Page 53 of The Christmas Holiday
‘I’m not doing it on purpose!’
‘I will absolutely be doing it on purpose.’
Sandy and Liv were laughing at our interchange, but I got the distinct feeling Hunter wasn’t joking.
Pushing my paddleback into the water, I managed to get my swing back and after a while relaxed into it. We were out in deeper water now and the manatees were swimming close to us, slowly coming up next to the kayaks and then diving down again. I reached out a hand and stroked them as we sat bobbing on the water, Hunter taking photos of the creatures, the landscape and, of course, Liv and Sandeep as they paddled aroundand interacted with the sea cows.
A swoosh of water puffed out of a blow hole and I laughed as my hand drifted over the smooth skin close to it. A shutter clicked and I looked up to see Hunter turned in the boat, appearing from behind his lens.
‘I wish you’d stop doing that,’ I said, not looking at him and concentrating instead on the sparkles of the water as it caught the sun.
‘Why?’
‘Because. It makes me feel uncomfortable.’
‘It never used to.’
I stroked a manatee, my fingers tracing scar lines on its back from a boat’s vicious propeller.
‘That was different.’
‘Why?’
‘You know why.’
I heard the shutter click again and looked up.
‘Do you ever listen to a word I say?’
‘Yep.’
‘So?’
‘You’re part of this trip. It was a nice shot. I havea job to do.’
His matter-of-factness threw my argument a little. We were both right in a way. It was different now. Before, he’d taken photos of me as part of our lives together and because he wanted to. Now he was taking them as part of someone else’s moment in life, and because he was being paid to take them.
‘Ready to do a bit more?’ Marty asked, as his kayak moved smoothly towardsours.
‘Yes!’
‘All right if we just wait a minute?’ Hunter had disappeared behind his camera again and was focusing on the other boat. ‘Mia, can you move us up a bit so that we’re more in front of Liv and Sandy, and facing them?’
I grabbed my paddle and gently manoeuvred us into a better position.
‘Better?
‘Perfect, thanks,’ Hunter replied from behind his equipment, concentrationon his face and in his voice.
‘Really getting the hang of the paddle now, Mia.’ Marty smiled at me, a perfect advertisement for American orthodontics.
‘Thanks. I think I’m improving.’
‘Definitely. It nearly always takes a little while to get into a good rhythm with them.’
I tipped my head at Hunter’s back. ‘I was kind of on a tight schedule to learn.’
Marty grinned. ‘Peoplesay all sorts in the heat of the moment.’
