Page 4

Chapter 4

Wyatt

“T hanks, man.” I take the signed safety waiver from Paul and tuck it under my checklist for the adrenaline rush white water raft trip. With him and his girlfriend Kim checked in, we’re only waiting on one more for our small group: the highlight of the Expo for me, Moxie.

“Are you two locals?” I ask.

Paul shakes his head. “We’re from Wisconsin.”

“It’s our first time to Colorado.”

I tilt my head. “Have you ever rafted on the Menominee?”

“Many times,” Kim says. “Gotta do something to shake off the boredom from the work week.”

“Desk jobs,” Paul sighs.

“We try to get outside as much as we can,” Kim explains. “Lots of rafting and biking. And cross-country skiing when it snows.”

“My kind of people.”

I excuse myself to retrieve the life jackets and helmets, but the parking lot still shows no sign of Moxie. Not that I've been replaying memories of her adorable smirk and the way she strutted out of the expo, but I can’t wait to see her again.

She’d jumped for the first activity I suggested. Must have been my charm. Not wanting to get caught gawking like a simp when she arrives, I return to Kim and Paul.

“Kim, let’s try this helmet for you.” I hand her a bright yellow helmet as a car pulls into the lot and Moxie slides out.

She glides up to the group in barely-there white shorts and a purple tank top. Strings from a turquoise swimsuit dangle at her neckline. My intent was not to drool but I’m having trouble tearing my eyes away.

“Hey there... Matilda?”I take a stab at guessing her name.

“Nice try, but nope.”

“I'll keep thinking. Ready to take on the rapids?”

She throws her shoulders back and looks at me like a lioness on the hunt, her big brown eyes captivating. “You bet. I can’t believe I haven’t done this sooner.”

“Wait, are you saying you haven’t been rafting before?” Warning bells blare in my head. Normally I'd verify experience at sign up, but I was distracted. If her name wasn’t on my list, I’d have thought I dreamed her. “This is an advanced part of the river with fast moving rapids and swells. The expert run is no joke.”

Moxie looks around the group. “I’ve been rafting on a river before but not in Colorado, and this will be my first expert run. But it’ll be fine.”

I look between her and the waiver. The responsible thing here would be to discourage her from an expert run, but if I do, she’ll probably never end up coming back. I don’t want to miss my shot with her, but grudging responsibility wins out by a hair. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather start off on one of our easier runs? We could reschedule a trip for you. I have a nice intermediate run scheduled for tomorrow, and I’m pretty sure there are still two spots left.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m a quick learner.” She winks, and with mixed emotions, I hand her the forms. I did my due diligence and warned her. Ultimately, it’s her choice.

“Okay, but I want you sitting close to me when we get to the raft.” My doubt dribbles away as she signs the waiver and grabs a life jacket from the back of the van.

“That sounds even better.” A wicked grin slides across her face.

I’m distracted by the bright sunshine glinting off the river of electric blue running through her hair.

“Come on then, let me introduce you to Kim and Paul and we’ll be on our way.” I hand Moxie a helmet.

“Kim and Paul, this is Moxie, and this guy over here is Noah. He’s my best friend and the brains behind Shred and Tread.”

“Hey everyone. I’ll pick you up at the end of the run and drive you back here. I’m looking forward to hearing what a great time you all have. I’m leaving you with the best guide out there, but please pay attention as Wyatt goes over the safety review.” Noah unhooks the raft from the top of the van. I unload the paddles and hand them out. “Yellow paddles with green handles are for righties, green handles with yellow paddles are for the lefties.”

Noah smirks while I wait for the joke to click. Kim points back and forth in the air thinking through what I said. Moxie catches on the fastest and lets out a snort of a laugh that makes me laugh in return.

“Okay team, the four of us are going to go over our game plan to make this the safest dangerous activity you’ve ever done.” I try to keep it light while going over the basics of rowing and the safety review. Rule number one of tour guiding: throw in as many cheesy jokes as possible. Laughs equal tips.

