Page 61 of That Island Feeling

‘I sewed myself into these new float shoes, and now my feet are too buoyant – I can’t get them down!’

‘Oh, Arthur,’ Hazel sighs, but I can tell she’s amused. ‘Let’s get you to shore.’ She grabs hold of his feet and, with determined strokes, begins towing him behind her. Why do I get the sense that this is not the first time Hazel has rescued Arthur?

I contemplate following her, but then decide against it. It’s just too heavenly out here.

‘I might stay in for a bit longer,’ I call – they’re already halfway to the beach.

‘Enjoy!’ Hazel sings back, her breathless voice carrying over the water.

As I bounce around, twisting and turning my body and revelling in the delicious weightlessness, Hazel’s oversized swimsuit fills with water, billowing around me like a sail.

I’m still acting like a juvenile dolphin on its first night out on the river when a splash sounds behind me, followed by a gravelly voice.

‘Watch out. I just spotted Woof going that way,’ the voice warns.

‘Tell me you’re joking,’ I squeal as I turn around, resisting the urge to immediately leap onto his paddleboard.

It’s a strange feeling, being shit-scared and elated, all in the same moment.

‘I am.’ Jack grins.

‘Thank God.’ I breathe out, my gaze drifting upwards, eyes drawn like a magnet to the sun bouncing off the droplets of water speckled over his contoured stomach. His wet board shorts are the perfect amount of tight, clinging to well-defined thighs. I’m suddenly conscious of the sea of Lycra swamping my cleavage and wonder how my boobs look from that angle.

‘Oh wait!’ Jack exclaims with faux panic. ‘You better jump up here!’ His eyes are so exaggeratedly wide that it’s comical.

‘Ha ha, very funny,’ I say, readjusting my halter strap while treading water and trying not to swallow any salt water.

‘No, seriously Andie, there’s a –’

A burning sensation erupts at my calf and I peer down into the water to see the tentacles of a mushroom-shaped jellyfish brushing against my leg.

‘Oh my God! Am I going to die?’ I screech, kicking hard as I pull my leg away from the monster.

‘It’s okay. They’re not poisonous,’ Jack reassures me, reaching down and pulling me up onto his board in one smooth motion. ‘Plenty of room up here. If only Rose had been so courteous with that door, perhaps her Jack wouldn’t have frozen to death.’

I appreciate his attempt to distract me, but I struggle to manage even a weak laugh – out of the water, my leg stings like crazy.

‘Ouch,’ I say, sucking air through my clenched teeth as I try to endure the pain.

‘Sit up there and hold on. Let’s get you back to shore,’ Jack directs.

Carefully, I manoeuvre myself to the front of the board, being mindful not to knock my injured leg.

As Jack’s paddle glides confidently through the water, I see that we’re surrounded by a bloom of jellyfish hovering around his board like an ominous cloud. ‘Sorry, my red board probably attracted them. Not exactly subtle.’ He chuckles. ‘They love bright colours. Curious little things.’ He pauses as he glances at the water and lets out a low whistle. ‘Actually, strike that. Not little things at all. These are some big units.’

‘Are there normally this many?’ I ask, trembling slightly and one eye on my reddening calf.

‘Unfortunately, yes. There’s so much jelly blubber in the river over summer we joke you could almost walk across it – forget Arthur’s fence-post shoes. Sorry that I didn’t warn you. For some reason, they’re not usually at Pearl Cove.’

‘I’m pretty sure Arthur’s fence-post shoes are last season, replaced by a new line of floating shoes. Your mum just had to rescue him from the water because they malfunctioned.’

The board wobbles as Jack belly-laughs.

‘Sounds like you’re starting to come good. How’s the leg feeling?’

‘It’s itchy.’ I fight the urge to scratch at the irritated spot. I don’t want to accidentally tip us over.

‘Ah. You’ll have to excuse the next step of treatment – it’s, ah, a little unsavoury,’ he says, loosening the cord holding up his board shorts.

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