest supported the driver, and you stood at the wheel. I turned the key, and the twin engines rumbled to life.

My princess jumped onto the boat and stored our bags below deck. When she came back out, she reached over and turned on the stereo system. If the marina couldn’t hear the throaty groan of the engines, they certainly knew we were there when the rock music began to blast. I waited for her to get seated and then eased out of the slip.

I took it easy as we made our way to the mouth of the harbor. Several people checked us out and waved as we motored by. It seemed they recognized my princess and were happy to see her. I donned my sunglasses and eased the boat up on plane as we exited the harbor.

Once we hit open water, I pushed the throttle forward. The boat responded with an alarming increase in speed. I was glad the seas were calm as we knifed our way away from shore. Cinderella pointed to the left, and I took us up the coast. I was struck by the remarkable colors of the water, deep blue where the water was deep and a deep blue-green closer to the rocky shore.

Cigarette boats are the favorite of drug runners and smugglers because they can reach speeds exceeding 130 mph. I felt like Duke when he stuck his head out of the window of the car as I raced down country roads. His ears would be flapping in the wind, and my Demon would be whining as the twin turbos boosted our speed. Cinderella and I both had smiles on our faces as we ran up the coast, the wind blowing our hair back and the sun in our faces. I couldn’t think of anything I would rather be doing right now.

She turned the radio down and leaned over so I could hear her.

“Feel like getting into the water?”

“Isn’t it too cold?” I asked.

“There’s a little spot I know that has a hot spring.”

“I didn’t bring my suit.”

She just smiled in response. Well, okay, then. I gave her a little nod, and she laughed.