“The rapids move quickly on this run; that’s why it isn’t called a walk. So, remember, don’t stop to question it, do exactly what I say, keeping your feet secured under the edge of the raft the whole time. If you go in the water, stay calm, try to grab the raft, bring your legs to the surface, and point them downriver.” I love rafting, but as with all our adventures, these people are my responsibility, and that’s not something I take lightly.

“We’ll pull you back in the raft. Otherwise, follow the directions that I call out, and enjoy the ride. You’ll get to see some beautiful scenery along with bouncing around on some great waves.”

As usual, each of the participants seems to think the safety lesson is meant for everyone but them. “Even though it’s small, I think you’ve got yourself a good group today.” Noah tugs the van’s sliding door shut. “Keep your mind on the rapids and not the eye candy.”

I flip him off and he snickers.

“I’ll see you at the bottom.” He turns and heads back to the van.

I do a final check of everyone’s life jackets to make sure they’re on properly. A couple inches shorter than me, Moxie is built with enough muscle to lessen my concern about her experience level.

“May I check your straps?” I gesture at her jacket.

“Have at it.” Even standing this close to her, she looks me straight in the eyes as her tongue glides across her lower lip, almost daring me to kiss her as I tug the straps tight. The sparks fly off her as I try to focus on my job.

We get in the boat with Moxie and Kim on the right and Paul on the left. I sit in the middle at the back of the boat so I can paddle on both sides as needed.

“Alright folks, we have a nice and easy stretch up first, so let’s practice some directions to get us started. Forward!” I call out.

The group responds, and we ease out toward the center of the river.

“Great job, everyone! Let’s try a sharp turn around this rock. Hard left!”

Paul and I on the left side of the boat back paddle while Kim and Moxie paddle hard on the right.

“Eep!” Moxie squeaks as the raft lurches over a slope, but then she lets out a nervous giggle.

Quickly, we fall into a groove. Moxie is doing well, but I suspect she wasn’t entirely honest about doing this before. Her muscles are tense, and she flinches with every direction I call out.

We work our way down the river, picking up speed. It turns out that it was good I put Moxie between Kim and me, because she tries to anticipate what I’m going to call out. That’s all well and good for an easy ride, but not when there’s hidden obstacles beneath the surface that a newbie can’t anticipate. Only an experienced rafter, who knows this river like the back of their hand, can account for the fast twists and changes.

To her credit, she reacts quickly, adjusting her strokes whenever I direct her.

“Woohoo!” Moxie shouts out as we come around the bend. A full ear-to-ear grin is plastered on her face.

I burst out laughing as an impressive shower of water hits her from the next dip. Moxie quickly joins in, her laugh infectious. Paul takes on a pirate accent and soon every time I shout out a direction the whole boat answers back with an “Aye, aye Captain!” We’re a raucous crew of buccaneers navigating the twists and turns. I love this ride but find myself sneaking glances at Moxie. She smiles and cheers as if this is the best time of her life. When I tell her to paddle, her brow furrows in adorable fierce determination. Then she looks at me with a proud grin, droplets of water on her cheek glistening in the sun. Her excitement eclipses the beauty of the river.

“Paddle hard right,” I shout to Moxie and Kim. This part of the river gets tricky. We barely squeeze through a narrow passage between two boulders. I shout out encouragement to Moxie to try to keep her on pace.

We’re a little slower than we should be on the turn when we crash against one of the rocks. As Moxie shouts out in surprise with the jolt, she twists towards me, causing her foot to slide out from under the edge of the boat where it was anchored. Before I can warn her to secure her foot, we bounce off another boulder.

I know we have a big problem before the scream leaves her mouth. I drop my paddle and reach for Moxie as she careens from her safe seat in the raft to the rock filled river. Clutching at her life jacket, I manage to slow her descent, but not save her from splashing down into the swift current. I immediately grab my paddle and switch into crisis mode, reverse paddling with all my might while I shout out directions to Paul to paddle hard left and Kim to backpaddle.

Moxie coughs and screams as she flails around in the water. She isn’t focused on the boat at all, forgetting everything from the safety lesson.

