Thank you Terry, careythomas and snow for all your help in editing and improving this chapter. I couldn't have done it without you.
Like almost all of my series, this one will only be understood if you have read the chapters before it. Thank you to my readers for going along this journey with me.
Threading the Needle
Chapter 6
Looking down the river, Rikki realized just how big the float was. There were five boats with customers and three boats with guides, in addition to the trainee boats. Between it being nice weather with good water levels on the river, and being the guide initiation weekend, just about every guide with the company was there. A few were guiding trips on the Wenatchee and Skykomish, but even they would drive over as soon as they finished. This was the big party of the year and nobody wanted to miss it.
Part of the draw was the Methow. It was a big water river like the Wenatchee but with bigger rapids. It ran for fewer weeks and was farther from Seattle, which meant there were fewer chances to run it. Either as a guest of Liz or with a boat she put together, Rikki ran it almost every year.
Looking around, Rikki took in the scenery. The dry eastern Washington landscape was lovely. The river lay at the bottom of a canyon. It wasn't a narrow one, but rather had sloping walls that gradually made its way down to the river. At various spots, the slope flattened out and there were small farmsteads, some clearly dating back to pioneer days. The riverbed itself was made up of well-worn rocks that were round and smooth. With the crystal-clear water from the snowmelt, it was easy to see them as they glided down the river. The bright sun just made it easier.
Looking back at Lena, Rikki gave her a smile. It was nice to see her doing well. She didn't even need a pep talk anymore. Things clicked and now she was reading the river without difficulty. When Lena called out a command, Rikki obeyed in time with the rest of the raft. She glanced back downstream. It looked like the rafts at the head of the float were pulling off the river.
"Lunch time," Bear said. "Remember, it's a commercial float so try to behave yourselves." He looked at Rikki and wiggled his eyebrows. As always, rafting with Bear was fun. Unlike the trainees, he wasn't wearing a wetsuit. He had on his normal guide outfit, shorts and a button up white short sleeve shirt. He topped it off with a wide brimmed Australian hat with a feather on the side. His entertaining guide personality was on full display.
Rikki laughed as she dug into the water with her paddle, obeying Lena's command. The raft came close to the sandbar they were using for a lunch place. The tip of the raft touched a rock by the shore and caught for a second, causing it to start to spin around. Quickly looking back, Rikki realized that Lena did it on purpose. Rather than trying to correct it, she let the raft turn until the stern was facing shore. At that point, she stopped the spin on her own and let the boat drift downstream. Finally, as they approached the other rafts, she called out. "All back!"
Dropping her paddle in the raft, she jumped out just as the raft touched the sandbar. Grabbing the safety line around the rafts, she pulled hard. One of the other guides on shore ran over to help.
"I've got it," Lena told him as she yanked it hard and the raft slid several feet up on shore. She held it secure while everyone got out of the raft. After that, she let her crew pull it up and out of the water.
"Nice job," Bear told her as he gave her a little hug. She grinned. It was much nicer to get praise than be the one who screwed up. Lena saw that Rikki was opening up the drybag that held all of their lunches. Walking over, she grabbed hers when Rikki pulled it out and waved it around. Once Rikki had hers, the two women walked over to sit on a big log. The warm sun shone on them.
At first, both of them were quiet as they ate. It had been a long time since breakfast. Unlike some of the guides, they didn't come up last night. Lena carpooled with Rikki and Winnie. The three of them made the four hour drive that morning, leaving at 5 AM. After a few minutes, their hunger was a bit sated and they started to slow down. Rikki looked around and saw that Winnie was eating with her boat. She smiled. "It's nice to see she is making friends like that," Rikki said. "I like being with her, but part of the point for her was to get a set of friends in Seattle."
"She's a sweetie. It's easy to like Winnie," Lena said. "Except for Julie, who doesn't seem to like any of the women, I think everyone likes Winnie." She grinned as she watched Logan drift over to talk to Winnie's boat. "Especially Logan," she added.
Rikki nodded but didn't comment. She knew Logan from her past trips with Liz, though not very well. He always seemed like a bit of a player, but it wasn't her place to say something. Winnie was a grown woman. In any case, he wasn't in the same class as Liz. Rikki couldn't help glance at Lena. Sure enough, her attention was on Liz.
Unlike the trainees and the guides who weren't working, Liz mingled with the customers. Some of the customers had rafted with her in the past and called her over to talk. Weston didn't care. Liz had a way with people that helped make them more likely to come back. As much as her organizational skill, he appreciated that.
Still, it was almost inevitable that Liz ended up talking with a few good-looking women. Even from a distance, Rikki could see the familiar flirting behavior. She glanced again at Lena. "Don't look so sad," she said.
Lena broke her concentration on Liz and gave Rikki a little smile. "It's not sad," she said. She saw the look Rikki gave her. "No, really. It is disappointment," Lena explained. "We talked last week and.... Well, I thought, maybe she wouldn't ignore me so much this week."
"Guide training is still going on, Lena," Rikki said. "And Liz doesn't like to be alone. Alex is here with Indigo, so she isn't available." They both looked over at where Indigo and Alex were laying together against a big bleached tree trunk on the shore. They too were enjoying the sun. Other rivers were more fun for a kayaker. Alex was just there to be with Indigo. "I told you, Lena. This is what she's like."
Lena didn't say anything. She watched Liz and then let out a big sigh as she saw her reach out and put a hand on the thigh of the best-looking woman of the three. "Why does she still attract me so much?" she asked.
"I think every woman she comes on to wonders that," Rikki said. "She must have something."
