“Donal, hi,” Lorraine said, noting the nervous quiver in her own voice. “How’s everything going?”

“Just swell,” Donal said. “And what’s new with you?” Something about Donal’s voice was different. He seemed impatient, frustrated, and Lorraine knew exactly why. She even gave him cause, though that would be all she’d ever give him.

Lorraine asked, “Did you read my letter in The Post? It was your idea, after all.”

“Yeah it was…something else. I’m obviously not the only person who read it.”

“Um, yeah, about that… Donal, you’re a great guy, really, and I…or any girl…would be lucky to have the opportunity to get to know you better.”

“But you’ve got that opportunity,” Donal said. “Sounds like it’s not so attractive to you now, since that billionaire big shot flew into town.”

“Huh?” Lorraine didn’t follow.

“Oh, drop the act! You strung me along for way too long, Lorraine, all that virgin this and waiting that, your poor distressed experiences. I can’t believe I bought into that act. What a bunch of bullshit!“

“It wasn’t an act, Donal. More and more, I think you were the one pretending to be something he’s not! Mister Nice Guy, sure. Honestly, Donal, you’re sounding more like a jerk than anything else.”

“Yeah, some poor dumb jerk.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with his money, Donal. And I don’t owe you any explanation anyway. It’s my body, it’s my choice. Don’t call me again.” Lorraine swiped her screen and set the phone down, shaking her head. Griffin and Ashe were expecting her, and Lorraine didn’t want to bring any of that negative energy to her day with them. The Phoenix men had enough to deal with on their own, and things were only going to get more complicated, she was certain.

Don’t do that, Lorraine’s better self told her, don’t spoil it. Happiness has come at last; don’t spoil it! Enjoy it while it lasts; enjoy life for once, while you can!

Two hours later, the jet-powered hoverboard contraption known as a flyboard was pushing Lorraine through the chilly waters of the Cherry Creek Reservoir. Her wetsuit clung to her body, and Lorraine couldn’t ignore Griffin’s many admiring glances. After an hour and a half private lesson from the rental company—a refresher for Griffin and Ashe—Lorraine was ready to tackle this new sport. I know how to follow directions, I’ll be fine! It’s a popular watersport; kids half my age are out on these things. I’ve got this.

With her feet buckled into the flyboard—its engine and long tube drawing water in and pushing it out—her legs remained just flexible enough to keep her position. Griffin and Ashe swam beside her, both very comfortable with the strange and luxurious apparatus. They seemed like two dolphins in their wetsuits, arms at their sides, gliding through the water as if with no effort at all.

Griffin bent upward, his body shooting toward the surface, Ashe following out of instinct. Lorraine followed out of necessity. She broke the surface with power she didn’t anticipate, that flyboard throwing her into the air. Her legs were slow to react but managed to hold her in place even as the flyboard flung her fifteen feet into the air. Lorraine’s exuberant scream did little to express the depth of her joy or her terror. Only the sight of Griffin and Ashe gave Lorraine any solace at all. They we’re both in complete control of their bodies, their flyboards—almost everything in their lives.

Griffin spun, water shooting out of his flyboard. He seemed majestic, superhuman, spinning in mid-air, water pouring out of that flyboard like some fanciful fountain. That was all Lorraine could see of it before she tumbled into the reservoir, her own flyboard pushing her in a tight circle, churning just below the surface.

Lorraine lost her balance on the flyboard and instead of being pushed by it, the thing was pulling her. The errant flyboard dragged her in a deadly spiral by that mindless machine, her air fast running out. Lorraine’s lungs strained, her heart pounding and mouth parched shut as her world became a tumbling chaotic swirl, dragging her to her death.

I knew something like this would happen! This is what happens when you take risks. There’s no pleasure without pain, not in this life! There’s no happiness for me, not without a terrible price…the ultimate price.

She reached down, her legs straining, her arms stretching, her fingers fumbling with the flyboard’s buckles. The speed and the pressure and the swirling movement pushed her fingers away from the buckles, pinning her feet to that merciless flyboard. Lorraine’s blood rushed hot in her veins even as her lungs turned to ice, pain shooting through her—desperation and panic and fear.

No, no, she said to herself in that last moment, I won’t die like this, not now! Not now, when my life is finally worth living!

Lorraine’s fingers pulled at the big plastic buckles locking her feet down, finally finding the latch and giving it a hard pull. Her right foot fell from the roaring, gurgling device, her leg pushed back by the force, her spiral becoming more chaotic.

Bubbles poured out of Lorraine’s mouth, her last chance for survival floating up to the surface, taking all her hopes and dreams with them.

A final yank opened the second latch and released her. The flyboard roared away, into the reservoir, to leave her floating, no strength left to paddle to the surface.

