She reached back and took my hand, pulling me alongside of her. "Is that something you do with your Kristi?"
"Um, no, not a lot. I mean, there's no part of her I haven't, uh, explored at least a little bit, and I've kind of done that, but neither of us is really much of a 'foot' person."
"Whew! I didn't know I was until today! That was kind of fun and enlightening for me, but if you don't like it, then why...
I smiled. "Very spur of the moment thing - it was the only part of you uncovered, basically, and we were out in public, after all - so I took a shot. And I didn't say I didn't like it, it's just sort of a situational thing, not a real obsession for me is all. You do have very pretty feet."
She laughed, shaking her head. "If you were any more full of shit, your eyes would be brown!"
"Oh-ho, now that's lady-like! You've got quite the mouth on you girl, you spend too much time around horses and cowboys. Gracefully accepting a compliment doesn't seem to be a part of your repertoire, does it?"
She shrugged. "I guess I don't get many, except when some guy is trying to get in my pants. The guys around here, well, they're good guys mostly, but not always very articulate."
I stopped us, and looked at her. "None of my business Tiff, and feel free to tell me so, but have you been with a lot of guys since your husband left?"
She looked out over the lake, not meeting my eyes. "Not a lot. Several, I guess. It took me awhile to be interested again."
I watched her. Despite her sometimes tough facade, I could hear the hurt in her voice. When she had finished speaking, I nodded. "I can understand that. But what you said, about the batch of pictures you're collecting, I thought maybe you were a little out of control. You know, dangerous stuff."
She looked back into my eyes, searching them. "Thanks for being concerned, that's sweet considering you barely know me. But no, it's a bunch of photos with just a few different guys. The ones I really want him to see are the ones with Pops, and the ones with his ex-best buddy. I want to rub his nose in them, 'cause those will drive him absolutely crazy!"
"You and Toby, you mean?"
She seemed surprised. "You know about Toby?"
"Pops told me a few things. I'm glad you didn't wind up hating all men."
"Oh no, men have their uses, like I said!" She laughed. "Really, most guys are pretty decent, although most of the men around here, they don't want to waste a lot of time combing out your mane or putting the bridle on, they just want to jump straight in the saddle - if you know what I mean. They sure as hell don't do anything like what you just did!"
I laughed at her. "An appropriate metaphor that's both eloquent and colorful. Very good!"
We had reached the end of the dock, and we stood, watching the big houseboat pull in. Ronnie brought it in very slowly, and one of the marina workers was there to help fend it off the dock and to see that the rubber bumpers were in place between the boat and the dock.
Kori was at the front - sorry, bow - of the boat, and she waved and smiled at me as she tossed me the mooring rope. "Hi Adam, I see you found us!"
"Hi K. Gosh, you're looking good!" She was too, already looking tanned, beautiful, and relaxed after only a few days on the lake, her very short shorts and skimpy bikini top drawing more than a few eyes in her direction.
I tied off the rope onto the cleat on the dock, and both Kori and I walked to the stern and repeated the procedure while Tiffany waited near the bow. I heard the engine shut down, and Ronnie walked out of the cabin and joined us. He too looked relaxed and de-stressed already, the brief time on the lake obviously working wonders for them.
I walked back forward and took Tiffany's hand, and we stepped onto the boat for the introductions. "Guys, this is my new-found friend Tiffany, that I told you about on the phone. Tiff, these are my friends Ron and Kori. The gorgeous one is Kori."
Tiff didn't miss a beat. She stuck her hand out to Ron and said "Well hi Kori, I'm really happy to meet you!"
Ronnie immediately cracked up! "Oh man, I think I'm going to like this girl, she's obviously a lady of highly refined tastes and excellent judgement!"
Kori pretended to pout. "Humph! Well, if you want him you can have him sweety, but you might want to get your eyes checked! I'm already so tired of being cooped up on this thing with only Captain Ron for company that I'm ready to kiss Adam's feet!"
Tiffany and I exchanged a quick glance and a small smile before I gave Kori a quick hug and a kiss. "As nice as that sounds K, I think you might have better luck kissing Tiffany's feet."
Tiffany immediately went bright red, her blush growing even deeper when Kori looked her slowly up and down and said "Really? Now that sounds like something with some very interesting possibilities! Come on honey, help me fix a couple of drinks for all of us while you tell me about that."
