Page 15 of One Timer With A Wingman

I narrow my eyes at Aaron, growl, and walk away. “Wait a second, pretty lady,” Gus says. “I need to help you with your windsurfer.”

Gus guides me to an area where the windsurfers are being stored.

Gus lifts a windsurfer and carries it over to the water. “You know I used to be a control freak too,” he tells me. “I gave up my suit and moved to this island. I never looked back.”

“I’m not a control freak, Gus,” I reply. “Aaron is just. . .”

“He wants you. . . I could see it too. Do you not feel the same?” he asks. Gus looks to be in his forties. He’s a good-looking man for his age.

“It’s not that. Aaron is a player. That’s not my thing,” I say to this stranger.

“Eh, you’re young. How do you know what your thing is? It’s better to have lots of experiences to figure yourself out,” he says. “The best thinking I do is out on the water. You think you are in control of your movements, but then a big wave can knock you out or the wind moving in another direction can throw you off your rhythm. That’s what I love about water sports. It makes you realize you aren’t really in control after all.”

Gus is trying to teach me life lessons along with windsurfing.

“I should come out with you for the first try,” he suggests. “You’ll want to keep your legs about a hips width a part and have a little bend in your knees.”

“I’ve never windsurfed before but I’m pretty athletic,” I say to Gus.

Nolan walks by. “She’s a professional gymnast,” he tells Gus.

“Ah, makes sense,” Gus says.

I’ve signed up for a therapy lesson, not a windsurfing lesson.

“Gymnastics requires I aim for perfection,” I tell him as if that’s explanation enough.

“And yet, does perfection really exist?” Gus counters.

Oh boy. I just want to get out on the water.

“Okay, I see I’ve gotten a little too deep for you.” He chuckles. “Let’s get a life jacket on you. I assume you can swim?”

“I can,” I confirm.

“Good,” he says.

Nolan and Levi pull up beside me and Gus hooks them up with a windsurfer too. They’ve both done this before, so they slip on their life jackets and head out on to the water.

“Okay, well, if you need me. I’ll be in the shack,” Gus says.

“Thank you,” I say to him. I watch Nolan and Levi head out on to the water. I’m a visual learner, so I watch how they pull on the sail part of the windsurfer and take off. With my life jacket on, I try to follow the same steps they took. The other girls are all getting on the boat to go parasailing. Aaron went along with them, which is nice because I need to keep my distance from him. My attraction to him is visceral. I’m picky when it comes to guys. I usually don’t feel this kind of chemical reaction in my body. I don’t like it.

The first time I try to get up on the sail, I fall into the water. I think that maybe I made a mistake not taking Gus up on his offer of a lesson. After a little self-pep talk, I try again. Gymnastics is the kind of sport where you fall a lot before you get the hang of things. Quitting was never an option for me. I get back up. My knee is a little scuffed, but I am standing on the board and it feels good.

My sail catches the wind. I glide across the water. The warmth of the air and the way the board moves effortlessly through the water brings a smile to my face. Even though I have good friends back in Riverside, and I am close with my teammates on the gymnastics team, there is a part of me who’s a bit of a loner. I spend a lot of time on my own and in my head. Levi and Nolan pass me. They don’t wave but I get a head nod from each of them. I wouldn’t dare let go of my sail. I’d probably end up in the water. I watch the rest of the group board the boat and then they head out into deeper waters.

I’m bored so I head back to the beach. I remove the life jacket. I hear someone clapping so I turn around. “Good for you, beautiful.” It’s Gus. “Are you calling it a day?”

“Thanks, yeah,” I admit.

I thank Gus for his help and walk back to the hotel pool. The thing is huge. I find a lounge chair. I take off my shorts and tank top and lie back on a lounge chair, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my skin.

I hear a whistle. “Looking fine, Briar.”

I crack an eye open. It’s Nolan, and Levi is with him.

“What’s up?” I ask.

---