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“A hundred-and-fifty-dollar whale-watching tour is hardly the fair equivalent of a two-dollar cookie.” I tugged on my long braid and pulled it over my shoulder.
He shrugged. “But the experience is the same. That cookie was to die for.”
“Am I going to die?” Immediately, my wide-eyed gaze skipped along the horizon, only seeing a sea of dark blue under the overcast skies. My breath held tight in my chest.
“Oh god, no.” Landon reached out to touch my shoulder, sending a wave of warmth over it. “Clearly a bad choice of words. What I meant was I enjoyed every crumb of that cookie, and I hope you’ll enjoy every minute of the tour. So, in that respect, the experience will be the same.”
“You went to a different business school than most.” My knuckles turned white as I death-gripped my driver’s door and looked anywhere but in his direction.
Birds circled overhead, cawing, and crowing as they swooped around the marina in endless figure-eight patterns.
He laughed and eclipsed my view. “Say you’ll stay? I promise you’ll be safe. I’ve never had a casualty.”
It should’ve been reassuring, but it wasn’t. My legs felt even weaker than when I’d first stepped out of the car, if that were possible. I didn’t think they’d have the strength to push the gas and brake pedals should I decide to hop in and speed away.
“Is that head bob a yes?”
My mouth was as dry as the desert, but somehow my heart had knocked out my sensible thoughts as it was in the lead – agreeing to things I’d never accept.
Landon’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “Perfect. Let’s get you suited up.”
Without a further word, my heavy feet dragged behind him, down the parking lot and over to the registration shack at the top of the pier where he handed me a life jacket from a rack. It quivered in my shaking hands, and I looped my hands through it as bile soured in the pit of my stomach. Thank goodness I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“Alright,” Landon cleared his throat, waving the nearby people over. “Let’s go over a few rules.”
My thundering pulse had drowned out the gathering crowd so much as the fear had blinded me to the outside world that I needed to shake my head and blink the group of people into view.
As Landon went over the rules and expectations and highlighted what he hoped we’d see, as there were no guarantees as far as mother nature was concerned, I struggled to tighten my life preserver. I’d clicked the three buckles into place, but it still felt loose. If I fell overboard, it would do nothing to protect me. A nearby kid had one that also wrapped between her legs, surely they made those in an adult size?
Like a school kid, I raised my hand. “Excuse me, mine doesn’t fit.”
“It does.” Landon stepped over and gave me a solid once-over. “May I?” He pointed to the straps.
I threw my arms back to make sure they were out of the way. “Be my guest.”
He grabbed the multicoloured strap and tugged, not watching what he was doing, but rather scanning my serious expression.
Once. Twice. Three times, he tugged; the life vest tightened around my body.
“Make it tighter.” I still wiggled and worried I’d slip free.
“That’s as tight as it will go.”
“Can I wear another?”
His brows knit together, and he tipped his head to the side. “As in wear two? Or switch to a different one?”
I sighed with relief at his answer. “Ah, yes. Two would be great.”
“And two would be overkill.” He rubbed my arm so casually and calmly. “I promise, you’ll be safe.”
However, I didn’t believe him. My stomach flipped and made all sorts of rumbling movements. It was only a matter of time before those wrenching noises became evident to the outside world.
“Oh, you need this.” He dropped a lanyard over my head, pulling my braid over the top of it. “You can’t get onto the sub-docks or into the boat without it.” He spoke to the crowd. “Pink tour, head down to B dock. The Mighty Empress awaits.”
The group took off, a cacophony of excited murmurs and shrieks.
Landon followed but turned to wave me on. “C’mon.”
