Gary caressed the gleaming handlebars with such adoration, Katie wished she had the money to buy one for him.
“Too bad you won’t be here July Fourth. We’re having a motorcycle rally. It’s going to be great.” Jeff shook his head, rubbing his beard. “As long as Andrea doesn’t stop us.”
“Who’s Andrea?” Katie guessed it might be the man’s wife.
“Tropical Storm Andrea,” said Jeff. “Well actually, she’s a hurricane now. First one of the season. Looks like she’s not coming our direction, but you never know.”
“I hope she stays away,” Gary said. “Zoe, over at Indigo Bay Resorts, was telling me you had hurricane damage last year. It would be awful to get hit two years in a row.”
“Fingers crossed Andrea peters out in the middle of the ocean,” said Jeff. “What can I do for you, today?”
“We’d like to rent a motorcycle and two helmets for an hour,” said Gary.
Katie’s stomach jumped right up her throat. “Make that one helmet, because I’m not getting on one of those things.”
Jeff laughed, and Gary had the audacity to chuckle along with him.
“It’s not funny. Do you know that driving a motorcycle is twenty-seven times more dangerous than driving a car?” She repeated the words her father had said a multitude of times. Joseph had had a similar view of motorcycles, one of many reasons her father had approved of him as her spouse. When Joseph finally called off the engagement, her father didn’t speak to her for a month.
Gary’s smile went away, but not without an obvious fight. “Jeff, can you help me out here?”
“I’ll do my best,” said Jeff, as he turned toward her with a serious expression. “Katie, I can tell you a few things that should put your mind at ease.”
“You can try.” Katie folded her arms.
“Well, the fact is a third of all the motorcycle fatalities involve a speeding motorcycle. And a third of all the accidents involve a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol. You know Gary’s going to be sober and drive carefully.”
“Yes, but even if he’s careful, we could get hit by a car.”
“True, but the majority of times when that happens, it’s a car turning left at an intersection and failing to yield the right of way. I’m going to send you down a low traffic road. You’ll have hardly any intersections. Just miles and miles of smooth roads with no sharp turns. And you’ll both be wearing helmets, which decreases fatalities by fifty percent.”
“I’ve never had a wreck, and I promise to be extra careful,” said Gary, whose pleading expression rivaled that of puppy begging for a treat. “I really think you’ll love it, if you give it a try.”
“I’ll tell you what,” said Jeff. “Why don’t you let Gary take you for a short spin just to try it out?”
“That’s a great idea.” Gary grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Just ten minutes. If you don’t like it, I’ll bring you right back.”
Katie’s stomach churned. She knew it was dangerous, but for some crazy reason, she wanted to try it.
I’m losing my mind.
“Five minutes,” she bargained.
Gary grinned. “Five minutes, after we get out of town.”
Her mouth was so dry, her voice came out as a rasp. “Okay.”
Gary had always loved riding a motorcycle… the power, the speed, the feel of the road. But somehow he knew sharing that with Katie would make it twice as exhilarating. Jeff had suggested they rent leathers for her, since she was wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt, and Gary agreed. Not that he expected them to need the protection in a fall, but to give her a further sense of safety. Adorable in the oversized black pants, cinched around her waist, and lightweight jacket, she’d strapped on her helmet, sporting a determined expression.
As they rode down Seaside Boulevard, he could feel her soft form trembling against his back, her arms around his chest in a death grip. Intent on protecting his precious cargo, he’d never driven so cautiously in his life. Once they made it out of Indigo Bay, he followed Jeff’s directions, turning onto Coco Beach Road. As Jeff predicted, the road was practically deserted, as it lacked a mile of being completed, to make it a throughway.
On his own, Gary might’ve been tempted to exceed the speed limit, but instead, he stayed under by five miles per hour. Just as he felt her arms loosen their grip, the five minutes were up. True to his word, he stopped on the side of the road to let her make a choice. He killed the motor, so he could hear her speak, twisting to face her.
“Well? What do you think? Do you want me to take you back or do you want to ride a little farther? I promise I won’t be upset.”
He waited, hoping she wasn’t terrified into speechlessness, unable to read her expression through the darkened visor expression.
“Could we try another five minutes?”