Scattered Ashes (2 page)

“Somehow I think this is going to be one wet ride.”  He grinned at her, helping her into the canoe.

“Nice way of telling me I’m super clumsy.  So smooth.”

“Glad you noticed.”  He waited for her to get in before he pushed the boat farther out so the current would catch and help propel it.  Once he was certain the boat was out deep enough, he eased himself against the side, braced his arms on the rim, and lifted his body over the edge so he could slip inside.

“Nicely done.  Care to try two out of three?”

“Didn’t you say the object was to stay in the boat?” he asked, turning his attention to paddling.

“Yep.”  Nicole looked around at all the other pairs getting into their canoes or paddling out as they were.  At least half of the people in the class were guys, and she noticed one interesting thing: compared to the rest, no matter what Jordan did, be it setting the canoe in the water or padding, there was a sort of masculine grace to his movements.  It was as though every sweep of his arms were fraught with purpose so no energy was wasted, and the movements were fluid, as though he belonged wherever he was.  Even when she shifted in the canoe and it wiggled, he didn't react.  It was like a wash of calm assurance kept him in balance, and that amazed Nicole.

Of course, the canoe almost tipped once, and  she turned back and looked at him.  “What happened?”

He shrugged as they drifted beneath the branch of a low elm, forcing both to duck.  “You switched your pattern, and I didn’t realize it,  so we were paddling on the same side.  Definitely not a good idea.”

“Something to keep in mind,” she agreed.  “So what’s your story?”

She half peered over her shoulder to see him smile.  “Oh, 'Hansel and Gretel.'  Maybe
Peter Pan. 
On second thought, definitely
Peter Pan
.  Nothing like a wicked hot fairy who can only feel one thing at a time.”  He laughed.

“So not what I meant,” she murmured as a flush colored her cheeks.

“But it’s what you asked, right?”

She nodded.  “Yeah.  What I wanted to know is what’s your major and all that stuff.”  She dipped the paddle deep in the water and watched a nearby turtle swim.

“Graphic Design is my major.  Now, about all the other stuff you’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”

She laughed, kind of taken aback by the way he seemed so far removed from every other guy she’d met.  Most wanted to talk about themselves.  Jordan seemed comfortable no matter what, without the need to call attention to any of that.  She was definitely intrigued.

“Okay, what do you do for fun?”

“Scare girls off suspension bridges,” he smirked.  “Next question?”  he paddled a few strokes and looked near the banks where a raccoon scurried higher on the shore.

“No, no, no,” Nicole said, shaking her head as she waved a dripping paddle at him.  “You didn’t really answer the first one, and you know it.”

He finally nodded.  “Okay.  Guilty as charged.”  He frowned as though deep in thought.  “What I do for fun.  Hmmm.  I like to go hiking and canoeing.  Pretty much mostly outdoor stuff.  Anything to do with water."

Her eyes lit up in wicked amusement as she dipped the paddle into the water and showered him with it.  “Gotcha.”

"All right.  You started it."  He laughed and dipped his paddle into the water to splash her.  She stiffened and squealed in a way that made him laugh harder and want to douse her again, but he refrained.

“Oops,” he said.  “Didn’t mean to get you wet.”

For a few seconds, she sputtered as she reacquainted herself with the chilly water.  Then she lifted a hand and tried to brush some of the water away.  “Okay, Jordan, you are so going to pay for that!”

She got up and whirled.

“You’re going to tip—"

The canoe lurched to one side, dumping them both into the river as it completed its half-revolution.  As Nicole had known she was going to tip the vessel, she'd been prepared to swim from under it and easily bobbed to the surface, waiting to antagonize her canoe partner. 

The canoe floated upside down next to her, and she waited patiently, knowing he was going to surface at any moment, yet only the motion of her hands broke the surface.  Frowning, she glanced around, knowing he had to be there somewhere.

“Jordan?” she called, edging around the canoe, looking for him.  “Where are you?”  She spotted the two paddles and grabbed them before the current swept them away.

He didn’t answer, and that bothered her.  She knew he hadn’t been expecting the tip, but he was a good swimmer.  He’d definitely proved that earlier when he jumped off the bridge after her.  So where was he?

Could he have struck his head or something?

That thought panicked her.  “Jordan!  Where are you?”  She circled the boat again, thinking she’d find him.

“Oh, no,” she muttered, feeling a coldness sweep through her as she released the paddles.  She dove, fingers groping, and even though she opened her eyes, the murky green of the river refused to reveal anything, only frustrating her more.  She swam around until she felt her lungs would burst and broke to the surface, just knowing he would already be there.

Stillness.  She was alone.  For a moment, she tried not to panic, but it rose from deep inside of her into great waves, threatening to drag her under, and she spotted another canoe not far away.  She was on the brink of calling out for help when she felt two hands grab her legs and drag her under.

When she resurfaced, she spotted Jordan floating there, a smirk on his face, and she wanted to throttle him, yet relief also flooded through her.

“Where did you come from?”

“There’s a pocket of air under the canoe.  I was hiding in there.”

