Contents ( 66)
- Cover
- Books by Valerie Fraser Luesse
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Map of Florida
- one
- two
- three
- four
- five
- six
- seven
- eight
- nine
- ten
- eleven
- twelve
- thirteen
- fourteen
- fifteen
- sixteen
- seventeen
- eighteen
- nineteen
- twenty
- twenty-one
- twenty-two
- twenty-three
- twenty-four
- twenty-five
- twenty-six
- twenty-seven
- twenty-eight
- twenty-nine
- thirty
- thirty-one
- thirty-two
- thirty-three
- thirty-four
- thirty-five
- thirty-six
- thirty-seven
- thirty-eight
- thirty-nine
- forty
- forty-one
- forty-two
- forty-three
- forty-four
- forty-five
- forty-six
- forty-seven
- forty-eight
- forty-nine
- fifty
- fifty-one
- Epilogue
- Keep Reading for a Preview of Valerie Luesse’s Next Book!
- Prologue
- one
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Ads
- Back Cover
Jasper kept picking up a small stuffed dolphin and squeezing it, so Peyton bought it for him, along with a soft mermaid doll for Bonnie. A store clerk helped them find child-size life jackets since there weren’t any on the boat.
Carrying Jasper on his shoulders, Peyton looked on as Bonnie, sporting new clothes and holding what was likely the first doll she had ever owned, stared at herself in a tall mirror in the center of the store. Lisa had brushed her blonde hair—now clean and shiny—and pulled it into a ponytail held with a pink bow. Bonnie’s sundress was pink with little white daisies all over it. “I can’t get over it,” she said, staring at her reflection.
“Get over what, honey?” Peyton asked.
“I look like a real person.”
Lisa knelt beside her, gazing into the mirror.
“You gonna cry?” Bonnie asked Lisa’s reflection in the mirror.
Lisa bit her lip and shook her head.
Bonnie reached up and held Lisa’s face in her hands. “I didn’t think I was gonna like you as much as Peyton, but I do.”
Lisa kissed the top of Bonnie’s head, then stood up and took her by the hand. “Jasper, you look mighty handsome in that sailor outfit,” she said.
He grinned shyly at her from his perch.
“I ain’t never seen you in clothes that was your size, Jasper,” Bonnie added. “You look real nice.”
The four of them had an early lunch at a café on the beach, then returned to the marina to buy their provisions and load in.
“We need to keep an eye on the weather today,” Peyton said to Lisa. “The sky had a little red in it this morning, but I don’t know if it was red enough for us to worry about it.”
“Show me what to look for and I’ll help you keep watch.”
“That’s the spirit, first mate,” Peyton said with a little salute.
As he pulled the Skidaddle out of its slip and into open water, Bonnie sat on his lap, with Lisa holding Jasper.
“Can I put my hands on the steerin’ wheel with yours so I can feel what it’s like to drive a boat?” Bonnie asked.
“You bet. Don’t you take us out to sea, now.”
Bonnie laid her hands on top of his, which rested on the bottom of the steering wheel. Her eyes were fixed not on the expanse of turquoise sea but on the wheel. “Your hands are a lot bigger than mine,” she said, looking down at them. “But I’m not scared of ’em. I won’t ever be scared o’ your hands, Peyton.”
forty-seven
Peyton dropped anchor and helped Lisa with the children. Everybody was ready for a snack and a break.
“I never seen one o’ these before,” Bonnie said as she examined the MoonPie that Lisa handed her.
“I’d bet a Coke you’re gonna love it,” Peyton said as he unwrapped it for her while Lisa helped Jasper with his. “It’s kind of a cookie and kind of a cake with marshmallow in the middle and chocolate all around. Take a bite and see what you think.”