20. JAGGER
Chapter twenty
JAGGER
It’s the last weekend before our first game. Things are going really well. The guys and I have found a few favorite spots around town—there’s a great coffee shop and a cool sports bar we like to hang out at together.
Everyone here is so kind and welcoming. And they travel everywhere on bikes, that’s something I’ve never seen before, but it’s just another unique quality of the area.
Whenever I’m walking around, I make sure to pop my head in at Petal I’m learning to appreciate small town life. And I’m becoming a fan of the smell of pine trees. That’s definitely not what I was used to in Miami. But the air is so fresh, you just have to breathe it in.
Nature has never really been my thing. But I had a good time at Glacier with Jess before the mountain goat incident. That, by the way, is fully healed. Should be a good story to tell my grandkids someday, if they actually believe me.
I think there’s going to be a little scar, so if they don’t, I’ll show them the evidence. Who doesn’t want to see Grandpa’s butt cheek?
I’m sure the trip to Glacier was more Jess than nature, but the point is I’m coming around. Everyone is down by the water, waiting for Jess. She and Coach organized the event, which by the looks of it has something to do with kayaks.
Red and blue vessels are lined up on the shoreline, bobbing in the waves from the wind. It’s unusually breezy now that I think about it. The surrounding trees are swaying wildly, tipping over from side to side.
“Is it good to do this today?” I hear Coach ask the man who looks to be in charge. His shirt reads OutBound Adventures.
“Your guys are pretty athletic. They can handle themselves in a kayak with a little breeze, right?” he asks.
Coach laughs. “They’re athletic, absolutely. How many of them have any boating experience? I’m not sure.”
“It’s going to be fun, no worries. Go ahead and gather the guys down by the lake, please.”
Coach announces we should pair up and make our way to the kayaks. Jess is walking in from the parking lot as Troy comes beside me, motioning that we should be a team.
I spot Jess the moment she steps out of the car, her long brown hair catching the breeze as she moves. She’s got this easy grace about her, her casual outfit highlighting her curves and sandals that somehow make even a parking lot seem like a runway. She’s beautiful in that effortless way that gets under your skin, and I can’t help but track every step she takes.
My chest tightens a little, the anticipation of knowing she’s going to be in my general vicinity soon. As she gets closer, I’m fighting this stupid urge to smooth my shirt and check my hair, making sure I look good in her presence.
Everything around her just fades, and all I’m left with is the beat of my heart picking up speed, wondering how I can fight the urge to take her in my arms. “Jagger?”
Troy bumps me in the shoulder. Since I’m not prepared for it, and since he’s a very big dude, I stumble a few steps. “Sorry, buddy, you ready to do this? What’re you looking at?”
“Oh, uh, no problem. Thought I saw a bear at the back of the parking lot.”
“A bear? Where?” Troy immediately panics. “Coach, Jagger saw a bear. I’m outta here!”
Coach whips around.
I grab Troy’s arm. “I said I ‘thought’ I saw a bear. But I didn’t. Chill out, big guy.” I wave Coach off. “It’s fine. I was just seeing things.”
Troy leans down to whisper. “Chill out? Who do you think is going to get eaten first? I’ll tell you who. The slowest guy, that’s who. And that’s me. I’m also like two meals for a bear, let’s be honest.”
I love the big fella. “You’re fine, I promise if I actually see a bear, I’ll run slower to save you.”
Troy picks me up and slings me over his shoulder like I’m a child for the last few steps to the lake. Well, now he’s pushing it, acting like I’m seven, but I’m gonna let it go. “You’re the best teammate ever, Jagger.”
He deposits me back on the ground, and the owner of OutBound Adventures starts telling us about our team-building activity. He says the course winds around islands and through narrow channels, promising a mix of calm water and tricky turns.
As we make our way, we’ll have to work together, communicate, and navigate the obstacles. It’s a test of coordination and teamwork, but also a chance to enjoy the outdoors and have some fun together.
The winners are promised dinner at the most expensive restaurant in town, all you can eat. That last part gets Troy’s attention, and he moves to pick me up again. But I’m ready for him this time and step quickly away, “No more rides from you, please.”
Troy laughs. “All right, but we got this, you and me. I love to eat.”
I catch a glimpse of Jess talking to Coach just as Troy shoves me toward our kayak. I'm not sure this is gonna work. This boat-like structure isn’t actually conducive to Troy’s six-five, two-hundred-and-fifty-pound frame. Even without me in there, Troy doesn’t fit comfortably as he climbs aboard.
