“Let’s go,” Anne said.
“Now?” Oakley asked. “With no wetsuits? We’ll freeze.”
“We’re tough.” She looked at Laurie and signed,You want to go now?
Their sister signed an emphaticYes. Her eyes glowed with a joyful excitement that warmed Oakley down to her bones.
When was the last time she had seen that look in Laurie’s eyes?
But her girls weren’t even awake yet…
“What about the kids?” she asked.
“I’ve got the kids,” Zoe said. “Go have fun.”
“Okay.” She dropped her mug into the dishpan. “Let’s do it.”
Laurie signed a quickthanksto their niece and ducked into the tent to change. A few minutes later, the three sisters waded into the water with the surfboards under their arms.
“It’s freezing!” Anne squealed.
“I told you!” Oakley said, laughing.
Laurie charged ahead of them, heedless of the cold. She jumped onto her board and started paddling. A wave rushedtowards her and she did a turtle roll, flipping so that she was underneath both the board and the wave as it barrelled past.
Oakley clambered up onto her board and did a duck dive, pressing the nose of her surfboard beneath the oncoming wave and letting the water rush over her.
After the initial icy shock, the cold wasn’t too terrible. It was warmer than the rivers, at least.
She pushed down on the tail of the board with her foot and went shooting out the back of the wave.
It felt amazing to be out on the water. The chill was invigorating, and the sky glowed a glorious shade of gold as the sun rose higher behind the mountains.
Oakley paddled hard, hurrying to catch up with Laurie. Her arms and shoulders burned as she employed muscle groups that only paddling could get to. She leaned into that inner fire, letting it warm her.
She glanced back to check on Anne, who was lagging behind. Her form was good enough – paddling a surfboard was like riding a bike – but Oakley could see at a glance that her muscle strength was lacking. She paused and let her catch up.
“I’m getting old,” Anne said, panting.
“You’re not old. You just need Pilates.”
Anne stuck out her tongue and splashed her.
Up ahead, Laurie paddled rapidly, keeping up with a wave that rose just behind her. When her board rose up onto the front of the wave, she put two hands down and popped up to her feet.
She held both arms up, balancing carefully as she rushed forward. Oakley cheered as she passed them, too excited to care that Laurie couldn’t hear her.
Laurie rode the wave almost to shore and dropped cleanly off the back of it without falling. She looked back at her sisters, who raised their hands and twisted them rapidly back and forthin a round of silent applause. Laurie grinned, looking like her carefree younger self again.
Awesome!Oakley signed.
Your turn!Laurie replied.
Another wave surged towards them, and Oakley glanced at Anne.
“Take it!” Anne said.
Oakley started paddling, muscles burning as she drove herself forward as quickly as she could. The board surged beneath her as she caught the wave, and she popped up to her feet.
