Whoa! Where did that thought come from?
“What’s wrong?” Brooke asked. “You look seriously upset.”
“I was just thinking about my friends back home, trying to decide what to get them.”
A little white lie that I didn’t think would really hurt anyone. If Brooke and I had a history, I could tell her the truth. Julie would understand my confusion, would help me sort out my feelings and frustrations. But Brooke, well, she was just a pal. Someone I’d recently met. Secrets and yearnings weren’t something I was ready to share with her.
“You should probably get them something local,” Brooke suggested.
I’d almost forgotten what she was talking about. “Good idea.”
I ended up with dangling bracelets for my friends—and the toe ring for Ryan.
Brooke and I scoured through the shops with our wallets getting thinner and the bags we carried getting heavier. Candles, more jewelry, clothes. While shopping on the islands I planned to only use the money I’d earned and saved for this trip, but there were too many wonderful things to choose from.
Although we would have liked to have shopped until we dropped, we didn’t have time. We’d even shopped for tattoos, but I hadn’t purchased anything there, nor had I done any piercing.
I had decided that having any needles placed into my skin could wait until I got home and could be sure the establishment was hygienic and up on the health laws. No reason to get carried away so early into vacation.
We barely had time to return to the ship, cart our bags to our cabins, change into shorts and a bathing-suit top, and head back into town. We hooked up with the guys at Enrique’s Parasailing.
I’d neglected to mention to Ryan that others would be joining us when he’d given me the reservation information that morning. Now he looked exactly as I figured he would when he discovered the truth: not happy.
And I didn’t blame him. I should have told him what had developed, and given him the option of telling me to forget the whole thing before we had an audience.
“We’re taking dumb, dumber, and dumbest along?” he asked.
“I invited Brooke, Brooke invited them. The guys aren’t really that bad. I was thinking the more the merrier.” I furrowed my brow. “Although I’m surprised they were able to get seats on the same boat as us. I figured there would have to be some adjustments made.”
“Not when I reserved the boat.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “You reserved the whole boat? Not just a couple of spaces?”
He shrugged. “Walter took care of it.”
“He is way too generous.”
“Tell me about it. He likes to go first class, and he can afford it, so why not?”
“I guess. I just always feel badly spending his money. Will it be a problem for these guys to come along?”
“I guess not.”
He didn’t sound utterly convinced or convincing.
“Hey, look!” Cameron called out. “We got food here. Dog, this is going to be too cool.”
I looked at Ryan. “You brought food?”
“I thought you might be hungry after shopping all morning,” Ryan said.
“Oh.” I felt uncomfortable with his consideration, and wondered if he’d been planning for us to picnic somewhere. I really should have checked with him about inviting people before I let Brooke take over the excursion.
I wanted to make things up to Ryan. I reached into my pocket. “I bought you a present.”
“You did?”
He brightened up so much with my pronouncement that I felt guiltier because the present was supposed to be a joke. Still, I pressed it into his palm.
“A ring?” he said in disbelief.
“A toe ring.”
He chuckled, crouched, and slipped it onto his second toe. He was wearing baggy shorts and sandals. Somehow the ring seemed to belong.
“Hey, not bad,” he said with a grin.
“It was supposed to be a joke,” I admitted, “because you said girls talk about toe rings. But it really does look good on you.”
“Does this mean we’re going steady?” he asked.
My eyes grew big and round. “No way. That idea never crossed my mind.”
“Are you guys going to mess around all day or what?” Brooke asked. “I’m ready to fly the friendly skies.”
We all climbed aboard the speed boat. We met Pete, who would be driving the boat, and Rick, who would be helping us harness up. We took our seats and headed out toward the blue waters.
“Anyone parasailed before?” I asked.
“No way, dude,” David said.
The others all shook their heads. Everyone except Ryan.
He was sitting beside me, and I couldn’t help thinking that if he wasn’t Walter’s godson, I’d’ve shown a lot more interest in him. But in all fairness I couldn’t do that when I wanted something short-term for the cruise. And he certainly hadn’t given any indication that he wanted anything more than someone to pal around with. I figured our getting involved would only lead to our being uncomfortable around each other when our paths crossed at school or at Walter’s.
“You’ve parasailed,” I said to him, finding myself intrigued by him when I knew I shouldn’t be.
“Catalina and Mackinac Islands, in the Pacific and on the Great Lakes. And of course, off the coast of Texas.”
“You must like it then,” I said.
“It’s totally cool.”
I really thought Ryan was being a good sport with the unexpected company. Everyone was dipping into the ice chest, helping themselves to drinks as we cruised out beyond the harbor.
The boat slowed. Rick crouched down in the middle of where we were all sitting. His flowered shirt was completely unbuttoned, his baseball cap on backward. He was barefoot and deeply tanned. I figured most of these guys were envying him his job. Casual, in the sun, and on the water. What could be better?
“Okay,” Rick began, “you paid to have the boat for two hours. Takes about thirty minutes to get you up and to get you back down, so some of you are going to have to go in tandem.”
“I’ll go with Lindsay,” Ryan said before anyone else could get a word out.
