Ocean Eyes

#15 - Jenna

"Hey, Em, why don't you go see if Audrey and Jack can bring Jenna over and join us for a boat ride?" Dad asked as Mom tied the strings on my swimsuit top. I broke into a wide smile. Any more time that I could spend with Jenna was time well spent. I nodded in response to him, and quickly darted out of the camper.

I slid into my ninety-eight cent flip-flops and ran over the small amount of space between her camper and ours. I knocked on the door rapidly. Audrey opened it quickly, a cigarette hanging from her mouth. I tried not to show my disgust and discomfort about her smoking and said, as politely as I could, "Would you like to go boating with Dad, Mom, Wyatt, and I?"

Audrey considered the offer for a second, and then replied, "Jack and I don't feel like boating just now, but tell your father thanks for the offer. I don't care if Jenna goes with you, though." I smiled. "Okay, I'll tell him. Please tell Jenna that we'll be waiting by the boat if she wants to come." Audrey nodded. "Will do."

I walked back over to my own camper, and grabbed my beach towel from the railing, where it was drying from yesterday's swim. I also grabbed the sunscreen, which Mom seemed to have forgotten, and her sunglasses, which she always wore.

I took everything down to the boat and tossed it all in before getting in myself. I spread my towel across the bow seat like I always do, then tossed Mom her stuff.

I sat down just as Dad asked from the driver's station, "So, what's the scoop on the Clarkes?" "Audrey and Jack didn't want to come, but they said Jenna could." "Okay," he said, and kept the motor idling while we waited for Jenna.

After about five minutes, I spotted her slim figure, clad in a dark blue bikini, sprinting down the hill to the boat. She got there and hurriedly climbed in, dragging her things behind her.

Dad started the engine, and we idled out of the cove while I got Jenna set up on the seat next to mine. I pulled sunscreen out of her bag and asked, "Do you mind?" She shook her head, waving me off. "No, it's fine. Go ahead." I thanked her, then sprayed sunscreen all over my legs and arms and neck and chest. Jenna did the same with a different bottle of sunscreen.

"Turn around and I'll do your back," Jenna said. Obediently, I turned around, and she sprayed me down with sunscreen. I did the same for her.

Finally, we were ready. Jenna gave Dad the 'go' signal, and he immediately floored it. Soon we were rushing through the wind.

Jenna moved closer to me and, without any warning, wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

It felt so right that I didn't have any willpower to move it.