Page 78 of Knockin' Boats
Shua pouted. “What did I do wrong?”
“Let the boat pull you up,” I repeated. “Just stay in the water, dig your heels into the board, and hold on to the rope. The boat will do the work.”
“Okay!” Shua maneuvered into position again, sitting in the water as Cash had demonstrated, leaning back with feet pressed to the board.
I eased forward, slowly picking up speed, and this time Shua made it halfway up before they fell. We repeated their attempts three more times, and the last time, they made it all the way up.
“I did it!” they cried with a fist pump…and immediately lost their balance.
“Good thing we’ve got all day,” Ash said with a chuckle.
“They’re really close. Anyone object to letting them try one more time?”
“We’re in no hurry,” Brooks said. “Give the kid a few more tips.”
I pulled out every tidbit of advice I remembered from when Ash and I first learned, and Shua finally made it onto the wake and dropped the rope.
Once the kid got the basics of getting up and balancing, they were golden. They surfed for even longer than Cash, though without any attempts at tricks.
By the time they returned to the boat dripping wet, their face was glazed with an exhilaration that marked them a lifelong convert.
“Yesss! That was amaaaazing!” Shua exclaimed. “I want to do it again and again. Oh, and you’ve got to teach me some tricks!”
“Well, then, let’s put Ash in the water and show you what you can really do.”
Ash raised an eyebrow. “Sure you don’t want to go first?”
“Nah. I want to see that skim board of yours in action.”
Ash grabbed his lighter, smaller board and headed to the stern, where he’d jump into the water. The boat had an inboard motor so there was no danger of rotor-blade injuries.
“You sure you don’t just want to seehimin action?” Cash asked me.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him surf. He says it’s been years. Maybe he’ll wipe out.”
“I don’t think that’s what you really want to see,” he said.
Maybe not, but I wasn’t giving Cash any ammunition. He was already a pain in my ass without me admitting Imightenjoy watching the flex of Ash’s thighs as he shifted through positions.
Ash was an experienced wakesurfer, so he got up in no time, and damn, that man looked good doing it.
It might have been a few years since he’d ridden, but Ash still had the muscle memory to ride well. He started with some slides that took him onto the crest of the wake, then added an ollie, some spins, an air grab, and more.
He looked sleek and fast, and when he nearly bit it, I called out encouragement. “Dig your right heel back!”
Ash adjusted, giving me a thumbs-up.
“Wow,” Shua said. “He’s amazing.”
“Wait until you see Sawyer,” Brooks said.
“I don’t think I compare to that,” I murmured, something hot and needy rising inside as I watched Ash carve the shit out of the wake.
“Oh, yes you do,” Cash said. “You’re crazy skilled out there. Why don’t you show Shua why they’ve got the best teacher ever?”
With my friends’ encouragement, I hit the water next, pulling out all my tricks, driven to impress Ash. I didn’t want to outdo him, as I had when we were teens. This was different.
I liked that he was watching me. I wanted him to like what he saw.
