Chapter 6
Levi showed up at her door the next morning with coffee and a mischievous look.
"How brave are you feeling today?" he asked, holding out one of the cups.
She took it, eyeing him suspiciously. "Why?"
"Just answer the question."
"Always brave," she said. "You know that."
The corner of his mouth lifted. "Good. Get your swimsuit on. We're going out."
"Where?"
"It's a surprise."
She wanted to press him, but the gleam in his eye made her curious. And she reminded herself she was saying yes. She was doing things that scared her.
“Give me five minutes,” she said.
She changed into her swimsuit, threw on shorts and a cover-up, and grabbed her bag. Twenty minutes later, they were pulling into a marina she hadn't been to before.
A boat bobbed at the dock with "Coastal Parasailing" painted on the side in bright letters. Her stomach dropped.
"No," she said.
"Yes."
"Levi, I was joking when I said I wanted to try parasailing."
"Were you, though?"
She had mentioned it. Weeks ago, in passing. She'd been making her list of things she wanted to do, and parasailing had been on it, right up there with jet skiing and learning to surf. But then there was that little thing called reality. And the fact that she wasn’t born with wings.
"I was mostly joking," she amended.
"Too late. We're here." He was already out of the truck.
She sat for a moment, staring at the boat. The parachute was visible on the back deck, a massive canopy of red and yellow stripes.
This was insane. She was forty-eight years old. She had no business being strapped to a parachute and launched into the sky like some kind of thrill-seeking college kid. Gravity was real.
But then again, she'd caught a twenty-five-pound fish. She'd kayaked through mangroves. She'd spent an entire day exploring an undeveloped island. She'd reinvented her entire life from scratch.
She could do this.
She climbed out of the truck.
The captain, Anthony, knew Levi. Everyone knew Levi.
"Ever been parasailing before?" Anthony asked as they boarded.
"No."
"You're going to love it. It’s the most peaceful thing you'll ever do." He gestured toward a bench. "Have a seat. We'll get out to deeper water and get you suited up."
The boat pulled away from the dock. The engine roared, and they picked up speed, bouncing over the chop. Abby gripped the edge of the bench. Levi sat beside her.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Ask me when my feet are back on solid ground."
He laughed. "You're going to be fine. If you really don’t want to do this, just say it. No peer pressure.”
He believed she could do this. He'd brought her here because he knew she could. And she did want to, even if it was terrifying.
They reached the spot. Anthony cut the engine. The boat rocked gently in the swells.
"All right," Anthony said, pulling out a harness. "Let's get you set up."
The harness looked complicated. Anthony and Levi walked her through it step by step, showing her how to clip it onto the parachute, how to hold the straps, and what to do if something were to go wrong.
"Nothing's going to go wrong," he said when he saw her face. "But I have to tell you anyway. Coast Guard regulations."
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Her hands were shaking as she adjusted the straps. Her insides were shaking. Parasailing was definitely at the top of the list of scariest things she had ever done…and might ever do.
"You're going to sit on the back platform," Anthony continued. "When I tell you, you're going to lean back and let the wind catch the chute. The boat will do the rest. You'll lift off nice and easy. No running, no jumping. Just lean back and up you go."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
It sounded too simple. She'd expected some kind of dramatic launch, a moment of terror as she was flung into the air. But he made it sound like the easiest thing in the world.
Levi squeezed her hand. "I'll be right here watching. If you go in the water, I’ll be there. You’re going to be fine. Have fun. Enjoy the moment."
She wanted to kiss him. Or maybe punch him for bringing her here. She settled for squeezing back.
She got onto the platform at the back of the boat. The parachute lay deflated behind her, a massive pool of nylon. The wind picked up, and the fabric started to ripple. Her stomach rolled over.
"Okay," Anthony called from the controls. "On three, lean back. One... two... three!"
She leaned back.
The wind caught the parachute. She felt the tug and felt the harness tighten around her chest and thighs. And then she was moving. Not falling, not being yanked—just moving. Lifting. Rising.
Her feet left the platform.
The boat shrank beneath her. She was in the air. Actually, in the air, suspended by nothing but nylon and wind. She decided not to think too hard about that.
Terror locked her throat. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. The harness dug into her ribs, which was actually comforting, like the thing was holding her. She gripped the straps so hard her knuckles went white.
Higher. She was still going higher.
The boat was a toy now, bobbing on water that stretched out in every direction.
There was a moment. Like a veil had been lifted. The fear didn't disappear entirely, but it changed. The adrenaline turned into something exhilarating. She wasn't falling. She was flying.
The wind rushed past her ears. The water sparkled below her. She realized she was grinning. And then she was whooping with excitement. She could see everything. The entire island spread out beneath her like a map.
It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
Her hands loosened on the straps. Her breathing evened out. She relaxed and enjoyed the ride. The boat circled slowly, giving her the full view. She turned her head, taking it all in.
This was what it felt like to be alive. To be completely, utterly, vibrantly alive. If they ever started selling wings, she was absolutely buying a pair. She decided she loved flying.
Too soon, the boat began to reel her in. She descended gradually, the water coming closer. Her feet touched the platform, and Levi was there to catch her.
"How was it?" he asked, grinning like he already knew.
She couldn't answer. Couldn't find words big enough.
"You okay?"
"That was so wild!” she screamed, feeling ridiculous but so euphoric that she didn’t care.
He pulled her into a hug. She buried her face in his chest. Her whole body was shaking, but not from fear. From adrenaline and joy and the sheer impossibility of what she'd just done.
"You were amazing," he said into her hair.
"I was terrified."
"I know. And you did it anyway."
She pulled back to look at him. She saw the pride in his eyes.
"Thank you," she said.
"For scaring you half to death?"
"For knowing I could do it."
He kissed her forehead, then her mouth. Quick, sweet, and perfect.
The ride back to the marina passed in a blur. Abby couldn't stop smiling. Her face hurt from it, but she couldn't make it stop.
Back on land, her legs felt strange. Too earthbound. She wanted to go back up immediately. That feeling of weightlessness was addictive.
"You're buzzing," Levi said as they walked to the truck.
"I'm alive," she corrected. "I'm so alive I can't stand it."
He laughed and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. "I can tell."
Everything felt different now. She'd been in the sky. She'd flown. She’d gotten an actual bird’s-eye view.
Her phone was in her bag. She dug it out and pulled up Dana's contact.
Abby: I just went parasailing. Who am I?
Dana: WHAT. Are you kidding me right now?
Abby: Not kidding. Just got back. I was literally hundreds of feet in the air.
Dana: I don't even know who you are anymore. My sister does not parasail.
Abby: Your sister does now.
Dana: I'm so proud of you, I could cry. Also, slightly concerned you're having some kind of midlife crisis.
Abby: Best crisis ever.
She sighed and leaned her head back.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
"That I want to do it again."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. And I want to learn to surf. And I think I'm ready to try jet skiing." She turned to look at him. "Is that crazy?"
"No. It's perfect."
“Will you do it with me?” she asked. “I think I would have had a lot more fun if you were there beside me.”
“I will. I have a couple of surfboards in my garage. We’ll find a time to do it.”
He pulled into her driveway and cut the engine.
"Will you come in?" she asked.
"For a little while. I’ve got a shift in a couple of hours.”
She got them both bottles of water.
"Thank you," she said again. "Seriously. That was—I don't have words for it."
"You don't need words. I saw it on your face. I like seeing you happy like that.”
“I feel like I’ve been in a happy bubble for weeks. I hope it never bursts.”
He reached over and held her hand. They enjoyed the silence before he had to go. She didn’t know if she would ever come down from the high.