Page 89 of You Met Me There

“Nah.” Tyler shakes his head. “The guys here had to patch up one of the tubes; it had a leak. It’s taking a few extra minutes, but I think they’re almost done.”

Jules and Sandra walk over to meet us, both in swim tanks and running shorts.

“Hey!” Natalie hugs them both. “Have you done this before? I’m a little nervous.”

“I haven’t,” Sandra answers. “But Juliet’s a big river girl.”

Jules waves her hand, a smile on her face. “Not so much since having kids, but I used to kayak a lot. In nursing school I didn’t have a lot of time to unwind, but when I could, I’d hike and kayak. Tyler would go with me a lot too.”

“But not tubing?” Natalie asks.

Jules shrugs. “I didn’t really ever see why my butt had to get wet.”

I throw a fist in the air. “I’m with you there, Jules. No wet butts. But …” I look out at the river and then the tubes. “I guess we’re about to see what all the hype is about.”

Natalie pulls my fist down, a twinkle in her eye, and I pinch her side. It makes her giggle, and she steps away from me with a squeal.

One of the guys in the red T-shirts walks over to meet us. “Alright,” he says. “That one’s patched, and it’ll be fine the whole trip. Just don’t go running it into any sharp rocks or sliding it across stones when you get out.” As he turns, pointing out the tube with the patch, I see his shirt says Kittappy River Services next to a logo of a canoe on the breast pocket.

The man is short, with a round jaw and pointy nose. He has to be in his forties, at least, and he knows far more about this river than I thought possible. He and his companion give us the rules of the river and what to look out for when we’re in the water. The girls squirm a little when he mentions snakes and leeches, but they seem relieved as he goes on to say they haven’t had an issue with either for the last five years.

“And besides, the water snakes in PA aren’t poisonous.” He aims these words at Nat and Sandra, who look the most uncomfortable. “So if you do see a snake in the water, it probably won’t kill you.” He chuckles to himself, but the girls don’t laugh. Instead, they eye one another with wary expressions.

The man rubs his sharp nose and continues. “Any questions for us before you launch?” We shake our heads. “Perfect. Four miles downriver you’ll pass under a highway bridge, and then you’ll see a red van parked along the beach to your left. The van will say Kittappy River Services on the side facing you, and that’s when you’ll know it’s your stop. We’ll help you get the tubes up the bank. Just do your best to get to the left side of the river. When it’s shallow enough, you’ll be able to hop out and wade to the beach with the tubes.”

“Just don’t let them go,” adds the other man—a skinny, short guy with blue sunglasses that reflect our images back at us. “We don’t want to lose a tube to the Kittappy.”

Tyler salutes. “No losing tubes. And no wet butts. Got it.”

Sandra shoves him, and Nat and Jules roll their eyes.

The men laugh, one of them stating that we’ll definitely have wet butts in a few seconds, and then they guide us to the river’s edge until we’re standing ankle-deep in the water. They hand us each a large tube.

We all shed our outer layers so we’re only in our swimsuits. The men suggest we leave them behind and get them when we’re driven back to our cars after the trip, so we place our clothes and shoes on the stones. When everyone is ready, we help our women into their tubes first—with much squealing from them about the cold water—and then we hop into our own. The chill is a shock against my skin at first, but in the heat of the summer sun I quickly adjust to the temperature.

“Oh, and one more thing,” says the river man. “Have fun!”

We smile and thank him, waving as the guys shove our tubes away from the beach. Natalie grips a handle on the side of mine so we float together. The other couples do the same, and a few of us drape our legs over the side of another’s tube to keep our party of six from separating on the gentle current.

Two hours later, I wonder how much farther we have to float before getting to the beach where we plan on exiting. I’ve been staring out at green trees of all kinds as we float past nothing but forest on both sides, and I’m starting to burn in the sun.

“How are you not burning?” I ask Cam.

“Juliet,” he states plainly. “She makes me wear sunscreen whenever I’m near water.”

“Near water?” I ask, amused. “Why?”

“Because,” Jules pipes in, with a tone like duh, “the sun reflects off the water. If you didn’t put on sunblock, you’re definitely going to burn.” Cam gives me a look that says I shouldn’t get into it with her.

I hide my grin and clear my throat. “Does anyone have any idea how much farther the beach is?” I’m hoping Cam or Ty can tell me we’re getting out around the next bend or something. Tubing down the river has been a blast, but the sun is making me ache, and I could use some drinkable water.

Tyler tips his head back on his tube, his hair dipping into the river. “Sorry, bro. I can’t tell time or distance out here.”

“I’m not sure where the four-mile mark is either,” adds Cam. “But we can’t miss it. We’re waiting on a bridge, so …”

“Are you burning?” Natalie asks me. “I should have thought to give you my sunscreen.”

Jules splashes Nat with her foot, sending water across both my and Natalie’s tubes. The cool trickle down my chest and torso feels good against my baking skin.