Page 38 of Riding the Waves

“That seems unlikely. I can’t imagine I’ll manage to stand up. I’m not as nimble as I used to be. Or as brave,” she mused, dropping her board on the surface of the water to walk it out the rest of the way. “I used to jump in and try anything, and now I have to weigh everything carefully.”

“That’s the problem with growing up.” Damian gave her a sidelong glance. “I think you’re still pretty adventurous though, or you wouldn’t be here.”

She couldn’t decide whether he was talking about her being in the water or her trip to Hope Cove. Neither of which currently felt very daring. It probably would have been braver to stay in Oxford and go to work every day and learn to be alone.

Pushing the thought aside, she braced against a wave which swept against her thighs.

“How come you never lost your sense of adventure?” she asked.

Damian’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. “I think we both know I was never destined to grow up.”

“I don’t know,” she replied lightly. “You look like you’re doing pretty well at this adulting thing.”

“What have I done to fool you into thinking that?”

“You have staff running your business so you can spend the summer hanging out with your kids.”

His shoulders lifted as though shrugging off the comment.

“That’s pretty good adulting,” she told him, since he seemed reluctant to take the compliment.

He avoided responding and gazed out at the horizon instead. “How far out do you want to go?”

“I think this is probably far enough.”

He shook his head. “Even the boys were further out than this. There are some decent waves rolling in out there.”

“That’s why I think here would be a better option.” She was thankful for the wetsuit as the water washed around her hips.

“What were you just saying about your sense of adventure?” Damian asked, then sank under the water. He popped up immediately and flicked his hair in an action that covered her with drips and made her laugh.

They moved to where the water tickled her ribs and the larger waves rose around her shoulders. She moved rhythmically with them.

“This seems like a good starting point.” Damian glanced around, his instincts no doubt registering things that weren’t even on her radar. “How much do you remember?” He had a hand on his board and another on hers to keep them steady.

She thought back. “Paddle hard to get up speed with the wave, then pop up onto my feet and ride the wave all the way in.”

“I hope you can make it look as easy as you just made it sound.” He grinned at her, then launched into giving her a few more tips about foot positioning and staying low on the board.

“I think I’ve got it,” she said, eager to get on and give it a go.

“Remember not to look at your feet,” he told her as she caught sight of a wave forming behind them.

“Look at the shore, right?”

“No. Look where you want to go – down the wave.”

She nodded, but her focus was already on positioning her hands on the board. After wriggling to position herself better, she began to drag her hands through the water. Adrenaline flooded her body as she felt the force of the water beneath the board. A smile hit her face and she paddled madly.

“Have fun!” Damian called after her.

Fun, she thought to herself. That was something that had been sadly lacking in her life recently.

With the water rushing around her she felt as though she had no choice but to have fun.

CHAPTER 18

After paddling as hard as she could, Amy shifted her hands and attempted to pop up onto her feet, but lost her balance and flopped back onto her stomach. She managed to stay on the board at least.

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