Rapid Falls(22)

For weeks that summer, I ducked invitations to the annual team-building river-rafting trip. I had formulated my excuse not to go while lying sleepless and cold as the dampness dried from my body. I would tell the organizer that I had a severe earache and the doctor had advised me to avoid water.

The day before the trip, it felt like the entire office was chatting about it. Every time I heard a colleague titter about their fear of water, I had to grit my teeth so I wouldn’t scream. Then Larry—or Mayor Duncan, as I thought of him then—popped his head into the cubicle I shared with three other student interns. My heart began to pound. He was rarely in the office, and I hadn’t had a conversation with just him. I wanted desperately to make a good impression. He was the first person I had ever met who could help me do what I had always wanted to do. This conversation could change my life.

“Cara, will we be seeing you tomorrow? Mrs. Price said you haven’t signed up yet. Should be a fun day for everyone.”

I stared at him, my mind blank. I was thrilled he knew my name but horrified at the idea of floating on a river so cold that it would send whispers of its depths into the summer air. I panicked, and my excuse came out half-formed.

“I have a . . . I have . . . an earache.”

He raised his eyebrows. “That’s such a shame. I don’t get out much with the team. I had hoped for a chance to get to know the interns. I won’t have many opportunities this summer.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll . . .” My ambition overcame my fear. “I’ll be there.”

“Wonderful! We’ll have the whole office, then. I’ll let Mrs. Price know you’ve confirmed.” He strode toward his secretary. I rubbed my arms, worrying my goose bumps as I ran through a list of reassurances. I would have a life jacket. There would be a guide. The sun would shine. Anna would not be there. Nobody would die.

The next morning, I felt gray with lack of sleep as I tugged the resistant rubber of the wetsuit over my clammy feet, trying to keep a pleasant expression on my face in case Larry spotted me in the group. A couple of people let out yelps of excitement. My throat was too tight to make a sound, even if I wanted to.

“It helps if you get it wet,” a man behind me said. I turned, my weak smile shifting so quickly into a real one that I must have looked deranged. The guy was naked from the waist up, a half-zipped wetsuit casually hanging off his muscular abdomen.

“Hi. I’m Rick. You’re in my boat.”

I realized that my mouth was open and shut it quickly. “Your boat?”

He smiled. His teeth were perfect, white as a child’s against his skin. For a second, he reminded me of Jesse, even though they looked nothing alike besides the mischief in their eyes. He was blond and his nose was straight; his pale blue eyes sparkled with the sunshine. Jesse’s eyes had been a deep brown, nearly black, and his hair was dark.

He held out his hand. “I’m your guide.”

“Okay. Great. Cool . . . I guess I should try to get myself wet, then.”

He laughed softly. I walked to the water with cheeks burning, my unintended innuendo echoing through my mind. I thought I couldn’t look more foolish than being the last one still fighting with a wetsuit. I was wrong. I stared at the mustard-yellow raft fixedly as Rick gathered everyone for a safety briefing.

Afterward Mayor Duncan called out, “Last one in is a rotten egg!” Everyone laughed and ran dutifully to the rafts except me. I got ankle deep before I froze in place. The wetsuit’s thick layer was no insulation from my memory of churning gray water. I urged myself forward, my pride convincing me to grab the ropes near the back of the boat and step over the wide inflated edge. My teeth were chattering as I climbed in, nearly kicking Mrs. Price in my fervor to get out of the river.

“Sorry,” I muttered, and she smiled back. I sat down. Rick hopped in easily behind me and pushed off with a big oar. Despite our humiliating first encounter, I felt reassured to be so close to the one person who knew what he was doing. I held on to my oar, concentrating as Rick smoothly issued orders to us on how to row in rhythm. His commands were soothing, and I followed them like a meditation.

The sight of curls of white water reminded me to be scared. Rick’s authoritative voice told us to pick up the pace. He sat on the back of the raft, wielding two enormous oars. Despite the currents swirling around us, his movements were smooth and deliberate, as if nobody had anything to fear, and we glided peacefully over the bumps. I took a deep breath. This river was calmer than the one in Rapid Falls. If that current was the worst of it, I would be fine. He smiled when he noticed me looking his way. He was so handsome.

“I’m Cara,” I said. My voice sounded higher than normal.

“Nice to meet you, Cara. Glad to see that wetsuit finally learned who’s boss.” His grin contained no malice. I laughed as I tried to figure out how old he was, hoping I wasn’t just a clumsy student to him. I’d kissed a few guys at mixers and class parties, but I didn’t have a boyfriend. I didn’t have time to date, I told everyone. I needed to study. The truth was more complicated, but I pretended that I wasn’t a complicated person when I was at college. I was simple. Easy. Good. Rick made me feel that way for real. I liked it.

“Do you guide here every summer?” A frown crossed his face, and I wondered what I had said to offend him.

The raft bumped suddenly, and a shock of water took my breath away. I gasped as my lungs seemed to flatten when the cold pummeled my face and body. I clawed with my hands, seeking the reassurance of the oar, but I couldn’t find its handle. The raft jolted again, and my stomach rose and fell. I was bouncing so much that I felt like I was falling. The water kept hitting me in the face. Rick’s voice called something, but I couldn’t make out the words. Water slammed into me again, and as the raft lurched I couldn’t hold on anymore. My world was suddenly underwater.