Chapter Twelve
“I can’t believe I’m doing this!”
Karlie had almost backed out several times, and it drove Brian crazy. Good thing it was summer break or she might have chickened out. Brian persuaded her to come, telling her they would tackle the semester issue come fall. Karlie and Brian had nixed the idea of a dinner as neither of their parents celebrated their taking time off from school.
Brian wiped the sweat from his face. He was sweating bullets. Summer had come in with a bang and some serious heat. California was hotter than he thought it would be even if it was mid-June. Just their luck, they were in the middle of a serious heat wave.
For their first adventure, Brian had booked with Margarita Adventures. They offered five zip-lines in their tour. Though they had purchased the full tour, Karlie had only committed to doing one. Brian had made special arrangements for them to do The Pinot Express where they would travel 1,800 feet at 125 feet in the air. A bus would be waiting to drive them back to the site.
Dressed in jeans, a white long sleeved shirt, safety gear, and her helmet, Brian noticed Karlie quivering. Her teeth chattered, and he knew it was her fear.
“Relax, it’s going to be fun.” He turned to the cameramen. “Are you guys ready? Because there will be no retakes or do overs. We’re only doing this once.”
Brothers Yentl and Griffin Moffitt gave him toothy grins and thumbs-up signs. Brian couldn’t imagine why someone would name his or her child Yentl or Griffin, but he wasn’t about to debate that now, not when the Moffitt brothers were the fifth film and editing duo they had had to hire so far. His past four hires had quit, feeding him excuses like a better gig, a conflicting engagement, or not enough money.
He held Karlie’s arm and rapped on the metal on her head. “You ready?”
“No,” she said, biting her bottom lip. She crooked her head toward the cameramen. “At least these two didn’t quit on us.”
“I wised up and made them sign a contract,” Brian said. He addressed their guides. “Let’s run through the directions one more time before we go.” They were going to zip-line at the same time. However, Karlie would be the primal focus of Yentl’s camera lens. Then they would be ready to post on YouTube.
He used his arm to wipe the sweat off his brow before bending over to get his water bottle. Brian took several huge swigs before extending it to Karlie.
She declined. “Not trying to pee my pants while I’m being taped.”
Brian laughed. “Okay, let’s get this going.”
Within minutes, they were zipping through the air. He enjoyed the scenery, but Karlie’s hollering had him distracted. He couldn’t resist laughing as he saw her terror-filled face. She was screaming some notes at the top of her lungs.
“Lord, help me!” she yelled. “Ahhhh!”
Music to my ears, Brian thought. But just before they reached the end, Brian heard a slight snap. Was it the wire? His head shot up to look at the line. Nothing was out of place. If it was not the line, then it must be . . .
Brian looked down and saw that his strap was loose. What the—He squinted. Did the harness give way?
Don’t panic, Brian warned himself as his suspicions were confirmed. Taking a deep breath of courage, he tightened his grip and shouted over at Karlie, “My harness broke!”
“What?” she turned her head to look at him with suspicion. “Are you trying to distract me? Because it’s working.”
“I’m not kidding. Now, I feel like I might pee my pants.” His joke fell flat and real fear set in.
Karlie screamed, “Help! Help!” at the top of her lungs.
Brian held on though his hands felt clammy. They were about 100 feet from the end of the line. He gritted his teeth. He would make it. He saw Griffin zoom in on them with the camera and tried not to look like a wuss.
Brian’s bravery, however, ended with another distinct snap. “Oh no!” He used his lower body to propel himself forward. He was not going to die out here. Not today. He kept moving until his feet touched the other side.
There is a God. Brian bent over and kissed the earth with utmost relief. A couple of seconds later, a frightened Karlie landed.
She was at his side in a flash. She spun toward the guides and snarled, “What happened? I thought you double-checked everything. We were hundreds of feet in the air, and he could’ve fallen.”
The men looked confused. They rushed to Brian and assisted him out of the faulty device.
Brian flung off the harness.
While Karlie raged, they hemmed and hawed. “Uh, sorry, man. That never happened before. I . . . don’t know. . . I can’t imagine . . .”
Before Brian could say anything, Karlie grabbed onto one of them. Her hands twisted the man’s shirt as she shook him with rage. “You can’t imagine. He could’ve died, you buffoon!”
The cameras kept rolling, but Karlie was past the point of caring. The lens zeroed in on her face.
Brian saw the worry, the fright, and his heart skipped a beat. His mouth went dry, and he swallowed. She walked over to him and placed her hands over his heart. Brian prayed she did not feel the thunderous vibrations as his heart rate escalated.
Her voice broke, and her chin quivered. Then she looked up at him through tear-spiked lashes. He had to close his eyes for a second to keep from becoming overwhelmed by those honey depths.
“Brian, this is a sign,” she sniffed. “I think we should call it quits. You could’ve died. You could’ve died.”
He jutted out his chin. “But I didn’t. I’m not going to back out because of one mishap.”
Karlie shook her head. “Mishap? What an understatement!” She chuckled. “How can you be so calm about this? Don’t you value your life?”
Brian looked at her and for once let the emotions surface that he felt but could not say. “I value my life. But I believe in you, and you’re worth it.”
