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Maybe. But then the tide came at her with more force than she expected. She wavered.
Zane moved the board between them, obviously aware that she couldn’t keep her balance on top of breathing normally. “Hop on. I’ll get us farther out.”
She maneuvered onto the board, getting into position on her stomach just like he’d taught, and tried not to freak out. She never should have watched Shark Week last year. And how deep did they have to go? Her pulse revved up.
A wave came at them, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Zane guided her over it, but she still managed to swallow some water.
“It helps if you keep your mouth closed,” Zane said in a tone she wasn’t sure was teasing or not.
So she coughed and sputtered with her head tilted down, hoping not to draw too much attention to her newness. When they reached the strip of white water Zane had talked about, he spun the board around so that she faced the shoreline.
The sand looked miles away. The gentle sway of the inky black sea made her hyperaware of her surroundings, and fear landed in her stomach like a meteor. She grabbed Zane’s arm, ready to come clean and add that she’d changed her mind.
But then he whispered, “You can do this. Remember what I taught you.”
And she remembered what her boss had told her.Live a little.
Those words had sparked a promise to herself.Try new things. Don’t be a wimp.
“Now, ready…set…go.” Zane gave her a push.
She paddled like mad to catch the wave. Way too fast, the tide rolled next to her and she forgot everything Zane had said. The board bounced; she squeezed her eyes shut and thought about throwing up.
You are not a quitter.She forced her eyes open, pushed up, and…toppled sideways.
The current tossed her head over feet and pulled her under. She immediately swallowed more salty water, and her eyes stung. She struggled, her arms flailing like mad, her legs kicking but getting her nowhere. Her lungs screamed for air. Then she heard Zane’s voice in her head, telling her not to fight it, to go with the current if she got pulled under. She stopped battling, let her legs and arms turn to spaghetti, and prayed it didn’t take long to break the surface.
Ten, nine, eight… In a few more seconds she wouldn’t be able to hold her breath any longer. Swim. She needed to swim. Diagonal to the shore, only she had no idea where the shore was. Then, by some miracle, warm sunshine bathed her face and she gulped for air.
She’d made it. Only she’d exhausted every muscle in her body, and after catching her breath and letting out a very weak “Help,” she slipped back under.
Strong arms scooped her up. She drew in a deep breath and inwardly rejoiced when fresh air entered her lungs. But it was dark. Her mind couldn’t focus. Voices echoed around her, incoherent. Where was the light?
A cool, hard surface met her back. The warmth that had engulfed her faded away. “Sophie? Can you hear me?”
“Ye-yes,” she whispered.
“Sophie, open your eyes.” His voice carried a powerful tenderness, and she wanted to do as he asked.
It took a moment, but she finally pried open her lids. She blinked over and over again. A blurry crowd had gathered around her on the beach. Her palms pressed into the sand and she tried to sit up. Why was everyone out of focus?
Because she’d lost her contacts in the ocean.
“Hey,” he—Zane—said as he brushed some hair away from her face.
“Hi,” Sophie answered. “Sorry about that.” Good thing she couldn’t exactly make him out or she would have beenreallyembarrassed.
“You bet your sweet cheeks you’re sorry.”Honor. “You scared the crap out of me.” Her arms went around Sophie in a tight hug. “You’re okay now, right?”
“She’s fine,” Zane said, an edge to his voice Sophie hadn’t heard before.
A lifeguard pressed between two bystanders. “Everything all right here?”
“Umm…I think so.” A few pain relievers would banish the sledgehammer in her head and the soreness in her muscles.
Sophie heard a few murmurs of how Zane had saved her. How he was a hero. Since she couldn’t see him clearly, she wondered if pride or modesty shone in his gorgeous blue eyes.
“How about giving her some space,” Zane suggested. Seconds later, sunshine instead of shadows filled the airspace above her.