But he refuses to give up, scrunching his legs, acting like he’s fine, even though he could rest his chin on his knees if he wanted. “Come on!” he calls to me.
He looks like the Jolly Green Giant in that thing, one false move from taking a dive. I hate to break his spirit, since he found a way to get in there when it looked impossible. But it’s highly unlikely we're going to be successful. “My friend, there’s no way we aren’t tipping with you in there.”
Even the owner looks skeptical, biting his lip when he sees the kayak rocking wildly, without anyone even paddling. The wind factor is undoubtedly going to make this harder than normal. Troy waves in my direction, encouraging me to get in. “It’s fine,” he says. But his hand is all the extra movement it takes to send him headfirst into the water.
I rush to his side. He pops out of the water with a huge grin. “Ok, maybe it’s not fine.”
The owner looks over at Coach. “This isn’t going to work if everyone doesn’t have a partner. What about you?”
Coach shakes his head. “No, I’m not a lake guy.”
“I meant the lady. What’s your name?”
Jess laughs. “Me? Jess, but I’m not doing it either. I’m not dressed for it.”
She’s right. Her short sleeve blouse and tight jeans, which give me an excellent visual of her sculpted arms and toned legs, isn’t a traditional kayaking outfit, but man it looks good on her.
“Well, then he can’t participate.” He points at me. “These kayaks need two people, and clearly the big guy doesn’t fit.”
Coach turns to her. “It’s up to you. You certainly don’t have to but it’s team building, right? You’re part of this team, too.”
I like the way he thinks. Especially if that means I’m about to get Jess as my partner. Maybe we’ll get lost on this course, and—
The guys start chanting her name. She clearly can’t resist a good chant and jogs over to get an orange life vest. “This doesn’t really go with my outfit, but it’s for the team.” She smiles at everyone. Then she kicks off her sandals and climbs into the kayak. I get in behind her.
She takes a hair tie off her wrist and gathers the long locks up off her neck. Oh my, that’s not going to help my concentration.
“All right. Anybody have any questions? Just follow the green flags throughout the lake and the first team to get back wins. Got it?”
“Got it,” everyone answers.
Jess peers over her shoulder at me with determination etched on her face, her competitive mode kicking in. “Let’s win this!”
“Aye, aye, captain!” I salute her.
A horn sounds, but I’m lost in the beauty that is Jess’s neckline. Her hair is usually down at work, so I’m captivated by the playground of open skin just a few feet in front of me.
“Jagger! Let’s go!” Jess yells. We’re already twenty yards behind a few teams when I come out of my daze, with Dax and a rookie named Marcus in the lead. But there are others that are just paddling in circles. Who thought Brooks and Talon would be a good pair? Brooks is barking orders and Talon’s silent, like he could care less about an all you can eat dinner.
Jess quickly takes charge of our paddling, calling out “left, right,” in perfect rhythm. I love her spirit. We catch up to Dax in a matter of minutes, pulling up beside him.
“A little competition, thank goodness,” he grins. “I thought I was going to have to pull over and take a nap just to make it interesting.” He splashes us with a flick of his paddle in the water, then calls over his shoulder to Marcus, “Let’s go, rookie! Put it in another gear!”
Marcus obliges, and they shoot off in front again. The race stays this way for the next thirty minutes or so. Jess and I find a way to catch up, which I give her all the credit for, our paddling is completely in sync with her leading us. It’s impressive given we’ve never done it together before.
But then Dax and Marcus find a way to break ahead again. They aren’t nearly as coordinated in their strokes, but they’re still faster. The owner of OutBound Adventures said there were fifty flags in total, so we’ve got to be close to the end. Each flag is numbered. We just passed forty-four.
If we’re going to make a move, we’ve got to do it soon. I haven’t seen any other kayaks in a long time, so clearly, it’s just between the two of us.
Up ahead, I see that the course heads off into a narrow channel. This is our chance. If we can pin them up against the edge, they may get stuck in the reeds growing along the shoreline.
I lean forward to tell Jess my plan. She gives me a thumbs up. We paddle furiously to catch up with Dax and Marcus as the turn approaches. “Go! Go! Go!” I call to Jess, and she triple times her paddle cadences.
We take the inside, attempting to push them wide.
It works. Their boat starts drifting toward the reeds, slowing down. I take a look back to see Dax throw his hands up in frustration. They’re fully surrounded by the giant plants, which rise close to seven feet out of the water. Our lead is now secure.
