Page 25 of Vitamin Sea

T he catamaran that Costa Morpho had booked was taking them on a sightseeing tour.

The concierge had promised them a day of snorkeling, swimming, sightseeing, and snacks.

The only thing he said he couldn’t guarantee was sun; that was in the hands of Mother Nature.

But fortunately for them, the sky was clear and the water was calm.

Despite having nearly drowned two days before, Chloe was feeling okay about being on a boat. Although it might have had something to do with the ‘boat’ being a sixty-foot catamaran, which, owing to its structure, would sail through choppy waters like a hot knife going through butter.

As a precaution, Chloe was outfitted in a bright-orange life jacket even though she and Lala were still on the shore waiting. It was probably overkill, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Even with her feet firmly planted in the sand.

Daniel helped Lala into the boat before climbing in himself and, while the water was calm, Chloe was dismayed to find that she was hesitant to climb in.

Jack noticed and offered her his hand.

“You’re okay,” he said quietly, placing his hand on her arm in reassurance. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She grasped his outstretched hand, using it for balance as she stepped into the boat. He gave her hand a squeeze as he climbed in himself and took a seat beside her. With the life jacket and Jack’s presence, Chloe felt reassured and the panic that had started rising in her chest settled down.

Daniel and Lala were busy flirting; Daniel scooped up a handful of ocean water and splashed Lala with it as the boat rocked with the motion of the waves.

“You’ll be okay,” Jack leaned in and repeated to Chloe while giving her a soothing pat on her hand.

In that moment, she felt relaxed.

Seconds later the motor rumbled; salt water splashed over the bow as the tender cut through the waves and headed towards the catamaran. Which could more accurately be described as a huge yacht.

From the shoreline it had seemed pretty big, but up close and meters from it, it looked positively massive.

Of course, she knew it was all part of the resort’s attempt to woo her and, in turn, result in them getting a good review.

As she did every time she was on a luxury vacation, Chloe felt a sense of gratitude for her good fortune.

She would never be able to afford luxury vacations like these on her editor’s salary.

But as an editor who exclusively traded in travel, the perks were incredible.

“Ola, senors and senoritas!” they were greeted by the captain, who introduced himself as Captain Ronaldo, once they were aboard the yacht.

He gave them a tour of the catamaran and explained what they would be doing for the day.

In the main interior the on-board chef presented them with a spread of fresh fruit, juice, bacon, eggs, and assorted bread and pastries.

It was enough to feed a football team, and the four of them eagerly dug in.

“Mimosas?” the chef asked, to which Chloe and Daniel enthusiastically accepted.

The cork popped and bubbles started fizzing as the captain started up the yacht and they began a smooth glide across the water.

One of the crew members, who introduced himself as Carlos, put on some salsa music and after they finished breakfast, they headed for the front of the yacht with towels, drinks, and sunscreen.

“This is the life,” Lala remarked, splayed out on a towel in her bikini.

The sun was already heating up the air, promising a sweltering afternoon, and they were intermittently misted with water as waves crashed against the boat.

There hadn’t been any wind on the beach that morning, but it was hard to tell if there was any out on the ocean, given the speed with which the catamaran was sailing.

The four of them chatted amiably while sitting on the front of the yacht with Chloe still wearing her life jacket.

Before she knew it, they were pulling into an area that Carlos told them was called Monkey Head Rock.

He pointed to the large rock formation that jutted out from the ocean.

Chloe had to admit it was aptly named—it did bear an uncanny resemblance to a primate’s head.

“It’s a good place for snorkeling,” Captain Ronaldo told them, maneuvering the catamaran close to a cove.

Chloe wasn’t sure she was feeling up for snorkeling—the thought of putting her face in the water and relying on a plastic tube to keep her alive made her heartrate increase—but paddleboarding struck her interest.

The captain turned the engine off which allowed for the slapping of the waves and screeching of the seagulls to be fully heard. The sky was crystal clear and a bright, exuberant blue; Chloe watched as pelicans soared above the ocean and dove into it periodically to scoop up fish.

She closed her eyes and took a deep inhale, holding her breath for a few seconds before letting it out. She had never meditated before, but she imagined that this was the feeling that practitioners were talking about when they mentioned getting into a Zen state.

