by Melissa Good
Disclaimers - Nope… none. These are my characters, it's my hometown, it's my made up not quite real but not quite fictitious company, and it's my insanity to be writing this on Christmas Eve.
A Present Under the Tree
By Melissa Good
The boat bobbed lightly up and down in the gentle surf, the brass riggings clanking softly in the easterly wind. The sky was mostly cloudless, just a few puffy white intruders drifting across it, sending elongated shadows across the blue green water as the sun tilted down towards the west.
The deck of the boat was draped in various types of scuba gear, two regulators hung neatly to dry out, along with webbed belts, buoyancy vests, net bags, and wide, duck webbed fins nestled in the well in the center. On the front of the boat, two figures were sprawled, soaking up the late afternoon sun.
"Dar?" Kerry kept her eyes closed, as she yawned a little.
"Mm?" Her taller companion merely grunted an answer.
"You know, there's something really off kilter about spending the day before Christmas in my bathing suit, getting a suntan on the Atlantic Ocean."
"Yeah?" Dar lifted one eyelid, exposing a crystal clear blue eye and peered at her.
"Yeah…Christmas is supposed to be about sleighs, and ice skating on the lake, and Jack Frost nipping at your nose.. sweaters…static electricity.. you know." Kerry sighed. "I don't think I can do Christmas at 85 degrees."
"Ah. Not cold enough, huh?" Dar replied, opening her other eye and sparing her blond lover a droll glance. "I think you Northerners are nuts… out there singing in below zero weather…slipping on ice, crashing on the highway, having to have your driveways plowed…suffering with dry heat…" She spread her arms out, then let them drop to the soft deck pad they both were sprawled onto.
"No.. no.. you’re missing the point.. " Kerry objected. "Christmas has to have snow… and cold weather… ice on the lake… snow draped on the roof like in the movies…your nose has to tingle..it's part of the season."
"Okay.. no problem.. here you go.'" A huge handful of shaved ice landed on Kerry's midsection. "How's that?"
"Yeeeeooowww!" The blond flipped over, brushing her stomach off and reaching for a towel. "Dar!!" She yelped indignantly. "That was cold!"
"Wasn't that the point?" The dark haired woman asked, reasonably. "You were just complaining it was too hot, weren't you?" She bit off a grin as eyes the color of the surrounding ocean suddenly were less than a foot away, narrowing calculatedly. "Uh oh."
"Uh oh is right, you.. " Kerry scrambled for the ice chest, and grabbed a double handful, managing to get a good sized portion down Dar's back as she attempted to roll out of the way. "Ah ha… gotcha."
Dar chuckled as she stood up and shook herself off, then stretched lazily. "Well.. it's time to go in anyway.. sun's going down, and I have three status reports to review." She extended a hand down to her friend. "I've been putting that off long enough…c'mon… it's getting a little breezy out here."
"Oh yeah." Kerry accepted the hand up. "It might go down to 80 degrees if we're not careful… that'd be dangerous." She slid up next to Dar, and ran a hand over the taller woman's body, encased in a striking white bathing suit. "I like this one." She complimented her companion. "Is it new?"
Dar padded over and stowed the cooler. "No.. actually, it's an old one I came across when I was emptying out that chest of drawers the other day." She said. "Found some other stuff I'd forgotten I'd even had.. and some of the things Aunt May left here when she passed on."
"Mm…. Well, it's nice, and I like it." Kerry stepped carefully around the end of the bow, and made her way down to where the steps lead to the cabin. "I'm going to put some dry clothes on…I think I have seaweed in places seaweed really has no business being."
The dark haired woman chuckled. "Make sure you didn't collect any cuttlefish in there again…you scared me half to death when you screamed from that last week." She let her eyes wander over her lover's slim form. "You look pretty nice yourself, by the way."
Kerry paused on her way down the stairs, and threw a glance over her shoulder. "Thanks… but if you're trying to butter me up so I won't pull any surprises on you tomorrow, forget it." Her green eyes twinkled mischievously. "Birthday girl."
One dark brow rocketed skyward. "Oh brother." Dar muttered. "I'm in deep trouble.. how did I let myself get talked into this, anyway?"
"What.. the party, having a birthday, or putting up with me?" Kerry asked innocently, then she came back up the stairs and relented. "I won't do anything horrible, I promise."
Dar took her hand off the throttle control, as she listened for the anchor to finish retracting, and gently cupped Kerry's chin, lifting it and kissing her with sincere passion. "Do your worst." She murmured, gazing into the sea green eyes. "But remember… paybacks are a bitch."
"Ooo… what are you gonna do to me?" Kerry crooned teasingly.
"Mmm… cross dressing full body stripper in the office?" Dar offered, with a full smile.
A momentary pause, while Kerry blinked. "Uh.. you wouldn't… do that… would you?"
Dazzling smile.
"Yikes." Kerry laughed, then leaned forward and kissed her. "Don't worry… I've got nothing planned that will rate me that." She reassured her companion. "I was thinking more along the lines of making your favorite dessert for the party."
