“Yes.” She drew a deep breath, adjusted her position, let her knees relax.
“Point your toes toward the boat,” Britta called out. “That’s what helped me.”
This time when Eric pulled her forward, Vic did her best to let the boat pull her up, staying in the water, toes angled toward the boat.
“Good. Perfect. Just like that. Now let’s try it for real.” He motioned to Jesse, who idled the boat forward and away from Vic. “When you’re up and on your feet, make sure you distribute your weight evenly. Keep your eyes up and on the boat. It will help you keep your balance.”
Oh, shit, was she truly doing this?
She felt the cable go tight, heard the boat’s engine begin to accelerate.
Eric called out to her. “You got this!”
Vic wasn’t so sure. She tried doing what she’d just done and was surprised when the boat slowly drew her out of the water and to her feet. She felt a single moment of triumph before falling backward with a splash.
She sputtered to the surface, still gripping the tow handle.
“Oh, you almost had it!” Lexi shouted.
“That wasn’t bad.” Eric motioned to Jesse again. “You pulled against the boat there. Just hold on to the handle, and keep your arms straight.”
Three more times they tried it, and three more times she got to her feet and then fell, each time going a little bit farther than the last.
“You can do it!” Sasha shouted. “Don’t be afraid.”
Vic wasn’t scared now. She was ticked off.No waywas she going to be the only person on this boat who couldn’t stand up on a wakeboard.
Pull it together.
Legs relaxed, knees bent, arms straight, weight balanced.
This time when she made it to her feet, she found herself flying along behind the boat. “Woohoo!”
Eric let out a whoop, did a fist pump, Lexi, Austin and the others cheering, too.
Vic couldn’t help but laugh, exhilarated by the feel of the wind on her face, blood rushing through her veins, water spraying up behind her.
My God, she’d done it!
When was the last time she’d had so much fun?
* * *
Vic lookedover the dinner menu, foot tapping to the band. It was almost nine o’clock in Illinois, and she was starving.
“Hey, Victoria. Welcome back to Scarlet.”
Vic looked up to see a server with long blond dreadlocks, a nose ring, and tattoos of roses, ivy, and skulls on her arms. “You’re Rain, right?”
“That’s right.” Rain smiled. “It’s good to see you again. What can I do you for?”
Vic was touched that Rain remembered her. She’d only been here for a few days. “I’ll try the personal deep-dish pizza. Give me the Jackpot, but hold the onions.”
“You got it. One Jackpot, no onions. What to drink?”
“Ooh. I’ll have one of your margaritas.” They were strong, but Vic felt like celebrating. She’d just learned how to wakeboard. “Ice, no salt.”
“How about you, Lexi?”