The Right Time

by Susan X Meagher

  “I like this,” Hennessy said, her voice coming out low and rough. “This is my pace.”

  “I can do this,” Townsend said, snuggling a little closer. “I’ve got to remind myself that even if we were having sex, we’d still have a few hours to kill.”

  Her soft laugh made Hennessy’s heart skip a beat. Some sounds simply resonated. Touched you in a place that you couldn’t begin to understand. Townsend’s laugh would always be one of those.

  “So what do you want to do with all the hours we’re not going at it like rabbits?” Townsend asked.

  “Well, I suppose I’d like to see why you like it here. I’ve never been anywhere near this part of the world, so I’d like to see how your little part of the Atlantic is different from mine.”

  “I can do that,” Townsend said confidently. “That’ll be our plan for the week.” With a lightning fast shift, she was draped across Hennessy’s lap, arms wrapped around her neck, grinning like a possum eating grapes. “We’ll kiss and we’ll snuggle and I’ll show you how the Bartleys roll.”

  Pulling nets onto the boat had given Hennessy muscles that weren’t showy, but were plenty strong. Sliding an arm behind Townsend’s back and another under her thighs, she dumped her back onto the sofa. “We’ll kiss and we’ll snuggle at my pace,” she insisted, leaning over so their noses touched. “But you can guide me around the island at any speed you like.”

  Townsend tilted her head and placed a brief kiss on Hennessy’s lips. “You win…for now. But don’t fool yourself, baby girl. When I get the green light, we’re gonna burn the house down.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sunday broke with an aching beauty. A truly glorious spring day on the Vineyard. The sky was a bright, clear blue, with a few fluffy clouds skittering along the horizon. And the air was blessedly warm. Not as warm as South Carolina, but the warmest day Hennessy had enjoyed since Christmas. She’d packed a pair of shorts—just in case—and was dressed in them and a T-shirt, sitting in the living room, drinking a cup of tea when Townsend stumbled in.

  She stared at Hennessy for a few seconds, gazing longingly at her mug. “I wish you made coffee instead of tea.”

  Hennessy stood and walked over to her, put a hand on her back and led her to the mini kitchen. “You can teach me how. I’m sure there’s a coffee maker in one of these cabinets.”

  “No, I want espresso. The machine’s in the house.” A cranky frown settled on her face. “But I don’t know how to use it. We usually have a cook, but my mom fired the last one and hasn’t replaced her yet. We’ve gotta rough it.”

  Hennessy took a pointed look around the sumptuously appointed cottage. “That’ll be tough, but I think we can manage.”

  It took many attempts, but they finally got an acceptable shot of espresso out of the machine. Why it was worth that much effort, Hennessy had no idea. But Townsend seemed to get an inordinate amount of pleasure about having her creature comforts just so.

  Hennessy was much more experienced in making a simple breakfast, and she produced pancakes that Townsend gobbled up quickly. Then they went out to the garage, where Townsend started to dig through labeled boxes, clearly searching for something.

  “If you tell me what you’re looking for, I might be able to help,” Hennessy said.

  “Looking for a sailboat,” she said as she reached the back row of boxes that could have held refrigerators.

  “Hmm…how about this one?” Hennessy slapped the stern of a small boat that rested on a trailer. “Granted, it wouldn’t fit into a box, but I’m pretty sure it’s a sailboat.”

  Townsend stood and looked at her. “You say that like you don’t sail.”

  “I don’t. Our pleasure craft budget is shockingly small.”

  “But you live right on the water. Doesn’t somebody—a friend, a relative—have a boat?”

  Hennessy shrugged. “Yes and no. Almost everyone has some kind of fishing boat, but no one I know has a sailboat. I’ve never been on one.”

  “Hmm…” Townsend stared at the boat for a minute. “It’s a little chilly to sail, especially since this one’s very tippy. But come back this summer and I can take you out in style. My grandfather has a boat that’ll knock your socks off.”

  “I’ll be on Hilton Head Island, June Bug, teaching a new crop of fledgling writers.”