“I’ll get you for this, Jagger!” I hear Dax rage. But then he laughs.
Jess and I paddle until we’re clear of the shoreline and back out in open water.
Then I laugh, too, and lean forward to wrap my arms around Jess in celebration. But it’s terrible timing. At that moment the wind, which had settled down, whips over the lake. Our kayak tips precariously to the left as waves rock us. The sudden movement and shift in my body weight isn’t helping things.
My first reaction is to throw all my leverage to the right when I see Jess’s body come dangerously close to the water. But it’s too much, way too much. The kayak flips over, depositing both of us into the lake.
Jess gasps as she breaks the surface and grabs ahold of the upside-down kayak. “Overcompensation?” I ask.
She makes a tiny pinching motion with her fingers. “Just a little,” she retorts. “I can’t believe how cold the water is.”
“I know. We’ve got to flip this back over, and then we’ll get you warm,” I tell her, but that’s easier said than done. Jess does her best, but it’s just too hard. “We need to drag it back to the shore. Come on, we’re still winning,” I encourage her.
She nods in agreement, and we start dragging the kayak back through the choppy waves with a stiff wind in our faces. Halfway there, I hear a familiar laugh. “Serves you right!” Dax calls out as he and Marcus pass us. He flashes us the “loser” sign, an ‘L’ to his forehead.
“Real mature, Dax!” Jess yells at him, but she’s smiling.
When we finally get to shore, we’re both exhausted. It was a lot farther than it looked. We stumble onto the ground, and Jess lands on my chest. “Well, hello there, pretty lady. Fancy meeting you here.”
She smirks at me. “Did you do that on purpose?"
I appreciate her thinking I’m that creative. “No, I didn’t purposely flip us. Although I would have...if it meant you’d end up where you are right now.”
I sit up to check the lake. There’s no one in sight. Then I look back at Jess. Her hair’s a mess, sticking to her face in wild strands. I think there’s even a leaf in there. She’s never looked more beautiful, leaf and all. When I reach to remove it, her hazel eyes lock onto mine. The spark is instantaneous. It starts as a simmer, but quickly boils over when her fingers tug on my soaked shirt, finding the skin between the buttons.
I could say my racing heart is from adrenaline, from tipping over in the lake. But it’s not, and I know it. It’s Jess, always Jess. It’s the yearning to feel her touch when we’re apart, hiding this relationship from everyone. And as soon as her fingers graze my chest, I can’t resist her any longer.
We could have five minutes or half an hour before someone comes, so I’m going to make the best use of whatever time we get.
Slowly, I lean in, and my lips hover just above hers. I pause, giving her a moment to pull away, but she doesn’t. Instead, she tilts her head slightly, staring at my lips, inviting me in.
I close the distance and press my mouth to hers, soft and sure, tasting the warmth of her full lips, a sharp contrast to the coolness of her skin.
She kisses me back, hesitant at first, then deeper, like she’s just as desperate as I am to be together.
I wrap my arms around her and bring her body on top of mine. The world narrows down to the feeling of her against me, the way her lips fit perfectly with mine, and the soft sigh she makes that sends a thrill through me.
Jess takes the lead; it’s just her nature, and I love it. For the next few minutes, it’s like a “Simon Says” or rather a “Jess Says” make out session with her as the shot-caller. I’m a happy Jess follower and never want to be “out.”
Her intensity runs high and low on my body, hands running wildly through my hair, her kiss firm. Then she switches, her lips like a faint whisper across mine, her fingertips grazing lightly over my skin.
My chest rises with every connection, my breath coming quickly as we continue on. She tastes like chocolate, which I’m all for, but most of the time she eats chocolate when she’s stressed.
Is she stressed? I should stop and ask her, but now her hands are my chest again. I’ll ask in a second.
I explore every inch of her back, neck, and shoulders. My hands finally come to rest on her hips, finding my own patch of exposed skin just above her waistline.
We catch our breath for a second. “Are you warmer now?”
She doesn’t answer, just moves back to kiss me again. Fine by me.
Just as I’m about to get lost in a second round of “Jess Says,” I hear someone clear their throat.
“My heart sinks into my stomach” doesn’t even scratch the surface of what I feel. Opening my eyes to see Coach Bradley hovering above us is more like free-falling from ten thousand feet without a parachute. My heart is in a full-on death spiral.