Colt appeared behind her and placed a reassuring hand on her lower back. “Sit on the starboard side.” He tipped his head toward the right side of the raft. “I’ll sit behind you.”
Penny followed his direction, cringing as the pliable material shifted under her weight. What would it take to poke a hole in the bottom? A sharp rock? A wayward stick? She nervously gnawed her lower lip as she settled behind a teenage boy who seemed amped up on too much sugar and youthful naivete.
Growing up, Penny never bought into the childish belief of invincibility. Her father raised her to assess the risk in everything, prioritizing safety first and foremost. When other parents were teaching their children not to run with scissors, her dad extolled the virtues of a brisk walk, and never while holding a pointed object of any kind. Unless youwantedto poke an eye out.
Penny flinched as the remainder of their party got situated, bobbing the raft up and down as the soles of their shoes squeaked against the thick rubber. Counting herself and Colt, the guide and trainee, a middle-aged father and his teenage son, and a giddy couple on their honeymoon, their group totaled eight.
Another raft of eight set out a few minutes ahead of them and a third would follow shortly after. Then, assuming they all survived, they’d enjoy a simple barbecue and s’mores in the evening.
But presently, even the thought of food made Penny queasy.
After Roxie doled out a few more safety reminders—using rafting lingo that sounded like a foreign language—Penny sucked in a breath as they set off on their foolhardy adventure.
For the first few minutes, the current carried them along at a peaceful pace, and she found the rhythmic refrain of the oars splashing into the water rather soothing.
But as they rounded a bend in the river, her pulse spiked, matching the uptick in the current’s intensity. The raft lurched over rough waves, dousing her arms and legs with a chilly spray.
Fear crawled up her spine, and she jolted as Colt laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? If you’re too scared to row, set the oar in the bottom of the boat, and I’ll pick up the slack.”
Nodding gratefully, she tucked the oar by her feet and gripped the rope so amusingly dubbed thechicken line.
As they thrashed in the water, pummeled on all sides by unrelenting waves, everyone but Penny seemed to be having the time of their lives. Hoots, hollers, and peals of laughter collided in a cacophony of boisterous excitement as they hurdled toward their inevitable demise.
How on earth could they be enjoying this? Didn’t they realize it was the preamble to their eventual doom? Surely, she couldn’t be the only rational person on board. Glancing over her shoulder, she gaped at the look of pure exhilaration plastered across Colt’s handsome features.
“Woo-hoo!” he shouted with an inexplicable grin as a frigid spray drenched his face. He wiped the water from his eyes with his sinewy forearm, before deftly dipping the oar back into the torrent. The muscles in his biceps flexed against the strain, but Colt appeared to be loving every single second, as though he were built for this precise moment.
Her neck craned, she watched, completely mesmerized, as his body rocked back and forth, in tune with the violent throws of the river. How did he look so at peace in the midst of the chaos?
“Try it!” he shouted over the thunderous roar.
Penny blinked, startled from her trance. “Try what?”
“Hoot, holler, howl… let loose.”
“No, thanks.” She shook her head, flinging water droplets from her loose strands of hair.
“C’mon,” he cajoled. “Try it one time. It’ll help. I promise.”
She squinted at him dubiously. But, then again… what could it hurt? She was already terrified out of her mind. It couldn’t make things any worse.
Swiveling back around, she inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with a rush of crisp air. Could she actually do this? Letting loose wasn’t exactly in her repertoire.
Before she could change her mind, she tilted her head back and bellowed, “Woo-hoo!” with every ounce of strength she possessed.
Tension escaped with her words, replaced by a surge of endorphins.
“Thatta girl!” Colt whooped in approval.
Laughing, she tried again, projecting from deep within herself. And to her delight, everyone else in the raft joined in, as if cheering her on.
Bolstered by their support and her newfound bravery, she reached for the oar, determined to pull her own weight. But the second she let go of the chicken line, the raft plunged over a steep drop. Roxie shouted for everyone to hold on, but Penny wasn’t quick enough. They smacked into the pool below, the force of impact launching Penny from her seat.
Before she could process what happened, icy water filled her nose and mouth, shocking her senseless. Buoyed by her life vest, she broke through the surface and heaved in a desperate gasp for air along with another mouthful of water.
White-tipped waves smacked her face, their harsh sting bringing tears to her eyes.
This is how she would die. And she’d never even been in love.