  “Then we’ll come after the writing program’s over. September’s a great time for sailing.”

  “Mmm, we’ll see. I’ll need to spend some time with my family. Gotta load up on hushpuppies, grits and red rice you know,” she added, grinning.

  Townsend was still opening boxes and slapping them shut. She seemed distracted, but was, as usual, more focused on the future than the present. “Oh, my mom said she’d rent us an apartment off the compound for the summer. You just have to tell MaryAnn you’ve got carnal thoughts about a timid, innocent little camper.” Her grin was just short of lecherous.

  “Cabin leader,” she said, keeping it short. “Leader’s got to be in the cabin,” Hennessy stressed, knowing her words weren’t registering. “Have you even applied? You can’t just walk in and grab a bunk.”

  “I don’t want to go if I can’t live with you.” She shoved a box against the wall when it didn’t yield what she was looking for. “If I don’t come to Hilton Head, you have to come to the Vineyard before school starts. I’ll start badgering you about that in a few days. A multi-pronged attack. Sleep with me on Hilton Head in June or the Vineyard in September.” She smirked, then got back to looking for whatever.

  Hennessy watched her work, idly wondering if Townsend ever fully relaxed. She had a low level nervous energy that never seemed to quit.

  “Found ’em,” Townsend proclaimed a few minutes later. Carefully, she reached inside the very large box and removed a toy sailboat. The next box revealed another, just as cute.

  Hennessy moved over and took a look. “Dang! These are adorable! The sails look like the real thing.” She poked at them with a finger. “They move!”

  “Adorable? They’re scale models. Remote control,” she added, waggling her eyebrows.

  “They’re big for toys.” Hennessy held the delicate thing loosely. “It’s up to the top of my head! These would never fit in a bathtub.”

  “They’re Laser class. Like the full-sized boats they use in the Olympics.”

  “I know nothing about sailing, or the Olympics for that matter, but these are darned cute.”

  “Cute? Cute’s for little girls. Tighten your chin-strap. We’re gonna go race.”

  “But I don’t know a darned thing about sailboats!”

  “Good. I wanna be better at something than you. Now’s my chance.”

  They put the boats in the back of the SUV and Hennessy drove to an almost deserted stretch of beach. Each carrying her own craft, they made their way to the water’s edge. Townsend handed Hennessy a controller, delivered quick instructions, then settled her boat in the very gentle surf.

  “Few rules,” she said briskly. “Don’t let it get out past about a hundred feet, and don’t slam into a buoy if you can help it.”

  “I have no idea what I’m doing!”

  “You’ll learn. Just put it in and play around.”

  Anxious and out of her element, Hennessy nevertheless gently placed her boat in the water. She slowly twisted a dial, then the wind caught the little boat and sent it right back at her, where it crashed into her leg.

  “That’s gonna leave a mark,” Townsend said, smirking as she expertly maneuvered her boat as though she were actually on it. “You might wanna come out this way. It’s more fun on the water.”

  “Funny girl. I’ll get there. Just give me a minute.”

  “Got all day.”

  Patiently, really paying attention to the way the wind grabbed and pulled the boat along, Hennessy made progress. Finally, she thought she had it, and the boat seemed like it was barely skimming along the calm sea.

  “See that marker?” Townsend asked after a few minute
s.

  “Yup.”

  “Race you to it.”

  “You’re on,” Hennessy said, seeing she was several feet closer to it. They maneuvered their boats, with Hennessy gaining on Townsend until just before she was going to make the buoy. Then a gust of wind caught her unawares, sending her boat whipping around a hundred and eighty degrees, launching it right back towards shore. “Dang!” she shouted. “Almost had you.”

  “Gonna take some work, baby girl. But I’m willing to stand out here all day.”

  “I’ll get you,” Hennessy promised. “Just give me enough time to really figure this thing out.”

  “I’m not gonna bother your pretty little head with the fact that these have four sets of sails for different wind conditions. I’ll let you think it’s simple.”