"Ah." Dar forgot about the controls, and found more interesting things to explore on the burgundy-suited body in front of her. "I don't know that I have a favorite… " She nuzzled Kerry's ear, and heard the soft sound of approval that trickled from the blond woman's throat. "Well.. not that you could serve at a party, anyway."
"You saying… " Kerry paused a moment to let her breathing catch up with her. "I'm better than Death by Chocolate?"
A low, seductive chuckle answered her, as Dar slowly eased her left strap down her arm, and ran a delicate finger across her sun-warmed skin. Kerry smiled at the answer, as she nibbled her way up Dar's neck, taking a slow backward step towards the tiny bedroom and drawing the taller woman along with her.
Dar went willingly, already working her other strap down, her hands warm against Kerry's damp skin. She returned the attention, easing the thin fabric over Dar's broad shoulders and tugging it down her body, running her hands over the taller woman's powerful back.
The quilt's warmth surprised her, as Dar caught her around the waist and boosted her up, joining her on the soft surface in one smooth motion, never letting up her nibbling. The windows in the cabin were open, and a rich, warm breeze came in, bringing to her the salt smell of the ocean and brushing lightly over her bare shoulders as a lone gull called overhead.
"Still think we need snow?" Dar's voice purred into her ear, as the strong hands slid over her hip and down her thigh.
"Nu uh." Kerry pushed her companion gently over on to her back, and started a slow exploration downwards, starting at her collarbone, tasting the sea's richness on her body. "Wouldn't wanna try this up north."
The sunlight painted rich golden stripes across them, in the fading sun of a tropical winter's day.
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"Well." Kerry leaned against the console, now dressed in a pair of sweatpants and an overly large polo shirt. "I always wanted to see the skyline at night from this angle."
Dar sucked wryly at steaming cup of coffee, courtesy of the boat's small galley. "Lucky I have a position locater on this thing… we drifted a lot further than I thought we would." She aimed the boat northwest, roaring through the utter darkness of an Atlantic night. "Teach me to remember not to pull the damn anchor up and get distracted."
Kerry muffled a laugh. "I've never heard tha
t many curse words strung together at one time, let me tell you." She peered ahead into the darkness, spotting a colorful string of lights. "Is that downtown?"
Dar shaded her eyes. "Yeah… that's the damn Centrust tower… " She identified the tall structure, kitted out in blue lights with white bulbs interspersed to imitate ornaments. "And I can see the Metrogonowhere from here." The people mover, which traversed a downtown that nobody actually lived in was lined with rainbow neon. The rest of the skyline came into view, tall buildings brilliant with lights.
"Is it still the Centrust tower?" Kerry inquired, enjoying the sight. "I think they went bankrupt, didn't they?"
"Yeah, yeah.. " Dar watched for the southern buoy. "I forget what it is now.. it's changed three times since then.. but I still remember it as the Centrust tower."
"Oh.. there's Bayside… wow.. it's really lit up." Kerry pointed. "Is that a tree on top of the Hard Rock?"
"It's something." Dar replied, with a chuckle. "Hang on.. I'm going to make the turn up Government cut."
Kerry obligingly slipped her arms around the taller woman, hugging her close. "Okay.. I'm ready." She announced, feeling the chuckle go through Dar's body, and the warmth as she circled Kerry's shoulder with one long, sweatshirt covered arm. "It's nice to have a couple of days off, huh?"
It certainly was, Dar reflected, steering the boat into the channel and heading for the island her apartment was on. First time for everything, I guess.. she mused. Prior years had seen her in the office even on Christmas, toasting the holiday with the grumpy cleaning staff who were forced to work. She'd brought eggnog last year, and it had actually turned out to be a little bit fun, coaxing smiles from the immigrant workers who hadn't expected to see any of the office staff in.
Not this year. They'd left work at five yesterday, and didn't have to be back until eight Monday morning, and she'd found herself looking forward to it even with it being her birthday, and having a threatened party thrown for her. "Yeah… I'm having a pretty good time.. you?" Dar answered, with a grin.
Kerry nodded, stifling a yawn. "Very much so….even if I have to settle for palm trees with strings of pink flamingo lights on them."
Dar cut speed as she entered the marina, and steered between the concrete docks with casual skill. "Hey.. palm trees are naturals for lights." She pointed at the long row of the bushy topped trees that lined the drive coming into the marina. Someone had painstakingly woven tiny white lights between all the fronds on all the leaves. "See??"
Kerry peered. "Hey.. that's not bad looking, really." She sighed. "I like our tree, though."
A real one. Dar had insisted that if she was being coerced into getting a tree, it was at least going to smell like a pine tree, and not like extruded plastic. So they'd gone out, and found one of the seven zillion tents scattered around selling the darn things, trucked from North Carolina packed in snow, and picked out a Douglas Fir a little taller than Dar herself was.
She docked the boat, and they made their way up the winding path towards the condo, waving to various neighbors that Dar hadn't even known she had before the genetically friendly Kerry had started spending most of her time with her. A soft strain of Christmas carols were playing over the island wide loudspeaker system, gentle hymns that chased them from tree to tree along the path, and Dar found herself humming.
"Sorry.. I didn't catch that?" Kerry bent her head closer. "Did you say something?"
