Page 33

A Full Hull

Sam

“ Y es, you have, Sugar. Letting us watch you be showered with love—that’s the best gift yet.” It’s true. I’ve always loved watching people open gifts that I’ve gotten them, rather than opening ones given to me.

She’s smiling at me as she heads to her cubby; two trips later, she’s put hers under the tree. “That’s really sweet of you to say, Sam. I guess I don’t need to pass these out, then?”

“You’re like the opposite of Father Christmas.” Zane lightly punches my arm.

“Hey, don’t be the Grinch, Sam. I want my present,” Dante says.

“Grinch. Exactly,” says Zane.

“I’m not the Grinch.” I sit down.

“No way Sam’s the Grinch. That would be me,” Calvin says.

“You’re not the Grinch either.” Haley hands him a small, leaf-wrapped package. “Merry Christmas.”

“Thank you, Haley.” He pulls her into his lap and opens it.

“It’s a salve for your knees,” she says.

“My knees. Thank you.”

“You think we don’t all know your knees hurt you like fuck?” Dante leans forward in the camp chair.

“I thought I covered it pretty well,” Calvin says. “Guess not.” He opens the jar and sniffs it. “Nice.” Taking a dab, he reaches between Haley’s legs and rubs some on his knee. “It tingles.”

“It’s a mixture of aloe I found, ginger, turmeric, and an oil from a tree. I’ve found a lot of plants in the last month.”

Zane points at Dante. “Ginger—that was what you added to the coconut grits last week.”

“Indeed. Sassy didn’t want me to spill her secret.”

“Man, that feels good.” Calvin’s mouth is hanging open. Although, that might be because Haley is rubbing the salve over his other knee.

Zane laughs. “Careful, Little Bird. I think his eyes are going to roll into the back of his head.”

“No careful. No stop,” Calvin grunts, his head hitting the back of the camp chair.

“More later.” Haley kisses the top of his nose. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Like isn’t anywhere near enough to describe it,” Calvin moans.

Haley hops off his lap and takes another package out. This one’s larger. “Dante.” She hands it to him, beaming.

“Sassy, whatever could this be?”

“Hush, I told you to stay off the beach. You weren’t supposed to know.”

He carefully unwraps a beautiful basket. It’s honestly the best she’s made.

“It’s perfect, thank you.” He places it in the middle of the table and pulls her in for a deep kiss.

“Easton.” She hands him a small package. Everyone else seems to know what’s going to be in it. But then, I’ve been on the derelict beach for weeks. There’s a lot I’ve missed.

“Thank you.” Inside his package is a piece of sea glass encased in a twine cage hanging from a leather strap. “This is beautiful. The bubble inside looks like a heart.”

Haley’s ponytail bobs. “That’s what I thought too.”

“I love it.” He puts it on and gives her a long kiss as well.

“Zane.” Whatever is wrapped in the leaves looks heavy.

“Whoa, Little Bird, what’s in here?”

“You don’t know? I thought I had given away all my surprises.” She claps.

“I haven’t the faintest.”

“Wait, open this one first.” Haley hands him a smaller package. “I’ve been doing some experimenting, too. I think this should work, but I want to keep trying to get it perfect.”

Zane peels away the leaves and holds up a white drop of I’m not sure what.

“Okay, now the other one.”

Zane’s eyebrows shoot up, and his smile consumes his face. “No way. A slate and chalk to help me figure out the rest of the code without using up the last of the agenda paper. Brilliant.”

“I didn’t know about Sam’s?—”

“It’s bloody brilliant. I won’t waste anything this way. Agenda or Sam’s paper.”

“I’m glad you like it. Easton helped a lot with it.”

“Thank you, mate.” Zane draws a smiley face on the slate and a soccer ball. “This is my favorite gift ever.” He puts his supplies on the table and dips Haley in a kiss.

“Whoa is right.” She laughs. “Now I’m dizzy.” She stands and then comes to me.

I hold my arms open for her, and she sits on my lap.

“Now he looks like Father Christmas, with all that salt in his beard.”

I shoot Zane the finger behind Haley’s back, and he laughs so hard he falls off the stool. “Have you been a good girl?” I ask Haley.

“No, but I’ve already gotten my gifts, so.” She laughs. “Here, Sam. I hope you like it.”

I’m painfully slow opening the leaves, one after the other.

“Open it already,” Dante yells.

“Patience, Jones. Anticipation is part of the gift.” The last leaf falls away and there’s a bracelet with different types of knots in it. “You learned how to do all these yourself?”

“I had some help—lots of help—from the guys. But I can do them by myself now.”

“They’re really good.” I slip the bracelet over my wrist. “I love it. Thank you.” Damn, I could kiss this girl for the rest of the day. For the rest of the year. Hell, for the rest of my life.

Her eyes are sparkling blue when her lips leave mine.

“Catch, Sam.” Calvin throws a small paper-wrapped package at me.

“Thank you.” I hold it up and take my time opening this one as well. More because they’re all groaning. “Wow.” He’s carved a mini-Penny. She’s sitting with her head cocked to one side.

Calvin runs his fingers behind Penny’s ears. “She was a really good model.”

She barks and wags her tail. In her don’t-stop-petting-me way.

“I love it.”

Then packages are tossed around the circle left and right. Easton’s made Dante a rack to hang above the potbelly stove to hold his spoons. Calvin’s carved Zane a Union Jack. Dante’s made Calvin some lube. Actually, Dante’s made everyone some lube. “Thoughtful and useful,” to quote him.

