Page 12 of Just My Style
She picks up a pretty shell with a broken tip and exclaims when a hermit crab uncurls itself. “Eek! This one has something living in it!”
“That’s it! To that hermit crab, that is the perfect shell. That fits the challenge, in my opinion.” I pull my phone out of my pocket to take the picture. “And with that, the scavenger hunt is complete!”
“Which activity should we tackle next? Biking or paddling?”
“Paddling,” she insists.
Chapter 9
Cara
The following afternoon, we head to The Bait Bucket to rent kayaks from Tuck.
“Perfect timing,” Tuck says. “Jared and Sean are putting their kayaks in the tidal creek in twenty minutes. I’ll have them take two kayaks for you, too.”
The hopeful look on Victor’s face is almost too much to bear. It’s painfully obvious that he just wants to spend time with Jared.
Tuck wraps his arms around his mouth like a megaphone. “Jared, we’ve got two more paddlers for you!”
Jared emerges from a back room, and his eyes are bright with curiosity. When he spots Victor, his expression immediately becomes guarded and closed off.
“Hi, Jared,” Victor says.
Jared bobs his head in greeting.
“Have you met Cara? She’s your aunt Margo’s best friend, and she’s my partner for the week’s activities.”
Jared’s gaze shifts to me, and his eyes become much friendlier. “Aunt Margo talks about you all the time,” he tells me.
Tuck holds out two lifejackets for me and Victor. “Wear these at all times if you’re on the water.”
I twiddle a strand of hair nervously. “Is the water rough?”
“Not on the tidal creek,” Jared says quickly, “but it’s still smart to always wear a lifejacket.”
A half hour later, Jared and his friend, Sean, help Victor and me launch the kayaks into the creek. We paddle forward, waiting for Jared and Sean to launch their boats, too.
“Have fun,” Jared says, waving from the shore.
“Aren’t you coming, too?” Victor asks.
“Nah. Sean and I want more of an adventure, so we’re going to kayak in the ocean today.”
I glance at Sean, and he looks uncomfortable. It’s obvious that Jared’s ditching Victor, and Sean doesn’t seem to approve.
“We’re not experienced paddlers,” I say uneasily.
“You’ll be fine in the creek,” Jared assures me. “Just be sure to be off the water in three hours or so. Any longer than that and you’ll get stuck in the mud at low tide.”
Victor digs his paddle into the water and turns away from Jared without another word. I’m tempted to tell Jared off, but I turn to follow Victor. We paddle in silence for several minutes before he speaks.
“I’m not sure how much more of this I can endure,” he says. “I moved here for him. But if he doesn’t want me here, what’s the point? I can go back to New York, where I’m wanted.”
I’m tempted to say, “Yes, please! Come back to New York!” But it would be selfish to take him away from his son. If he moves back to the city, it has to be on his own terms. Otherwise, he’ll always be resentful, wondering what kind of relationship they could have had if he hadn’t given up.
I try to distract him by pointing out various shore birds, but it’s no use. He’s completely distracted. Soon, I start snapping pictures of anything and everything around me. We paddle past houses, and I spot the house I’m staying in. Before long, we’ve left the houses behind and paddled into a wildlife refuge.
I keep my eye on the time, remembering what Jared said about the water receding with the tide. Victor paddles deeper into the refuge, and I start to get nervous.