She waved a warning finger at him.  “That was so not funny, Jordan!”  She smacked at his arm and brushed the sodden bangs from her face, feeling stupid.

“Hey, you’re the one who tipped the canoe, not me.  Besides, I have to give you props.  You don’t panic easily--not that you should have panicked.  I am wearing a life jacket which should have brought me to the surface.  No drowning here.” 

That was it.  His tone, so irritatingly cheerful, launched Nicole at him, intent on dunking him.  Of course, as she came at him, he was prepared and quickly dodged, taunting: “What?  What did I say?”

 Although he thought he was out of reach, when she dove backwards, she managed to catch his shoulder.  She had half submerged him when he whirled her around to face him and easily wrapped both arms around her, trapping her arms beneath his.  “Sorry.  This is a no-dunking zone.”

“You're insufferable,” she growled, trying to break free without getting anywhere.

“If I turn you lose, are you going to be a good girl?”

“I don’t know how,” she retorted, thinking she had almost gotten one arm free when he adjusted his grip and tugged into back in the confines of his own.

“Okay, if you can’t be good, at least say it was your fault because you turned the canoe over.”  Nicole opened her mouth to say it but found herself staring into the depths of his dark amber eyes.  Her breath caught in her throat, and she found she couldn’t stop staring.  Each breath came out shallow and unsettled.

At first, she told herself it had been the scuffle that had made her heart race, but she knew better.  It was being so close to him, their faces only inches apart.  The sunlight backlit his hair, burnishing its strands a dark auburn, and at first his mouth seemed set in a grin, but the longer he stared, the more it slowly straightened, as though he, himself, didn’t completely understand what was happening between them.

“It was my fault the canoe tipped,” she said at last, mesmerized.  Although the water was cold, all she seemed to feel was his arms wrapped about her, keeping her close.  “But it scared me when I couldn’t find you.  I thought maybe you might have hit your head."  She swallowed hard, finding it hard to take in enough air.

He chuckled.  “Yeah, well, my mom might think that would improve things.”

Nicole found herself laughing, but she thought it might in part be because she didn’t know how to handle emotions running through her about a guy she'd only just met.  She figured the best thing she could do would be to ignore them, so she turned her focus to the canoe.  She reached out and tried to grab the paddle again, but they had drifted quite a ways in different directions.

"Uh oh," she gulped.

He laughed again.  "You get one.  I'll get the other."

Nicole started swimming until she reached one of the paddles, and by the time she got back, Jordan was already waiting for her.

“Well, what are we going to do now?  I don’t think the canoe is going to right itself.”

“Nope.  Probably not,” he agreed. Swimming to it, he gripped his fingers under one end and tugged it toward shore.  Not sure what else she could do, Nicole swam after him. 

“What’re you doing?” she asked.

“Taking the canoe to shallow water.  It’ll be easier to flip.”  He glanced over his shoulder.  “You coming?”

“Right behind you.”

A few of the other students in canoes spotted them swimming with the overturned canoe.  More than once, somebody chuckled, but Nicole didn’t feel so bad, considering the tip had been intentional.  Once they'd reached water that touched just above the knees, Jordan held the canoe still and nodded at it.

“Get in.  It’ll be easier in the shallow water.  I’ll push us out.  Again.”  The last word came out with a smirk, and Nicole laughed.

“But you’re so good at it.”

“Umm-hmm.”  He waited for her to climb into the canoe and get settled before gently nudging the boat out deeper.  Then he climbed in, sat, and grabbed his paddle.  “You ready?”

“Sure.  Why not?”  She shrugged.

“We are going to stay in the canoe this time, right?” he asked, laughing.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” Nicole taunted, dipping her paddle in the water.

* * *

They spent most of the morning in the canoe before reaching the pick-up point, where the instructor waited for them, and once they'd finished their water journey, the two loaded the canoe into the truck and sat down amid the group to wait for stragglers.

The instructor must have also had an interest in photography because he was taking pictures of the students with an instant camera.  He shot one picture of  Jordon and Nicole sitting on the bridge, and Jordan had given it to her.

Three or four of the students who had arrived back first had been put in charge of grilling burgers and hot dogs.  While Nicole didn’t much like either, she had to admit to working up quite an appetite during the trip downriver.  Her stomach growled in agreement.

“Was that you?” Jordan asked, looking at her stomach.

“Well, yeah,” she finally said, feeling a flush creep into her cheeks.  She looked at the massive tree they sat under, enjoying the soft breeze that rustled among the leaves, rubbing them against one other.  Although she sat with her legs crossed and tucked toward her body, she leaned back, resting on her palms behind her.  His knees were drawn to his body, and he rested his arms on them.

“Should I tell them to put a rush order in before you eat one of the canoes?” Jordan said helpfully. 

“No, thanks.  I think I can wait,” she replied, shaking her head.

“Don’t say I didn't offer.”

“So, tell me more about you,” she said, licking her lips and wishing she had some Chapstick.  Then again, considering the way her shoulders were slightly red, she knew she’d probably wish she’d worn sunscreen even more by the time the day was through.