“Holy shit!”
It happened so fast the scene was a blur.
Wolfe hopped on one leg, swiping furiously at his shorts, and began to fall over. The boat tilted to the right, paused, and dumped the two of them over the side.
They both tumbled into the water. Gasping and trying to close her mouth, Gen felt cold liquid seep through her clothes and hit her like a shock wave. Her hair stuck to her face, and she spit frantically, afraid she’d gotten a mouthful of seaweed. The idea of being in the same realm as an alligator or sea monster made her go nuts.
“Get me out of here!” she yelled. “Don’t let me die here!”
Strong arms wrapped around her waist, holding her up. His legs scissored between hers as he kept her on the surface. “Why are you yelling like a crazy person? You know how to swim.”
Gen screeched and wrapped her arms and legs around him tight. “There are things in here! Creepy, crawly, swimmy things. Get me back in the boat now!”
His low laugh vibrated in her ear. Goose bumps broke out on her skin, and a melty sensation throbbed between her thighs. His hair-roughened leg slid back and forth, hitting a sweet spot. “There was a spider on me. A giant spider. Did you know about this?”
She shook her head hard and whimpered. “No, I swear, please get us back in the boat.”
“Okay. But no more interfering with my fishing. I’ll just grab the boat and—what the hell was that?”
“What? What?”
“I don’t know, something touched my leg. It seems to have fingers, almost like a hand.”
Gen opened her mouth and screamed.
His laughter barely processed as she began wiggling and trying to claw her way back to the boat. She finally reached the side, and felt strong hands cup her bottom, lifting her higher and higher until she fell in a tangle of limbs back to safety. Gen jumped up and began slapping at her legs, pulling off pieces of seaweed. Wolfe climbed back in, sat down on the seat, and chuckled.
“Oh man, you should have seen your face. Priceless.”
“You are an asshole! There was no hand, you liar.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, I couldn’t help it.”
“I hate fishing. This entire episode sucks. I’m wet and tired and icky.”
“It’s been a challenge, but I’m sure it’ll get better. Not much else can happen. It’s a nice day. Maybe we can go back to the dock and go for a hike.”
God spoke again.
The sun disappeared and a few raindrops fell from the sky. She blinked and looked up. Not possible. Was it?
“Is it raining?” she screeched.
Wolfe looked up. The drops began to fall faster. “Yeah, we better get back. Where’s the oar?”
“What are you talking about? They’re bolted to the thingy there, aren’t they?”
They both looked at the boat, which held empty rings and no oars. She glanced to the right and saw them floating off in the distance. Her heart began to pound. They were pretty far from the cabin and the shore. “Wolfe? What are we going to do?”
He rubbed his head like disasters commonly occurred in his world. “Huh. This could be a problem. I guess we swim.”
Her mouth fell open. “I’m not going in the water with bad things out to hurt me! I saw Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster with Lily! No way in hell!”
“Fine, then get on my back. I’ll swim and protect you.”
Thick, cold droplets began to strike her in a random, peppering pattern. She moaned in misery and stared down into the water. “I can’t do it.”
“You’re doing it.” He jumped back into the water and treaded water while he waited.
“What about our supplies?”
“I think bottles of water and fishing gear can be sacrificed for the greater good. Come on, Gen. Jump.”
“I can’t.”
She shivered, getting colder by the minute. His voice came out like a whiplash.
“I’m gonna say it for the last time. Get your ass in the water. I promise I’ll never let anything happen to you.”
She gulped. “Promise.”
His face softened, and suddenly Gen realized she’d go anywhere with him without hesitation.
“Promise.”
She jumped.
THE FIRE ROARED. THE rain pounded nonstop against the windows, while logs crackled and filled the air with the scents of burned wood and pizza. Wrapped in a toasty blanket, Gen stretched out a piece of melty cheese and sighed with delight. “Sooo good.”
Wolfe munched, eating from the crust downward as he preferred, and mumbled in agreement. “Better than fish.”
“Told ya so.” She licked her fingers and settled back on the couch with a groan of contentment. She glanced outside, where the wind roared and an old-fashioned summer thunderstorm raged onward. “That boat is long gone. Hope it wasn’t too pricey.”
He laughed and wiped his hands. “I just found the sucker in the woods during my morning hike.”
She paused. “What? You didn’t even know if that thing was safe? You could’ve killed us.”
He snorted, leaning back and stretching his legs on the coffee table. “I protected you from the creature from the black lagoon, didn’t I? You almost killed me. Strangling my neck so hard I couldn’t breathe.”
She tried to be mad, but a smile tugged at her lips. He was pretty lucky. She had never loosened her grip and the swim back had been brutal. “Fine. We’re even.”
A comfortable silence settled. She sipped a glass of Chardonnay and let the warmth of the evening wash over her. So nice. She used to crave sitting like this with David, just basking in his company. Enjoying his sharp intellect. But as they continued dating, the moments got further apart. He was always busy doing something, or telling her to do something. Idle hands and such. Until she’d forgotten what it was like to just sit in silence with a man, talking, being in the moment. Was this so sinful? Did every waking second of life need to be productive, with a target for output?