Her travel assignments were rarely stressful, but there was something lighter about this one. Notwithstanding the fact that two days ago she had almost died. Or maybe the lightness had something to do with that?

Carlos and the other crew members assembled snorkeling gear at the back of the boat and Daniel and Lala donned fins, goggles, and snorkels and jumped into the ocean. Jack had held back, cognizant that Chloe might not be feeling comfortable with the prospect of going into the water.

“I think I’m going to try the paddleboard,” she told him.

Jack offered to join her.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to,” she said, feeling self-conscious. “You can go snorkeling if you want, I’ll be fine.”

“I want to go with you,” Jack said. “If you wanted to stay on the catamaran and not even go into the water, I would be okay with that too.”

Chloe smiled as Carlos unhooked two blue paddleboards and put them down on the platform.

Jack helped Chloe onto one of them and passed her a paddle. She stayed on her knees and waited for Jack to get on his before they began to paddle towards the cove where she could just make out Daniel and Lala’s snorkels.

Ocean water splashed over her knees and Chloe squealed at the coldness.

“How are you doing? Are you okay?” Jack asked, aware that she might be having second thoughts.

“I think I’m okay.” She sounded surprised. Which she was. Nearly drowning had been traumatic; she almost couldn’t believe that just two days later she was already back in the water. “The water is just really cold.”

“Good.” Jack smiled. “Should we try to stand up?”

Chloe nodded. “Let’s do it. I’m not sure if I have my sea legs though.”

Jack stood up effortlessly as his paddleboard crested over the water and Chloe slowly maneuvered into a crouch, wobbling to try and keep her balance as she finally stood up.

She was surprised to find that it wasn’t too difficult.

“Well done!” Jack clapped.

“I guess all of those yoga classes Lala dragged me to have paid off,” she said wryly.

The water beneath them was crystal clear and they could see the sandy ocean floor, which was littered with rocks, seaweed, and coral.

“Look!” Chloe pointed excitedly. “A turtle!”

She was delighted to see the hard-backed creature glide through the water beneath them.

“He’s pretty fast.” Jack followed her gaze.

“He’s pretty cute,” she said happily.

They paddled around for a bit before pulling their boards together and linking up by holding onto each other’s oars. Jack dangled his legs in the ocean while Chloe sat down with her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.

“Thanks again for inviting us today,” Jack said. “We would probably be sitting at the pool for the fifth day in a row if you hadn’t.”

“I’m glad you and Daniel could come.” She sounded sincere. Which she was. “It’s great to be able to share the experiences.”

There were a few moments of silence before Jack interjected.

“So,” he said, sounding inquisitive. “Not to be too forward, but what’s your story?”

“My story?” Chloe inquired.

“Yes—you work at a popular magazine; you’re here on a work assignment with your best friend. You’re smart, cultured, pretty—are you single?”

“Very,” Chloe replied a little too quickly.

One of Jack’s eyebrows raised in question.

“I got out of a long-term relationship seven months ago,” she admitted. “Not by choice,” she added by way of explanation.

“Ah, that explains it,” he said regretfully. “I’m sorry. And I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“No, not at all,” Chloe brushed it off. “I was pretty broken for the first few months.” She glanced over to the area where Daniel and her friend were snorkeling. “But Lala put me back together.”

“She seems like a really good friend,” Jack said sincerely. “When I talked to her on the phone, I thought she was going to have a breakdown she was so concerned about you.”

“She and I have been through a lot together,” she replied.

“We’ve been friends since university. Her parents are both gone and she lost her brother to a drunk driver six years ago,” Chloe twisted her mouth at the memory.

“It was devastating for her. So you can see why she was so upset to hear that I almost drowned.”

Jack looked shocked. “I’m sorry. That’s horrible.”

Chloe nodded in reply.

“What about you?” She shifted the subject.

“Me?” Jack paused. “Well, I was in sort of a similar situation to you actually,” he said ruefully. “Maybe not quite the same. But a similar outcome. I was with someone for three years and had already proposed,” he said wryly, “and then I caught her cheating on me with her ex-boyfriend.”

Chloe’s mouth dropped open in horror.

“Oh my god,” she said with a grimace. “How awful.”

Jack shook his head. “It was,” he said dryly. “We’d already booked the venue, but I was able to get the deposit back. Fortunately. It destroyed me for a bit, but I’ve come out of it with a healthier outlook on things.”