Rubbing at my cheek, I glared at Jake. “That sucker was huge, and he dive bombed me from behind, walloping me on the head, and all you did was laugh.”
“Well, it was funny.” He chuckled as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “It was quite a sight, you shrieking and ducking, fries flying across the boardwalk, and the gull taking off like a bat out of hell with a beak full of your lunch.”
“Greedy vulture, calling a swarm of his friends in for the cleanup crew.” Now I was laughing too, though in the moment, I’d been terrified. I still had a healthy respect for the speed and cunning of these creatures and probably always would. I leaned into him. “Afterwards, you shared your lobster roll and bought me ice cream. Caramel swirl on a waffle cone.”
“I’m good at sharing.” He winked. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. Eat up.”
“Good to know.” I bit into my sandwich, still keeping a keen eye on the bird, noting its tilted head and rapt attention. “It’s plotting. Waiting for that window of opportunity.”
“Relax.” Jake rose and moved toward the creature, waving his arms. “Move along little fella. No free lunch today.” Once it had scuttled down the rocky beach, he returned and sat beside me. “We should head out so we can get there and back before dark.”
I finished my last bite and scooped up the silicone bags from our early lunch, stuffing them into my pack, the loose pebbles skittering under my feet as we headed back to the kayaks.
Jake scrubbed a hand through his hair before returning the red cap to his head. “Thanks for coming with me, Mare. I’m glad we have an entire day all to ourselves.”
Soon we were back on the water, paddling against the current. I shivered at the slice of chill wind and eyed the gathering bank of clouds on the horizon. They scuttled across the sky, obscuring the sun in a dark blanket.
“Damn,” Jake tipped his chin up. “That doesn’t look good. It’s coming in quick.”
I dug in my paddle, increasing my stroke rate as we bobbed through the growing surf, adjusting my path with a slight turn to avoid broadside hits from the waves.
Jake powered toward me. “This is bad. Head to shore.”
My nod showed him I’d heard, me being unwilling to spare a single breath or drop a single stroke. As hard as I paddled, the line of trees along the shore remained a distant goal. I fought the treadmill, never advancing but endlessly running in place.
“Okay, Mar?” The note of worry was apparent in his voice even as a gust of wind whipped his words away.
Lightning streaked across the sky followed by a loud cracking sound, and the clouds opened up. Tiny spears of rain cut into my tender skin, a ferocious wind burning my cheeks. I tucked my chin to my chest, struggling against the power of the surf sloshing across my bow.
I blinked hard, striving to clear my vision as the torrential rain pounded me, ricocheting from every direction and streaming from the brim of my neon-pink sports cap. My fingers cramped, and I longed for the neoprene gloves tucked into my storage cubby, but I couldn’t afford to pull them out. If I stopped paddling for even a second, I’d lose triple the ground I’d just gained.
A large swell hit, and I clung to my paddle, sucking in a large breath seconds before the surf rushed up at me, plunging me into a glacial bath and leaving me suspended upside down. I thumped against my boat, yanking at the cord of my spray skirt. Damn, damn. The skirt remained stubbornly in place, though I kept tugging, my lungs burning.
Relax. Stay calm. You’ve got this. Letting out a fraction of my air, I took a moment to centre myself, then jerked the cord, grateful when the spray skirt released. I wiggled free and struck for the surface, immediately reaching for my kayak.
“Amara!” Jake grabbed the bow of my boat while, hand over hand, I worked my way to the stern. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, managing an awkward thumbs up with the hand still clutching my paddle.
“I was about to come in after you. You were under a long time. Ready?”
As a team, we righted my kayak, Jake steadying both boats as I hauled myself into my seat and pumped out the water sloshing inside the hull.
“That sucked,” I said, reclaiming my paddle from Jake. “Almost lost it under there.” And now the shore seemed farther away than ever.
“You look done in, and this current is brutal.” Jake pulled out his towline, handing me one end. “Hook on to me, then I’ll link to your bow.”
“You don’t have to haul me in.”
“No arguing.” His lips set in a flat line. “Hook up. Now.”
I attached the carabiner to the tow loop on his PFD and then let go, waiting while he turned and fastened the other carabiner.
He nodded and aimed for shore, paddling with strong, sure strokes.
I regained my own stroke, relieved when we finally gained some ground, courtesy of Jake and his tow line.
It seemed like forever, but finally we neared the shoreline. Jake arrived first, sloshing into the water and then overhanding the rope, drawing me in as I spent the last of my energy for those last few feet of gain. When he was within reach, he steadied my kayak, allowing me to slip over the side before we waded toward the rocky beach, hauling our boats with us.
Jake beached his kayak high above the crashing waves, then hurried toward me, helping me negotiate the last few feet over the slippery rocks. Once my kayak was stowed, he cuddled me against him. “That was close.”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry, Mar. You almost died.”
“No, no, my skirt got stuck, that’s all. You taught me well, I knew what to do.” I clung to him, waiting until his breathing calmed and the pounding of his heart faded to a steady
