CHAPTER TWO 
Sin City
“WOW, BESS—IS THERE ANYTHING you didn’t bring?”
Bess glanced at her cousin and shrugged, pushing her giant hard-sided suitcase ahead of us in the line to check in for our flight. It was a month after the barbecue, and we were headed to Veronica and Xavier’s wedding in Las Vegas. The airport was a madhouse, but thankfully Ned dropped us off two hours before our flight was scheduled to depart. He’s good like that. We’d just said our goodbyes, and although we’d only be gone for a few days, I already missed him.
“Well, George,” Bess said, “I wanted to be prepared. Veronica made it clear that in addition to the wedding, there would be arrival cocktails, a rehearsal dinner, a brunch after the wedding… I need a separate outfit for each! Unlike you, I won’t wear the same black dress to everything.”
George huffed in mock offense and rolled her eyes. “It’s a classic for a reason, cuz.”
Bess pushed her suitcase ahead as the line moved forward, twisting it sideways as we reached a bend, and looked back at me. “Nancy brought a pretty big suitcase too,” she said. “Nance, aren’t you excited? I love weddings! And this one’s in Vegas!”
“Oh, sure.” I smiled, though if I was being honest, I was feeling a little trepidatious about this particular wedding. It was super kind of Veronica and Xavier to include me, even if George and I had agreed to babysit the little kids during the ceremony so their parents could focus on the happy couple. Bess was going to be one of Veronica’s bridesmaids. But they’d also made it clear from the very beginning that this was going to be an unusual wedding—an extreme wedding, with lots of extreme sports mixed into the traditional activities. The itinerary they’d sent out with the invitations included several get-togethers, but few details about what crazy stunts were planned—or when. Or performed by who. I knew the ceremony would take place on the roof-deck of the Soar, the casino hotel where we’d be staying, which was shaped like an ice pick, over fifty stories tall, that jutted into the sky. The roof-deck had an outcropping with a glass floor where you could feel like you were floating over the Strip, and a roller coaster that wound around the outside of the top few stories. Veronica and Xavier planned to ride the roller coaster, get married, and then celebrate with a BASE jump off the casino roof-deck.
Honestly, it made my palms sweaty just thinking about it.
“It’s too bad Uncle Russ had to work,” Bess was saying.
George shrugged. “Yeah, and it’s a shame your parents already agreed to go to that graduation party. But I guess that’s the risk of planning a wedding quickly.”
Bess nodded. “And honestly? I’m kind of psyched to be heading to Vegas, just the three of us,” she said. “I mean, I’m not planning to get into any kind of ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ trouble. But I think we’ll have a lot of fun, just us girls.”
I smiled and nodded, though I still had a pit in my stomach. I was hoping I could survive this whole weekend by smiling and nodding and clapping enthusiastically for those who chose to take part in the extreme activities. But Xavier seemed so gung ho, and he was clear on the invitation that he would be filming all the events and posting them on social media to promote the Redd Zone. I just hoped I could sit out politely without looking like a party pooper.
I chatted with Bess about the outfits I’d packed until we got up to the desk to check in. Bess fancies herself a “flying expert,” so George and I hung back and smiled serenely while Bess used all her charm to try to get us the best seats possible on our bargain-basement fares. To my amazement, she’d soon secured us the exit row with extra legroom. We thanked the clerk effusively and headed off to security.
A couple of hours later, we were settling into our exit-row seats when someone squeezed George’s shoulder on the way down the aisle. “Hey, cuz! I guess we’re on the same flight!”
We all looked up to find Deanna, holding Miranda and guiding her older son down the aisle. Her husband, Eduardo, was placing their bags in the overhead compartment a few rows back.
“Hey, Deanna!” George said, and Bess and I said our hellos too.
Deanna got all set up with her family, and for the first hour or so of the flight, the three of us busied ourselves watching movies on the in-flight entertainment system (a Marvel movie for me, Sleepless in Seattle for Bess, and a documentary about Y2K for George). As we were all starting to get a little restless, Deanna suddenly popped up and settled herself in an empty seat across the aisle.
“How’s it going, ladies?” she asked, ripping open a bag of chips and taking a couple before offering them to us.
“Not so bad,” George said, taking a couple of chips. “Did you know they seriously thought the world was going to shut down when the millennium turned, all because of some shortsighted programming?”
Deanna rolled her eyes. “Sounds fascinating, kiddo. But right now I’m just hoping this plane’s computers are programmed right.”