But my favorite part of the chaos of the guys’ gift exchange is watching Haley. Her eyes are beaming. She talks about a family, and she’s right. That’s what we are now. A family that nothing can pull apart.

Zane gathers the wrappings, both leaves and paper.

While Dante’s making a fish course, Easton and Calvin are playing a game of checkers with the board Zane made Calvin.

Haley’s rocking in the hammock Easton made for Dante.

This new chair that Calvin made cradles my back in a way that’s the most comfortable I’ve been in months.

And I can’t stop smiling. Pepper’s on my lap. Penny’s head is on my foot.

I’ve always thought of myself as someone who likes the quiet.

A cup of coffee on an empty deck. The sun beating down on me.

But then I’d never really been completely alone before.

Penny scooches closer to my foot. Oh, I wasn’t completely alone all that time.

I had Penny, but her conversation wasn’t the best. I thought I was a quiet kind of guy. But this? This is the best.

The only thing missing is my brother and my sister with her husband and kids.

This isn’t bad. Nothing about it. Which is bonkers.

We’re stuck in the middle of the ocean, yet I’ve had the best Christmas morning of my life.

There’s a little pile of presents beside me: My Penny carving, which I’m definitely going to make sure Penny doesn’t treat as a chew toy.

I run my thumb over the bracelet. She did a good job on the bowline and the other knots in the bracelet.

It means so much more than something bought.

The Mancala board from Zane, a shell-decorated dog bowl from Easton, and the oil from Dante.

“You can’t do that,” Easton says. And I’m not sure if he’s being serious or not, the way he says it.

“Fuck, you suck at this, Swimmer Boy.” Dante laughs, watching over the game of checkers.

“I can. You lined your pieces up for me to jump them. I thought you were doing it on purpose. I mean, seriously. Look at this, Zane.” Calvin replays the triple-jump of Easton’s pieces in a slow-motion reenactment.

“It’s fair play. Why did you...? Oh, never mind,” Easton says.

“Oh no, I’ve lost. Zane, you said you wanted to play the winner? I’ll help you, Haley.” Easton pushes up from the table.

“You lost on purpose?” Zane growls.

“I know, right? Weird.” He pulls Haley into a kiss. When he comes up for air, he laughs. “Want to take a swim?”

“I’m up for a swim too.” I put Pepper on the chair, and she curls up into a ball.

“Yeah, yeah, I do,” Haley says. “We should all go. Do you have time for a swim, Dante?”

“I have time for anything that has to do with you, Sassy. But yeah, this just has to simmer, and I’m letting the fire go out—for today, anyway.

By the time it’s done, we’ll be able to eat our afternoon meal.

Let’s swim.” Dante picks Haley up and races three steps.

“Ugh, I love you, Sassy, but my dick isn’t going to let me run and carry you. ”

She slides down his chest, laughing. “I’ll walk.

” She pivots and announces to the rest of us: “I’ll walk—no, I’ll beat you all there!

” She takes off running, and Calvin’s not wrong calling her a bunny.

She’s got a good amount of hop in her step as she takes off for the ocean. Sand flies up from her feet.

I’m off after her, but so is Penny. Penny’s going vertical beside her?

“You ready, Penny?” Haley high-steps into the surf, knowing full well there’s no way on the planet that my dog is going to go into the water willingly. Seaweed? Hell yeah. Mud, deer scat, anything that smells like shit? Yes, please. But water? Nope.

But then she runs straight into the waves.

Haley skids to a stop. “Penny?”

Penny’s only in up to her shoulders, but that old saying that all dogs know how to instinctively swim? Not true. So not true.

I reach Penny at the same time that Haley does.

Does the damn dog think she’s got her life vest on?

My heart rises up my throat as her head sinks below the water like she’s trying to walk to the mainland.

Haley has Penny’s head, and I have her haunches as we pull her out of the waves.

Penny gives a good sneeze all over Haley’s chest.

Haley ignores it. “Are you okay?” Haley pulls Penny into a hug as the dog shakes herself over both of us.

“Penny,” I say. “What were you thinking, girl?”

The other guys have caught up to us.

“She was thinking that she’d follow Little Bird anywhere. Just like the rest of us.”

“Don’t be a lemming. That’s not smart!” Haley holds Penny’s head up and stares into her eyes.

“You’re a smart girl. Use that brain of yours.

” She kisses Penny on the nose and hugs her again.

Then Penny gets up and trots away, racing after a dead palm frond blowing down the beach, like I don’t know what your problem is.

“Are you okay?” Haley holds on to my biceps.

“I’m fine. I’m not the one who almost drowned. Thank you for getting to her.”

“You were there too,” Haley says.

“I know, but you didn’t hesitate to chase after her. She’s not a small dog.”

“She’s family. I’ll do anything for my family.”

“Anything, Sassy?” Dante wiggles his eyebrows.

“I’ve already proven that, haven’t I?” She laughs and slips away from me, heading straight into the surf. “But first, a Christmas Day swim.” When she gets in up to her waist, she dives under a shallow wave and swims out beyond the breakers.

I’m not the only one frozen by her beauty. Watching.

Easton breaks first, taking off. And we all follow. There are no games today. Just floating. Haley moves around the five of us. Light touches. A kiss here and there.

I don’t remember the last time we all swam together, staying out so long. But it’s another layer of the perfect day. Another tick of time building the life that I didn’t know I wanted. A life of less, not more. Of slower. Of people, not things. Of providing for my body, not indulgence.

Haley floats next to me. Her skin has turned pink enough in the sun that we need to get her into the jungle shade. “Today is perfect,” she says.

“Yes, yes, it is, Sugar. Merry Christmas.”