Page 2 of The Love Haters

“It’s a promo, right?” I went on, thinking fast. “Which means our target audience will be people—like me—who know nothing. I can teach them as I’m learning! I’ll have a fresh perspective. I’ll see things others won’t.”

I wasn’t even sure what the job was yet, honestly.

But whatever it was, I needed it.

More accurately: I needed tonot get fired.

Cole sighed and then seemed to make the real-time decision to continue this conversation on a provisional basis. In a tone you’d use with a toddler, Cole said, “The Coast Guard flies helicopters out over the big ocean so their swimmers can rescue people out of the dangerous water.”

A new visual came to my mind. I had definitely seen images of rescue guys jumping out of helicopters into the ocean. “That’s the Coast Guard?” I asked. “The guys in the flippers?”

Cole blinked so slowly it read as sarcastic. “Yes. But don’t call them flippers.”

I tried to think of another word for flippers.

“They’refins,” Cole said. Then another headshake. “This should go to someone else.”

“No, no!” I said. “I’ve got this.”

“If I hear the wordflippersagain, you’re out.” Then he added, “I almost gave this to Jaden.”

Cole gave most things to Jaden, who had been here two months longer than me. “Why didn’t you?”

Cole shrugged. “He can’t swim.”

Okay, don’t tell anybody:I also couldn’t swim.

“Not swimming is a deal breaker?” I asked.

“I mean, yeah,” Cole said. “Half this job will happen in the water.”

“In the water?”

“In it, over it, near it.”

“Notunderit, though, right? It’s not, like, a scuba-diving deal?”

Cole thought for a second. “No. These guys are swimmers, not divers.”

“Soonthe water—notinthe water.”

“Unless things go horribly wrong.”

I shouldn’t have asked. But I did.“Horribly wrong?”

Cole shrugged. “The helicopter could go down in the ocean.”

“Does that happen?”

“Itcanhappen. It has happened.”

Oh, god.I took a breath.

“And if it does happen,” Cole went on, “you need to know how to swim. Because helicopters flip upside down as soon as they hit the surface.”

Maybe heshouldgive this to someone else.

But I nodded, all cool, likeSure. Then, I asked, in aRemind me againtone: “Why do they flip upside down?”

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