Page 45 of Body Shot

She tilts her head. “Really?”

“Yeah. Down at Mission Bay. I haven’t done it, but apparently it’s pretty cool. Have you ever tried stand-up paddling?”

“Actually I have.” She makes a face. “Carrie and I took a lesson and tried it a few times. I’m not going to claim to be good at it, but even a couple of klutzes like us managed to do it.”

“Klutz. You’re so cute.”

“You haven’t seen me trying to play volleyball,” she mutters. “So we’re going to do it in the dark?”

“I certainly hope so. Although with the lights on is good too.”

Her eyes widen and then she bursts out laughing. “I meant paddleboarding!”

I grin. “Oh right. Yeah we’re going to do it in the dark. Actually, the sun will go down while we’re on the water. Let’s get going.”

We drive to Mission Bay and I find a lot to park in. From there, we walk to the sports center where you can rent kayaks, SUPs, and sailboats.

“Hi, Beck,” one of the owners of the center greets me. “How are you?”

“Great, thanks. Keaton, this is Hayden.”

“Nice to meet you, Hayden. So you two are joining the night SUP tour?”

“Yeah.”

“Nice night for it. No wind.” Keaton nods. “Let’s get you set up.”

I’ve done stand-up paddleboarding numerous times and it’s fun, although not exactly the extreme kind of sport I love. But doing it at night makes it kind of different.

“So these boards have lights on them?” Hayden asks as we carry them down to the water.

“Yeah. Cool, huh? High intensity, waterproof LED lights.”

“It is cool.”

We join the group gathering for the tour and are soon all floating along the surface of the water. I watch Hayden carefully move from her knees to her feet, teetering a little as she gets her balance. She tentatively dips her paddle into the water and strokes, wobbling a bit more.

“Keep your paddle straight up and down,” I tell her, noticing that she angled it out.

“Right, right.”

“There you go.”

She flashes me a smile as we move along behind the others. The sun is now low in the sky, turning the wispy clouds orange and gold. The water flows silvery blue around us.

We listen to the guide point out various landmarks and talk about Mission Bay. Probably many of the people in the group are visitors. That’s okay. Hayden and I stay together, bringing up the rear of the group.

“Doing okay?” I ask.

“Yes.” Her smile beams. “This is gorgeous.”

“Just wait.”

The sky turns a fierier orange, silhouetting palm trees in black. Skyscrapers downtown glitter against the darkening sky, and the water reflects the golden glow of other city lights around the edge of the bay.

“That’s amazing.” Hayden gives leisurely strokes with her paddle, her head turning from one side to the other to take in the views. “Carrie would love this. She’d want to take pictures.”

“Itisamazing.”

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