“Are you afraid to fly?” Bess asked. “How come I didn’t know that about you?”
Deanna shrugged and crunched a chip. “I’m not like, afraid afraid. I’d just rather not fly, if I have a choice.” She swallowed. “Anyway, I guess my sister’s wedding is a good enough reason to take the risk. God knows she’ll be taking enough this weekend.”
George grinned. “Which is the bigger risk?” she asked. “Jumping off a fifty-story casino, or getting married?”
“Ha!” Deanna snorted. “Look, my kids wear me out, but married life is working for me. And I don’t think Veronica has anything to worry about, marrying Xavier. That dude adores her.”
Bess raised an eyebrow. “What about your parents? I remember Veronica told me that at first, Aunt Elena and Uncle Rick were not huge fans of his.”
“Oh well.” Deanna sighed. “They’re still not, honestly. Like, they’re not coming to the wedding.”
George sat up in her seat. “Really? Why not?”
“They said this was all too rushed. From engagement to vows in a month? ‘Why not wait a year and see if you still feel the same?’ they asked Veronica. But honestly, I think he just rubs them the wrong way,” Deanna said, shaking her head. “He’s a big personality, I know that. And Veronica’s always been more quiet. My mom thinks Xavier steamrolls over her, gets her to do whatever he wants. Like her whole interest in extreme sports now—Mom thinks he’s pushing that on her. But I think that’s only because they’ve never seen her do it, you know? I’ve watched Veronica bungee jumping and whatever. It’s not just Xavier pushing her—she’s genuinely having a great time.”
Bess nodded. “It looks that way to me,” she agreed.
“Though it is surprising,” George added. “I mean, I agree with Deanna, Veronica seems like she’s really having fun with this stuff. I just never would have expected it of her. I guess it just shows, you never know what will click with people.”
Deanna crunched another chip, nodding thoughtfully. “I guess I’m biased,” she said. “Eduardo and I introduced them, did you know that? He knows Xavier from high school.” She offered the bag to us again and, when George waved it away, rolled down the top. “I think Xavier is a stand-up guy, and he brings out the best in Veronica. But you can’t convince everybody.” She shrugged again.
“It’s too bad for Veronica,” Bess said. “I’m sure she’d love for Auntie and Uncle to be there.”
“Of course,” Deanna agreed. “But I hope they’ll come around once they see how happy Veronica and Xavier are after the wedding. And they can watch it online, if Xavier has anything to say about it.”
George frowned. “Do you think that has anything to do with their opinion of him?” she asked. “All the promotion for his complex? He’s always filming and posting on social media. I could see where they might get the impression that it’s all for show, and that Veronica’s not really as excited about it as she seems.”
Deanna sighed again. “I’m sure it doesn’t help,” she admitted. “You know—Mom and Dad are not the right age to be super into social media. I think it all seems a little weird to them, to not only be doing these daredevil things but to also be constantly hyping them up. But I also think none of that would matter if they just liked Xavier more or thought he was the right match for Veronica.”
“I hope they prove your parents wrong,” Bess said. “No offense to your parents.”
Deanna nodded. “No, of course. None taken. I’m right there with you.”
A sudden shriek sounded from behind us—a shriek that sounded remarkably like Miranda. Deanna startled and peered down the aisle behind her, then got to her feet.
“That’s my alarm,” she said. “Looks like nap time is over. Anyway, nice talking to you girls. I’ll see you in Sin City, I guess!”
“See you in Sin City,” we called as she hustled back to her assigned seat.
Bess, George, and I looked at one another for a moment, silently digesting that conversation. I wasn’t sure what to say. Veronica and Xavier had always seemed fairy-tale levels of happy to me, and it was a big surprise to hear that her parents didn’t approve. It seemed to cast a pall over our fun, celebratory weekend in Vegas.
“Well,” George said finally, “that’s kind of a bummer.”
Bess nodded and sighed, then picked up her headphones and reached out to unpause her movie. “No offense, guys,” she said, “but it’s back to Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks for me. At least in rom-coms, love always prevails!”
