小说园

第19部分（第3页）

I？m　falling　fast　and　faster　still。

So　fall　with　me。　Fall　down　with　me。

And　stay。

Vanessa　blushed　deeply；　her　cheeks　turning　bright　pink；　and　Dan　found　it　hard　to　tear　his　gaze

away　from　her。　She　looked　so　beautiful　in　her　light　blue　dress；　her　skin　glowing　white　against　the

sky　blue　fabric。　。　。　。

The　sound　of　clapping　woke　him　from　his　reverie。　？Um；　thank　you；？　he　mumbled　as　he　headed

back　to　his　seat　in　a　daze。　He　sat　back　down；　and　Jenny　grabbed　his　arm。　？That　was　really　great。

But　we？vegot　to　talk　about　something　later；？　she　whispered　loudly　in　his　ear。

？Um；　okay；？　Dan　whispered　back。　He　patted　his　damp　forehead　with　a　paper　napkin；　just　as

Ruby？s　bandmates　began　cartwheeling　down　the　rose…petaled　aisle。

Guess　someone　didn？t　hire　a　wedding　planner。

chips　ahoy！

Nate　leaned　out　over　the　bow　of　the　boat　and　dipped　his　hand　in　the　white　froth　of　the　waves。

Chips　stood　in　theBelinda　？s　stern？named　for　his　late　wife？as　he　simultaneously　steered　the　huge

wheel　of　the　forty…foot　yacht　and　nursed　a　scotch　on　the　rocks。　The　white　sails　billowed　in　the

wind。　It　was　a　perfect；　cloudless　summer　day；　but　after　his　afternoon　with　both　Blair　and　Serena

yesterday；　Nate？s　thoughts　were　more　muddled　than　ever。　When　Chips　had　called　this　morning

and　invited　him　out　for　a　sail　on　the　Hudson；　he？d　jumped　at　the　chance　to　get　back　out　on　the

water　and　as　far　away　from　the　girls　as　possible。　A　little　scotch　wouldn？t　hurt　either。

Wearing　a　pair　of　white　Ralph　Lauren　sailing　pants　and　a　navy　blue　cashmere　sweater；　Chips

looked　sophisticated　and　stately　manning　the　wheel　of　the　pristine　yacht。

？This　is　the　life；？　he　boomed；　his　wizened　hands　resting　lightly　on　the　wheel。　？The　open　sea；　the

sun；　and　the　wind。？　He　took　a　deep　breath　and　tilted　his　head　toward　the　sky；　breathing　the　clear；

warm　air　deep　into　his　lungs。

？I　guess。？　Nate　scuffed　the　toe　of　his　sneakers　against　the　planks　of　the　deck。　He　was　waiting　for

a　big　lecture　on　thinking　with　his　balls；　Chips？s　favorite　topic。

The　old　man？s　stubby　white　beard　sparkled　in　the　late　afternoon　sunshine。　？So；　what？s　crawled

up　your　arse；　then？？　he　asked；　his　Scottish　accent　rolling　around　in　his　mouth　like　marbles。

？Oh。　I？m？I？m　fine；？　Nate　answered　quickly。　？Sort　of。？　Chips　looked　at　him　knowingly；　waiting

for　Nate　to　continue。　Nate　took　a　deep　breath；　inhaling　the　briny　air　into　his　lungs；　and；　for　the　first

time　in　days；　felt　his　head　start　to　clear。　When　he　was　out　on　the　ocean；　everything　just　felt　so

much　simpler。　The　whole　world　was　reduced　to　its　essentials：　sun；　sky；　and　water。

？I　have　to　repeat　my　senior　year　of　high　school；？　he　heard　himself　say。　？I？m　not　going　to　Yale。

I？m　sure　my　dad　told　you；　right？？　Chips　nodded。　？Apparently　you　stole　Viagra　from　your　coach