Page 46 of Something Blue

“Should we head to the bouncy village?” Andy pointed to the massive bouncy playground filled with slides and bouncing pads, all floating on top of the deep water. The village was filled with teenagers, parents, and smaller children.

“Aren’t we a little old?”

He entwined his fingers with hers and led her to the ladder. “Nope. We are the perfect age.”

Her fingers tightened around his as he tried to release her hand to climb down the ladder. “You said you would stay by me.”

“You bet.”

Small fish swam around them as they walked toward the bouncy village. When they tired of walking, they swam. By the time they’d made it to the row of red and blue inflatable houses, it was filled to capacity, and they were among the last invited in. After signing waivers, they were led to the entrance and told the rules by a gangly teenage boy who’d gotten too much sun.

“No knocking anyone down, no staying in one area for too long, and jump far away from the float when going into the water.”

Sadie looked ready to back out, so he encouraged her to go first. She turned back a few times but instead of giving up, she would get a determined look on her face and press on. As they reached the platform that led to the giant trampolines and bouncy houses with slides leading into the water, it took less than five seconds for Sadie to head back to the ladder.

Careful not to make her jump, he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her toward his chest. “It’s all right. We’re going to jump on a trampoline. Not a big deal. You’ve probably done it a lot. If you don’t want to jump in the water, we’ll hold hands and bounce.” He dropped his arms from around her waist and reached for her hands to ensure he would follow through on his plan to keep her safe and happy.

Her eyes watched him with suspicion. She sighed and looked at the many teenagers pressing their way through an obstacle course. “It does look fun, and it’s got to be ten times easier than parasailing and the bucket-seat lift.”

He nodded with enthusiasm. “Let’s try it.”

He pulled her toward the path that led to the trampoline. Luckily, a large group of teenage boys had found more interest in the climbing ropes next to the slide. Other than two little girls and their parents, the space was all theirs.

He waited until she jumped first. It only took a few seconds before she took a tentative bounce. She held both of his hands tightly, keeping a steady gaze on him. He smiled and nodded, then bounced softly a few times. Her smile grew wider as they bounced higher.

A large group of boys got on the trampoline and started break the egg—a game where one person sat and held onto their legs while others jumped around them, trying to break them from their tight position. The trampoline pad was big enough to spread out on, so Sadie edged away from them, keeping a firm grip on his fingers. They paused at the side and looked out over the water.

“I guess the water’s not that far away. Why don’t we—”

Before she could finish her sentence, a boy jumped right next to them, bumping them off the trampoline and into the water. Sadie let out a scream, and Andy fought for the surface.

He was alone.

He looked around and didn’t see any sign of Sadie. He dove under and swam around, but she wasn’t anywhere. Panic flooded through him.

When he surfaced for air before another dive, he heard her laughter. He whipped around and saw her treading water with a big smile on her face.

“You’re okay?” he asked. “Well, of course you are.” Relief washed over him as he swam closer and held out a hand to her face. He cupped her chin and met her eyes. “You scared me.”

Her smile disappeared. “You took forever to come up, so I snuck to the side to scare you.”

“Wait? You’re okay? Five minutes ago, you didn’t even want to jump. And here you are happy we were pushed off the trampoline. I should go back up there with those boys and—”

She laughed. “And what? Are you going to beat up a bunch of teenage boys?”

He punched the air. “Sure, why not?”

She laughed and pulled him toward the ladder. “I think being a nurse and seeing all the crazy accidents that can happen has gotten to me, and I am afraid of everything. But you make me feel brave. Let’s go again.”

“Really?” He grabbed her shoulders and stopped her. “Really? All of a sudden you’re Wonder Woman?”

She gave him a mischievous smile. “I guess all the fear was kicked right out of me. As long as you’re with me, I think I can do it.”

His cheeks actually hurt from smiling as he followed her up the ladder, down the ramp, and onto the trampoline again. They stayed there a while, jumping off a few times, but eventually she moved onto every bouncy house adventure there was.

Other than a few terse minutes of meeting the teenagers who had pushed them off the other float, the afternoon went smoothly. When they tired of jumping and swimming, they grabbed some hamburgers at a floating snack bar and headed back to their boat. Andy turned the radio to some soft alternative music, and they ate. After eating, they stretched out on the boat, talking about her job. When it was his time to share, he avoided answering any of Sadie’s questions about work.

“Can’t you tell me more about your job, now that we’re dating?”

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