Page 111 of Addiction

“If we are here then Nora has got to be around here somewhere.”

“Trust me, she’s not. Although we won’t be completely alone today.”

“Okay,” I say curiously.

He leans over and gives me a quick kiss before he opens the car door. “Come on, let’s go have fun.”

As we leave the parking lot, we make our way toward Fishman’s Wharf Marina before heading down a pier where numerous boats and yachts are docked.

“So, we’re going out on a boat. Interesting. Are we fishing?” I ask with a huge smile on my face. I’ve not been out at sea in years and as for fishing it’s not been since I was a teen.

“Not fishing.”

I’m about to ask him what we are doing when an older man gets off one of the boats and heads toward us.

“Wade. Good to see you again.”

“Hi, Don. Good to see you, too. This is Asher.”

I shake Don’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Don.”

“How are you doing?” Wade asks him.

“Excellent. My knee is doing fine.”

Wade turns to me. “Don is a former patient of mine from when I was at the clinic. We often talked about his boat and business and said I should check it out sometime.”

“And what a wonderful day for it, Wade. The weather is gorgeous.”

“It sure is.”

“So, if we are not fishing then what? Just checking out the seas?” I ask.

“Not exactly. Don here runs a private Parasailing business. So, if you’re up for it—”

“Parasailing?” Adrenaline races through me. “Hell yes.”

“That’s it then. Let’s get you both on board and head out.”

We board Don’s boat, also known as The Princess, and head out of the Marina toward Oceanfront. The sun is glorious, and the water is calm, as Wade and I sit back and relax in each other’s arms.

“I never thought to ask if you were afraid of heights. But given your excitement, I’ll take that as you’re fine.”

“I’m totally fine,” I say. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too.”

Soon enough, the boat comes to a halt, and Don heads toward us with all the equipment needed. Once we are geared up in the harness, we make our way to the back of the boat.

“How high up do we go, Don?” I ask.

“You can go anywhere between six hundred to one thousand feet. The choice is yours today and the wind is perfect.”

“Higher the better,” Wade says, taking hold of my hand. “You ready?”

“Absolutely.”

“Ready when you are, Don.”