Page 85 of The Vacation Mix-Up
“Is the Pope a religious fuck?”
Riley bursts into laughter. “No, not you too? You team up with Ben just once, and now you’re talking like him.”
I giggle. “I can assure you I will never,ever, say that again.”
We walk along the road toward the dock, past streaming creeks edged with rocks and wildflowers, the beauty and simplicity too special to take for granted. Curious, I step off the path and squat to feel the temperature of the water.
“Whoa, that’s cold.” Standing back up, I dry my fingers against my pants. “It’s so clear, like glass.”
Riley waggles his eyebrows. “Fancy a dip?”
“Are you insane?”
“Maybe.” He removes his sneakers and socks and rolls his sweatpants to just above his knees.
“You’re not seriously going into the water, are you?”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Covering my eyes with my hands, I peek through my spread fingers as he steps off the bank and onto a submerged rock.
“How is it?” I squeak.
His jaw tightens. “It’s… not that bad.”
Amusement quirks my lip. “You’re lying.”
“Fuck! Yes. Yes, I am.” He quickly makes his way out and then jogs in a circle, stopping to jump on the spot.
“I told you it was cold. The pilot said this water melted from the glacier.”
“And you didn’t think to share that information before I stepped in?”
I shrug. “Not particularly.”
“Jesus! I can’t feel my toes.”
Snickering while he redresses himself, I bend down and pick a wildflower, removing the petals one by one. “So what did you do while I was gone?”
“I made friends with many dogs.”
I laugh. “What?”
“There are a lot of dogs in Qaqortok. They’re everywhere.”
“That’s strange. Why dogs?” Horrified, my fingers hold still on a petal. “I hope they don’t eat them.”
“They don’t. According to one of the locals in a café, they use them to pull small sleds in the winter so they can get from house to house.”
“Huh,” I say, both relieved and impressed. “That makes a lot of sense.”
“It does.”
“What else did you do, other than befriend canines?”
“I tried raw whale.”
“What?” I nearly topple onto my ass.