“It wasn’t what he said, Karlie, it was how he said it,” Jamaal yelled through the line. “He was looking at you like a lovesick puppy.”
In her bedroom at the Pismo Lighthouse Suites, Karlie squatted on her bed as she fielded Jamaal’s questions.
“He almost died,” Karlie said, shifting her long legs under her body. “It was an emotional moment. I . . . I think Brian said it to boost ratings. You know he has a way with words.”
Jamaal snorted. “Well, his plan worked. You have over half a million hits, and it’s only five p.m. our time. ‘Your Adventures of Karlie Knightly’ video is trending on every social media site. TMZ even called me trying to get a statement. I don’t even know how they got my number.”
Karlie clutched her chest. “I’m sorry, Jamaal. I didn’t mean to get you involved. This wasn’t how I imagined our first trip.”
His heavy breathing echoed through the line.
Karlie hoped Jamaal was trying to compose himself.
“Come home, Karlie, before Brian kills himself or you over some stupid stunts,” Jamaal said. “You two need a heavy dose of common sense.”
“We both are college-educated, and Brian’s idea isn’t stupid,” Karlie said. “It’s working. I was scared out of my mind, but I’m proud of myself.” She heard a snort of derision and gritted her teeth.
“What’s next?” Jamaal asked. “Swimming with sharks?”
Jamaal doesn’t know how close to the truth he is. “FYI, we’re not swimming with sharks. We’re going kayaking next in Florida.”
“Kayaking? Now, I’ve heard it all. Aren’t there gators in Florida waters? Listen, Karlie, I’d better not get a phone call that you’ve been eaten by an alligator.”
Jamaal’s words fell on deaf ears. She heard a light rap on her door and cupped the phone. “Enter,” she said. Brian strolled inside. They had chosen to stay in the two-bedroom Family Suite as both rooms featured king-sized beds.
Karlie placed her finger over her lips and pointed to her cell phone.
“I’m hungry,” Brian mouthed. He snatched the menus placed near the phone.
Karlie gave him a thumbs-up sign. “Jamaal, I’ve got to go. My flight to Florida leaves early in the morning, and we’re scheduled to go out on the water at about three p.m.”
“Have Neil and Myra seen the video, yet?” Jamaal asked.
“Yes. He wants me to come home.”
“Well?” Jamaal demanded. “Since my opinion doesn’t matter, what about Neil’s?”
Karlie’s gaze met Brian’s. He was openly listening in on the call. “I’m staying with Brian. I’m going to Florida.”
Brian’s eyebrows shot up close to his hairline. “I’m surprised you told him that,” he said once she’d ended the call.
Karlie shrugged. She didn’t want to recount her entire conversation with Jamaal. It drained her. “Let’s order our meal.”
Once they called down for room service, Karlie warmed up her vocal chords. She ran through several notes. Tentatively, she belted out, “This is my Father’s world . . . and to my listening ears . . .”
Brian cut in. “Can you go five minutes without mentioning God?”
“Can you go five seconds without His breath?” Then she continued with her song. “All nature sings, and round me rings . . .”
Brian rolled his eyes and observed her from under hooded lids.
Karlie closed her eyes and visualized the scenery “This Is My Father’s World” evoked. “The music of the spheres. This is my . . .”
“Now I understand,” Brian interrupted.
She stopped singing and glared at him. He was messing up her groove. “Understand what?”
“The reviews. Where’s the emotion? Because I’m not feeling it.”
She spoke through gritted teeth. “Well, I am. I don’t care if you’re not feeling it. I just want to sing my song without any rude interruptions.”
“I have to intervene when you’re butchering a perfectly good song. When you sing, it should evoke an emotion not a yawn.” He added an exaggerated yawn for effect.
Karlie cupped her mouth. “Stop,” she breathed, touching her chest. “You’re brutal.”
“Truth often is,” he said in a gentler tone. Crooking his chin at her, he said, “Close your eyes. Think about today when you realized I could’ve been killed.”
Karlie complied. Her chest constricted. She felt her pulse quicken and shook her head. “I don’t want to remember.”
“You need to,” he said.
Karlie heard his steps and felt the bed sink beneath his weight.
“How did you feel?” he asked.
“I felt . . .” Tears pricked her eyes. She swiped them away. She continued in a shaky breath, “I didn’t want to lose you. My best friend.”
“Now sing. Not that tired song but a better song. Let your soul sing and reach my soul.” He placed her hand against his chest.
She felt the thump of his heartbeat. Karlie opened her mouth, but the words would not come. She released short, raspy breaths. “I can’t. It’s. Too. Much.”
“Why do you keep running away from emotions?” he asked.
“I can’t.” Karlie gulped. She folded her arms about her, feeling exposed.
Brian jumped off the bed so quickly she opened her eyes and noticed his clenched fists. “Ugh! I know what the real problem is. You need to get laid!”
Her mouth popped open. Had he just said what she thought he said? “Don’t get crass with me!” she snapped. “Why must your mind always be in the gutter?” She was surprised to hear him use such everyday words. Surely Brian had more eloquent terminology to use.
Brian moved into her space. He dared her. “At least if you got laid, you’d have something worth singing about! I’d listen to that song.”