Trouble in Paradise (Romantic Suspense, Completed)

Chapter 5

I was nodding off on my sunlounger when I heard footsteps approaching from behind. Noooooo! Please don't let this be another weirdo with a freaky fetish.

I was feigning sleep when Kat shook my shoulder and screeched in my ear.

"Wake up!"

"Ouch."

"Sorry. Are you awake now?"

I glared at her. "What do you think?"

"Oh, good. Mo's had a cancellation, so we thought you might like to have a go at wakeboarding."

"I'm good right here. I think lying down's more my thing."

Kat put her hands on her hips. "Perhaps I should have made things clearer. It isn't optional. You came to Egypt to have a good time, and wakeboarding's the best fun you can have on the water."

"I think sunbathing on a yacht would be more enjoyable."

"Well, we don't have a yacht, so this is gonna have to do." She grabbed my arm and tried to pull me up.

A groan escaped my lips. I'd been watching people being towed around the lagoon, and the whole process looked a bit scary. One poor man had attempted a backflip and landed head first. I wasn't even athletic. At school, I'd barely managed a forward roll in gym class without embarrassing myself.

I tried again to get out of it. "What about Eid? Won't he be there? I don't fancy another interrogation."

"He's gone to Sharm el-Sheikh to buy accessories for his iPad. He only left half an hour ago so he won't be back for ages."

With no excuses left, I let Kat tug me to my feet and shuffled along behind her in the direction of the watersports centre. Deep down, I still wasn't sure about this, but I also knew Kat was right. I should try new things. Peter's comment about me being boring replayed as well. I'd show him.

Which was why, twenty minutes later, I had my feet stuffed into a pair of funky trainers that were attached to a worryingly small plank.

"Don't be nervous," Mo said, giving me a reassuring smile.

"I can't help it. I've never done anything like this before." Unless you counted trying to ride on our next-door neighbour's skateboard when I was seven, which had resulted in two scraped knees and mum having to pick grit out of my hands with a pair of tweezers.

"You'll be fine, I promise. We won't try anything fancy today. The worst thing that can happen is that you'll fall into the water."

Or drown. He forgot to mention drowning.

"Hold onto my hand," he said, and I squeezed it so tightly that he winced.

Pivoting the board on the edge of the platform at the back of the boat, he lowered me slowly into the water. It may have been thirty degrees on the beach, but the water was freezing as it seeped under my buoyancy vest. I couldn't help squealing as my body sank under the surface.

"Are you okay?" Mo asked, concern radiating from his eyes.

I tried to stop my teeth from chattering. "N-n-never better."

Kat leaned over and took a picture of me with her phone. "That'll be a good one for Facebook."

"Don't you dare! You know I don't do social media."

She pouted at me. "Come on, loosen up."

"Hey, at least I'm having a go at this."

Before we could start bickering, Mo turned around from his seat in front of the wheel. "Okay, you remember what I taught you? Stay in a crouching position until the momentum of the boat pulls you upright."