Page 53 of Any Second Now
“On a kayak?” I suppress a snort-laugh. She’s quiet for a minute, and I think she’s getting ready to answer me.
“I don’t think chickens can swim,” she says instead.
“You’re probably right.” I nod to reassure her further. “But I don’t think you have to worry. Seasickness usually happens with waves, an ocean, a different kind of boat, etc.”
“Like a sailboat,” she whispers, her eyes wide, fear dripping from every word.
“I feel like there’s a story here.” I press my lips together and wait patiently. Raleigh’s kayak is close enough that I reach over and gently pull it toward me. The plastic bumps together and she presses her eyes shut. I keep a hand on her kayak so she doesn’t drift away. It’s safe out here but you should still keep your eyes open while out on a lake.
“There is.”
“Go on.” The sky is a bright blue, the sun warming us. Colorado is god’s country. The beauty is astounding in every nook and cranny of this state. It’s hot, but never humid. Mountains soar around us. The forest is lush and green, the air clear and fresh.
And I’m spending time with Raleigh.
Fleeting thoughts of my injury, Barrett Steele, and the charity tournament flit through my head, but I push the negative vibes away and they vanish in the warm air. I switch my hat to forward facing to block the sun and wait for Raleigh to continue.
“It was during pharmacy school. A bunch of my classmates were going on a sailing trip in the French Caribbean and they invited me.”
“I didn’t know you knew how to sail.”
“I didn’t. I don’t.” Her eyes fly open and she shakes her head.
“Okay. Continue.” I press my lips together.
“My job was to stay out of the way while they did the sailing thing. But that first day? The seas were rough. I started to feel sick, so I tried hiding below deck, but… it didn’t work. Made it worse. Pretty soon I was throwing up over the side of the boat.”
“Ohhhh no.” I try so very hard to suppress a laugh and barely succeed.
“But I wasn’t the only one!” Panic crosses her face. “Another girl was puking too. So we docked at an island and god, I was so happy to have my feet on solid ground.”
“I can imagine.”
“They told me it was a rough day at sea. That tomorrow would be better. And the next day…. Well, the sea looked like this.” She waves a hand around her. “Like glass. Clear. Smooth. Practically no waves.”
“And…”
“I was just. As. Sick. Worse, even.” Raleigh shakes her head. “That night we ended up stopping in French Guadeloupe. I packed my bag, got off the sailboat, and refused to get back on.”
I feign shock. “Where did you go?”
“I found a hotel. But the funny thing is they don’t speak a lot of English on the island. Mostly French. And my classmates just kind of laughed and left me there. I was like—good riddance. The next day I had to take a cab to the pier and hope I understood what they’d told me about getting the ferry to the mainland.”
I can’t stop laughing, and Raleigh gives me a dirty look, then cracks a grin, and finally laughs with me. I let go of her kayak for a second to wipe my eyes and adjust my hat.
There’s a flash of movement.
Then Raleigh’s kayak is upside down.
“Oh my god! Raleigh!” What the fuck happened in the two seconds I had my eyes closed?
The kayak flips back over, empty, and her head pops up from under the water one second later.
“Fuck!” She yells, water streaming off her head. She grabs her hat, which is floating next to her, and tosses it in the kayak.
“Shit, give me your hand.” I reach out to her and she just freaking floats there in the water with a shocked look. I’m not sure if I should laugh or help.
“This water is freezing!” But Raleigh looks far less panicked than she did while in the kayak.