“This might be the best view I’ve ever had from a hotel room,” I mused a few hours later, peering out our thirty-second-floor window at the glittering Las Vegas Strip. It was still light outside, but the casinos seemed to sparkle in the late afternoon sun. The Soar was situated at the northern end, and our window faced south, meaning we could look right down the Strip at all the most famous casinos: the Toucan, the Polynesian, the Hong Kong, the Nile, the luxurious Volterre, and so many more. Each was lit up by thousands of glittering lights, programmed to flash and change into patterns, some random, some timed to the music that seemed to blare from speakers all up and down the Strip. Some had huge fountains in front that threw up giant plumes of water, forming all kinds of shapes, in repeating patterns. The Toucan had a landscaped faux rainforest out front, and the Polynesian had a man-made tropical lagoon.
Bess sidled up beside me, dressed to the nines in a rose-gold cocktail dress, her golden hair curled and fluffed around her face. “Isn’t it amazing?” she asked. “I can’t stop staring. The whole Strip is such a feast for the eyes.”
“It’s like an amusement park for adults,” George agreed, clasping a necklace around the collar of her trusty little black dress—this necklace was a modern plastic design with bright shapes in blue, yellow, and green. “Are we still going to walk to the welcome drinks, or Bess, are you actually thinking of wearing those ridiculous shoes?” She pointed to Bess’s glittering golden sandals, each of which had a three-inch platform heel.
Bess pouted. “Umm, I have flats that fit into my purse, like every fashionista,” she replied, pulling a folded-up pair from her bag and quickly sitting down to switch footwear. “Of course we can walk. I want to see all these places up close!”
A few minutes later we were headed south on the Strip. I tugged self-consciously at the shiny green blouse that Ned always said made my eyes look bluer. I’m not really a dress-up kind of girl—I prefer outfits you can make a hasty getaway in. But tonight felt like the right opportunity to be fancy. The three of us were alone in Vegas, and I was ready to see the town.
We passed the fountain at the Volterre and paused to watch the water perform an elegant ballet set to Rhapsody in Blue. Other tourists clustered around us, all of us oohing and aahing at the carefully choreographed performance.
“Have you been inside?” the woman to my right asked as the music died down. She was probably around my dad’s age, with short hair dyed bright red.
“No,” I said. “We haven’t been anywhere yet. I mean, except the Soar. We just arrived today.”
The woman nodded, looking me up and down, then glanced at Bess and George. “Classy girls like you, you’d be right at home there. They have the best buffet, and they really take care of you when you’re playing the slots.” She mimed throwing back a drink. “I’m Edna, by the way.”
“Uh, thanks, Edna. Actually, I’m not much of a gambler,” I admitted.
Edna frowned. “What are you doing in Vegas then?”
“We’re here for a wedding,” Bess said.
“Oh, how romantic,” Edna said approvingly. “My son Frankie, he got married at the chapel where the officiant is Elvis. I mean, the first time.”
“Our cousin is getting married on the roof-deck of the Soar,” George explained. “Then she’s, well, BASE jumping off.”
Edna’s eyes widened. “Well, how about that,” she said, smiling. “Best of luck to them. Really, best of luck.”
We smiled and thanked her, then moved along, gawking at all the buildings as we made our way to the Polynesian.
The Polynesian was about midway down the Strip, a huge, dark wood structure that I guess was supposed to look like a Polynesian temple, but it was so big, it actually looked like “Polynesian temple meets shopping mall.” There were tiki carvings lining the walkway to the front door, and a massive, turquoise-blue swimming pool that filled the five hundred yards or so between the casino and the Strip itself. The pool was landscaped to look like a tropical lagoon, with beautiful tropical foliage dipping down toward the bright blue water. As we walked along, I noticed that there was actually a small white-sand beach to the right of the casino entrance, where a few parents and little kids dipped their toes.
“Wow!” Bess said, taking in the pool with a shake of her head. “They really go all out on these casinos, huh? I feel like I’m in Maui—I mean, except for the intense dry heat!”
“At least it’s getting cooler as the sun goes down. But yeah, I wonder how they keep these tropical plants alive?” George pondered out loud. “It can’t be cheap! I wonder what this place is like inside.”
I gestured to a small, roped-off terrace just on the other side of the beach. It was decorated with fairy lights and aqua and orange balloons—Veronica and Xavier’s wedding colors. “Looks like we won’t find out,” I said. “The party seems to be outside.”
We made our way over and greeted the guests who’d already arrived. Deanna was there, along with her husband and kids. She introduced us to Priya Laghari, the other bridesmaid and Veronica’s best friend “since forever,” as she put it. Priya had warm brown eyes and shiny black hair swept back in a low bun. She introduced us to her husband, Sumit, and their five-year-old daughter, Lakshmi.
