Page 47 of Beach B!tch
I tried, I really did. But damn, she was so adorable all angry and buoyant.
After I coughed and choked for a few moments, I felt my laughter was under control. I helped her up and kept ahold of her hips until she was safely positioned on the board. Her arms pinwheeled for a few minutes until she found her balance. Then I handed her the paddle and off she went.
I hustled to my own board and paddled out behind her. Where most people would need time to adjust to the feel of the board and how to paddle, my girl was naturally athletic. She adjusted within a few strokes and was off in a hurry, oblivious to the fact she was going the wrong way.
"Brinley, babe, that's a dead end. We gotta go this way." I gestured off to my right. I snorted out a laugh as I watched her try to rotate her head around enough to see me behind her with that bulky life jacket in the way.
"Shut up!" she tossed over her shoulder. She turned to face forward again, using her paddle to turn her board my way.
"You're doing great, sweetheart," I called out to her. This was supposed to be a fun adventure. I reminded myself to keep the laughing to myself and just encourage her.
"Shut up."
Okay, well, maybe my feisty girl needed a few minutes to cool off. I bit my lip, focusing on the pain to keep the smile from taking over.
We paddled around the harbor for about an hour before we called it a day. Brinley never fell in and therefore, didn't need that life jacket. I made sure I got a few pictures of her smiling on her board. You know, for memories for her to look back on, not for blackmail of her in a pink life jacket.
No, I'd never...
