“They’ll do a safety briefing first.” Rafe steadied her. “They have to get us up so we can zip down.”
Once there, a guide went over their instructions. Ahri tried to review the things he said. What if she forgot something important?
“I don’t know if I can remember all of this,” Francie whispered.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Ahri agreed.
“There will be guides at every platform, so don’t worry.” Alex put an arm around his wife’s shoulders which seemed to buoy up her courage.
“What if I get up on one of those platforms and then find I can’t do it?” Ahri held her arms to her stomach.
“You’ll do fine.” Rafe rubbed her back the same way he did Lessa’s when trying to comfort her. “You’re braver than you give yourself credit for.”
“They don’t just hook you up and send you on your way,” Alex said. “You’ll get a chance to practice first.”
“And I can control how fast I go, right?” Francie asked.
“Yes,” Alex said.
“Just don’t brake too much so you get stuck short of the platform,” Rafe added.
“What?” Ahri stared at him, her mouth dry. Grinning, Rafe gave her chin at gentle nudge.
“Don’t worry if you do.” He shoved his hands in his pockets again. “It happens all the time, and y’all will have your harnesses on. It’s easy enough to tow yourself to the platform. Now, Ma, don’t look at me like that. Would Alex let you do this if he thought you’d get hurt?”
“Well, no.” Francie glanced at her husband.
“It’s just a matter of learning how much to brake to keep from going too fast but not braking too much.” Alex gave her an encouraging nod.
“Have you been working out?” Rafe asked Ahri. “I know Ma lifts weights with Alex a couple times a week.”
“Yes. Why?”
Rafe lifted up his right arm and tightened his bicep. Ahri stared at him, her eyes wide, fighting to keep a neutral expression. He seemed to realize what he’d done and dropped his arm with a cough.
“If you’ve been lifting weights,” he said, “you’ll hurt less tomorrow, both arms and hands.”
“Oh.” Ahri had to resist the impulse to fan herself. “I guess I’m glad I didn’t already do my workout this morning.”
The short test run looked like a child’s version of the longer zip lines and reminded her of the shorter, simpler water slides in Phoenix. Once she’d done one, she’d felt enough of a rush that she’d have been happy doing those instead and could only hope the zip line would be the same.
“Can we stay here and just do these?” Francie asked.
“Brilliant minds think alike,” Ahri said with a laugh.
“No, Ma.” Rafe didn’t quite roll his eyes, and Ahri gave him a soft jab in the ribs.
“The first lines are the easiest ones, so you can get used to them,” Alex said.
“The first time could be the last time,” Francie said, wringing her hands again.
Alex pulled his wife into his arms and held her, whispering. Not wanting to intrude, Ahri turned and found Rafe watching her.
“You sure you’re okay to do this?” he asked. “I think you’ll enjoy it, but I probably shouldn’t have pressured you.”
“I won’t let Francie down.” Ahri took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“That’s my girl.” Rafe reached over and ran his knuckles down her cheek in a gentle caress. Her breath caught, and she found herself leaning into his hand. He held it there for a second longer before dropping it and putting his hands back in his pockets.
