When they arrived in Shady Cove, a quiet town nestled along the banks of the Rogue River, Ethan pulled into the parking lot of a building with wood siding and a wraparound porch. Lily had been too busy trying to spot more deer meandering through people’s yards that she hadn’t noticed where they were until they parked in front of the sign. She gaped at it.
Shady Cove Raft Rentals.
“Rafting?” She swallowed. “As in a gentle float down the river?”
Ethan picked Molly up. “Um, yeah. There will be floating. Hence the raft. But gentle?” He made a vague noise like “eh.” Then he got out of the car and set the pup down.
“Eh? What does that mean?” She grabbed her camera bag and jumped out, chasing after them across the lot. “What about Molly? Don’t tell me you bought her a little life jacket.”
“Actually, I did.” He aimed the key fob over his shoulder and locked the BMW. “But she’s not coming. It’s too dangerous for her.”
Molly picked up the pace, yanking on the leash. You can’t leave me behind. I live for danger. That’s my middle name. Wait, did you give me a middle name?
“My buddy Matt’s working today,” he said. “He’ll look after her. I’ve been coming here for a few years now, so I’m friends with a lot of the staff. Gone on quite a few multi-day trips with them. You get to know people quick that way.”
Approaching the front door, he held it open for Lily and swept a hand for her to go first. Molly traipsed ahead of her like she was leading this expedition.
When they stepped inside, a young guy with a man bun popped out of the back room. “Ethan!”
“Matt! How are you, buddy?”
“I’m good.” He rubbed his hands together. “You ready to get out there?”
“For sure. Lily is joining me today.” He gestured to her. “She’s a first-timer.”
She gave him a wave, not trusting her voice.
“Hi,” he said. “I’ll go through the usual safety speech once you guys get suited up.” Something caught his attention on the floor, and he jumped back. “Who is this?”
Molly practically blended into the worn hardwood. She ducked her head, almost curling into a ball, while her tail whipped back and forth like a windshield wiper in a storm.
“This is Molly,” Ethan said. “I mentioned her on the phone. You sure you don’t mind looking after her for a few hours?”
“Of course not. I have my golden retriever, Sully, here today. He’s around somewhere.” Matt bent down to greet Molly. “But I was expecting you to show up with a dog that was … I don’t know. Bigger. I took you for a Lab kind of guy.”
Ethan laughed. “Nah. I’m a wiener man all the way.”
Lily snorted. The name “wiener” caught her off guard every time. As the two men chatted, she strolled around the place. They sold rafting equipment, clothing, and souvenirs, but it was the locked cabinet behind the counter that grabbed her interest.
She spotted small red canisters on one of the shelves. She pointed them out to Matt. “What are those?”
His gaze followed her pointing finger. “Bear spray.”
He unlocked the cabinet and pulled one out. When he handed it to her, it fit nicely into her palm, like a travel-sized can of hairspray.
Ethan peered over her shoulder. “Is that a deterrent for squirrels?” He took it and held it up. “I mean, this thing won’t do anything but season your body before the bear eats you.”
Matt laughed. “I know. It’s pretty pathetic, right? You’d be surprised how many we sell to inexperienced tourists who don’t know the first thing about being outdoors.”
“I’ll take it!” Lily snatched it back from Ethan.
Matt hesitated, choking on his words. “Er … I mean, smart choice. Let me ring it through for you.”
Once she’d paid, he handed her a bear spray safety pamphlet and then ducked into the back to sort out wetsuits for them. She tucked her secret weapon into her jacket pocket, feeling much better—she was an inexperienced tourist, after all.
As she wandered around the shop, the photos lining the walls caught her eye. She walked up to a collection of them. Each one showed a different group out on the rapids, the people’s expressions ranging from panic to absolute terror.
She moved from one picture to the next. Each time, her heart skipped a beat. Swirling water, crashing waves, giant dips in the river that threatened to swallow entire rafts whole. This is what Ethan was dragging her into? She wasn’t even a very good swimmer.
Shaking her head, she took a step back. This was definitely more than she could handle.
When she turned back to tell him as much, her phone rang in her bag. Was it her mother? Had she somehow sensed that her daughter was about to do something dangerous? Lily had always suspected she had psychic abilities, a special form of Mum ESP.
She pulled it out and checked the screen. It was her brother Tom, so she answered. “Hello?”
“Hey! Whassup?”
And he’d been drinking. “Hi, Tom. What’s going on?”
“I’m out for a night with the lads!” He made a nonsensical holler, and a muffled noise rose in the background in response, like wild animals answering each other’s calls.
Right, it was already Friday night there. Why else would he be ringing? Not to chat or check up on his little sis. Nope, he needed a ride from Cinderlily. Like usual.
“Let me guess,” she said. “You’d like me to drive all the way to Worcester so I can ferry you guys around all night.”
“Not if you’re going to be like that about it.” He huffed indignantly, but it was interrupted by a beer belch.
“Haven’t you talked to Mum? I’m in America on holiday.”
“Oh, wow! Really? Good on you.” He genuinely sounded happy for her. “But what am I supposed to do? You should have told me. Now I’m off my face and have no way to get home.”
By that, she knew he meant no way to get to the next pub without paying for an Uber.
“Lily, you can be so selfish sometimes.”
Her mouth popped open. An angry heat surged through her until it felt like steam might shoot out of her ears.
She gripped the phone. “What?! Are you serious?” She ground her teeth, ready to give him an earful, but then she took a deep, soothing yoga breath, just like she practiced with her care home residents on yoga Wednesdays.
Tom was beered up, so anything she said now would be a waste of breath. Then again, even if he were sober, she probably wouldn’t get through to him. If she wanted to change her life, it had to be through action, not words.
“Sod off, Tom.” And then she hung up. There would be no more free rides from her in the future.
She spun on her heel to find Ethan observing her, his eyebrows raised as high as they could go. He appeared mildly amused. Molly sat on the floor by his shoe. Lily imagined the dog gave her a nod of approval, because she was feeling pretty darn good.
Matt returned with a couple of black wetsuits slung over his shoulder. “Ready to get started?”
Lily looked at those photos on the wall again. Instead of seeing fear in the rafters’ expressions, she saw something else. Boldness.
“More than you know.”