Page 44 of Vitamin Sea
“Good.” Jack smiled. “Should we try to stand up?”
Chloe nodded. “Let’s do it. I’m not sure if I have my sea legs though.”
Jack stood up effortlessly as his paddleboard crested over the water and Chloe slowly maneuvered into a crouch, wobbling to try and keep her balance as she finally stood up.
She was surprised to find that it wasn’t too difficult.
“Well done!” Jack clapped.
“I guess all of those yoga classes Lala dragged me to have paid off,” she said wryly.
The water beneath them was crystal clear and they could see the sandy ocean floor, which was littered with rocks, seaweed, and coral.
“Look!” Chloe pointed excitedly. “A turtle!”
She was delighted to see the hard-backed creature glide through the water beneath them.
“He’s pretty fast.” Jack followed her gaze.
“He’s pretty cute,” she said happily.
They paddled around for a bit before pulling their boards together and linking up by holding onto each other’s oars. Jack dangled his legs in the ocean while Chloe sat down with her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.
“Thanks again for inviting us today,” Jack said. “We would probably be sitting at the pool for the fifth day in a row if you hadn’t.”
“I’m glad you and Daniel could come.” She sounded sincere. Which she was. “It’s great to be able to share the experiences.”
There were a few moments of silence before Jack interjected.
“So,” he said, sounding inquisitive. “Not to be too forward, but what’s your story?”
“My story?” Chloe inquired.
“Yes—you work at a popular magazine; you’re here on a work assignment with your best friend. You’re smart, cultured, pretty—are you single?”
“Very,” Chloe replied a little too quickly.
One of Jack’s eyebrows raised in question.
“I got out of a long-term relationship seven months ago,” she admitted. “Not by choice,” she added by way of explanation.
“Ah, that explains it,” he said regretfully. “I’m sorry. And I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“No, not at all,” Chloe brushed it off. “I was pretty broken for the first few months.” She glanced over to the area where Daniel and her friend were snorkeling. “But Lala put me back together.”
“She seems like a really good friend,” Jack said sincerely. “When I talked to her on the phone, I thought she was going to have a breakdown she was so concerned about you.”
“She and I have been through a lot together,” she replied. “We’ve been friends since university. Her parents are both gone and she lost her brother to a drunk driver six years ago,” Chloe twisted her mouth at the memory. “It was devastating for her. So you can see why she was so upset to hear that I almost drowned.”
Jack looked shocked. “I’m sorry. That’s horrible.”
Chloe nodded in reply.
“What about you?” She shifted the subject.
“Me?” Jack paused. “Well, I was in sort of a similar situation to you actually,” he said ruefully. “Maybe not quite the same. But a similar outcome. I was with someone for three years and had already proposed,” he said wryly, “and then I caught her cheating on me with her ex-boyfriend.”
Chloe’s mouth dropped open in horror.