“Where did you travel from?” Bess asked.
“We live outside Seattle,” Sumit replied. “Priya works for Amazon, and I teach high school math.”
Bess smiled at Lakshmi. “And do you like Las Vegas so far? There’s so much to see, right?”
Lakshmi wrinkled her nose. “It smells like cigarettes,” she said. “Mummy said Las Vegas is one big ashtray.”
Priya groaned as the three of us erupted in laughter.
“Tell us what you really think,” George said between chuckles.
“Well.” Priya sighed. “To be honest, which five-year-olds always are, unfortunately, Las Vegas is not my favorite city. I’ve been here a few times for girls’ trips, and once for a bachelorette party… it just feels so manufactured to me. Like, there’s so much to look at, but it’s like the set of a play, you know? We’re in the middle of a desert. There’s not a tropical lagoon here,” she said, gesturing to the pool.
I nodded. “I get it,” I said. “Las Vegas has a lot of artifice, and maybe that’s what makes it fun for some people. But it’s not for everybody.”
“Exactly.” Priya shrugged. “I mean, I’m not a big gambler, either, so it’s never seemed like a very fun place to me. Maybe Sumit likes it better?” She glanced up at him curiously.
“Not really,” he said, then laughed. “I think it will be lovely to see Veronica—it’s been too long. But perhaps I wouldn’t have chosen this location.”
Priya glanced around. More guests were arriving, but the happy couple had yet to show. “I’m surprised Veronica chose this location, to tell the truth. She’s never struck me as a Vegas girl.”
Sumit nodded. “Well, her interests have changed since she started dating Xavier.”
Priya’s lips suddenly twisted into a sour look—but just as quickly, she stopped herself and pasted on a smile. “Oh goodness. Look.”
She was staring out at the pool. We followed her gaze—and then I heard Bess gasp.
“Oh. My. Word,” Bess exclaimed.
She let out a whoop just as I spotted what everyone was staring at. Two people were gliding toward us over the pool, at least ten feet above the surface of the water. It looked like they were flying! But actually, they were wearing strange contraptions that looked like hoverboards connected to a long black tube, strapped to their feet. As I watched a little longer, I realized that the tube seemed to suck water out of the pool and then use it to propel the wearer into the air.
“What is that?” I asked, as Max appeared out of nowhere with a smartphone and rushed to the front to film the action.
“No idea,” replied Priya, as Bess said, “I think it’s called a flyboard? It’s an extreme sport. You can try it at Redd Zone—but I wasn’t expecting to see it here!”
As the couple approached, I recognized Veronica and Xavier—both beaming inside the helmets they were wearing. All of a sudden, both of them bent their knees, crouched down, and then pushed back up, rocketing themselves around in a somersault! The crowd squealed in disbelief. I glanced at my friends. George shook her head and blurted, “What on earth? That looked really hard!”
Bess nodded, laughing. “They must have been practicing for weeks!”
Max ran up to the edge of the pool, and Veronica and Max headed toward him first, adjusting the flyboards so they slowly descended to the level of the water, then entered with a sploosh! They came back up, and we couldn’t quite hear what they were saying as he asked them questions and filmed everything with the phone, but there was lots of laughter and whooping, and at the end I could hear Xavier shout, “Check it out today at the Redd Zone! Live life to the fullest!”
I glanced back at my friends and noticed that Priya was frowning. She didn’t look happy about any of this.
“Of course he’s filming it for social media,” she muttered.
Before I could wonder why Priya seemed annoyed, the crowd of guests—which had filled out a lot while we were chatting with Priya and her family—started pushing toward Veronica and Xavier.
We followed along, but it quickly became clear that everyone wanted to chat with the happy couple, and maybe ask them more about the flyboarding. Rather than wait in a big crowd, Bess, George, and I decided to split off and check out the refreshments. We grabbed fruity mocktails at the bar and filled up plates of pupu-platter-style appetizers, then settled around a high table to eat.
“Hey!” George called as Max appeared at the next table, staring out at the water as he pensively sipped a beer. Now that the big entrance was over, he seemed to be without a job, waiting for Xavier and Veronica to greet all their guests. “Want to join us? We’re friendly.”
Max smiled and walked over, and we all made introductions.
