So, it turns out that Gina is amazing. No, not like that, though I'm sure that she has people to attest to that too. But she got Mr. Vosman to agree to give me the Miami Dolphins project! I'd known that she was a good worker, but the office politics aspect of that move was a new side of her. She may have lied a little and told him that it would do me good because it would keep me out of the office and away from Zack, but I couldn't fault her for that little fib at all. It was an entire team project too, so we would all be there, helping them plan the stadium renovations they wanted to do once the current NFL season was over. I even hugged her in a completely professional manner, and she didn't grab my ass. True progress!

Truthfully, Zack was reacting worse than I was. He was already unliked because of his work effort, and now this scandal was making him feel like a pariah. Since I had been a lot more respected and liked than he was, there was more sympathy for me dealing with my situation than worrying about his discomfort. My mood had already been lifted since the divorce process had already started and I had been buoyed by the prospect of seeing Kaia again on Saturday, so work wasn't as bad as I expected.

Speaking of which, today is charter fishing boat day! Yes, I'm going to go see Kaia, and I can't wait! Hayden doesn't live too far from me, and I agreed to pick her up on the way to the boat. It was going to be an early start, so she didn't want to drive while tired. I even stopped by the diner that Kaia worked at to get half a dozen coffees for her, Heather, and the crew, with an assortment of cream and sugar options. Did I ask the staff at the diner how she liked her coffee? Of course. I even grabbed the French vanilla creamer for her so she would get exactly the way she wanted.

"Damn, this girl has you hooked!" Hayden said when I made her hold the coffee.

"Oh please, your shorts are so short that they might as well be a bathing suit, and I'm sure you'll have them off and be in a bikini as soon as you meet Heather."

She rolled her eyes but didn't try to deny it. Not that I could fault her. I was wearing a bathing suit and tee shirt myself. We were going to be on a boat, it wasn't like there was a need to be dressed up. Following the GPS, we made our way to the correct marina and then parked the car, bringing the coffee and the cooler I'd packed with drinks with us to the boat. Being out on the water in the Miami sun, I was worried about dehydration, so I was playing it safe.

We walked out onto the dock and started heading toward the correct berth. It wasn't too hard to find the boat, because both Hayden and I stopped dead in our tracks when it came into view. I had thought that Hayden's shorts were tiny, but when I saw Kaia and the girl that I assumed to be Heather, I realized how wrong I was. They were in cut offs that barely had any thread on them, and so tight I was worried they were going to burst every time they moved. Oh, and of course they each had tiny bikini tops on too. Heather was a virtual twin to Kaia, though her hair was perhaps a shade darker, and she was just a bit taller.

"Fuck!" Hayden breathed out.

"You want to go meet Heather?" I asked, while nudging her shoulder.

"I might need to jump in the water first. Damn!"

"Come on, she's more than just a pretty face so be charming," I prompted.

"Yeah, sorry. I'll behave."

I didn't believe that for a moment. But it was a nice sentiment.

Kaia must have been keeping an eye out for us because she stepped to the side of the boat and greeted us as we walked over to it. "Ahoy! Welcome to the Twin Star! Can I help you aboard?" She held her hand out and I happily took it, jumping over the gunwale and onto the aft deck.

The other girl was smiling over at Hadley, no doubt having been told about her by Kaia and handed each of us a bottle of water. "Hey, I'm Heather, and this is for you. Drink up, it gets hot out there!"

"We brought coffees in case you need it," I lifted the carry body for them.

"Ahh! Coffee! Yes please!" came a booming voice from the cockpit. A large man came striding from it with a twinkle in his eyes. He was almost as tall as I was, but a lot wider, and most of it looked to be muscle. He wasn't the kind of guy I'd want to tangle with. I handed him the box of coffee and he got right to setting up a cup. "I'm Captain Burns, and these girls are my daughters, so be on your best behavior!"

Suddenly things became a lot clearer. Both girls were probably students and needed money. If there were men chartering the boats, they could make a lot more on tips here than at the diner. Yes, I know, most of us men are pigs and would throw the money at the pretty girl and hope they could get lucky. But with Captain Burns about, he could make sure nobody tried anything, or they'd quickly become bait. I still didn't like the idea of other men ogling Kaia, but that might have just been a protective, jealous streak. Okay, my bad, it definitely was.

But if you think about it, I had got the boat chartered for 8 hours and with a good tip it would be over $2000 for the day. I wasn't sure what the operating costs of the boat were, but if she could collect even 10% of that, then it would be a good day for her!

"What can we expect to catch today?" I asked Kaia.

"You came at a good time of year. The sailfish are still running and maybe we'll catch a few!"

"Do you fish much." Heather was standing close to Hayden who was blatantly staring at her, and she had to numbly shake her head to form a response.

"No, the live bait always made me freak out. Is that what you use here?" Hayden looked around, as if there would be worms rushing out to get her.

Heather grinned at the brunette and touched her gently on the bicep to calm her down. "Don't worry about it, I'll bait your hook if you don't like to."

Hayden smiled in relief and nodded with a deep sigh.

"How about you? Have you ever fished?" Kaia wondered.

"It's been a while. When I was younger my dad and I used to go out on the party fishing boats in Boston harbor. Mostly you'd catch cod or flounder there, but sometimes you'd get lucky and find a school of bluefish or striped bass," I replied. I had loved those times, but my dad had passed away when I was 13, and I hadn't done anything like that in the open water. I'd fished in ponds and lakes since then, but that was very different.

"You should be just fine here. If we get a sailfish, they put up a big fight, but you're strong enough to pull them aboard," she assured me. "Heather will help Hayden today; they look like they'll get along fine."

"So, you're not going to help me?" I pouted.

"Your son does that much better than you, give it up!" she giggled cutely while reaching up to slap me.

"Fine! I'll just tough it out!" I joked. "Oh, I brought some more water and soda." I lifted the small cooler to show her. "Where do you want it?"

"You can toss it in the stern near the rod holders, that's where we'll spend most of the day. Did you bring sunscreen?"

"I already applied and have more for later." I may not have been a Florida native, but I knew my way around sunscreen!

"Then we should be about ready! Let me check with dad."

As she left, I glanced over at Heather and Hayden who seemed to be deep in conversation, both with giant smiles on their faces. That would be a nice bonus, if they hit it off. I'd been texting Hayden ever since the surgery, and she was rapidly becoming an important part of my life. Everyone needs friends, and as you grow older, they can be harder to make. But I might have gotten lucky when I ran into her.

"Looks like we did pretty well playing cupid," remarked Kaia as she came up next to me.

"Yeah, they look like they could be a good match. Hayden has been a great friend, and I know you can vouch for Heather, so maybe they can hit it off." It wouldn't be a bad thing to start out with some low stress double dates, right?

"Stranger things have happened. Heather has been my best friend since I was in diapers, so if Hayden hurts her, she'll need all her doctor friends to make her better," Kaia stated.

Well now I was confused, because Captain Burns had definitely called them both his daughters. Maybe that was because they'd grown up together and they were as close as family? I wasn't sure, but that did sound possible. I guess I could always find out later. I was sure that Kaia would have as many questions for me as I had for her if she was going to give me a chance with a date.

But that would have to wait for later, as Kaia and Heather leapt into action to cast off the boat lines and we got underway to go fishing!