“Look.” She points, and I drive our car near the place with the rental signs. “Shoot. We missed jet ski season. I wonder if they’ll even rent us a boat in November.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” I frown. “The water isn’t frozen.”
“It’s cold, though,” she says. “No one in their right mind wants to go out on a jet ski when it’s this cold.”
“Why do you like jet skis?”
She smiles. “You’re half in the water the whole time, and they’re fast, and the water spray’s fun, plus they’re easier to maneuver.”
“I can keep you warm,” I say. “No matter the temperature.”
Her eyes widen. “I forgot about that.”
“Or you could try doing it. That would be good practice.”
She frowns, but then she bites her lip.
“Shall we?”
“Let’s see if they’ll even consider renting us jet skis.” She smiles. “They should be cheap, at least.”
When we reach the one open office, they will rent us a jet ski, but only if we both rent full body suits. Whitney doesn’t seem too excited about them. “Fine,” she finally says.
We both use the bathroom to don the strange full-body suits, and even with the largest size, mine is small and tight. I decide not to wear it.
The employee objects when I return it to her.
“I won’t need it,” I insist. “I appreciate your concern, but I know I’ll be fine.”
“He’s from Iceland.” Whitney strides toward the front, wearing her full-body black suit. “He’s not going to be cold, I swear.”
The clerk at the front frowns.
Whitney snatches the keys from her. “I’m driving,” she mutters as she passes me. “You almost killed us both a dozen times over in that car.”
“As I mentioned, you won’t die from something simple, not with me around. No one dies unless I wish them to, remember?”
“No one dies?” The store clerk’s watching us with increasing alarm.
“Let’s talk about this later.” Whitney forces a deranged smile, which might concern the clerk more. “Thanks for this.” She waves the keys at the woman, and then she drags me out.
Although I protest, I almost like having her drag me. She’s small, and I’m clearly allowing her to push me around, but it’s a feeling I’ve never experienced before, allowing a smaller, weaker creature to order me about.
“Ah, shoot,” she says, just as we find the right jet ski. “I just got this stupid suit on, and now I need to pee.” She bites her lip. “I’ll just run back in the store and be right back.” She frowns. “Well, maybe not right back. This is so slow to take off and put on.”
I can’t help my frown. The shop where we rented this tiny floating device isn’t far, but I’d rather she not go in there without me. When I stand, she throws her hands out.
“No, you stay here. If you come back, that clerk’s going to try and shove you into a suit again.”
“I could simply eliminate her.”
She rolls her eyes. “No need for that. If you stay put, when I get back, I’ll let you drive.” She grimaces, like the thought pains her.
“I’m an excellent driver.”
“For someone who’s been driving for one day, I guess you’re not so bad.” She glares. “Now stay put, and I’ll be right back.”
She trots toward the shop, as if she’s also uncomfortable about being away from me. I hope that’s true. I’d hate to be the only one who dislikes our being separated. It’s just the bond, I’m sure, but I don’t recall feeling the effects of it this strongly in the past, and I was often very far from my generals. Perhaps it’s because she’s a female.
