Page 67 of Finding Carly
Carly stared at him in disbelief. “Seriously?”
“Yup. Not a lot of ocean in Oklahoma.”
“I guess not. But you’re a good swimmer, right?”
He laughed. “I’m a SEAL.”
“Which means you’re a good swimmer,” Carly said. “Sorry, stupid question.”
“No question you ask is stupid,” he reassured her.
“Remind me never to challenge you to a race,” she joked. “I mean, I’m a good swimmer, I can hold my own, but I never made State or anything. I’ve been mediocre my entire life.”
“You are not mediocre,” Jag said forcefully.
“I didn’t mean that in a derogatory way,” Carly soothed. “I just…I’ve been average in everything I’ve done. I think that’s what frustrated my parents. They wanted me to be the best atsomething, but I never stood out, no matter what activity I tried.”
“That’s not a bad thing,” Jag said.
“I didn’t care so much when I was in high school. I had friends and my life was pretty carefree. As long as I was having fun, I didn’t care if I didn’t win or didn’t have the highest test score. But when I was taking classes at the community college, I started to feel as if nobody reallysawme. I wastooaverage.”
“I saw you,” Jag said simply.
The three words shot straight to Carly’s heart. “After Shawn, I didn’t think I wanted to get into another relationship for a very long time. But somehow you snuck under my defenses. Now I can’t imaginenotbeing with you.”
Jag grinned at her and squeezed her hand. “Ditto.” Then he said, “Look, there’s Mokoli’i. Many people call it the Chinaman’s Island, since it looks like a conical hat, but I think the Hawaiian name is much more beautiful.”
Carly stared at the island not too far from shore as they drove past. “There are a ton of small islands around Oahu, aren’t there?” she mused.
“The state recognizes one hundred and thirty-seven islands, give or take a few,” Jag said.
Carly looked at him in surprise. “Really?”
“Yup. But in actuality there are upward of a hundred and fifty or more, if you include the smaller and mostly uninhabited islets, coral reefs, and atolls.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
Carly listened as Jag went on about how the islands were formed by volcanic activity and were actually the exposed peaks of an undersea mountain range. It was interesting to think that they were all living on the very top of a mountain, and about what it might look like without the ocean there.
Jag slowed down and flipped on his blinker. Looking to their left, Carly saw a sign that welcomed them to the Kualoa Ranch.
“I’ve heard of this place!” Carly said excitedly. “This is theJurassic Parkplace, right?”
Jag chuckled. “Yup. It’s actually a nature preserve and cattle ranch, but the Ka’a’awa Valley is where many scenes from the movies were filmed. Along withHawaii Five-O, that TV showLost, and others as well. It also had an underground bunker for residents to escape to during World War II.”
“Cool,” Carly breathed.
“And…in case you were worried about being out here and feeling vulnerable…I’ve got another surprise,” Jag said after he’d pulled into a parking spot.
Carly was shocked that she hadn’t eventhoughtof worrying about someone following her. But Jag was right, being out in a remote valley might be the best opportunity for someone to try to snatch her, or even shoot at them. But before she could say anything, he continued.
“Everyone’s meeting us here.”
“Everyone?” Carly asked.
“Yup. And even Baker agreed to come.”
“Oh my gosh, this is gonna be amazing. Thank you!”
