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increased a little as he took a step onto the ramp leading to Dock C. As he hesitantly strolled down the dock, Abel noted all the boat names and stopped when he saw T-Time .
    I wonder what the protocol is when you visit someone’s boat. Do you yell “Ahoy”? Knock? Or just step onboard? He felt silly yelling “Ahoy,” and he didn’t think he knew Cullen well enough to just step onboard, so he knocked a couple of times on the hull.
    Cullen’s muffled voice came from somewhere deep inside the boat. Abel struggled but couldn’t make out what Cullen had said, so he said the first thing that came to his mind. “Permission to come aboard, Captain?” Then he smacked himself in the forehead. What a Dork!
    Cullen’s voice was louder now and clearer. “Permission granted. Now get your butt up here!”
    Abel stepped onto the boat and climbed up five steps to a carpeted area of about ten-by-fourteen feet. The area had wraparound seating, a bar and sink, and what appeared to be an icemaker. Three more steps up led to a higher level with even more seating, but it also appeared to be the helm. The dash was covered in black canvas, but he could clearly see the outline of a steering wheel under the cover.
    An already half-open, tinted-glass doorway slid the rest of the way open. “Hey.” Cullen popped his head out. “Welcome aboard.”
    The first thing Abel noticed was that Cullen didn’t appear to be himself, at least the little he knew about the man. He was smiling, but the usual sparkle wasn’t in his eyes.
    “Come on in,” Cullen said.
    Abel followed Cullen down a set of stairs into a living room of sorts. He knew it was called something else on a boat, but he couldn’t think of what it was. It was beautiful, though. High-gloss woodwork, hardwood floors with a large Oriental rug, and creamy beige leather couches lining the walls.
    Abel shook Cullen’s hand. “This is really nice.” He continued to look around.
    “Thanks. Help yourself if you’d like a tour. This is the saloon.”
    Saloon. Yeah, that’s it.
    Cullen waved and then gestured over his shoulder. “The galley. Two cabins and a head forward, and the master cabin and master head aft.”
    “Now, a head is a bathroom. Right?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Abel did the self-guided tour while Cullen fiddled in the galley. There were indeed two cabins. One with two beds and one with what looked like a queen-size bed forward. Also a bathroom, or head as Cullen had called it. I had no idea there was so much space on a boat!
    He then moved across the saloon and walked down three steps into another cabin. This one was quite large, with a king-size bed. This must be Cullen’s cabin. Abel ran his hand along the bed, and an image of Cullen lying there flashed through his mind. He blushed, feeling almost like a voyeur, and quickly shook the image from his mind’s eye. There was also a dressing area and two doors. He opened each and found one was a shower and the other a water closet. Abel closed the door and realized he was still carrying the bag with the wine in it. He figuratively smacked himself in the forehead again.
    “I’m no wine expert, but the lady at the wine store recommended this.” Abel handed Cullen the blue bag.
    “Thanks.” Cullen took the bag, placed it on the counter, and went back to putting some cheese on a plate.
    Abel knew for sure now that Cullen didn’t seem to be in the mood for company. “I feel like I’m intruding. If tonight isn’t convenient, we can certainly do it another time. No hard feelings.”
    Cullen looked up, and their eyes met. For the first time, Abel realized how handsome Cullen was. His host was wearing a black V-neck T-shirt, blue jeans riding low on his hips, and he was barefoot. The black shirt looked great with his dark hair and emphasized the hint of silver at his temples. And his brilliant eyes, albeit not as bright as they were in the morning sunshine, were a very deep blue just the same. Abel’s thoughts were