I knew he’d responded quickly simply because he was watching out for me, as Walter had requested. I might have objected if I’d been interested in any of the other guys traveling with us.
“How exactly does ‘in tandem’ work?” I asked.
“You’re harnessed together and go up at the same time,” Rick explained.
Harnessed together? I darted a quick glance over at Ryan. I had a vision of us plummeting into the sea like a sack of rocks. I looked back at Rick. “Won’t we weigh too much?”
“Nah. You’ll be fine.” He gave me a wink.
“Now which of you guys is going to pair up with the other babe?”
The “other” babe? That meant he considered me a babe. I gave him a closer inspection, but couldn’t quite see me hanging around with a beach bum. Not that he was a total bum.
He was working. I couldn’t figure out if he was a student just here for the summer, or someone who’d come for vacation and decided not to leave. He probably spent a lot of time doing his own parasailing, or snorkeling, or wind surfing. Out on the ocean almost every water sport I could imagine was going on. For someone who was into outdoor water activities, life here would be quite idyllic. Playing all the time.
After much discussion, shoving around like two-year-olds, the guys Brooke had invited finally decided that Michael would be the one to go up with her.
David shoved Ryan’s shoulder. “So how come we didn’t have any discussion on who gets to go up with Lindsay?”
“I called it.”
“Yeah, dog, but that’s not fair. None of us had a chance.”
Ryan leaned toward him. “Tell you what, dog. You pay for the boat rental, and you can take her up.”
David gave him a cocky grin. “How much, man?”
Ryan leaned closer and, with
a low voice that I couldn’t hear, revealed the amount.
“Dude!” David said. “No chick is worth that.” He furrowed his brow. “Do we, like, need to chip in something?”
Ryan shook his head. “Don’t sweat it. I’ve got it covered.”
Which left me to wonder who really was paying for the boat rental: Ryan or Walter? Not that it really mattered. Ryan had made the arrangements, and was being a good sport about extra people cutting into his time. And it really wasn’t anyone’s business if Walter, as Ryan had suggested earlier, was picking up the tab.
“All righty,” Rick said with a clap of his hands. “Let’s do the singles first. Dudes, put on your life jackets.”
Cameron went first. It was interesting to watch them harness him in. I couldn’t image how it was going to work with me and Ryan going together.
I also didn’t like to admit that I thought it might be fun to go up with someone. Especially Ryan.
“So what are you doing tonight?” I asked, trying to be a little friendlier.
“Checking out the clubs. You?”
I shrugged. “Probably the same.”
“Definitely the same,” Brooke said leaning toward both of us. “We don’t leave port until late tonight. We might as well party with the natives for a while. Ryan, you want to come with us?”
“These clowns coming?” Ryan asked.
“Hey, dude,” David said. “We’re not clowns.”
“Sure, they’ll come,” Brooke said, totally ignoring David’s comment.
Which I thought was wise. The last thing we needed was someone to go overboard, and I figured in a scuffle between David and Ryan David would be the one who went into the water.
“The more the merrier,” Brooke continued. “Maybe we’ll even meet some more people to add to the crowd.”
“I’ll think about it,” Ryan said.
“You do that,” Brooke said. “Just give me a nudge if you want to join us.”
The boat started moving faster, picking up speed. Rick started reeling Cameron out.
“Wahoo!” Cameron yelled.
I watched him going up and out, higher and higher.
“Oh, wow,” I said. “What happens if he falls in the water?”
“We go back for him,” Rick said.
I had a horrible thought rush through my mind. “Are there sharks out there?”
“None that’ll bite,” Rick said, grinning.
The rumble of the boat, the whipping of the wind, and the raucous laughter of the gang that Brooke had brought along made it difficult to really talk as we cruised along. As I watched each person go up, sail, and then come back down, guilt nagged at me. Ryan had made the arrangements for this outing, and we’d all barged in like bulls in a china shop.
I watched Brooke and Michael go up. It looked like the ultimate in fun. Brooke stood in front of Michael, and he placed his arms around her. The line was reeled out, and they traveled higher. Michael leaned around, and kissed Brooke on the cheek. Cameron and David grunted like a couple of seals.
“Lucky dude!” one of them shouted.
I glanced over at Ryan who seemed to be taking it all in stride. Still, I felt guilty, and decided to try to talk with him.
I leaned close. “Look, if you want to go alone, I completely understand. It’s not like I have to go.”
He tipped his head to the side so we were even closer. “Don’t worry. I won’t try to kiss you while we’re up there.”
My mouth dropped open. That idea had so not occurred to me.
All right. Maybe it had…a little. I mean, it would be incredible to be doing all this with someone I really cared about.
“I just thought you might want to go alone. That was your original plan, right?” I asked.
He shrugged.
What did that mean?
“You’re here,” he said. “No sense in not going up.”
His lack of enthusiasm made me feel like an anchor around his neck, dragging him down into the deep blue waters.
Rick started reeling Brooke and Michael back in. Oh my gosh. Had a half an hour passed by already?
I started taking deep breaths. The last thing I wanted to do was hyperventilate.