  “I appreciate that,” Hennessy said, smirking.

  They spent the next hour jibing and tacking, as Townsend explained the terms for turning in various directions. It was a little like fishing—mostly quiet and tranquil, with short bouts of action—and Hennessy truly loved fishing.

  During a quiet spell, when the boats were smoothly gliding across a calm sea, Hennessy said, “Been wondering something.”

  “Ask away. I’ve got no secrets.”

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  Townsend turned and stared at her for a minute. “Have you been paying attention? When could I have possibly fallen in love? I had a tight schedule—screw strange guys, drink, do drugs, drink, do drugs, screw more strange guys, drink, screw some strange women, drink. When did I have time to slow down, sober up, and pay enough attention to love someone?”

  Shrugging, Hennessy said, “I don’t know. Maybe at school?”

  “You’re not getting it.” She sighed, the soft sound audible over the quiet break of the waves. “I’ve been partying since I was a freshman. That’s all I’ve done, Hennessy. Damn,” she muttered, “do you think I’ve gone on dates with people? Taken long walks in the moonlight?”

  “No, I didn’t think that,” she admitted. “But I’ve been wondering about when you switched from having sex with boys. That was a conscious change, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, I guess. After I got pregnant, I stayed away from sex for a while. Having that idle time made me realize I didn’t really like guys sexually.”

  “That’s when you made the change?”

  Townsend gazed at her for a bit, then focused on her boat again, neatly whipping it around the buoy to glide along the coastline for a while.

  “Pretty much. But then I got sent to the reformatory. It took me a long time to figure out ways to get away from the cameras.” She shrugged, not adding a word.

  “But you did figure it out. I’m sure of that.”

  “Yeah.” She turned and gave her a sly smile. “It took me a while, but I got it figured out. There isn’t a rule I can’t jump over. I sneak out every day to go to my AA meeting.”

  “You do?” Hennessy’s eyes popped wide open.

  “Yep. My trusty lock picks work like a charm on all of the maintenance buildings. I borrow a truck and cruise on out. Been doing it all year. Haven’t raised even an eyebrow of suspicion.”

  Hennessy had to bite her tongue to not launch into a lecture. That drive…that need to break the rules was such an elemental part of Townsend. The part that could easily let her screw up months of sobriety. But Angela’s words appeared in her head, like they were actually printed onto her memory. Townsend had to learn how to control herself. Alone. Doing her very best to not scold, Hennessy said, “Thanks for not telling me that earlier. Now I only have to worry about you for another two months.”

  “No big deal. When we get caught doing something wrong they just make you go to more therapy or take away your computer for a couple of days. When that happens, I just do some homework.” Chuckling, she said, “Being in trouble helps my GPA.”

  “I’m not going to ask what you did to have your computer taken away.”

  “Best not to,” Townsend said, doing a darned good imitation of a South Carolina accent. “Hey, uhm…I don’t mean to butt in, but your boat’s making its way to France.”

  “Shit!” Hennessy had been paying such close attention to their conversation she’d completely forgotten about steering. “It’s not doing what I tell it to!” She turned the little wheel frantically.

  “You’re out of range.” Townsend clapped her on the back. “You’ve lost it.”

  “No way! It’ll come back with the tide.”

  “Not here it won’t. But with any luck, it’ll wash up intact somewhere. Maybe the person who finds it will go buy a controller and have some fun with it.”

  “How much did it cost?” Townsend didn’t answer quickly enough. “How much?”

  “Not sure. They weren’t cheap, I’d guess. But no one will even notice. These were my grandfather’s. He gave them to me when he got new, more advanced ones. Kevlar sails…”

  Hennessy kicked off her shoes, shucked her shorts, then her shirt and started to wade in. “Holy mother of God! I’ve never been in water this cold!” Then she stuck her hands in front of her and dove in, swimming as quickly as she knew how. She was a strong swimmer, having been in the water since she was a baby. But swimming in such cold water was a whole ‘nother thing. She hoped Townsend didn’t have to call the police—or the coroner to yank her frozen body out of the water.

