Chapter Seventeen #2
“It will,” he said with the confident guarantee of a guy who was used to winning all of his pickleball matches.
But they walked more quickly now with less oohing about the scenery and more marching with intention toward the hotel.
They slowed when they noticed a line of cars pulled over to the side of the country road.
“I wonder what’s going on?” and the answer to her question came in the form of a group of teenagers, who giggled and jostled one another as they skipped out from beyond the trees. Towels wrapped around their waists and hair dripping wet, they must have just come from a swim in the river.
Her lips tugged upward with anticipation; she felt about as waterlogged as could be, but it wouldn’t hurt to peek and maybe dip a toe into the river.
It was late in the afternoon and threatening to rain again.
But certainly, Tyler could use a bath. Returning to her get-out-of-her-comfort-zone mantra, she reminded herself that she was on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation in Costa Rica and there were times when spontaneity was worth the risk.
Lulu led the way, scrambling to the steep embankment toward the sound of the rushing river. See? I got this, she thought to herself. I’m all about being impulsive. She skidded down the muddy embankment and remained upright, landing confidently by the water’s edge.
Before her, shallow water ran through a concrete tunnel.
She peered into the dark tube and could see little, but from the other end, Lulu could hear the echoes of music and laughter floating through.
With the daylight beginning to fade, it was impossible to see through to the other end, but already, Tyler had removed his shoes and socks, tied his shoelaces together, rolled up his pants, and stepped into the river.
He swiveled toward Lulu, surprise reflecting on his face. “Da-yamn!” he said, drawling the word for theatrical effect.
“Cold?”
With both hands, Tyler beckoned her to join him. “Come,” he urged, playful.
“I’m not your dog. I’m coming.” Balancing against a boulder, she tugged off her boots and then padded toward the tunnel, stepping gingerly on the sharp rocks. She sucked her teeth, expecting a chill as she flat-footed it into the water.
“Oh my gosh!” she cried, startled. “It’s hot!” Cupping her hands into the hot spring–fed river, she tossed a handful of the warm water at Tyler.
He retaliated, splashing her as they laughed. “This is not going to end well, Gardner. I have much better aim.”
“Oh! You think?” she teased and kicked up a spray of water.
Giggling, she put her heart into it. That was the thing about Tyler.
He had a way of bringing out the fun in her, a side of her that may have experienced a hiatus for some time.
Dipping into the river with both hands, she got him right in the kisser with a well-targeted throw.
He sputtered. “Okay. You win. Game over. But only because I don’t want to get this shirt any wetter. And that was a lucky shot.”
At the end of the tunnel, the length of the river came into view and Lulu paused, knee-deep, to take in the scene.
Great droopy trees hung over the steaming river, and the warm water swirled around rocks and fallen logs to where splitting streams curved out of view.
Families and groups of friends stationed themselves in intimate spaces carved out by the natural boulders.
Lovers young and old reclined against the forceful push of the hot, strong waters and relaxed, leaning into the waterfalls formed by downed trees.
Candle stumps burned rivulets of wax onto the rocks where couples had set the stage for a romantic evening.
None of these folks seemed concerned about the brewing storm, Lulu noticed. Why should she? New Lulu could go with the flow. And she had to admit, there was relief in surrendering her own common sense in favor of the optimism of the masses.
Lulu stripped down to her bikini and laid her folded clothes on a stump by the river’s edge. Sinking down to dip her knees beneath the surface, she splashed the water along her arms and shoulders.
Music wafted toward them, and Lulu looked upstream, seeking out the finger-picked melody of a guitar.
She spotted the musician, a young man with a lilting tenor, bare feet dipped in the water.
He posed on a rock, singing an upbeat tune while his friends luxuriated in the river, and when he sang the chorus his friends joined in.
Even people in the near vicinity pitched in their voices.
Her lips lifted as she listened, her body shifting with the rhythm, and she wished she knew the words so she could join in, too.
It seemed to Lulu that the river itself was singing along.
Lulu swiveled back to the shoreline and spotted Tyler’s clothes dropped in a pile beside hers. He dunked his head under and ran his fingers through his hair.