“Getting nervous?” Ryan asked me.
I forced myself to smile. “No. I’ve just never done this before.”
He grinned at me. “You’ll love it.”
Brooke was beaming broadly as her feet touched down on the deck. Her face was flushed with excitement, and I figured mine was about to do the same.
“Totally awesome!” she screamed.
As soon as the harnesses were removed, Michael grabbed Brooke and kissed her. She threw her head back, and laughed like some starlet in a movie. Dramatic and fun-loving.
I wondered if Ryan would change his mind and decide to kiss me when our trip up was over. No way was he going to do that. I was Walter’s new daughter, who he was supposed to watch over—not a girl he was supposed to get serious about.
The boat slowed and then idled while Rick helped Ryan and me get into the harness. My back was against Ryan’s chest. He put his arms around me. I put my arms over his. It was silly, but it made me feel as though I was anchored to something. Gave me a sense of security. And I needed that because my heart was pounding like a sledgehammer.
I heard clicks and snaps as Rick hooked me and Ryan up. I felt a tug here, a tug there. And then Rick was backing away.
“Okay, just relax,” Rick said.
I took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m relaxed.”
“All righty, then, here we go.”
The boat revved up, the wind caught the parachute, and I felt myself being lifted—pulled—up into the sky and away from the deck of the boat.
“Relax, Lindsay,” Ryan said near my ear. “We’re perfectly safe.”
“Perfectly?”
“Yeah. The worst that will happen is that we’ll get caught in a crosswind, and the chute will collapse.”
“And then?”
“We just go into the water. You swim, right?”
I glanced over my shoulder at him as much as possible. “Of course.”
We floated upward, the tether, which kept us secured to the craft, was being released bit by bit as the boat gained speed. I felt carefree, weightless, high.
“Cool!” I called out.
I had a bird’s-eye view of the island and the ocean. It was incredible.
“Look down,” Ryan ordered.
I obeyed, and my stomach did a little somersault. I hadn’t realized how high we’d ascended in such a short time. I was even more amazed by all that was below me. The Caribbean waters were so clear that I could see the outline of coral reefs.
Gorgeous. It was so gorgeous. I was totally in awe.
I looked back at Ryan. “Oh my gosh! It’s amazing!”
“It’s completely different looking down on it from here,” he said.
“No kidding.” I couldn’t wait until we got to the Cayman Islands, where I planned to do some snorkeling. “Thank you for inviting me.”
Then he did the most remarkable, unexpected thing. He cupped the side of my head, kept my face turned toward him, leaned forward, and kissed me.
CHAPTER 13
Ryan kissed me.
Dangling high above the water had been a total rush, but add to that his hot, slow kiss…I’d felt as though I could actually touch the clouds.
I hadn’t wanted the kiss or the parasailing to end. But both had to eventually. Sitting in the boat across from him, I wondered why he’d kissed me. Had he simply gotten caught up in the wonder of being near the clouds—or was there more to it?
Was he interested in me? Or was I still only someone he was supposed to look after? Surely he didn’t think Walter expected him to kiss me.
So why had he?
He certainly hadn’t given any impression that it was a big deal. As a matter of fact he was acting a little as though he was embarrassed by what he’d done. He simply sat there in si
lence as the boat headed back into shore. How interesting.
And wild Lindsay was too shy to ask him why he kissed her. Maybe because a part of me feared he’d done it out of some sort of misguided obligation or some sort of male one-upmanship. Michael had kissed Brooke, so Ryan had felt a need to kiss me.
I should ask him. I really should. Yeah, right. Like that was going to happen.
The boat pulled up to the dock. Everyone scrambled out, except for Ryan, who was talking with Rick. I thought maybe he was discussing the payment arrangements.
“Thanks, Ryan,” I called out.
He nodded and waved. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
I wondered if he really would. Brooke hooked her arm through mine, and started marching us away from the dock.
“Come on. We need to get back to the ship so we can get ready to hit the bars,” she said.
“What about Ryan?” I asked.
“He said he’d catch up.”
But once we’d moved beyond the dock and down the shoreline a ways, she pulled me aside, moved her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose, and glared at me over the top of them. “What aren’t you telling me about you and Ryan?”
I stared at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“That kiss. What was up with that kiss?”
“You saw it, huh?”
“It was a little hard to miss. And it went on forever.”
I’d felt that way at the time—that it was going on forever—but I’d also thought that maybe my senses were skewed because we were up high where the oxygen was thin.
“I didn’t think you were interested in him,” Brooke said, impatiently as though she’d given up on my answering her question.
“I’m not.” Much.
If only he weren’t Walter’s godson….
“Well, you sure could have fooled me,” Brooke said.
I was beginning to think that maybe I was fooling myself as well.
“I can’t believe Mr. Stick-In-the-Mud kissed you,” Brooke said.
Brooke and I were strolling through the gaily lit streets of St. Thomas. We’d returned to the ship, and changed into tank tops, loosely flowing skirts, and sandals for our night on the town. And she was still talking about Ryan’s kiss. Not that I could blame her. I was still thinking about it myself.