“So you say,” chuckled Helena in amusement.

“If I never got to know you so well, I knew you well. Maybe I would be
fine. Baby, you know that I can’t tell. Why you should be mine. Shake
your love. I just can’t shake your love.”

Turning to Helena and wearing a supremely satisfied look on her
features, Alice declared, “There! Did you hear that? Shake Your Love
was totally one of her happier songs and even it had angst in it.
Debbie Gibson is such a source of musical melodrama.” Moments after she
said this, she noticed just where they were and looking at the various
ships Alice frowned as she murmured, “Why are we in Marina del Rey?”

Smiling at Alice’s confusion, Helena replied, “You said to take you
somewhere you wouldn’t have a chance of seeing Dana. I rather doubt
you’ll see her anywhere about here. Besides,” she said softly,
unbuckling her seatbelt now. “I wanted to show you something.”

“Show me what?” asked Alice, confused but her curiosity piqued. She
quickly followed suit and unbuckled her seatbelt to jog out of the car
and over to Helena.

“The place which, should circumstances ever allow it, I would chose to
spend all of my days and nights at,” Helena revealed, her blue eyes
sparkling with excitement. Taking Alice’s hand, she led the woman
towards the wharf and greeted the man who sat at the entrance with his
legs propped up as he read the Los Angeles Times. “Hard at work per
usual, are we Jerry?”

Jerry jumped in his seat and sat upright looking panicked until he saw
it was Helena. Then he rolled his eyes and folded the paper in his lap
and scowled good naturedly at her. “You tryin’ to give me a heart
attack, Peabody? I thought you were Carter comin’ back to ride my *****
more.”

“While that sounds like an entirely pleasant experience, I’m afraid I
have no desire to participate in it,” drawled Helena in teasing tones.
“And if I did, wouldn’t it only serve to make your wife jealous?
Something I certainly do not want to do as I’ve only managed to make
her like me in fairly recent days.”

“Not your fault,” Jerry said, sighing deeply as he scratched the back
of his head. “She wouldn’t believe me when I said you was *****, right? I
dunno, seems sad but I guess you and me are lucky that we ran into you
on a date making out with a hot chick.” His smile turned mischievous
and he went on, “What happened to that chick anyway? You–” Jerry
stopped in the middle of his sentence when his brain finally took
notice of the fact Helena was standing in front of him holding hands
with Alice. “Never mind!” Jerry cried out, laughing nervously. “You and
your friend wanna get to fishing or you know…”