Read The Birthday Fantasy for Free Online Page B

She stood on the dock by the shopping center and stared at the small motorboat.
    “ You expect us to take that out over the lake?” Jamie pointed to the floating coffin.
    “ Sure.” Tate paid a ruddy-faced man with his credit card for the boat rental. “I told you. It can’t be that hard.”
    With a raised brow, t he man handed back Tate’s card.
    J amie sat the tote bag holding a blanket and towels beside an Igloo cooler and hugged herself. Even with a sarong wrapped around her waist, she felt awkward in the blue and white string bikini she’d been crazy enough to buy yesterday. “Tate, have you ever been in a motorboat before?”
    He grinned . “Of course. I’ve been fishing a time or two.”
    She couldn’t help the eye roll. “Oh, that makes you a bona fide expert.”
    The man look ed from Tate to Jamie and mumbled, “Ah, newlyweds can be so much fun.”
    They looked at him and said in unison, “We’re not married.”
    U nshaken by the severity of their response, the man chuckled. “No matter, you will be someday.”
    Jamie wanted to set the man straight, but Tate said, “Thanks. We’ll be back before five this evening.”
    The guy waved, turned away with a smirk and muttered to himself.
    When Tate set the bag and cooler in the middle of the small boat, it moved erratically on the water. He turned to her and held out his hand. “Princess, your ship awaits.”
    She had to be crazy to let him talk her into this. “Dawson, you better hope you know what you’re doing.”
    Taking a deep breath, she put her hand in his. He leaned down to hold the boat steady with his other hand as she cautiously stepped into the moving vessel. After she was settled, Tate climbed into the boat as if stepping between rattlesnakes. With each step, the boat moved in the water.
    He pulled the starter, the engine roared to life, an d he steered the thing out onto the open lake.
    “I’m impressed.” She let go of her death grip on the metal seat. They were making good progress over the calm surface of the lake.
    Grinning like a fool, he held the steering wheel and looked over his shoulder at her. “Told you there was nothing to this.”
    She sat back and laughed. “Right.”
    They were nearing the end of the lake. The waterfall roared as it tumbled down, throwing off white mist and a cool breeze. She relaxed in the astounding beauty, glad Tate had talked her into this little adventure.
    But a bout twenty feet away from the dock, everything went wrong.
    The boat tilted and rocked on the rough water. Jamie gasped and grabbed the sides of the boat and tried to make it stop rocking by moving in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, Tate was using the steering wheel to accomplish the same thing. The over-compensation caused the vessel to rock more.
    “ Tate, stop or it’ll tip over!” Jamie gritted her teeth, regretting getting in this floating coffin with him.
    “ Stop holding the sides and trying to move it around. You’re making things worse.”
    “ I’m not doing anything!” Jamie glared at him.
    A wave hit the boat causing it to capsize. Jamie let out a squeal as she landed in the cool water.
    “Jamie!” Tate came up first. When she emerged a few feet away, he reached for her.
    She swiped water from her face and glared at him as she ignored his hand. “I’m going to kill you!”
    “I ’m sorry, princess.” He made a grab for the cooler before it floated away.
    Jamie reached for the bag holding their towels and blanket. Swimming for the sandy beach between the dock and the fall was hard with the tote in one hand and the movement of the water, but she was determined to get to the shore, leaving Tate stranded with the flipped over boat.
    Jamie waded up onto the sand and flopped down. She untangled the sarong from her legs and waist and laid it on the sand to dry. Tate dropped down beside her. The cooler parked at their feet.
    “ Well, that sure was fun.” She opened the bag with the wet towels and blankets.
    He