24. Caleb
Chapter twenty-four
“Don’t rush it just cos you’re hungry, Mase,” Grandpa says as he goes back and forth with his brush. “You gotta look after your boat. Take your time with it, like you would a woman.”
I snort at Grandpa’s reference.
“What do you mean?” Mason calls from up on the flybridge.
I dip my long brush into the bucket of soapy water, then brush it against the hull as I shake my head.
“Sure, it’s exciting when you’ve got that burning need for a woman, but to find someone you want to go slow with.
That sensual build-up of anticipation, that reward of having her let go for you?
Hoo-wee, that’s something special. Anything you care about should be cared for with the patience it deserves. ”
“But Grams is making her lasagne for dinner! I don’t have time to go slow.”
I laugh. “I think the concept of going slow with a woman is unheard of for Mase, Grandpa.”
“Mason Luke,” he tuts. “I do hope you respect and appreciate the women who agree to warm your bed.”
“Of course I do. I appreciate the fuck outta them.”
I pop my head up, looking at Grandpa, who stands on the other side of the boat. “And he means that literally. ”
The whole family spent the day on Mason’s boat, soaking up the summer sunshine.
Everyone else left for our grandparents’ house, while Mason, Grandpa and I stayed behind to clean the boat.
The water gently laps against the side, there’s salt in the air, and the sounds of seagulls squawking as they fly overhead.
Nothing that helps clear my mind of Lex.
I look down at the chain that hangs around my neck. The little silver ring hanging at the bottom of it. I stole it. I’m that person who took a girl’s ring off her bedside table because he has a crush on her.
“Well, I’m not doing anything they ain’t asking for,” says Mason.
“Pretty sure a lot of them ask for longer, actually.”
“Hey!” His head pops over the side of the flybridge where he stands above me. “I’m no two-pump chump. I got stamina.”
“I’m talking about a second night. Maybe a date.”
He scrunches his face at my suggestion. “Oh, fuck that.” Then he disappears back out of sight.
“What about you, Caleb? Are you taking anyone on any dates lately?” Grandpa asks.
I stare at where the bristles run back and forth, gliding through the soap. “You know me, Grandpa, not much of a dater either.”
“You got a lot of love in you, boy. Don’t let it go to waste.”
I drop the brush into the bucket, leaning the handle against the hull and turn to face Grandpa.
“What was it like when you met Grams?”
A smile immediately pulls at Grandpa’s face. It’s soft and sweet, reminiscent of a decades-long love story.
“Electrifying,” he says.
“You met through work, right? You had to hide your attraction for months. Did you ever worry that what you had was a heat-of-the-moment thing? The excitement of something new?”
I watch as Grandpa takes in my question, moving through memories, to the time when he first met my grandmother.
“The day I met your grandmother, I knew my life would never be the same.” The confession almost snatches my breath.
“After the first day?” I ask.
“Oh, yes. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Every time she opened her mouth, I wanted to know more. I was in complete and total awe of her. The confidence she walked around with.”
“But then you couldn’t act on anything?” I ask in search of clarity.
“No. She was a woman in a high position at her father’s company, and it was her first big role. I was eight years older than her. That attraction couldn’t be denied, though. We both knew we felt it.”
“But how did you trust that it wasn’t just the thrill of something you couldn’t have?”
“Because the axis of my life tilted, circling around her. Nothing interested me anymore. All I saw was her. If it all fizzled out in the end, then at least I’d know, but if I didn’t go for it, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.
Love thrives in the light of truth. Do you want to live in the darkness, or love in the light? ”