Page 37 of The Lyrics of Love

“You get none of it until our lesson is done. I’m going to make you earn every bite of that chicken.”

“Have you ever taught anyone to SUP before?”

“A few people. I think I’m a decent teacher. It’s all about focus and balance. Since you’re a great skier, I think you’ll take to this.”

They arrived at the lake and while Nash gathered their gear, Rylie retrieved the paddleboards. She had them slip into their PFDs and put their whistles around their necks, advising him to keep his T-shirt on because the water would be cold.

“I don’t think we’ll need the whistles. They’re for warning people that you have the right-of-way. Still, it’s part of the process. You always want to have it on you whenever you go into the water.”

He looked around. “It’s pretty deserted.” Shielding his eyes, he said, “I can see a fishing boat in the distance, but that’s about it.”

“I thought it would be pretty quiet here.” As they walked toward the water, she said, “With no one around, you won’t get embarrassed.”

“By what?”

“Falling off. You’ll do it. A lot. Or you won’t be able to get up right away. But that’s natural. And then it will all kick in. You’ll become more in tune with your body. Just don’t rush any of your movements.”

“Got it, Boss. Maybe that’ll be my nickname for you. I heard Dylan call Willow Bear last night. Very affectionately, I might add. So, my name for you will be Boss.”

“I can answer to that.” She smiled. “Let’s get started.”

Rylie had them move to the water. He felt a little odd, wearing the sandals Jarrod had him buy, but he had trusted the clerk and now saw Rylie wore a very similar pair.

“You want to take your board out until you’re knee-deep in water. Deep enough so that your board’s fins don’t touch bottom. I’ll talk you through it once as you watch me, and then we’ll let you try it.”

They stopped and she said, “You hold the board here—by its edges. Then you’ll work yourself onto the board into a kneeling position. You want to wind up right behind the center point of your board. It’s here,” she pointed out, as she demonstrated for him, climbing onto the board and balancing on her knees.

“You must keep your hands on the sides so it’s stable. Then you move one foot to replace a knee. Don’t stand up all at once. Ease into it. Raise your chest, keeping your knees bent. Then gentle push to your full height.” She now stood erect.

“I’m ready to try it,” he told her, as she squatted and eased off her board.

“I’ll have you do it several times, get up to full height, jump off the board, and try again, okay?”

“Got it, Boss.”

Nash went through the motions several times. The first time took him the longest, with the paddleboard rocking furiously. He learned how to steady it, though, and by his fourth attempt, he felt comfortable.

“Ready to move on?” Rylie asked.

“I am,” he said, not wanting to even nod his head.

“Okay, next we’ll work on staying on your board. Your feet need to be parallel, about hip-width distance apart, centered between the board’s edges.”

Gingerly, Nash moved his feet, as Rylie got up on her paddleboard and mimicked his actions.

“I want you to point your toes forward. You’ll keep your back straight, but bend your knees slightly. Very slightly.”

He positioned himself as she requested.

“Good, Nash. Very good. Head and shoulders steady. Look out at the horizon. Don’t look down at your feet.”

Which he immediately did—and fell off.

Rylie laughed. “Told you so.”

He got up again slowly, following her directions, grabbing the handle at the center of the board with one hand and letting his legs float up to the surface behind him. She had him kick his legs and pull on the handle to slide onto the board. Once up on it, he positioned himself as she’d explained. She told him he would shift his weight by moving his hips and had him practice doing so. He fell off again and got right back up, practicing it several times and getting the hang of it, since mounting in deeper water was different from when he was only knee-deep.

“Okay, let’s work on how to hold the paddles now.”

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