“And build on it,” Bex reminded her.
“That too.” She hugged her friend. “You’re the best. I love you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Bex muttered, returning her hug. “Ease up before your new friends’ eyes bug out of their heads.”
“I’ll come again soon,” Brooke promised, backing off. “Kiss your beautiful little girl for me.”
“And that concludes our ocean wildlife tour,” Jack said as he docked his boat and stepped onto the wooden jetty. Assisting each member of the tour group onto dry land, he suppressed a grin when one of the older ladies groped his bicep. Days like today, he didn’t mind being eye candy for a cougar. The sun was shining, a warm ocean breeze stirred the air, the water was calm, and the dolphins had put on a great show, zipping around and under the boat, and surfacing frequently to watch the tour with interest. All in all, the morning couldn’t have gone better. He gazed out over the shimmering expanse of blue-green. It was peaceful and still, but hid a thriving aquatic ecosystem.
“Thank you, that was life-changing,” one of the younger women said to him. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” he replied, and waved as she left. Then he finished with the boat and wandered off the jetty, whistling to himself. He stopped at Sailor’s Retreat, the seafood restaurant, and the proprietor bundled up a package of fish and chips to go.
Seagulls circled as he ate on the beach, hoping for crumbs, and he was in such good spirits that he tossed a few handfuls of chips into the sand—enough to ensure all of the birds got something, although they still squawked and squabbled.
He crumpled up the wrapping, tossed it in a recycling bin at the pavilion, then drove to Sanctuary, where he’d planned an early-afternoon kayaking session. Going straight to the shed where Kat stored the water sports equipment, he inspected the eight open-topped ocean kayaks stacked against one wall. They seemed to be in good order, so he began carrying them out to the empty stretch of beach opposite the lodge. He’d moved two, and had started on the third, when he heard voices behind him.
“Jack! Excuse me, Jack!”
Uh-oh, he knew that voice. Betty.
“Pay attention to your elders, Jack Farrelly.”
He cringed. And that was Mavis. Laying down the kayak, he looked over at them and had to shield his eyes against the sun. “Ladies, lovely day we’re having, isn’t it?”
“Word is you’re helping Brooke prepare for a hiking trip to Nepal,” Mavis said, ignoring him. “Is it true?”
He put his hands on his hips and studied them. Mavis wore her pit bull expression, which meant that shit was about to go down. “It is.”
“You’d better be serious about it,” she warned.
“Yes,” Betty added, “because Brooke is a lovely girl, but she’s had a bad run of it and she doesn’t need anyone flaking out on her.”
“Me? Flake out? I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick. I’m not the flakey type.” If someone was going to flake out in this scenario, it would be Brooke. He could tough his way through anything, but she was soft—although he couldn’t deny she had a high pain tolerance and a radiant smile.
Mavis grumbled, “Keep it that way.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted. Betty covered her mouth and giggled, her white curls bouncing. Mavis glared, her forehead a collection of dubious crinkles.
“You’re too cheeky for your own good,” Betty said. “Don’t you agree, Mavis?”
Mavis’s eyes narrowed. “Impertinent, is more like it.”
He’d been called worse, but he got the feeling they weren’t done here. The ladies shifted from one foot to the other and glanced at each other like they had something to say, but were both hoping the other would do it.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked.
“Do you intend to accompany her to Nepal?” It was Mavis who asked the question.
Go with her? To the Himalayas?
The possibility had never occurred to him. To be fair, he’d also never imagined she’d make it that far, try as she might. At least, not this year. If by some miracle she did, would he consider joining her? He turned the idea over in his mind. It was exactly the sort of trip he’d love to be a part of, and it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He was certainly fit enough, and he had the right gear.
It’s not going to happen.
He shouldn’t get caught up planning something when it would go nowhere.
Betty and Mavis looked at him expectantly.
He cleared his throat. “If she doesn’t get to Everest, it won’t be because of anything I did or didn’t do.” It was a cop-out, and they all knew it. He changed the subject, because the alternative was to sweat beneath the combined weight of their stares until he agreed to something he didn’t want to. “Are you two kayaking with me this afternoon?”
“Not today,” Betty said, looking disappointed. “My back and shoulder are too stiff.”
“That’s a shame.”
Thank God for small mercies.
He continued dragging the kayak over to join the others. When he headed back for the next one, Betty and Mavis had continued their stroll up the beach. He finished setting up and headed to the lodge, where a small group awaited him. Brooke’s eager face smiled from amongst them, and he couldn’t suppress an answering grin.
He whistled to gain the group’s attention. “We’ll be kayaking off the beach today, so let’s all head down there. Grab some sunscreen or a hat if you need to.”
He waited for the first people to pass him and fell into step with Brooke. “You don’t have to come if you’re tired,” he told her. “I’ll talk to you after.”
She raised her chin, the movement oddly imperious, and a memory tickled at the back of his mind but he couldn’t quite place it. “I’m not missing out on sea kayaking.”
“It’s unlikely to do you much good as training.”
“Maybe not, but it’s an experience I want to have.”
He could see he wasn’t going to win this debate without making a big deal of something that didn’t warrant it, so he didn’t argue further. “How are you after yesterday?”
“Good,” she said. “A little sore, and I had a really deep sleep, but otherwise I seem to be fine.”
“Your feet?” he asked gruffly, remembering how painful they’d looked. All those blisters on her soft white skin.
She pulled a face. “They sting a bit, but I’ve had worse.”
He’d bet his left nut that they hurt more than she was letting on, but if she wanted to downplay it, that was her business, provided it didn’t interfere with her performance today. They reached the kayaks and he did a quick head count. Everyone on his list was accounted for.
“Everybody grab a kayak,” he instructed, and waited while they did so. “Are any of you new to kayaking?”
Brooke raised her hand, and he shook his head. Seriously, how had this girl not done anything when she lived in a place surrounded by wilderness and water?
“Okay.” He lifted the oar. “You want to keep this centered and dip the curved part into the water like so.” He demonstrated the correct movement. “Then rotate it slightly to do the same with the other side. Not too deep. You want it just below the surface, enough that it works your arms when you pull it back. Got it?”