“Oh, that’s right,” Max said with a smile. He was a little shorter than Xavier, with bushier eyebrows that shaded lighter brown eyes, but they still looked a lot alike. “Veronica’s told me about you. It was super nice of you to help with babysitting at the ceremony.”
“Are you kidding? Free trip to Vegas?” George laughed. “And I get to watch my favorite cousin get married? Twist my arm!”
Max smiled, but just as suddenly as it appeared on his face, his smile seemed to dim. He was looking back at the water now—but toward the beach, where Xavier and Veronica had now taken off their flyboarding contraptions. Both of them were decked out in Redd Zone–branded leggings and bodysuits, and somewhere along the way they’d picked up Redd Zone baseball caps. As we all watched, Xavier took the arm of one of the guests and helped her step onto his now-empty flyboard. Then he helped her strap it on.
“Wait—do the guests get to flyboard too?” Bess asked.
Max nodded. “Oh, yes.” For a moment, he looked completely exhausted, but then he looked at Bess and smiled. “Xavier insisted. It was very expensive and complicated to get all the permits and insurance together, but he thinks having people try some of our sports and posting the videos to Redd Zone’s social media will really blow us up.”
George raised an eyebrow. “You don’t sound like you agree,” she said.
Max turned away from the flyboarding scene, faced us again, and sighed. “It’s… Well. Like I said. It’s expensive. And complicated. And maybe I don’t buy into the whole social media effect in the way that Xavier does.”
“It must be a lot of work for you,” I said sympathetically.
“It is.” Max nodded. “Xavier is the face of the company…. I’m the details guy. So with a lot of these things, I’m letting my faith in my brother override my gut feeling. He does understand social media better than I do. And he is a good salesperson,” he added. “Maybe he’s right, and we’ll reach all kinds of new customers we wouldn’t have been able to find otherwise.”
Bess looked thoughtful. “Is Redd Zone doing okay?” she asked.
Max stared at her. He looked almost offended. “Of course!” he said. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh.” Bess shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just—you said this is expensive, but Xavier thinks it will bring in new customers. I thought maybe you needed…” She shrugged, letting her voice trail off.
Max was shaking his head now. “Not at all,” he said. “No, we have a very strong customer base. But it never hurts to try to grow your business.” He turned away again, looking back at the beach. Then he put down his beer. “Excuse me,” he said. “I should really be filming all this.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket and, raising it in front of him, began running toward the action in the pool.
The party continued, the three of us mingling with all the other guests as different people cycled in to try flyboarding, until finally, an hour or so later, we stood before the bride- and groom-to-be.
“Cuzzies!” Veronica squealed, smiling a huge smile as she pulled Bess and George in for simultaneous hugs. “I’m so glad you made it! And Nancy, thank you so much for coming. It means so much to have you all here!”
George grinned, bumping Veronica’s shoulder with her own. “There’s no place we would rather be!”
As she, Bess, and Veronica continued to chat, Xavier held his hand out to me politely, smiling as he looked directly at me. “I’m Xavier,” he said. “I think we met at the barbecue, didn’t we?”
“Nancy,” I said, smiling back as I shook his hand. “I’m a good friend of Bess and George.”
“It’s great to meet you, Nancy,” Xavier said with a nod. He had a nice smile—kind and genuine and surprisingly humble for someone who seemed to have such a big personality. “Are you enjoying Vegas so far?”
I nodded. “It’s—I mean, we haven’t been here long, but it’s like nowhere else I’ve ever been.” My mind flashed back to Priya’s ashtray comment, but that wasn’t my impression of Las Vegas—not so far, anyway. It seemed like a playground, almost, a place to forget your troubles and have fun.
Xavier nodded earnestly. “I love Vegas,” he said. “It’s a fantasy, but the best kind, you know? And as an extreme-sports guy, I’m always thinking of what I can jump off, or rappel down.” He laughed. “You know, the Strip has endless possibilities!”
I nodded. “Like your plans for the wedding?” I asked. “Are you nervous at all about BASE jumping off the rooftop at the Soar?”
Xavier shook his head. “Not ‘nervous,’ ” he replied. “I like to say ‘amped’ instead. All those butterflies in your stomach, your heart pounding, quick breathing? Humans are trained to see that as a bad thing—oh, it’s your body telling you not to do what you’re about to do. But what if it’s the opposite? What if it’s your body coming alive?”
I swallowed. I’d never really thought of it that way before.
Xavier gestured behind him to the beach. “Are you going to try the flyboard?”