When he emerged from the water, his wet, dark waves and tattooed biceps led the way. In the shadowed light reflecting off the river, one thing was clear: Tyler Demming had been good for the sport of pickleball. But the sport of pickleball had been even better to Tyler Demming.
Lulu let her gaze travel along his hands as he scrubbed his toned body clean of the pig musk.
She let her focus linger as it traveled up his picklecalves, paused to take in his pickleabs, and loitered at the taut curve of his picklepecs.
When she reached his eyes, his smirk told her she had been caught, and he flicked both brows. I know it, that flick said.
But it wasn’t like he didn’t plan to do the same; reciprocating, his eyes took a solid tour of Lulu’s landscape. “Keep staring and someone might think you need a map and a guided tour,” she kidded.
“I think I could get around fine on my own.”
She laughed appreciatively and took a few steps upriver, treading lightly along the jagged riverbed.
“Hold up,” Lulu said, halting to step back to where she’d deposited her soaked shoes. She stuffed her feet back into her boots. At this point, she might as well spare her feet from the sharp shale rocks. Agreeing, Tyler did the same.
Their progress was faster now with their feet protected.
Holding on to branches to pull themselves against the current, they slogged upriver, picking their way past the gatherings of friends and families and lovers—until they reached a solitary pool where the jungle formed a lush canopy, sweeping over the river like a low curtain.
Here, someone had set a circle of rocks to slow the flow of the water, forming a deeper, natural bath.
The flow pushed against the larger rocks, creating low waterfalls that streamed into the pool.
Stripping off their heavy, waterlogged shoes, they stepped gingerly back into the water.
They scooped out two pebbly lounge chairs from the river floor and leaned against the rocks, sinking down to soak their shoulders.
The night had darkened but her eyes adjusted, and when the trees rustled overhead, she saw shallow glints of light reflected off the leaves and onto the rippled surface of the water.
His body angled toward hers and she warmed in the spotlight of his attention.
“This feels nice,” she said, her voice low. He held her eyes and nodded.
For a moment, they stared at each other, their smiles the only communication needed. And something about the water and the quiet and the evening settling down like a comforting quilt made her feel at home. The river curved around her back and snaked over Tyler’s arms.
He looked like he wanted to say something.
“What?” she asked.
Laughing, he shook his head. “It’s strange. How much our lives have changed. Right? There’s so much…” He shrugged. “There’s so much I don’t know about you.”
She could say the same about him. “What do you wanna know?”
He thought for a moment. “What’s your favorite thing about being a mom?”
Lulu liked that he asked her that. Her eyes slid off to the side, picturing Zoe’s cherubic cheeks.
“Seeing her learn new things. Like a few weeks ago, I put her down for a nap and went to take a shower. When I opened the door, I realized she had gotten out of bed and you know what she did? She pulled out the drawers of the dresser and climbed up them like stairs and was trying to open a bottle of gummy vitamins. Thankfully she couldn’t get the top off, but still, it was scary.
But once I realized she was fine, I thought, what a clever, problem-solving kid. ” She laughed at the memory.
“And cuddling with her, I like that. And watching her sleep. I know it sounds weird, but when you’re a parent, it’s like the purest moment of peace you can experience.” There was a flicker of sadness in Tyler’s unguarded reaction, and then he covered it.
“Sorry.” Lulu winced at her insensitivity. “That sounded—I know you really wanted to be a parent.”
Tyler shook his head. “I think I know that there are people who are parents out there. It’s not a taboo subject. And it doesn’t mean I won’t get to be a dad someday.”
“So what’s your favorite thing about being a pickleball pro?”
“Good change of subject. Very smooth.” He looked up at the trees through his thick lashes. “The best part? I know this seems cocky, but I love the adulation.”
Lulu stared at him, waiting for him to crack his joking grin.
But instead, he just shrugged. “Might as well say it like it is. I like it when people admire my skills. I know how that sounds, but it’s my favorite part, and I don’t think it’s any worse than saying that your favorite part of being a mom is when your kid is sleeping. ”
Touché, Lulu thought, and bumped his shoulder with hers. “You,” Lulu said, “are a real piece of work.”