Maybe that was what she was hoping for. Maybe she wanted to laugh at him.
No, Kat wasn’t like that. She’d laugh, certainly, but then she’d help him do better.
He hesitated. If ever there was an opportunity to venture outside his comfort zone, this was it. But did he want to? There was nothing wrong with his comfort zone.
“Give it a go,” she urged. “We can’t let it be said that you came to Haven Bay and didn’tsurf.”
“I really don’t think—”
“Don’t think.” She laughed. “Just do.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “What happened to no more pestering me today?”
Her smile fell and she deflated. “Sorry, you’re right. I totally forgot.” She backed away. “I’ll leave you to enjoy yourself.”
She took a few more steps, and he mulled over his options. He liked her too much to let her leave when he’d clearly hurt her feelings.
“Kat, wait.” She paused, but didn’t turn. “You can try to teach me, but I can’t promise I’ll enjoy it, or that I’ll be any good. Also, I’m not doing it alone. You’re coming with me.”
She swung around and strode back, grin in place. “You’re on, Donkey Kong.” Reaching down, she pulled him to his feet. “Don’t suppose you brought your swimsuit with you?”
“No. I wasn’t planning a holiday.”
“Thought as much.” She walked to the storage shed and called back over her shoulder, “There are a couple of spare pairs of board shorts in our lost and found.”
She emerged with a laundry basket full of odds and ends, and searched it, then tossed something his way. He caught it, and shook it out. They were red shorts, possibly a little broad for him, but they had laces and could be tightened.
He looked around. “Is there anywhere to change?”
She lifted one shoulder. “If you’re worried about preserving your modesty, you can use the shed.”
He did. As expected, the shorts were too big, but he could make do. He checked out the array of water sports equipment, which was impressive, then found a bottle of sunscreen and covered the parts of himself that he hadn’t done earlier. When he let Kat know he was decent, she sized him up and chose a massive surfboard for him, then a smaller one for herself.
Out on the sand, she laid her board down with the bit that looked like a shark fin facing the sand.
“Before we get out there, we’re going to practice the movements,” she told him. “First off, when you carry the board into the water, you lift the end above the waves, otherwise it’ll be much harder work to drag it out there.”
“Got it.”
“Once you see a wave you want to catch, you turn your board around to face the beach, jump on and start paddling.” She dropped onto her belly on the board and made wide, arcing movements with her arms. “Like this. It’s important that you’re moving, otherwise the wave will just pass beneath you.” She raised herself up, kneeling on the board. “Go on, show me how you paddle.”
He cringed. Was she actually going to make him run through the whole process like a little kid learning to swim? He made some half-hearted swinging motions then folded his arms over his chest.
“Nah-uh. That won’t cut it, buddy. You paddle like that out there and you won’t be riding any waves.”
“I feel silly,” he muttered.
She rolled her eyes. “Everyone feels like that when they’re starting out. Look around you. What do you see?”
“I see the beach, the lodge, a couple of people out on the waves.”
“And no audience,” she said meaningfully. “No one is watching. It doesn’t matter if you look a little silly.”
He sighed, realizing they wouldn’t progress with the lesson until she was satisfied. With a furtive glance over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking, he lay down fully and worked his arms the same way she had.
“Good,” she exclaimed. “But wiggle down the board a bit more. You want your toes to be almost touching the end.”
He adjusted his position.