My heart broke into a million pieces for this poor girl. You take a lot for granted when you’re ‘healthy’. Hell, I’m dead, but I’m not really dead. I don’t feel dead. I had some health issues in life, not the extent of what Ani’s dealing with, but they were serious at the end there. I feel better than I had in year. Decades. Yes this all felt ‘real’. I didn’t notice a difference.

“Yes, sweetie. It feels real. Want me to pinch you?” I raised an eyebrow.

She giggled. “Yes I do, but maybe not in public. Yet. Hold that thought.”

Well. That’s a sign a blind woman could read. Interesting.

“This is so cool!” She got up on her knees and peered over the aft rail, watching The Island slip away. “I’ve never been on a boat before, real or Sim! I love this!”

“I used to get seasick in Meat Space,” I said, “It’s nice to be able to edit that out because I really enjoy being out here. I love the ocean. Everything about it.”

I looked back at Paul and Tommy. They were chatting about something, but from their faces it didn’t seem like anything important. Paul saw me looking and caught my eye. I smiled and he winked back.

“Alexander said that you had a proposal for us?” I asked her quietly.

“I…yes. Can I ask you a favor?” Ani said.

“Sure.”

“Can we talk about that later? I want to…experience this.”

I laughed. “Of course!”

“I know I’m imposing and this is your private space…”

“Look, Ani, let’s get one thing straight,” I said seriously, touching her arm. “Yeah, technically we’re getting creds for this. On the books it’s a charter, but I and those two over there,” I tossed my head in the direction of the boys, “enjoyed the time we spent with you on your last visit and would have been happy to meet up charter or no. I’ve invited a couple of clients to my home before, but only a couple and they were pretty special. You count. Tommy’s planning a party to introduce you to a few more Echoes at his place and he’s NEVER invited a Meat to his home so yeah. We enjoyed your company. So enough of this ‘imposing’ shit and let’s start the vacation. Want a drink?”

She smiled and blinked. “Yes. What are we having?”

“We’re on a boat, Boat Drinks, what else? Alexander, four frozen Margaritas por favor!”

“Hablas Espanol?” she asked me, grinning.

“Solamente un poquito, disculpame. Solia ser casi fluida pero eso fue hace much tiempo.”

“Can you understand this?” she asked with a naughty grin. “Te ves lo suficientemente bien como para comer con ese vestido.”

“Puedes comerme ahora, o tu puedes comerme mas tarde, eres tu eleccion,” I replied with a small smile.

“Aye de mi, you do speak ‘un poquito’.” She laughed and gave me a smokey look. “Later, but maybe not too much later?”

“Let’s have a drink first,” I agreed.

A short boat ride, long enough to have that drink and for Ani to get to enjoy the trip and we motored around the island to the small sheltered cove. Captain Alexander dropped the hook and we all changed into bathing suits and then met down at the wet room. Paul launched the small motor launch we use as a tender and I got in behind the wheel while the others settled in. Paul pushed us clear and scrambled over the bow, settling in across from Tom with Ani sitting in the center bow. That balanced us pretty nicely and she steered easily as I powered up and pointed her at the beach.

I beached us and Paul jumped into the surf with a line and tied us off to our usual anchor. We come here enough that I had Alexander put a ring bolt into a large rock so we can tie off the launch. It was high-tide and Paul pulled us up as far as he could so it wasn’t going anyplace until the next high tide, which was the plan.

The temperature had risen to a beautiful 30C so I shed my top. If it’s just Paul and I we tend to go nude but when we have guests we wear suits, but I refuse to wear a top. It’s silly. They’re tits. Even men have them. I wondered for a minute if it was going to be an issue for Ani but she stripped off the oversized tee shirt she had on and was just as top-free. Hell, the girl barely had a bottom on, we probably could have done nude. Piano, piano as my husband says. Little by little.

Ani’s joy was palpable. We walked along the surf and she danced like a child, her spirits making us smile. The boys brought a frisbee and we tossed it back and forth. Ani had to be shown how to throw one but she picked it up quickly and was soon having as much fun as the rest of us.

After a bit, the boys unpacked the chairs we had put in the launch and Ani and I collected driftwood and deadfall for a fire. Paul made a pit and lit a fire and we settled in around it to watch the sun set. It was cooling off a little so Ani and I put our tops on and Tom put on one of his ubiquitous tank tops. Paul sat in the sand in front of me and I wrapped my legs around his shoulders and played with his hair. It was a good day.