"Um.. no.. I was just.. " Dar flicked a hand at the speakers. "Humming along.. .I like that one." She put a hand on Kerry's back as they walked up the path to her door. "I think there'll be roaming carolers around tonight… you interested in listening?"
The blond woman gazed up at her. "Roaming carolers? Jesus.. I had no idea they knew what that was down here… sure.. I love listening.. say, Dar??"
"Yes?" Dar opened the door, and stood back to let her enter.
Kerry took a breath, suddenly a little nervous, knowing she was going into choppy waters. "I know you're not a religious person.. but would you like to go to a service tonight?"
The dark haired woman paused, and studied her. "I thought you said there wasn't any of your brand around here?"
"There aren't… really.. I… but my old pastor at home gave me the names of a few he thought I'd be comfortable with.. one's over here on South Beach." She paused. "It's.. not very formal."
Dar cocked her head, and considered that. "You mean it's no big deal if we go and hold hands?" She asked with typical bluntness, holding back a grin at the blush which colored Kerry's neck and face.
"Something like that, yeah." The blond woman muttered. "Um.. never mind.. it's kind of a dumb idea." She hitched her gear back to her shoulder. "I'm going to put up a wash of this stuff.. want me to get yours, too?"
"Kerry?" Dar caught her arm, and swung her around so they were facing each other. "Your.. faith is important to you, isn't it?" She ducked her head to make eye contact with the suddenly bashful woman. "Kerry?"
Reluctantly, the green eyes tipped up to meet hers. "I guess it's kinda silly, huh? After all, the scriptures say God turns his back on people like.. me."
Dar sighed soundlessly. "Kerry, no god worth his salt would turn his back on a loving heart like yours." She gently rubbed a thumb against her friend's cheek. "I'd be glad to go with you." A tiny smile edged her face. "You're going to have to poke me when I'm supposed to stand up or whatever, though… I don't know much about it."
Kerry gave her a crooked grin. "I think I can do that.. it's not that hard, this kind.. not like we were going to Catholic Mass, or something."
"I watched that on TV last year." Dar commented. "The Pope one. It confused the hell out of me."
Kerry laughed, more at ease. "Yeah… I watched that too, the repeat after we got home from the late service…it's quite a circus." She let out a relieved sigh. "Okay… well, it's not until eleven, so… you up for dinner?"
"After eight hours diving?" Dar snorted. "I could eat the couch for dinner, if you put a little A1 on it." She glanced outside. "It's beautiful tonight… could I coax you into joining me on a little outside table up at the Mansion?"
"Ooo… starlight, candelight, and you…. I think I can twist my arm." Kerry laughed. "On the single condition that you let me pay." She raised a finger at Dar's protest. "Ah ah… remember our deal."
A sigh. "Okay." Dar grumbled. "But the champagne's on me."
"Deal." The blond woman relented cheerfully. "C'mon.. I don't think sweats and polos are the dress code up there for Christmas Eve."
"Certainly not if you're wearing my polo shirt." Dar laughed. "But if you just add a belt to it, you could call it a dress, and that'd pass." The shirt hung almost to the blond's knees.
Kerry stuck her tongue out at her friend. "I like when they fit like this, and none of mine do."
"Well…. " Dar drawled. "Now I know to buy your shirts two sizes too big, and you'll be happy."
"Not the same." Kerry replied, a little shyly.
"No?" The dark haired woman inquired.
"They don't smell like you." Kerry admitted, looking up at her through fair eyelashes.
"Oh." Dar felt the blood heating her face. She cleared her throat. "I see." She had a sudden, inexplicable feeling of déjà vu, but was fairly certain no one had ever expressed a preference for wearing her clothing due to the smell before. "Well then."
Kerry sighed contentedly.
*****************************************************
"So… you sure this is appropriate dress and all?" Dar deftly directed the Lexus off the ferry, and through the terminal parking lot. "I'd always thought of church as being a lot more formal.. you know, hats, floral arrangements, that kind of thing."
Kerry brushed a pine needle off her crisply pressed shirt, which was tucked neatly into a pair of dark Dockers, and surmounted by a festive, embroidered vest featuring running reindeer and holly wreathes. "Well, I called the pastor there.. and he tried to get away with the 'whatever you feel comfortable in' l
ine. But I didn't go along, and I told him if I showed up in a bathing suit with a Santa hat on, and everyone laughed, I wasn't going to be very happy."
Dar laughed. "Oh my god.. I'd have paid to see that."
"Dar." Kerry gave her a look. "Anyway, he said most people wore jeans or chinos, and something other than t-shirts, one or two people wore dresses or suits, and there's one guy who comes in a reindeer outfit."
"With antlers or without?" The executive asked, seriously.
"Dar." The blond woman laughed.
"Sorry.. must have been those five glasses of champagne." Dar apologized. "Not to mention that Grand Mariner cake… wow." She exhaled a little. "I feel like I'm going to explode."
"Mm… tell me about it." Kerry rolled her head to one side, and regarded the dark water stretching away from the causeway they were on. "Should I be driving?" She gave her companion a concerned look. "You seemed okay."
