This Will Be An Adventure

Colorado River

"Up and at 'em, up and at 'em!"

Without opening his eyes, Jay removed the pillow from under his head, lobbed it in the direction of Paige's too-cheerful voice, and laid his head back down on the mattress in the hope of obtaining five more minutes of sleep. A small smirk crawled across his lips as he heard a soft thump and Paige's indignant, "Hey!"

"Nice shot," Craig admired. An early riser by nature, he'd been awake for an hour, strumming his guitar in the hotel's lobby – much to the annoyance of the desk clerk. He perched on the edge of Jay's bed and bent over to retie his shoelace.

"Don't encourage him," Paige warned, hands on her hips. "We agreed to be up twenty minutes ago so that we could have a full day on the river."

"Who's this 'we'?" Jay demanded sleepily. "I never signed a contract."

"Only because we're all aware that you can't read and we didn't want to make you feel bad," Paige retorted sweetly, before winding up and bringing the pillow down on his head with a resounding thwack.

"Ow!" Jay sprang into an upright position, cradling his head. "Okay. That hurt a little bit."

"Good arm," Craig complimented. "Somebody works out."

Paige flexed playfully. "You boys think cheering is just clapping and yelling, but there's a little bit of muscle involved."

"Hey, as long as the skirts are short, I support it," Jay leered, finally rolling himself out of bed. "Where're the others?"

"Downstairs. There's a little café in the lobby that's serving doughnuts and coffee, in case you boys need to fortify yourselves," Paige informed them. "And if not, you can always help me bring my bags out to the car."

"Well, unfortunately, princess, I'm starving, but I'm sure Craig here would love to help." Jay gave the other boy a bolstering pat on the back and gestured to the three oversized suitcases waiting at the doorway. "I think that's all the lady's stuff, so, uh, better hop to it, bellboy."

"He's quick," Craig observed as Jay made his escape. Then his eyes fell on the waiting bags. "Those are really all yours?"

"Hey, unlike some of us, I haven't had to do laundry once yet," Paige bragged.

"Which is a good thing, considering you probably don't know how to work a washing machine. Am I right?"

She bristled, unwilling to admit that, yes, he was absolutely on the nose. "Grab a bag and start hauling, buster. We're leaving in ten."

"Aye-aye, Captain," he murmured, saluting her retreating figure. "Hey! Save me a chocolate doughnut! And a coffee! Black!"

Paige lifted a hand in the air to signal that she'd heard. With the promise of breakfast lifting his spirits, Craig grabbed the two nearest suitcases and started packing.

XXX

"Whose idea was this again?"

Emma stared in trepidation at the river that was rushing wildly along its path, bubbling over bedrocks, foaming into a thick white lather every time it scraped along the granite surfaces. The foam made the river look like gaping mouth, rabid and drooling at the prospect of being fed more victims. Emma gulped.

"I think it was your brainchild, oh fearless leader." Jay inclined his head towards her to whisper the words. His smirked seemed to crawl through her ears and dig into her brain, making her head hurt all the more. "Ready for action?"

"You guys must be the eleven o'clock group," a masculine voice called out before Emma could respond.

"Well, we were supposed to be the ten o'clock group, but some of us can't get our asses in gear," Paige responded, sticking her tongue out at Jay before turning to face the newcomer. "I'm Paige and you're … cute. Wow. Hi."

Their appointed tour guide chuckled at her candor. "I'm Aaron. Nice to meet you, Paige. Now do any of you have any experience on the water?"

"We've surfed," Jay volunteered. He pushed Emma slightly forward. "Emma here is practically a pro."

"Great. And you can all swim? Perfect. Let's grab some gear and get started." Aaron clapped his hands briskly and led the way towards a small clearing where their raft awaited. "You guys are gonna love this."

"I love it already," Paige murmured, falling back a step to get a good view as he strode ahead of them. "Aren't you a bit young for this gig?"

"I'm nineteen," Aaron informed her with a grin. "Fully certified, though, so have no fear."

Paige nodded. "Nineteen, fully certified … available?"

"As of recently," he confirmed. "My girlfriend broke it off about a month ago. Said she couldn't handle anymore outdoor adventures."

"That's too bad," Paige said, entirely unsympathetic. His ex's loss had the potential of being her gain. "Well, Aaron, I can handle all the adventure you throw my way."

Jay shuddered and mimed throwing up, much to Sean's amusement. Manny, too, giggled and whispered to Emma, "We're not even on the water yet and I already feel sick."

Hearing the comment, Aaron glanced over his shoulder and sent his grin directly Manny's way. "And what's your name?"

"Manny," she answered, taking the hand he offered for balance while she climbed into the raft. "Thanks."

His eyes, a brighter blue than the water they were about to enter, shone. "My pleasure."

Paige harrumphed pointedly as she waited for similar assistance and received none. Finally, she jabbed Craig in the ribs, breaking him out of the trance he'd been in as he watched Aaron openly admire Manny. "Hello? A hand, please?"

"Oh. Sure." Craig hauled her by the elbow into the raft and resumed keeping a watchful eye on the flirtation. "Uh, Aaron, was it? Shouldn't you be concentrating more on the river? I mean, I'm no expert, but isn't that what the guide is supposed to be looking at?"

Jay murmured a soft 'oh-oh', but everyone else tactfully ignored Craig's small dig. Taking the hint, Aaron turned to a spiel about the correct way to paddle and push off rocks.

Emma turned her paddle around in her hands, her palms damp with nerves. It was crazy that for the second time in a week, she was throwing herself into an unpredictable body of water, paralyzing fear be damned. If that wasn't tempting fate, she didn't know what was.

"Okay, guys, it'll be smooth sailing for about five minutes and then we'll reach a rougher portion of the river. You'll need to brace yourselves now and be ready to paddle hard. Try to avoid the rocks but if you can't, just remember what we went over. And don't worry." Aaron shot Manny a reassuring look as she bit her bottom lip anxiously. "I do this for a living. You're in good hands."

Five minutes later, they were in the exact situation he'd predicted. The water pulsed under the raft and gushed atop of it, the waves unexpectedly cold when they made contact with the skin. Manny and Paige's shrieks soon filled the air as Emma and the boys struggled, with Aaron's shouted guidance, to navigate the river.

But as busy as Paige was trying to shield her hair from the spray and keep herself in her seat, she still noticed how Manny clung to Aaron's lifejacket instead of her own. And she noticed Craig noticing, too.

She wasn't sure what bothered her more: that Aaron was paying more attention to Manny than her, or that Craig was doing the same thing.