Ordinarily, I have the worst attention span, but when adrenaline hits my system, it’s like the whole world moves in slow motion. All at once I factor in the waves and sharp rock edges and instantly plot out the route that I need to take to get her safely back into my boat. While the river has turned into our foe, Paul and Kim follow directions as if on the battlefield. Water rushes by as we parallel Moxie’s path.

She’s in a panic, arms windmilling as she rolls around downstream. I know only seconds are passing, but it feels like she’s in the water for treacherous hours. She’s too terrified to get herself closer to the raft. I keep my voice calm but firm as we maneuver next to her.

Sweat drips down my forehead, mixing with the surges splashing in our faces as we furiously paddle and finally get close to her. “Moxie, lay flat! Feet downriver. I’m going to grab you.” Even though I’m shouting, I don’t know if she can hear me over the roar of the rushing water.

A heartbeat later, I manage to grab her life jacket by the shoulder straps and haul her into the boat. She lands on top of me, coughing and spitting water as she clutches my arms in a death grip.

Our eyes lock while, gulping air, she struggles to see me through her terror. She shivers and sputters as I gently set her in front of me so I can stabilize her if I need to.

After a quick assessment of our location, I direct Paul and Kim to paddle with me to the right where the water deepens and the current turns from racing rapids to rolling waves. Paul and Kim thankfully stay calm and keep paddling. The crisis likely took no more than a minute or two, but my heart is pounding.

“We’ve got you. It’s okay, Moxie, you’re safe.” I quickly run my eyes over every inch of her to make sure nothing is broken or bleeding. Her legs have a couple of scrapes, and it looks like a bruise might form on her foot, but there’s no major damage. “Does anything hurt?”

She shakes her head. “No. I’m okay.”

“Good. Can you take a deep breath with me? That’s great.”

Moxie’s breathing gradually evens out as she regains her composure. She tries to smooth her wet hair out of her face. This gutsy woman may not be as tough as she tries to appear.

“I’m okay to keep going.” She retrieves her paddle and wedges her foot further under the edge of the boat.

The waves turn to gentle swells, allowing me to keep an eye on Moxie. She seems to have recovered well but keeps side-eyeing the river like it’s the class bully waiting for the teacher to turn her back. I give the crew some directions to get us through the last of the rapids and on to the smooth water of a drop-pool.

“You okay Moxie? Still nothing hurting?” Now that the shock has worn off, it’s possible she could notice an injury she was numb to before. Her deep brown eyes appear to have doubled in size.

“Still good.” Moxie clears her throat like she’s remembering how to speak. “Thanks for saving me. I thought I was taking the rest of this ride on my ass.” Her laugh comes out forced but we all join in and the tension washes away. The boat gently rocks as the calm blue ripples nudge us along.

“Now I know what a fish feels like being plucked out of the water.” She gives a weak smile as she furtively looks from Kim to Paul and finally me.

“Nice work scooping her up, Wyatt.” Kim tucks her own feet back under the raft edge as we prepare to head back to the main river flow.

Paul laughs. “If you wanted to get your hands on Wyatt, you should have just said so.”

A flash of embarrassment crosses her face at first but then she laughs along with him. “Maybe this was a little ambitious for my first time rafting. It’s possible I overestimated my abilities. I should have listened to you, Wyatt.”

I manage a spark of anger. “I thought you said you’d been rafting before.”

Moxie looks sheepish, “I might have fibbed a little about that.”

“This is your first time rafting? No wonder you were freaked out.” Kim shakes her head. “But when you tell other people about this, definitely go with the I did it to get rescued by the hot tour guide story.”

“You know, I’m sitting right here!” Paul sends a stream of water at his wife, who sprays him right back.

“Alright.” I cut off the conversation before it gets too far off the rails. “Let’s get back to the ride. You know, some companies charge more for a dip in the water,” I tease, attempting to recover the boisterous mood. It isn’t that no one has ever gone over before, but with how frantic she was, I worried she’d get hurt before I could get her back in the raft.