Tiff, still blushing, stammered "Oh, uh, no, I can't! I mean, I really have to be getting back."
Ron looked disappointed. "Oh, so you're not going with us then?"
I jumped in and explained the situation to them, and that if we could find our way back to Bullfrog Marina on Wednesday afternoon or evening she would likely join us then. I saw Ron and Kori exchange a look before assuring us that we could certainly do that, and while Ron seemed enthused about getting Tiffany back on board, Kori seemed a little less so. I made a mental note to ask her about that later, and to tell her a little bit about Tiff's situation and mention that she might very well take a separate room. I felt like maybe Kori was just protecting her friend Kristi's turf - me - and wanted her to know that it might not be what she feared.
They prevailed upon Tiffany to stay for just one drink, and the girls headed off together to prepare them, asking for preference before they wandered away. Kori looked at me. "Adam?"
"Jeez K, it's still pretty early. Do you have Bloody Mary stuff?"
"Silly boy! Do leopards have spots? Do black guys have big dicks? Does Donald Trump have the dumbest hair ever seen on a rich, old, white man? Of course I have Bloody Mary stuff!"
Tiffany smiled, more at ease upon seeing that we all teased each other, and Ronnie and I made small talk after they left. He was fascinated with Tifffany, and how and where I'd found her, and how I had managed to talk her into joining us on such short notice. I didn't feel that it was my place to reveal too much of her story to him, a story that had been told to me in confidence. If she wanted them to know more about her, she could tell them herself either now or later in the week.
I could plainly see that Ronnie had taken an instant shine to her, and she and Kori were chattering to each other like old friends by the time they returned, carrying four rather large Bloody Marys. I was starting to feel pretty sure that she would return on Wednesday, and discovered that that thought made me very happy. I could also feel myself relax, with the drink, the company, and the sound of the water lapping at the boat. I was tired though, really tired, and desperately in need of a nap.
We sat on the deck and enjoyed our drinks, and I could see Tiffany growing more comfortable with Ron and Kori, and they with her. She opened up with them to some degree, and told them parts of her story, leaving out most of the details she had shared with me. They, for their part, told her about themselves and about how we had met and become close friends. They didn't talk much about Kristi, knowing that would be awkward, but when she did sneak into the conversation I could see that Tiff was absorbing every word.
We had mostly finished our drinks when Tiffany glanced at her watch and remarked that she had to be leaving. Ron wouldn't hear of it until after he had given her a tour of the boat, and they wandered away, him leading her by the arm. Kori watched them disappear up the steps to the upper deck, then turned to me.
"She seems very nice Adam. And interesting, there's something about her that's very attractive - or maybe intriguing is a better word - and I don't mean just her looks. Why did you invite her along?"
"Well, like you said, she's interesting. Fascinating really, and beautiful, or at least I think so. But honestly? I'm not really sure, I just kind of blurted it out, and she went along with it. I'm glad she did, I'd like to get to know her better."
Kori smiled indulgently. "Yeah, me too, but do you want to know what I think?"
I knew she'd tell me no matter what I said, so I said "Sure."
"I think you have 'white knight syndrome'. You can't resist a damsel in distress, ever."
"That's not true! And that's not it anyhow, even if it were true."
She laughed. "It is true Adam, I've seen it a hundred times. Even just recently, look at you and Rain, you and Tiffany now, and any woman that cries or is sad and you melt. You can't even find it in your heart to boot Kristi, no matter what she's done or will do, because you don't want to hurt her."
I had thought with Kristi it was because I didn't want to hurt me, but I didn't say anything. She went on. "A lot of men have that to some degree you know, and that's great, but you have a sixth sense for finding these women. Damaged women."
I had to object. "That's not true, and you know it! What about Lisa, and Kristi too for that matter. Neither of them were 'damsels in distress', as you put it. For that matter, neither of them was damaged at all until after they'd met me!"
Kori instantly broke down into gales of helpless laughter, and I realized what I had said. I had to laugh too, it was so stupid. "Wait, that didn't come out right. What I meant to say..."
She interrupted. "Oh, no, I think it came out perfect! You're kind of a goof, but you're a lovable goof. Oh, Adam!"
She was still laughing when Ron and Tiff returned. Ron looked at her, smiling. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, just the usual honey, Adam and his foot in mouth disease. You know how he is."