But Griffin swooped in under her, fast and graceful, scooping her up in his arms and riding his own flyboard back to the surface. Griffin soared up into the air above the reservoir, Lorraine’s body cradled in his powerful arms as he spun around. His posture was straight and true, holding her secure in his loving grip. Griffin spun on that board, Lorraine clinging to him, looking up at him and he down at her. Hovering above the water, spinning in that certain grip of the man of her dreams, she felt like a heroine in one of her favorite romances, in the arms of a man beyond any she’d ever met or would ever meet.

An hour later, sitting on a bench overlooking the reservoir, Lorraine tried to smile, but it wasn’t easy. Ashe’s unending sadness was beginning to pull at Lorraine’s soul. “The world can be a pretty scary place, that’s for sure.” Griffin nodded, content to be silent and let her pursue her course. She went on, “That was…that was too close, I have to say.”

Griffin said, “A lesser person would have given up.”

Lorraine shrugged. “A smarter person probably would have stayed home. But I guess sometimes it’s okay to take a risk, even…even important to do it. I mean, I almost drowned here today! That zipline thing was pretty scary too. But I’m okay, we’re all okay. I can’t believe how good you two were on those things today.”

Griffin smiled, and Ashe did too. Griffin said, “We’ve had a little experience with the flyboards…among other things.”

Lorraine nodded. “What a fun life you gentlemen have. But I guess we all have our crosses to bear, right? Money can’t protect a person from sadness, can it?”

“And it can’t buy happiness,” Griffin said, glancing at his wealthy, sorrowful son.

“No, I guess that’s true,” Lorraine said.

“But we’ll be happy again,” Griffin said, “someday.” He glanced at her. “Someday very, very soon.”

Her shoulder arched up to her ear and she kept her focus on Ashe. “I-I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose your mother. I’m sorry to put it that way. But I know that’s what happened, and it’s just horrible. What an awful thing to have to experience, especially at such a young age. I can’t even imagine what that’s like. Both my parents are alive, thank God. If I lost one of them, I don’t know what I’d do.”

Ashe just stared out, finally nodding, his blue eyes tearing up.

“I did have a pretty bad experience once, not long ago actually. I was at a club nearby, place called Sables, with a friend, Jeremy. I met this man; he seemed like a pretty nice guy. Tony Gardner. It turns out, he…he wasn’t so nice. But I didn’t know that until we were out in the parking lot…” Lorraine started to tear up a little, the flashes of horror returning to her memory, haunting her waking hours as they so often did her fitful, sleepless nights.

“Luckily, my friend Jeremy was there to chase the guy off,” she went on, “and I was okay. But it was so scary, so…I just…I didn’t want to meet any other guys after that. I hardly ever left the house. I’d always loved books, reading, and after that, I just decided, well, maybe it’d be better if I just kept reading instead of going out. And I was safe, Ashe; I’d protected myself. And I think that’s a good thing; it’s important. You need to do that to survive; we all do.”

Griffin wore a look of sympathy on his face.

Lorraine said, “But as the years went on, that just became too easy; it became a habit. But I wasn’t protecting myself as much as I was insulating myself, y’know? I wasn’t risking any of the bad things, that’s true. I wasn’t going to be attacked or hurt; I wasn’t going to feel betrayed or disappointed. But I also wasn’t going to be very happy, or have a very full life. I did take a bit of a risk writing that letter, and I took a risk by becoming friends with you and your father. After all, you might have left town, and then I’d have been sad, Ashe. I like you both so much. You’re such a brave young man, so courteous and well-mannered. I never knew your mother, obviously, but I’m sure she’d be very proud of you; anybody would be. And your father is just amazing; you’re so lucky to have a man like that raise you, love you. I…I’d consider myself lucky to have a man like that love me, and I’d be even luckier if, well, maybe if I could love you too, that would be…”

Emotions welled up in her, clogging her throat, confusing her, almost smothering her from within. She sniffled, the tears unable to remain in the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t contain her feelings as the words kept pouring out, “But I don’t know if that’s going to happen, Ashe. And if it doesn’t, that… It’ll be hard. It’s not your responsibility, of course, I don’t mean that. There was some risk, some chance that I would be hurt. But there’s only one way to find out, and that’s for me to take that risk. Like the flyboards or the ziplines—that was scary, and it was risky. But it was fun, and thrilling, and I’m so glad we did it together. That was something we shared, something we lived. Life isn’t always that much fun, you don’t need me to tell you that. But it is life, and it’s all we’ve got, right?”

Ashe’s face was red with tears, but he looked up and nodded, falling into Lorraine’s embrace; she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.