Page 41 of Riptide

“Of course.” Kaimana’s eyes narrowed in on him as he walked away.

Seth leaned towards her to whisper in her ear. “What are you doing?”

“Shaking trees. Our devil boy didn’t seem to like what I was laying down.”

“Well technically I just died so…”

“Looks like this game is about to start.” Kaimana nodded toward Garrett who raised a champagne glass in the air. A crowd of nearly thirty people congregated around the pool.

“Everyone…everyone. Can I have your attention for a minute?” Garrett called into the night air. Selby put her fingers into her mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. Roars of laughter and conversation settled into a low hum.

“I just want to thank all of you for coming tonight. I know it’s been a tough month.” His jovial expression turned serious. “ Losing Evan. Then the fire. The loss of our friend, Seth, was especially hard to take. I appreciate everyone coming to the paddle out.” He nodded. “He was one of my best friends, and I know he would have approved of tonight.”

“Yes, he would,” Seth whispered to Kaimana.

“He was a stand-up guy,” Garrett continued.

“And sexy.” Seth joked, keeping his voice low.

“I can’t guarantee things will continue the way they were,” Garrett began. “All good things evolve. I envision Club Altura doing more jumps and coordinated activities, but we’re going to pare back some of our clubhouse events. It’s too early to tell at this point. I know many of you work for Emerson Industries, and so even if you choose not to continue with Club Altura, know we’ll still be in touch. But tonight, I want to give everyone an opportunity to have fun and one of my favorite ways to have fun is to give to charity.”

“I can think of a few other ways to have fun,” A partygoer cried out, instigating laughter from the crowd.

“Okay, yeah, there are a few ways,” Garrett laughed. “But since we’ve got this pretty awesome event space, I wanted to put it to use. One thing many of you don’t know about this lovely property is that they have a giant bamboo maze. And you may be asking yourself what does a maze have to do with charity? Each person who dares to go into the maze tonight will get to donate one thousand dollars to a charity of their choice. Courtesy of Emerson Industries. And for one lucky winner, if you find a purple lei, Emerson Industries will donate ten thousand dollars to a charity of your choice.”

Kaimana watched intently as the partygoers erupted in whistles and applause. The excitement of the crowd escalated, the air laced with anticipation. Kaimana stepped closer to Seth and his hand brushed her lower back. She focused on his touch and breathed slowly, attempting to remain calm.

“Of course this night wouldn’t be complete without some very special prizes hidden within the maze. And no, it’s not just all toys.” He laughed along with the others. “No, no, no. I’m sure some of you would like a free jump or two. There might even be a weekend in Cabo there if you look hard enough.”

The crowd responded with oohs and aahs, as he held up a pair of keys. “Find the envelope, you get the keys to my cabin in Yosemite for a week.”

“Let’s go!” Someone called out from the bar.

“Rules. You have two hours to get through the maze. Sorry folks but this isn’t like the club, so we won’t be staying all night. One prize per person. There are enough toys for everyone. There are walkie talkies located throughout the maze in case you get lost. Selby put a jar on the table near the entrance. You can drop your name with your charity in it. And the last rule, of course, is to have fun. I know it’s been a tough month. Especially with what happened last week. So with that in mind, I’d like to propose a toast.” He held his glass up to the air. “Here’s to Seth. I’ve got a feeling he’d love this event. He was a talented surfer but moreover he was a standup friend and colleague to everyone. I know he’s here with us tonight. To Seth.”

Garrett sipped his drink and raised it again to the partygoers. The crowd clapped and whistled in response.

“Let’s get started. You can find the maze by taking the path to the right of the pool.” Garrett pointed to a large arc of black and silver balloons. A sea of bubbles filtered from its tunnel up into the night air. “Thanks to everyone who came out for the party. Now let’s go find some money to give to charity.”

Kaimana brought her hands together in applause attempting to blend into the crowd as they made their way towards the path. She looked to Seth and nodded.

“You don’t happen to be good at mazes?” she asked.

“I’m good at everything, sweetheart,” he laughed.

“Once, I got stuck in a corn maze and had to be rescued,” she confessed. “No, seriously. My dad had to come to my rescue. My brothers made fun of me for months.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” He reached for her hand and tugged her toward the path.

“Every fall, I avoid mazes like the plague,” she continued, her anxiety rising as they walked towards the balloons.

“You will have fun,” he promised.

“Fun in a bamboo maze in the middle of the night with a bunch of people in masks? In the dark?” Kaimana sighed. “Yeah, no.”

Seth stopped and turned to Kaimana with his eyes locked on hers. “I’m going to teach you to trust me. You will be safe.”

“I—” Kaimana lost her words as a thick tension grew between them, her eyes locked on his.