Gail was in awe. “This is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen,” she whispered to Jesse.

“I’m really glad,” he said, leaning close to kiss her softly.

Jesse and Gail eventually slipped into the water, treading softly as they waited for the dolphins’ curiosity to pique. It wasn’t long before they ventured close. Gail was so exhilarated to be in the water with the beautiful creatures that her hands trembled. One dolphin brushed up against her leg. Another swam by and rolled over on its back, slowing just enough for her to touch the silky skin of its underbelly.

It wasn’t long before they swam away, but as Jesse helped her back into the boat Gail knew she’d been forever changed by the experience. Her spirit felt bigger and wiser for it.

They sailed toward the coral reef for snorkeling. When they’d started off that morning, Jesse had explained to Gail that her interest in scuba diving was admirable, but certification classes would eat up much of her vacation. He suggested she save that for another time, and offered to arrange it for her.

“Another friend of yours?” she asked, smiling.

“Yep. He runs the best dive shop on the island. He’ll take very good care of you.” Jesse had been at the helm of the sailboat when he said this, and he’d paused for a moment, turning to study her. Gail remembered how powerful his gaze felt, how beautiful he was in the early light, his hair whipping in the wind.

“The next time you come to visit me, I’ll hook you up.”

Gail hadn’t known what to say. It surprised her that Jesse might want to see her again. She felt the same, of course, but it was a shock that it was mutual. She let the comment slide.

Snorkeling was the second mind-blowing thrill of the day for Gail. Jesse said the Key West Marine Sanctuary included the world’s third-largest living barrier reef. They slipped into the warm tropical waters and, after Jesse gave Gail a quick lesson in how not to swallow gallons of seawater, they were off.

Gail decided right away that the world she’d entered was like an underwater garden, bursting with color and movement. Her eyes bugged out behind her mask.

She saw what she recognized immediately as a stingray, and pointed it out excitedly to Jesse. Later, Jesse would tell her they’d seen dozens of varieties of tropical fish, including blue tangs, sergeant majors and parrotfish.

Eventually, they swam back to the boat for lunch. Jesse had packed cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, fruit and chocolate, which nearly melted in the time it took to pluck it from the cooler and unwrap it. Jesse fed Gail small pieces, and she licked the sweetness off his fingers.

They returned to Margaret Street late in the afternoon, and it was then that Jesse introduced Gail to his home. She was awestruck by how rich and shiny it was inside, all the dark wood, the off-white plaster walls filled with art.

Jesse led her through the downstairs to his backyard, a shady and private oasis lush with flowering bushes, palms and a mighty tree that twisted around itself before it exploded into a giant canopy protecting the whole property. Jesse told her it was a 150-year-old banyan tree that he’d always thought of as the guardian of his family’s homestead. He led her to the hammock beneath the tree, where they snuggled together. The peaceful joy she felt in his arms—combined with the day’s salt air, sun and water—sent Gail almost immediately to sleep. She woke up when her cell phone went off, opening her eyes to see Jesse gazing down at her with a smile. She prayed she hadn’t been drooling.

Later that night, Gail was put at ease about Luis and Nestor when they picked up the girls in person. They seemed like well-mannered young men, and though they looked like identical twins, they told Gail they were a year apart. Holly and Hannah rushed them out the door before Gail could ask too many questions, but Jesse assured her that their father had laid down the law with them—they were to remain on their best behavior, or else.

It was then that Gail realized just how fortunate she and the girls had been. They’d arrived just days ago as tourists and strangers, but Jesse had brought them into his circle, making their vacation feel more like a homecoming. She didn’t know how she’d ever express to him how much that meant to her.

While Holly and Hannah spent Tuesday with the boys at Bahia Honda State Park beach, Jesse took Gail to art galleries and out to lunch. They returned to Gail’s cottage for a nap, a swim and a roll on the king-size bed. Jesse continued to surprise her with how generous and patient he was as a lover and how he managed to combine excitement with tenderness.

That was the first time that Gail worried she was getting too attached.

