Summer Escape with the Tycoon

“You don’t have to do this,” she said quietly, “but I know you can.”

“Like you did the morning after you capsized.”

“You were with me. These cables can handle a lot more than your weight, okay? Just let it take your weight and gravity will do the rest. And I’ll see you in a few minutes. Can you step to the edge?”

He made his feet move, finally. He went to the edge of the wood platform and looked down. It wasn’t far, but it was far enough.

“Do you ski? This is no higher than a ski lift. And those are run by cables, too.”

“I hate the ski lift,” he growled, and Molly burst out laughing.

“Of course you do.”

He could do this. There wasn’t much in life that he found daunting, but heights made him feel light in the stomach and weak in the knees. He’d conquered so much; surely he could do this, too.

He’d known all along this part of the trip would happen. He’d psyched himself up for it, and now he was psyching himself out. Well, no more. He sent Molly a grin and then, with his heart in his throat, stepped off the edge.

The first sensation was that of the cable taking his weight and then bouncing back up a bit. Then it was the sound, the whirring zing of the wire as he zipped through the forest and out to the riverbed. He kept both hands on the ropes in front of him that connected him from harness to cable, and before he knew it, he’d arrived at the platform and the other guide was unclipping him to prepare for Molly’s arrival.

He’d done it! And it hadn’t been scary, not after that first moment. It had been exhilarating!

A distant humming sound touched his ears and he looked up to see the cable bouncing a bit and Molly’s form getting closer. The brake mechanism caught her just before the platform and she laughed, grinning from ear to ear as she was unhooked and set free. “So?” she asked, rushing forward to grab his hand. “You made it!”

“I did. And I didn’t even pass out. Not once I stepped off into nothing.”

“Probably because at that point there was no turning back.”

“You’re not wrong.” He chuckled and they watched as their guide zipped in and the group then got ready for the next zip line.

The various lines took them over the Kennedy River Canyon; over craggy rocks and rushing water, even under a bridge. The more Eric did, the more he enjoyed it and let go of the death grip on the ropes in front of him. He laughed out loud when Molly came rushing over the canyon in a starfish pose. God, she was so beautiful when she was free and open like this. The same way she was in bed, he realized. She stopped overthinking and just was, and so did he. They were good for each other.

To his surprise, he really didn’t want this trip to end. He couldn’t imagine flying away and never seeing her again. But he also couldn’t think how they might make something work between them. They didn’t even live in the same country.

He looked over at her, talking to the same Alberta couple that she’d made friends with earlier in the trip. Her arms were moving as she told some sort of story, her face alight with fun and happiness. He needed that in his life, desperately. He knew how to make money, but he didn’t know how to be happy. He hadn’t focused on simple joy since he was twelve and his life had changed overnight. But that had changed this week, with Molly, and he didn’t want it to end.

The final zip of the day was next and no one could be more surprised than him that he wished it wasn’t over. One final rush and his feet were on solid ground again. He removed his helmet and harness and swiped a hand through his sweaty hair. The first thing he wanted to do back at the resort was have a shower, or maybe go for a swim in the Pacific. For all their snorkeling and kayaking, they had yet to have an actual ocean swim.

They were on their way back to the resort when he suggested it, pleased when Molly readily agreed despite her hesitation about the water. They made plans to grab a light picnic supper and head to the sand before their departure back to Victoria tomorrow.

Molly wore the simple one-piece suit she’d worn in the hot tub back in Campbell River, with a sheer cover-up ove

r the top and flip-flops on her feet. The beach was a short walk from the resort, and he carried the picnic basket while she managed a beach bag with towels and a blanket for sitting on. It was late afternoon by the time they reached the long stretch of white sand, and Eric took a deep breath of sea air. They walked down the beach far enough that there was no one around, and Molly spread out the blanket.

He reached for her and pulled her in for a kiss. “Know what? This makes me wish it were just you and me on a desert island somewhere. We could swim naked and eat coconuts all day.”

Her hands slid up his back. “What about fresh water? And a diet of only coconuts would probably cause us some gastro distress.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I’m very fun. And I don’t want to be anywhere other than where I am right now.”

“I second that,” he said and kissed her again, long and deep, until she made a little sighing sound in the back of her throat.

He pulled away and put his hand on her face. “This is getting complicated, isn’t it?”

“I want to say no, but...”

“I know. I like you more than I wanted to, Molly. It’s not just about this attraction thing. Today I did something that scared me to death and I was willing to let you see it. And you helped me, you know? I don’t usually let myself be vulnerable.”