As I take a sip of the bourbon, a thought crosses my mind of wrestling that red shirt off Miss Brandy. In our tipsy state though, it might spell trouble if we were to fall in the lake. Maybe when we reach the shore… I get a mental image of the two of us wrestling while I'm trying to remove that shirt, and I can feel my face turning red. I quickly turn and look out over the lake in an attempt to conceal my blush.
The fishing has slowed down now and is not nearly as lively as it was. In fact the fish have seemed to stop biting entirely.
“Miss Brandy,” I say, “I think it's time we were making our way in. The bourbon is beginning to work it's magic, and there's no telling what would happen if we rowed up to the wrong shore.”
“I might get swatted.” Miss Brandy replies with a giggle, then says, “I am getting peckish and we've demolished the contents of the picnic basket hours ago… this fishing builds an appetite.”
“Yes ma'am,” I answer as I place the oars in their locks. We reel the lines in and store the poles in the bottom of the boat. I begin to slowly row towards the Bee Hive.
We laugh and giggle while telling various jokes, and just enjoying each other company on the little trip in. Finally we reach the shoreline in front of the Bee Hive.
I hop out of the boat and pull the bow further on shore. Miss Brandy stands and I offer my hand to help her out of the boat. She takes it and steps out on to the shore, but her trailing foot hits the side of the boat causing Miss Brandy to stumble slightly. I catch her before she falls, and we're in a tangled embrace. My arms are wrapped around her waist, up her back while her arms are around my neck. Our lips are just inches away from each others.
“You smell like bourbon,” Miss Brandy says, while smiling, “and fish.”
“Well,” I look her in the eyes and answer, “you smell a little fishy, too… Miss Rum Breath.”
We release each other from the entanglement, and that thought of wrestling the shirt from her again crosses my mind.
“Keep the shirt,” I say to Miss Brandy, “it suits you… besides, you have the front of it all bumpy now.”
She laughs and says, “You can keep that blue shirt, we'll call it a fair trade.” Then she kisses me on the cheek and thanks me for taking her fishing.
I assure her it was my pleasure. I watch as she turns and walks to the Bee Hive and before she reaches the cabin Miss Brandy turns and asks, “Are you going back to the AB&G soon?”
I answer, “yes, I want to work on that back wall of the fire pit.”
Miss Brandy gives me a thumbs up sign and I push the rowboat back into the water and row my way to The Cove. I see there is a new cabin that's popped up nearby. “I will have to take some flowers there too, as a welcoming”, I say out loud as I pull up onto the shore.
Hopping out I pull the boat to it's stake and throw the looped rope over the post, securing it. Then gathering up the fishing equipment, along with the bottles of booze, I take the gear around the back of the cabin and store it in the crate. I pour the bucket of unused worms and dirt into the flower garden. Next I go into the cabin to shower and clean up before going to the bar.