Gail spent Wednesday with the girls, joining them for an all-day water sports adventure on a catamaran. She invited Jesse but he declined, saying he had some work to catch up on and that they’d hook up for dinner. She missed him. She admitted that the idea of missing someone she’d just met was silly, but it felt strange to be in Key West without him. Gail started to think about how difficult it was going to be when she had to leave.

That was the second time she worried about getting too attached.

Gail had a blast with Holly and Hannah, parasailing, snorkeling, jet skiing and kayaking. Watching the girls ineptly race their kayaks had her doubled over in laughter. At lunch, Holly asked her mom if everything was going okay with the hottie captain. Gail put down her sandwich.

“It’s going just fine,” she said, smiling. “I’m having a lot of fun.”

When Hannah excused herself to go to the boat’s ladies’ room, Gail knew this conversation was pre-planned.

“Is everything going well with Luis and Nestor?” Gail asked.

Holly shrugged. “They’re cool. I mean, it’s not like anything serious will happen between any of us, but it’s nice to get the inside treatment here, you know? They know all the best places and can get us in free everywhere and everything.”

Gail smiled at her. “It’s the same with Jesse.”

Holly didn’t say anything for moment and tapped a fingernail on the side of her water bottle. Eventually she looked up, and Gail could see she was upset.

“Holly, is something wrong?” She reached for her daughter’s forearm, now brown as a berry and covered in a sun-whitened fuzz. “Has something happened?”

Holly gave her a smirk. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

Gail nodded, patting Holly’s arm until her daughter yanked it away. “So you’re angry that I’m spending so much time with Jesse?”

“No. Not angry.” Holly scowled at her, the wind tossing around her daughter’s soft blond hair. “Just concerned that you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Gail bit her bottom lip to stop from laughing. “I see.”

“You’re not very experienced, Mom, and you’ve been out with Jesse at all hours, doing God only knows what, and I just don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

Gail smiled at her daughter. She was touched that Holly saw her as needing guidance when it came to men. “What are you worried might happen, honey?”

Holly made that clicking sound of disbelief with her tongue. “Hello? I’m worried that you’re going to get totally sprung over this guy that you hardly know, Mom!”

Gail didn’t want to sound tragically unhip, but she had no choice. “Sprung?” she asked.

Holly shook her head in disbelief. “You know, crushing on him, falling in lust with him, when it’ll never amount to anything. Seriously, Mom, rule number one is you never, ever fall in love with a guy you meet on spring break—it’ll only bring you pain.”

Gail took a big gulp of her water, stalling. She couldn’t deny that Holly had a point, but the fact still remained that Gail was the thirty-six-year-old woman in this conversation, and Holly was the child.

“I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself just fine,” she said eventually. “Jesse and I are adults and we know what we’re doing, and that’s enjoying each other’s company.”

“What-evs!”

Suddenly, Gail understood what the conversation was really about. She smiled at her tenderhearted daughter. It had been just the two of them for so long that Holly must feel a little possessive of Gail.

“Do you want me to spend more time with you, honey? Do you feel like I’ve abandoned you or something?”

Holly’s mouth dropped open. “Uh, not hardly, Mom.”

Gail had begun to frown in consternation when the lightbulb suddenly went off in her head. This time, she was certain she’d gotten to the bottom of things. “Am I embarrassing you, Holl? Is that it?”

“Duh!” Holly said, smacking her palms on the table. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Think about it, Mom—it’s my spring break, but it’s my mother who’s letting herself go totally wild with some hot guy, riding through town on a moped with her thighs on display! It’s absolutely humiliating!”

Gail was stunned. “You saw me?”

“Yeah. Me and everyone else. Luis called you a party girl.”

Gail sat up straighter. “He did? Really?”

“That’s not a compliment, Mother.”

Gail tried not to smile too much, because she knew she needed to address the cause of her daughter’s discomfort, but she was secretly thrilled with her new reputation. She’d been a lot of things in her life—book-worm, mommy, trusting wife—but never a party girl.

“Holly,” she said as gently as she could. “I appreciate your looking out for me. I really do.”

Her daughter shrugged.

Gail knew that Holly had never seen her mother as a sexual creature, because her mother hadn’t seen herself that way. Not for a very long time. It had to be disconcerting for her daughter, and maybe a little threatening.