Page 61 of Playing the Field
“She’s a sharp one.” Ricardo points his oar at me, and I swat it away.
“Smart-ass. You gonna teach her right, or should I?”
He stands up and hands me the oar. “Thought you’d never ask.” He winks at Gracie. “This guy knows more than I do, if I’m being honest. I was messing with you two.”
Ricardo slaps me on the back and goes back to his truck, where he’s stashed some other gear. He’ll probably take out a kayak or swim while we’re doing our thing.
It’s a perfect day for paddling. The water is always calm in the cove thanks to the breakwater built just offshore, but today it looks especially glassy.
I get down on my knees next to Gracie and walk her through the basics of paddleboarding. “You start on your knees. You’re super stable like this, so you can push out into the water and get away from shore. Then when you feel comfortable floating, you get up onto your feet. Crouch first, then stand.” I demonstrate, holding the paddle in my hand.
She watches me studiously but nothing in her expression says she likes the idea of this.
“Uh-huh. And when in this process do I lose my balance and belly flop into the freezing ocean?”
“I’m not gonna lie. It happens. But the worst thing is maybe you get a little wet and you scramble back onto your board and try again.”
“Scramble? I don’t scramble.”
It occurred to me that she might feel this way, and I don’t want to force her out of her comfort zone. So I turn and march back to my truck, returning a moment later with a pristine beach chair and a towel.
“That’s it? You’re giving up on me?” She sounds outraged, but the relief on her face tells a different story. “So I’m going to watch while you paddle? Come on, soccer star, at least make me feel a little bit lame for copping out. It’s only fair.”
I grin. “You’re not copping out.”
“I’m not?”
Shaking my head, I put the chair down and wrap her in my arms. Leaning down, I kiss the tops of her cheeks and then her lips.
“Nope. We’ll go together. And I promise you’ll stay dry.” I unfold the beach chair, set it on the front of one of the boards, and put the towel over it, making a nice, comfortable passenger seat. Extending my hand, I invite her aboard.
“Milady.”
She takes my hand, and I escort her to the chair. Then I lift the board, carefully balancing her on top, and tote it on myshoulder, enjoying Gracie’s squeal when she’s hefted high. I balance the board carefully so she doesn’t fall.
Once we get to the water’s edge, I ease the board onto the water.
Gracie looks like a princess, bobbing in her chair at the helm. I push the board along as I wade into the water. Once we’re a hundred feet from shore, I hop on and start paddling, staying on my knees at first.
The afternoon sun is starting to dip, so I’m paddling directly into the glare, but I don’t care. I’m happy to be here with her, happy that she went along with my crazy plan. Happy she trusts me.
We get farther out, and I push myself up to stand on the board. She peeks behind her to see my oar sweep through the water. “See? Nothing to it.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re an athlete with impeccable balance and strength.”
She wiggles forward in her chair so she’s lounging now, tipping her face toward the sun.
“You could do this, but there’s plenty of time for that later. Enjoy the ride.”
It’s so quiet out here, so removed from the bustle of LA. Anything that could possibly crush my vibe is literally behind me as I paddle atop the deep blue water. A couple of gulls circle in the distance, eventually diving down when they spot a fish. But otherwise, we’re alone.
“This is so nice.” Gracie stretches her legs to the tip of the board, and her hair whips lightly in the breeze.
“Right? It’s one of my happy places.”
“I can see why. Now I’m excited to see more of them.”
The only sounds out here are the swish of my paddle and the lap of the board on the uneven water. We move in silence for a while, and eventually, I turn the board so we’re parallel to the shore, which makes for an even smoother ride.