“We only threw that in for free because I like you. Everyone ready to move on?” Met with nods and murmurs of agreement, I shove off the sun-bleached boulder and back toward the stronger current. Now that the urgency is over, the sun seems warmer, the sky is a beautiful bright blue, and the river is exciting rather than threatening.

About an hour later, we pull into the landing singing “Rock the Boat.” Everyone laughs as we pull the raft onshore where Noah waits armed with snacks and ready to collect all the gear.

“It sounds like everyone had a great trip.”

“It was the best! The scenery here is gorgeous,” Kim says.

Noah nods his agreement. “Did Wyatt treat you right?”

“For sure, and Moxie’s tumble was certainly memorable,” Paul says.

Noah raises an eyebrow. He can go from happy to fearing the worst in ten seconds.

“I didn’t fall over. I jumped in to see if you all were as good at maneuvering the boat as you claimed,” Moxie says as if they've been friends for years. “With all the bragging you were doing, I wanted to see you in action. What did you say Paul, you’d been rafting since you were twelve?”

I can’t help but smile at this. In the water, Moxie didn’t know which way was up, but she’s turned it around. This woman is amazing.

“I think we handled ourselves pretty well.” Paul hugs Kim and they smile at each other like newlyweds.

“Let's not forget about our pirate captain,” Moxie adds. “He made that raft move backwards over the rapids to save me. Look at those muscles.” She fans herself and my brain short circuits.My cheeks burn and I squirm in my seat as Kim and Paul laugh.

Noah whispers as he grabs a life jacket, “Only you could turn a safety concern into an intimate moment.”

We ride in the van back to the drop-off point with everyone telling stories about past adventures.

At the parking lot, I thank everyone, truthfully meaning it when I tell them what a great group they were and squeezing in one last joke.

“Hey, what’s the difference between a pizza and a raft guide?”

“What?” they ask in unison.

“A pizza can feed a family.”

It gets a chuckle and serves its purpose as a gentle reminder to tip. They agree to pose for a picture for our website, and I encourage them to go on another trip with us as we say goodbye.

Moxie turns to me as Paul and Kim walk hand-in-hand over to their car. “Thanks again for the ride, Captain.” The nickname fills me with a rush of pride and desire to show her all the other ways I can take command.

“I hope you enjoyed the tour despite your dip in the water.”

“Absolutely,” she says.

“What made you decide to go right to the expert run?”

“I like a good thrill, and the idea of seeing you in your element was… enticing.” Moxie’s cheeks redden as she looks down at the ground.

I flounder around for a comeback but just stare at her. She signed up to see me? “I love it out there. I was surprised that you signed up as a single. We usually get groups of two or more.”

She raises an eyebrow at me, and what started as an Are you available? inquiry gets awkward, so I hurry to cover it up. “What do you usually do for fun? I mean, we have lots of other adventures that you might enjoy.” It sounds more like a company sales pitch than the prospect of getting to know her better.

Moxie eyes me for a moment and sweat breaks out on my forehead.

“I don’t have any specific hobbies, but I’m always up for trying new things. The excitement of the unknown, you know?” She tilts her head to the side, eyeing me with a devilish grin.

I nod. She’s preaching to the choir.

“And, astute observation, as I am not currently dating anyone.” She meets my eyes confidently as she twirls her fingers through the short strands of shimmering blue and black hair.

“Good to know. Neither am I.” I’m completely off my game and have no clue what to ask next. Thankfully, she comes to my rescue.

“I haven’t done anything like this in way too long.” Her eyes un-focus as she stares wistfully over my shoulder. “When I first moved here, I thought it would be a blast but lately my job has become the same old shit, you know? Even the things I used to like are blah now.” She sighs and looks me over. “A ride with you was a perfect change of pace.” Her fingers graze my shoulder, setting off an electric current as they slide down my arm.

I clear my throat. “Like I said, there are tons of fun things to do around here.” Not my smoothest request for a first date.

“Mmm, I bet that’s true.” Moxie’s eyes darken. She takes a small step forward, and the raft, van, and parking lot fade away. She’s all I can think about. I put my hands in my pockets to keep from wrapping them around her waist to pull her to me.

