AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Up, up, and away!
Bland Beth. That’s how my old college roommate had once introduced me to her circle of friends.
But not today.
Today, I was Beth the Bird of Paradise preparing to take flight. I pressed my sunhat down on my head as my hair flowed out behind me in the wind like the majestic plumes of a tropical fowl ready to spread her wings.
That’s how I stylized myself in my head, at least.
In reality, my stomach was in knots and my rear end was in a sling—a literal sling. Kai and Uncle Leo buzzed around me, trussing me up to a contraption attached to a creaky-sounding winch at the back of the boat.
Parasailing.
What kind of genius dreamed up that pastime? Somebody with too much time on their hands, that’s who.
Normal people didn’t sit around saying things like, “Hey, I’ve got a great idea! Let's slap a parachute on that lady and fly her around like a kite. It’ll be fun.”
Nope.
They’re too busy doing regular stuff, like going to work, cooking dinner, and wasting too much time on their phones.
As far as Kai knew, I was supposed to be on vacation—relaxing. I didn’t know about him, but I don’t do my best relaxing when I’m in the middle of a death-defying feat, more than fifty stories in the air.
The muscles in my hands cramped from holding so tightly onto the straps—the only things that would keep me from plummeting from the sky in about a minute.
“You excited?” Kai asked with a genuine smile while adjusting one of my buckles.
I summoned up every ounce of bluff I possessed. “Who wouldn’t be excited?” I tugged at the lifejacket that was cinched up too close to my neck.
“You sure? You don’t look very comfortable.”
“I think this vest might have a vendetta against me, but other than that, I’m fine.”
I could have sworn that hot-pink death trap was trying to smother the life out of me. I tugged on the blasted vest again.
It was almost poetic, really. So few things in life were actually as they seemed. There was nothing lifesaving about that jacket as it pinched my neck so hard it cut off the blood supply to my brain. Just like there was nothing innocuous about an unassuming woman like me, preparing to place a stranglehold on Blue Pacific’s competition.
I ran my finger around the neck of my life vest for the fifth time in two minutes.
“Let me have a look,” he said, taking hold of the top buckle. “Here’s your problem. You didn’t readjust the straps. Looks like a kid was wearing this jacket last time.” A few gentle tugs later, I could breathe again.
I took my first comfortable breath in several minutes. “What did you do?”
“I loosened it.” He chuckled and shook his head. “You really don’t have much experience with the water, do you?”
“I’m a landlubber through and through.” I glanced over my shoulder at the water, my stomach churning more than the waves around us.
Kai gave my shoulder a playful slap. “You’re gonna love it. Trust me. Who knows, we might even get a birds-eye view of some sharks. I know how much you love those guys.”
Sharks? My stomach lurched. This whole thing seemed more and more like a bad idea with each passing minute.
“You ready, Kai?” Uncle Leo double checked the winch as Kai buckled himself into the swing-like seat next to mine. We were like two fourth-graders on the playground—butts in slings and ready to take flight.
I clamped down even harder onto the harness straps as Uncle Leo stepped up to the winch, ready to send us into the wild blue yonder.
“You’ve got this,” Kai said.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Yep.”
