”“I’m here to familiarize you with your new boat.” His eyes darted toward Kate. “Uh, how much experience do you have with speedboats?”“N...one at all.”“Let me take you all for a ride and show you how everything works.” He turned to Kate. “Hi. I’m Chris.”Kate looked at him scornfully for a moment but otherwise ignored him.“Uh, let’s start with the safety equipment,” Chris said after an awkward moment. “You both look like you’re old enough that you aren ‘t legally required to wear flotation devices,. To her own shame, she sometimes dreamt of it … dreamt that she was her mother, a young and beautiful Anna on a seafaring adventure, held captive by a dashing dark-haired and emerald-eyed rogue. And it was not terrible, but enticing, delicious. She would wake fevered and confused, the bedclothes tangled as if she’d thrashed in her sleep. With pounding heart and flushed skin, she would go to the window and let the sea breeze blow the memories of those dreams into tatters. A shout drew her. Tony quickly dressed in the cramped space and waited. Anne-Marie returned after about five minutes with a mug of very strong hot coffee. Tony followed her out into the bright morning sunlight, as he drank his coffee, she pointed to a horse trough, telling him that was where he could freshen up. Tony took the opportunity to splash water over his face, and hands, immediately feeling fresher just as Janine came out the farmhouse door smiling warmly at him, as she crossed the yard towards him. Twenty minutes of yelling at people to push the gas peddle, I arrived on campus. As I jogged the half mile to get from the parking lot to campus, I called my best friend, Tabitha. ‘Good morning, Alex!’ Her cheerful voice made my teeth grind in annoyance. ‘How many times do I have to tell you? Mornings are never good. There’s nothing good about them, never will be. Now, I’m just crossing the road to get to campus, what do you want from the coffee house?’ It was the same ritual we had every.