Noah comes around to the back of the van. “You ready to—Oh, sorry. I’ll be in the van!” He ducks back to get in the van and out of our line of sight.

“You should sign up for another tour. I’d be happy to go over the choices with you.” I fumble in my pocket and pull out a business card. “I think you earned a discount with your dip in the water. Or if you ever just wanted to go out…” I throw it out there, hoping it’s not too terribly unprofessional. Moxie moves even closer, leaning forward to reach for the card. Our hands linger together.

The way she twirls my business card through her long fingers has me imagining those shiny pink nails dragging down my chest.

“I might do that. I’m always up for ‘fun things,’” she says with a sultry emphasis.Her eyes suddenly light up. “Actually, I have a work party tonight. Do you want to go with me? There’s good food, an open bar, and some party games. We could go for an hour and then see where the night takes us.”

“And is this a date, or am I your arm candy because you suspect how good I'll look in a suit?”

“I'm confident you’ll wear the hell out of a suit but saving me definitely earns you a date. It’ll be fun.” She singsongs the last of it and waggles her eyebrows at me as if any extra charm is needed. There’s no way I would say no, and I think she knows it.

“I’m in.”

“Okay, I’ll text you the details.” She waves but turns back to lean in close and whisper, “Thanks again for the ride... Captain.” I’m slack jawed fumbling for a response as she glides across the parking lot. Her hips sway as if to her own personal soundtrack.

Noah throws a life jacket at my head and rolls his eyes. “Here we go.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I reluctantly turn my attention back to him.

“You know exactly what it means.” He laughs. “I saw the sparks flying between you two.”

“Yeah, I think there might be something there.”

Noah shakes his head as he reaches up to check that the raft is secured to the top of the van. “If you like her, then let me suggest you take it slowly.”

“I’m not rushing things. You heard her, she asked me. I just said yes.”

“Based on what you were talking about last week, I was afraid you were going to say, ‘Hey, instead of that, how about we head to one of those drive-thru chapels in Vegas?’” Noah chides as he heads to the front of the van.

“I just put it out there in the universe that I was ready for the right girl. I don’t know why you’re surprised when she drops into my lap. It’s called manifesting.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about. You can’t go into this like you’re ready to marry her. You’ll sound like you’re going to lock her in your basement. It’s creepy. Treat it like a casual date and see what happens.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not thinking she’s The One. I mean she could be, because she’s stunning, and funny, and brave. We had fun on the raft. I have a good feeling about this.”

“Nobody is The One after three hours. You’ve got to get to know her, and she’s got to get to know you. You have to see each other on a bad day or at least for a whole day.” He smirks.

“The drive from here to Vegas is eleven hours—plenty of getting-to-know-you time,” I tease.

“I know you’re joking, but I’m worried about you. You get your hopes so high with everything. You’ll start dating her and spend all your free time with her in a whirlwind romance. Two weeks later, you’ll be telling me you met the love of your life. Eight minutes later, you’ll ask her to move in with you.” He puts his hand on my shoulder as I open the passenger door. “And shortly after that, I'll be swinging by your house to help clean up takeout containers and pick your ass off the floor to get you back into the light of day again. If it’s special, you don’t want to rush it.” Noah rounds to the driver’s side of the van.

He fires up the van as I get in. “Besides, I need you thinking about work and getting more people signed up for trips. We should go over our books. I know you don’t like doing that stuff, but we only had three people on this ride, which is concerning. We’re having some issues, and I need your input.”

“What kind of issues?” I’m only half listening to him as I can’t get Moxie out of my head.

“I know you want to add these new tours and do an overnight trip, but we can’t afford to do that right now. Today isn’t the only trip that’s been half-full. That’s why I want you to look at the numbers. We can brainstorm some ideas to work this out.”

“Hey, you know me. I’m the ideas guy,” I say as we park behind Shred and Tread.

A customer pulls up and distracts Noah as we’re unloading, so I haul the equipment into the storage area, but my mind is on how I’m going to remember to take it slow and keep my hands off Moxie at this work party of hers.