"I traded it in. Billy and I were cruising down the highway and we passed this boat place, and I said to myself. That's what we need! We need a boat! We can all go out together on a boat. Nobody has to get left at home anymore."

"Can we afford a boat?"

"I had some money set aside for the house I was always going to build myself. I thought I'd get a new toy instead, and well put the rest in a trust fund for college expenses."

Lizabeth almost passed out from relief. No more motorcycle. No more speeding around. "What about the car? It looks like a new car, too."

"I needed it to pull the boat"

"Of course."

Jason had climbed into the boat and was sitting in the captain's chair behind the wheel. "This is so cool. Can we take it out now? Can we take it down to the river?"

"You bet," Matt said. "We're going to take your mother for a spin. Wait'll you see what this honey can do. Lizabeth. It's a sportcruiser. Thirty feet of sleek balsa wood and fiberglass."

"It's got a deep V-hull design," Billy said. "That's for racing. This hummer can move, Mom!"

"Three hundred horsepower inboard marine motor," Matt told her. "The next best thing to good sex," he whispered in her ear.