  The boat was only a little past its range, and she got to it in two or three minutes—the longest minutes of her life. Then she pushed it in front of her, giving it a good shove, then swam after it. Townsend had the boat’s controller in her hand, and she started to steer it as soon as it was in range, allowing Hennessy to forget about it and swim for her life.

  She got close to shore, stood and started to high-step out of the water, breaking through the gentle surf. “Gonna freeze!”

  “Hold on,” Townsend said, shoving the controller at Hennessy before taking off for the SUV. In a few hours—or a few minutes—depending on your perspective—she was back, holding a blanket. “It’s your lucky day,” she said. “We’ve always got a blanket in the truck.”

  “Don’t f…f…feel l…l…lucky,” Hennessy said, shivering roughly. “Keep an eye on my b…boat!”

  “I’m watching, I’m watching,” Townsend said, smirking. “I’m not the one who lost it in the first place.”

  “Don’t ever let me play with toys that cost more than ten bucks,” Hennessy begged. “Promise me.”

  “Got it. I think I have a rubber ducky you can play with in the tub. I guarantee you can’t lose it.” She slapped Hennessy hard on the butt. “Saw you in your undies! Fodder for my masturbation fantasies.”

  “Super. Just super.” Hennessy knew she should be embarrassed, but they’d had so much fun she couldn’t manage a bit of shame.

  After dinner, they drove back home and started to walk to the guest house. But Townsend took Hennessy’s hand and said, “Let’s walk down to the beach. You’re not too cold, are you?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, even though she was a little chilly. “Just holding your hand warms me up.”

  They picked their way across the stones set into the turf, leading down to the beach. Someone had toted those darned things into place and buried them so they were the perfect height to walk on. Money made everything easier—even walking.

  It was too cold to go barefoot, so Hennessy surveyed the surf, picking out a line they could walk that would keep them dry.

  In just a few yards Hennessy could feel her arm itch to lie across Townsend’s shoulders. This happened every time they were alone. She really wanted to touch her, to let her body follow its instincts. But she always had to spend some time considering not just what she wanted, but how Townsend would interpret it.

  A shiver ran up her spine as she considered that was exactly the way she had to deal with her mother. Every action, every gesture had to be thought out.

  Once again Hennessy breathed a sigh of relief that she and Townsend
didn’t live close to one another. It was too draining to keep this up for long. But when she let her arm have its way, and Townsend smiled up at her as she snuggled close, a little planning didn’t seem like too great a price to pay.

  “I love you,” she said, not even realizing she was going to speak.

  “I love you, too.” Townsend pulled her close and kissed her cheek.

  “I had a really nice day with you. Thanks for not fighting me like a panther all day,” she added, chuckling.

  “When I can do this…just this,” she added, rubbing her face against Hennessy. “I feel better. Calm,” she admitted.

  “Me too. This is what I always thought of when I dreamed of being in love. Making the simple things special because you’re together.”

  Townsend gazed at her, looking so content and peaceful. But her devilish side couldn’t help but come out. “My dreams always involved lots of bare skin and glass-shattering orgasms, but this is nice, too.”

  “Let’s go home and build a fire,” Hennessy said. “No orgasms, but I bet we can have fun fully clothed.”

  “You’re still in charge, so I’ll give it a try. But next year? All naked, orgasms galore.” She gave Hennessy a swat on the ass and took off running, her laughter barely rising above the pounding of the surf.

  They went to their respective rooms to get ready for bed, and Townsend walked into the main room a few minutes after they returned, wearing her pajamas and slippers. “Good job on the fire,” she said, smiling at a pleased-looking Hennessy. “You look cute in those pajamas, by the way.”

  “I splurged,” she said. “I didn’t have any real ones, just sweats and T-shirts. I didn’t know what the set-up would be here, and I thought I should look presentable.”

  “You look more than presentable. The sky blue color nearly matches your eyes, and those white clouds make you look like the angel you are.”