Despite the beauty of the day and my wonder at seeing so many incredible creatures, I was ready to get off the boat by the time we returned to port. The captain was steering the yacht to the same pier from which we’d disembarked. The sun was shining brilliantly, and the ocean breeze seemed to have stilled, so it felt luxuriously delicious to feel the warmth on my skin. (Although some of that warmth might be caused from having already gotten too much sun from our long day at sea?)
The captain pulled up into his spot. Kyle jumped off and strapped the boat in securely. Yes, that probably wasn’t the right terminology. When we reached the wooden pier or dock, and the yacht slipped into its berth, Kyle picked up the loops of heavy rope and moored the vessel by tying it to the solid metal cleats. Once he finished all that, it was time for us to step off. Kyle stood there, offering his hand to each of us. Terry went first, followed by Bob. Then it was my turn. It was the strangest thing. As I disembarked off the gangplank and stepped onto the more or less stable pier, my legs felt shaky, as if I’d forgotten how to walk on land. For a moment, I missed the sway from the ocean water. Did that mean I’d earned my sea legs?
Thanks to Timothy calling our reliable limo driver from the yacht’s deck as the vessel chugged into the berth, Alan, the chauffeur, was waiting for us. The four of us climbed inside the behemoth vehicle, which had arrived the moment we walked off the wooden surface of the pier to trod onto the parking lot. Alan greeted us with a smile and opened the door, offering his hand to me.
As we crawled in, each of us sank into the luxurious seats and gave a big sigh of contentment. Even the guys looked exhausted, their faces slightly smudgy with grime, which was puzzling since the yacht had been immaculate. Perhaps they’d touched a post or beam on the pier and accidentally swabbed their faces?
Inside the limo, almost at the same moment, we each reached for a bottle of chilled water. What is it about being on a liquidy ocean that makes you want to drink more fluids? Timothy opened my bottle, something he was prone to do, as if I couldn’t do it myself, but it was a simple curtesy, no matter how silly it seemed.
I smiled happily. This had been the best day of my life. Of course, each of our other days in San Diego had been best days, too. I had a feeling that was due to Timothy. He was pretty great! In fact, I was falling for him — truthfully, already crazy in love. What would my grandmother say? I mentally shrugged.
It was too late now. My smile was a permanent crease on my lips. My heart was open wide.