I shook my head automatically. “Oh, no—”
Xavier held up his hand to stop me, then smiled encouragingly. “Let me guess. It’s not for you?”
I stared at him. That had been exactly what I was about to say.
He nodded. “I’m not making fun of you. I just find that a lot of people say that when I mention extreme sports.”
I cleared my throat. “I’ve just never been a—”
“—daredevil?” Xavier joined in to finish my sentence with me.
I winced, though privately, I wondered what Xavier would say if he knew what kinds of crazy risks I’d taken to solve a case. The difference was, those risks seemed necessary, at least at the time. I wasn’t the type to take risks just because. “You really think you’ve got a read on me, huh?”
He chuckled good-naturedly. “I think… well, give me a minute here. I think a lot of people say they’re not daredevils, and believe that about themselves. But I also think it’s a way for people to put themselves in a box and wall themselves out of experiences that might challenge them.”
My mouth dropped open. “But that’s—”
He nodded again. “Condescending, I know. It sounds that way. But I don’t mean it that way.” He put a hand on my shoulder and gestured to the beach, where another party guest was just going up on the flyboard. “Let me ask you this. How do you know this isn’t for you without trying it? Is there any part of you that can imagine trying it and having a really good time?”
I watched for a moment. The woman who was flyboarding looked like she’d never tried it before, based on her nervous expression, the way she was biting her lip, the way she seemed to have trouble controlling her trajectory. But within seconds, she was laughing, then screaming to her friend. There was still fear in her eyes, but as she began to move around the pool, it was joined by something else: pure joy.
I took in a breath and tried to imagine myself trying it. I imagined what it would feel like to step onto the board, to get all strapped in, to put on the helmet, to cast a terrified look at Max, who was helping the flyboarders get going while Xavier mingled with the other guests. I imagined pressing the button or whatever to push myself up into the air, and then careening around on a jet of water—
Oh, wait. There it was. In my imagination, I was screaming and laughing in delight, just the way the woman I’d been watching was now.
When I looked at Xavier, he was already smiling. He’d seen it all on my face. “Why not try it?” he asked with a casual shrug. “If you hate it, after all, you never have to do it again. And when else will you have the chance?”
When would I have the chance? It was true; I didn’t go to extreme-sports weddings every day. I shook my head, unable to believe I was about to say this. Before I could stop them, I let the words out: “Okay. I’ll try it.”
Beside me, Bess overheard and squealed. “What? Nancy!”
“Don’t talk her out of it!” Xavier said, putting his arm around my shoulders and leading me toward the beach. “Ladies and gentlemen! We have another first-time flyboarder on our hands!”
Before I could think better of it, we arrived at the little sand beach. The woman I’d been watching was still going, laughing her head off, but the other suit was available, and Max glanced up, pointing from me to it with a questioning look.
“Are you sure, Nancy?” George asked. She and Bess had rushed in behind me.
I looked at my friends, then at Xavier, then at the woman whooping excitedly as she flew over the water.
“I’m sure,” I said, looking Max in the eye. “Can you help me suit up?”
He nodded, smiling warmly. “It would be my pleasure.”
First I had to borrow a wet suit and go into a little wooden shack to change out of my cocktail attire. Then I had to put on a life jacket and buckle it up. Then it was time to walk out on a dock that led into the deeper part of the pool and get on the board.
As I got closer, I could see that there were boots attached to the board, and that there were actually handholds, too, that strapped onto your arms. That must be how you control it. And now that I was about to get into the water, I could see that the hose that seemed to propel the flyboard up was actually attached to a Jet Ski—which was being driven by a woman a little older than me. She waved at me encouragingly, and I waved back.
“You’re going to love it!” she yelled.
Max gestured for me to step onto the board and into the boots. I stepped onto the middle of the board with my left foot and inserted my right foot into the boot, then my left. As Max tightened up the straps, I took a deep breath, wondering if I would regret this. Was Xavier some kind of mind-reading wizard? How had he talked me into this? Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t even remember what he’d said. How had I, Nancy Drew, master reader of vibes and intentions and sales pitches, fallen under his spell?
Max helped me put on the handholds, then produced a helmet and slipped it onto my head, covering my ears. My hands were attached to the flyboard, so he adjusted the strap under my chin and gave me a cheerful nod. “Ready?” he asked.
“Ready,” I replied, though I was not sure that I was ready at all.
Here goes nothing….