Alfred grinned at her question, but didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached to take her hand and started leading her down the nearby dock (nearly pulling her, if he was honest, because he was too excited to take measured steps that fit with her shorter stride). They were nearly at the end of the dock, Katia trailing them by at least half a dozen yards, when he stopped. “This one,” he announced, eyes alight, as he gestured towards a sailboat.
She was the largest boat on the dock, but only because this dock was mostly used for tiny fishing vessels; at twenty-two feet she was not a large boat by any means. There was a border of handsome polished cedar along the deck, then a hollowed-out space that took about a third of the length of the vessel to provide space for two long bench seats, and the till to steer her by. It was the sort of ship that could sail with one experienced hand, but was easier to handle with two. At the fore end of the seating area was a short door, angled so that when it was thrown open there was enough room to descend a little three-foot ladder to the area below. At the bottom was a small cabin — hardly enough room for two people to move around each other in, but somehow managing to include a bed, toilet and kitchen in the small space, along with a fair bit of storage. It was helped a bit by a magical enlargement charm, but not by much; it would certainly be cozy, but he didn’t think she’d mind.
“What do you think?” he asked hastily. He had an urge to climb aboard and start pointing out features, but bit the inside of his lip to prevent himself from talking too much before she’d had a chance to even really see it.
She was the largest boat on the dock, but only because this dock was mostly used for tiny fishing vessels; at twenty-two feet she was not a large boat by any means. There was a border of handsome polished cedar along the deck, then a hollowed-out space that took about a third of the length of the vessel to provide space for two long bench seats, and the till to steer her by. It was the sort of ship that could sail with one experienced hand, but was easier to handle with two. At the fore end of the seating area was a short door, angled so that when it was thrown open there was enough room to descend a little three-foot ladder to the area below. At the bottom was a small cabin — hardly enough room for two people to move around each other in, but somehow managing to include a bed, toilet and kitchen in the small space, along with a fair bit of storage. It was helped a bit by a magical enlargement charm, but not by much; it would certainly be cozy, but he didn’t think she’d mind.
“What do you think?” he asked hastily. He had an urge to climb aboard and start pointing out features, but bit the inside of his lip to prevent himself from talking too much before she’d had a chance to even really see it.
MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER