Page 41 of Hold Still

“Listen, if I could get that man to so much as wink at me, I would. You go enjoy...your business meeting.” She kisses my cheek and disappears.

Sighing, I trudge back to the skydiving reception area, but it’s empty save for some tourists filling out paperwork. I find Ozzy and the blonde around the corner.

“There you are,” Ozzy says, handing me a clipboard. “We have to fill this out.”

I make quick work of the paperwork and both of us hand it in to Kacey the Blonde. She looks everything over, her eyes halting on my response weight. I guess NOYB—None of Your Business—isn’t what she expected.

Her pen taps on my papers. I jut my chin, not giving an inch. She writes something and then says, “Follow me.”

We’re brought into a small room with a video explaining what we’re going to experience and gives us instructions about what position to maintain while we’re “skydiving.” Then we have to practice holding the “superman” pose.

“I’ll go first,” Ozzy volunteers. Maybe he’ll get a passing grade and can go gear up while I attempt to get into this embarrassing position.

Ozzy hops on the wooden table-like thingy and gets into “Superman” without any issue. His lithe form stretches into the pose like he was built for it. Damn. Kacey walks around him and declares, “Perfect.”

I’ll say.

Smiling, he stands and rubs his hands together to announce, “Your turn, McKenna.”

Great. I look around but the door to the room remains closed. No way out. Sighing, I flop like a beached whale onto the bench and stretch my arms and legs out. Kacey adjusts all of my limbs, puts her hand under my chin so I’m looking up, and places her hand on my lower back. I feel like pretzel dough getting ready to be rolled out.

“Now take a breath,” Kacey instructs.

Like anyone can breathe in this position. I try to force some air through my nose. Kacey moves my arm up, then my leg. I struggle to maintain the arch in my back while tipping my head up.

“Head up, McKenna.”

I close my eyes. Maybe this was a worse idea than I thought. And I wasn’t all that into it before.

Kacey says, “Okay, you’re good.”

I collapse onto the wood bench, my hands and feet hitting the floor and my chin resting on the hard surface. Seriously? How am I going to be able to do this?

“It’s much easier when there’s a fan pushing you ten feet up,” Kacey says.

I guess there’s that.

Ozzy chuckles and taps my back. I turn my head, still not ready to relinquish my position oozing over my bench. “Let’s go get our gear. I can’t wait to see you all bundled up like the Michelin Man.”

No worries about being mistaken for sexy here. I try to dismount gracefully, but my foot catches on the wooden leg and I fly forward, the bench turning over.

“Oh!”

Ozzy grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me upright. “Gotcha!”

I throw my head back and look into his sparkling eyes, so alive and filled with excitement. This. This is why I’m here, to bring fun back into his life so he can compose songs again. And then I can finish up the Project and get paid.Nothing else.

I smile and hold onto him while I regain my equilibrium. “Thanks.”

He doesn’t let me go, just holds me like he needs me to survive. I can’t move a muscle, I’m so enthralled. Kacey clears her throat and we disengage.

She hands us puffy suits, helmets, goggles and even boots and brings us to an office to change. “Normally, you’d get suited up in the lockers but because of your celebrity,” she looks directly at Ozzy, “we thought you’d be more comfortable in here,” Kacey explains.

“Appreciate it,” he responds and starts getting into the gear.

“Yeah, good call,” I say. Not seeing any other way around this, I put the jumpsuit on over my clothes as well.

Soon, we’re both dressed in the most unflattering suits ever. We both look like Weebles! I start laughing. I bet Ozzy’s never been compared to a Weeble before. Me, on the other hand, well…

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