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‘It’s fine. I’ll always catch you.’
As he held her gaze, Holly felt the heat rising through her.
‘Come on you guys, what are we waiting for? We want to get out there!’ Spencer shouted.
Swallowing back the sudden dryness that filled her throat, Holly found herself a seat.
Caroline smirked as Holly sat down next to her. ‘Everything all right there?’
‘Don’t say a thing.’
A swarm of butterflies filled her stomach, a swarm which only increased as she looked at Evan. With a deep sniff, she tore her eyes away and focused on the view instead. She was not going to have a holiday romance. She was not.
16
Holly was having trouble believing this was her life. She was sitting in the back of a speedboat, surrounded by her friends, watching as white clouds sped above her. This was something she had wanted for so long. A real adventure.
The boat rode the waves with varying levels of smoothness. Some moments it was like gliding across ice, without the slightest bump, but the moment Holly thought she had figured out a pattern to it, they were tossed into the sky by an oversized wave. So much laughter rattled up around them, it was impossible not to smile. So much so that Holly’s cheeks ached.
‘At least you don’t get seasick,’ Evan said as he took a seat next to Holly. ‘How are you feeling about the waterskiing? Are you going to give it a go?’
They had been travelling for about twenty minutes and all that time, Evan had been occupied talking with Gabriel or the rest of the men. As such, Holly’s butterflies had diminished so much, she thought she may have imagined them. But now he was back beside her and expecting her to speak.
‘I didn’t know there was the option not to give it a go,’ she said truthfully.
‘Of course you don’t have to. But it would be a shame not to try, don’t you think?’
Before she could reply, the boat drew to a stop, and Evan stood up.
‘This is it, everyone. It’s time to see what you’ve got. Who wants to go first?’
* * *
With each person she watched on the water skis, Holly’s fear increased exponentially. Given it was their special break, Jamie and Fin were first – and second – into the water. Without so much as breaking a sweat, they put on an impressive display, each standing straight up and slicing through the waves as they held on to the thin rope that pulled them from the back of the boat. Next went Spencer and then Tyler, who were even more impressive. After which, Evan asked for another volunteer.
‘I’ll go next.’ Caroline was on her feet.
As a Park Run addict and Zumba class enthusiast, Caroline could be considered a sporty type, but given all the time she’d spent truanting PE lessons at school, Holly had never previously thought her so. Yet there she was on the skis, whizzing through the water, her hair spraying out behind her as she laughed.
‘See, it’s really not that hard,’ Jamie said, nodding to Holly. ‘You’ve just got to work with the boat, not against it.’
Holly wasn’t sure how she was meant to work with a massive hunk of metal, but her fear had decreased fractionally. If Caroline could do it, so could she. Or at least she could try.
‘It’s so much fun,’ Caroline said as she clambered back into the boat and took her life jacket off, ready to pass on to the next person. ‘I mean, I’m going to feel it in my arms tomorrow. And my thighs. You really need to focus on keeping your legs together so you don’t do the splits. But the water really isn’t that cold at all. Holly, do you want to go next?’
She held out the life jacket, causing all of Holly’s nerves to return in one overwhelming rush.
‘I… I…’
She didn’t have to do this, she reminded herself. Jamie and Fin had said repeatedly that the holiday was all about fun and no one should feel pressured into anything. Sandra had also made it clear that she wasn’t going to have a go and had taken the role of group photographer instead. But Sandra was twenty years older than Holly and had waterskied several times in her youth. For Holly, there wasn’t likely to be another chance. It was now or never. And if she meant what she said about wanting a bit more adventure in her life, this would be a great place to start.
‘I’ll go,’ Naomi said, standing up and grabbing the life jacket from Jamie’s hand before Holly could reply.
‘I thought you got seasick?’ Jamie commented.
‘I guess I grew out of it. Now, how do I do this thing up?’
‘I’ll go next,’ Holly said, as Jamie looked at her with a mixture of apology and concern. ‘It’s fine. We’ve got ages.’
