Ready or Not (The Love Game Book 4) by Elizabeth Hayley (pdf ebook reader .txt) 📕

lake where we could rent paddle boards for an hour or so. It sounded low key and pretty relaxing, so it wasn’t a difficult sell despite the fact that I’d never gone paddle boarding in my life. But really, how hard could it be?

“We get life vests, right?” I asked Sophia as we waited in the rental line.

“Yeah, but I think you only need to wear one if you’re twelve or under. I think they just strap it to your board so it’s nearby for adults.”

“Can we rent two paddle boards for an hour?” I asked when we got to the window of the little hut they used as their rental station.

“Sure,” the girl replied. “I just need a license to hold, and you guys can pay when you return.”

I handed my license over and then put my money and phone in the waterproof pouch I’d brought. It’d worked pretty well when I’d taken it to water parks and pools before and seemed to withstand getting wet, though I didn’t trust it if it submerged should I fall off the board, which was likely, knowing me.

We headed down to the small beach where two tanned, shirtless guys jogged up to us so they could measure us for our paddles. They gave us some minimal instructions, including that we should start on our knees until we were out farther before trying to stand on the board.

“I might have to stay on my knees the whole time,” Sophia said after we’d paddled for a few minutes.

“Well, your knees are where you’re most comfortable, so I’m not surprised by that.”

“Asshole,” she said with a laugh.

“This isn’t too difficult yet. I think I might be able to stand. I’m just gonna go for it.” I brought my paddle up onto the board and laid it perpendicular in front of me. Then I shifted into a squat on my toes and popped up before I had a chance to chicken out. I’d just begun my internal celebration when I realized I’d left my paddle on the board. “Shit. I have to figure out how to get that.”

“Just reach down and grab it.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, you were fine standing. You can do it again.”

It made sense, but I didn’t consider that the board had slowed down, making balancing on it more difficult, like riding a bike that was barely moving.

So when I tried to kneel down again, I leaned too far to one side and fell right into the lake. I managed to grab the board so I didn’t go under, but I was still completely soaked. After a minute or so, and Sophia paddling over to help pull me up with her paddle, I was able to get seated on the board again. Though it wasn’t graceful.

“Oh, shit. I hope my phone isn’t ruined. I should’ve tied the lanyard around the life vest on the front of the board so if I fell, my phone wouldn’t go in too.”

“That would’ve been a good idea.”

I was already opening up the plastic case to see if the water had made it to my phone, and what I saw on the screen made my heart jump.

Sophia must’ve noticed my reaction because she said, “Is it completely broken?”

“Um…no,” I said, my voice absent and detached as I stared at the screen. I scanned the beginning of the text like I was trying to take in all the words at once and make sense of them, but I had to slow down and read it all the way through.

Hey, T. Hope you’re okay.

You had me worried when you

didn’t show up to school. Don’t

do that again.

There was no name assigned to the phone number, but I didn’t need one to know it was Brad. He was the only person who’d ever called me T, and even without that reference, there was something about the tone of the text that made me sure it came from him. I’d blocked his number months ago, but he must’ve gotten a new phone. Did he buy one just so he could contact me? I didn’t want to think about that possibility. That had a new level of fear attached to it.

“Taylor?” Sophia’s voice snapped me out of my internal monologue, and I looked up at her. The concern on her face most likely mirrored mine. “You okay?”

This time she’d asked about me, not the phone, and I knew she wouldn’t believe me if I told her I was fine. She knew me better than that.

“It’s him.”

“Him who?” We were both quiet for a moment before her eyes widened. “What’d he say?”

I shook my head like the motion might get the words out of my mind. “Nothing really. Just that he hopes I’m okay and not to worry him again.”

“That’s…kind of disturbing.” Sophia looked almost as freaked out as I was. “It’s like he’s giving you an order or something. You think you should contact the cops or something?”

“And say what? A guy I used to date texted to see if I was okay when I decided not to return to school without telling anyone where I am?” I leaned back on my board to lie down so I could stare up at the sky.

The sun was fading behind the trees that lined the lake, casting beams of light through the leaves that fell onto the water. It was absolutely beautiful. And I should’ve felt peaceful, calm. But instead, all I could think about was how unsafe I felt even though I was in public surrounded by water. I guess Sophia was right, I thought with an empty laugh. I’m an island.

She seemed to be thinking about my question since she hadn’t spoken. And after a few more moments, I let my head fall to the side so I could see her.

She was sitting on her board with her legs crossed, moving her fingertips through the water slowly. “Do you have any threatening texts or emails or anything from him?”

“Nope. Nothing like that. He’s too smart to