Shifter Nation- East Coast Bears Collection by Meg Ripley

Author:Meg Ripley [Ripley, Meg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-03-20T04:00:00+00:00

5

Addie

“How about a boat ride?” Julie asked. “We’d get to see lots of wildlife.”

I nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Ugh, come on, Addie. You can’t just bum around over this Owen dude. He ended things. It’s time to move on.”

“I’m not bumming over him, Emma,” I countered, getting a little defensive. It’d been a day since we’d run into Owen and I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, but I thought I’d done a fairly decent job of hiding it.

“Then let’s go on this boat ride so you can prove it,” Emma replied.

“Sounds great.” I tried to sound enthusiastic, but probably failed.

By the time we arrived at the dock, I was feeling hopeful. I had my camera in tow, ready to photograph every animal and interesting plant I came across. This is why we came here, I reminded myself. To spend time in nature and unwind after graduation. Not to spend the week being hung up on ex-boyfriends from high school.

I’d spent enough time grieving over Owen. This time was for me.

We waited with a small group for the boat to be ready. Water lapped against the dock, and the air was cooler here. A large fan was positioned at one end of the boat, then several benches of seats. I’d never ridden an airboat before and, judging by the headphones resting on each seat, it would be loud. Perfect for drowning out my thoughts and making me focus on what was ahead, not behind.

A man walked over to the waiting group. “Hello there, folks.” He waved to get everyone’s attention. “I’m Aiden and I’ll be your tour guide today. If you’ll make your way to the boat, we can go ahead and get started on our tour.”

He gestured toward the boat and the group started to trickle on. As we neared him, he smiled. “Hello, ladies.”

I smiled back. “Hello.”

He leaned close to me as I passed. “Be sure to grab a seat near the back. It’s the best.” He winked and continued greeting the other passengers.

When the three of us sat—near the back, though I honestly hadn’t been trying to sit there—Emma and Julie converged on me.

“He totally flirted with you!” Emma teased, giggling.

“He’s cute,” Julie whispered. “Maybe he could take your mind off Owen.”

I rolled my eyes and shushed them as Aiden took his place at the back of the boat, next to the large fan.

Aiden stood to address the crowd. “As we take our ride today, expect to see a nice sampling of the variety of wildlife the Everglades has to offer. We should see some gators, herons or ospreys, and maybe even a wild bull, believe it or not. Never know what’s around the corner in these parts.”

He smiled at me again as he took his seat. He dropped his voice to speak only to us. “If there’s anything you ladies want to see, you let me know, okay?”

Emma and Julie agreed happily. I just nodded. Maybe he was sort of flirting, but it was nothing I was going to get excited over.

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