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She did. And fell right into the sail as it slammed into the water.
She sputtered.
Christian called out with concern, “Are you okay?”
“Dandy,” she groaned. But got right back on the board and tried again. She might end up drowning, but at least she’d put some effort into it.
Eventually, she was able to keep the sail up and she did, indeed, catch the wind. Too much of a stiff breeze, because she headed straight out of the lagoon and into the rougher waters of the Pacific. Bayli screamed. Though, in truth, it was a huge rush. She just didn’t know what to do now that she was seriously on the move.
She hit the choppier waves and absorbed the rise and fall with bent knees, but she had no idea how the hell she was going to get back into the lagoon. She laughed, a bit hysterically, and dropped the boom. The sail collapsed and she fell backward into the water again. When she surfaced, she climbed onto the board and waved to her instructor and his assistant as they were on their way to retrieve her.
She couldn’t wait to see the footage of her actually windsurfing … though the bloopers would be infinitely more entertaining, she knew. And Christian felt they’d “humanize” her for the audience.
At dinner, she told Rory all about her adventures. He, too, had experienced some entertaining moments, including one of his chefs preparing fire-roasted peppers on an outside grill that was positioned under a palapa top. The peppers weren’t the only thing on fire. Luckily, the flames fringing the dried palm fronds were immediately doused. No harm, no foul, according to Rory, but it created some memorable shots.
The next day was reserved for taping the show. Christian and Rory were on-site mid-morning, while Bayli prepped herself mentally and her stylists spent extensive time on her appearance. Her nerves were a bit jangled, but the best part of having done the documentary-ish portion of the show in advance of the cooking demo was that she’d spent several days in front of cameras already and was feeling more comfortable with moving around, rather than simply posing.
She felt natural and liked that there had been plenty of interactions with people on the street and locals to generate a friendly, fun platform.
Now for the pièce de résistance!
Bayli was beyond excited, even if the hint of anxiety continued to linger. The girls left her to meet up with Rory on location, telling her they’d touch up Bayli once she arrived. She was happy for the respite so that she could just chill out over a light lunch and then relax before the limo came for her.
Christian had worried over leaving her alone for a few hours, but Bayli was grateful for a little solitude. Plus, she was ensconced behind two sets of heavy, coded gates. And the housekeeping staff was still downstairs, finishing their work.
So she slipped behind the closed drapes in the master suit
e and out the patio doors to enjoy the view for a few minutes. It was another cloudless day, the sky a perfect shade of blue and the sun blazing bright. Bayli had taken dozens of pictures from this balcony. The scenery truly was breathtaking, especially since it was all unobstructed.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t a fan of the heat and was only good for five minutes of soaking up the vitamin D and beautiful vistas. She headed back to the sliding door and tugged on the handle. It didn’t give.
She tried again, panic instantly sparking.
She yanked harder. Several times.
“No!” Bayli cried out, and pounded the heel of her hand on the hot glass.
The door was locked from the inside! A member of the staff must have flipped the latch without knowing Bayli was on the balcony because they always kept the drapes closed when the sun beat down on the backside of the house this time of day.
Bayli was dressed only in her long, navy-colored, silk nightgown. She grabbed up some of the flowing skirt and wrapped it around her fist so she could make contact with the glass without burning her hand.
“Melita!” she called out to the main housekeeper. “Let me in!” She pounded harder.
Then she raced over to the railing and planted her hands on the top of it to look over the edge and see if there was anyone tending to the downstairs patio or the grounds who could help her.
But she hadn’t given thought to how the metal railing would have absorbed the heat and she let out another scream at the searing pain on her palms.
With barely a breath in her body, she managed to call out for Melita again. Then Bayli hurried to one end of the balcony and yelled for help. Then the other. But there was no one in sight.
Now in a full-blown panic she grabbed the small end table between two rattan chaise longue chairs, held it by the legs, and banged on the door. It only bounced off, not even leaving the tiniest of cracks or chips.
“Fuck!” she wailed. What was this, bullet- and soundproof glass?
She kept at it with the table while begging for someone to help her. She prayed this would just be ten minutes of her own harrowing travel experience to regale Phillip and Colin with, but as her strength waned, the perspiration dripped from her, and her makeup melted under the intense heat, Bayli had the horrific feeling this was not going to be a short-lived nightmare.
She suddenly had petrifying visions of the scene from Interview with a Vampire when Claudia and her new “mother” were trapped in the underground cell of the theatre players with the impending dawn creeping in on them, sun rays slowly filling the grated opening above them. The two female vampires had been huddled together in their long evening gowns. But nothing could save them from incineration. Not even Louis, who’d barely grazed the ash that had once been Claudia’s arm and she’d disintegrated before his very eyes.
Not a particularly comforting visual given Bayli’s current predicament.
