Sharkbait

“On Tour” was a euphemism for “working your ass off.”

Hawaii was a good example. We were all sitting in business class, the twins and Amy in the row with me. We worked on our coursework, preferring to do this when we weren’t in paradise. Mercedes was along as the Bodyglove event coordinator, Linda had two camera operators with her to handle the filming for the show, and Fiona and Carly were running our security. Our flight left at dinnertime, and with the time changes, we arrived at our hotel in Honolulu about ten PM local time. “Get some sleep because we start shooting at seven.”

Waking early, we ran the beach together before breakfast. Mercedes wanted to get shots on Waikiki Beach, with Diamondhead in the background, before the beaches got crowded. It didn’t matter; word spread, and the police and our security had to work to keep people back. The photographer started with us on the beach. He shot some basic poses, playing on the same side in a simulated volleyball game, sunbathing in matching chaise lounges, and walking towards and away from the camera. Two male models were also here, and they were in and out of the shoot. When Mercedes rotated us out to change clothes, the photographer kept going with other models.

By the time we finished at this location, it was past noon. Lunch was small and not filling, as apparently my “barbecue gut” wasn’t a good look for the cameras.

Mercedes loaded everyone onto buses to head to the next place, which was at the top of Diamondhead. Celebrities didn’t get a free pass from the long hike up the trails and through the tunnels to the rim of the extinct volcano, but at least I didn’t have to carry any equipment! It was my first time up here, and the view was amazing. Mercedes wanted shots with Waikiki in the background. “It’s all about local ties,” she told me. “We’ll pick a half-dozen or so shots out of today and use them for the local advertising.”

After we got down from the summit, we loaded into cars and headed for the North Shore. Getting out at Sunset Beach, we walked down to where the HIC PRO surfing competition was going on. “The next two hours are about meeting people and getting organic photos of you interacting with fans and surfers,” Mercedes said. “Don’t hang out together, mingle. Social media is our friend here. Every fifteen minutes, you’ll change suits in the bathrooms. Three of the surfers endorse Bodyglove, so make sure you’re both seen with them a lot.”

“I got it,” I said as I tossed my cover-up into the van. Linda handed out necklaces that doubled as microphones, so the cameras wouldn’t need to be so close and could still pick up the sound. Fiona was going to keep an eye on me, while Amy was with Carly, and the twins would link if they needed help. I’d never been to a surfing competition, and it was awesome. I was recognized immediately, and fans soon surrounded me. I signed autographs, took pictures, and spent time talking sharks with fans young and old for the first hour. Coming out after a bikini change, I spotted Todd Kanoheh, one of the Bodyglove surfers who had just finished his heat, coming out of the water with his board. He was young, only seventeen, but he was making a name for himself. He was only five-feet-eight, but his curly black hair and wide smile had me relaxing immediately.

He’d finished second in his twenty-five-minute heat, riding five waves, the top two scores counting. He smiled waved at me, then told the security guy to let me through into the contestant area of the beach. “Vicki Lawrence,” I said as he invited me to sit by him on the bench.

“Todd, I’m your date tonight,” he said with a smile. My eyes widened, as I hadn’t known who, just that I would be having a public date with one of the Bodyglover surfers. “You won’t have problems with me, Vicki. I’ve seen the videos, and I like my arms the way they are.”

“Oh, God,” I said as I sat down next to him. “You know we’re going to have cameras and everything along.”

“Yes, but it’s all right; we do what we need to do and try to have fun doing it. Life is short, enjoy the hell out of it, that’s my motto.”

“No jealous girlfriends to crash the party?”

He snickered. “I’m a little like you; I’m too busy to be messing around with the pro hos on tour.”

“And my boy is a gentleman,” a Hawaiian woman in her early forties said as she handed a bottle of water to him.

“My mother, Malia,” Todd said. “Mom, this is Vicki Lawrence. Mercedes asked me to escort her tonight.”

I held out my hand to her, but she pulled me into a hug instead. “You do good things for sharks,” she said. “I like you.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

“Where are you taking her,” Mom asked as she fixed her glance on her boy.

“I was going to find out what she liked to do before I made plans,” he replied.

“I like to eat a lot,” I said without thinking, then put my hand over my mouth when I realized I’d said that out loud. Todd started laughing, and Malia was trying not to.

“Seriously, you lead with that?”

“I’m sorry, they barely feed you on these shoots, and I love barbecue,” I said to defend myself. “I love to dive and swim, of course. Dancing can be fun, but I’m not very good at it. I don’t like to drink, and I’m not a party girl unless it’s on a beach or at a pool. I’m kind of boring.”

“Do you surf?”

It was my turn to laugh. “I grew up in Minnesota, a thousand miles from any ocean. I’ve never even tried.”

“You bring her home, Todd. I’ll feed her, and then you can teach her how to surf.”

“Oh, you don’t have to cook for me,” I said. “You should know I’ll have a director, two camera operators, and a security guard with me.”

“They can eat too,” she said as she stood up.

“I hate to ask this, but,” I started nervously. “I know my friends would love to try surfing, but Amy is married, and the twins have serious boyfriends. Mercedes won’t arrange blind dates for them.”

“My family will help teach them, and I don’t mind,” Todd said.

Mom put a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll invite more family, and we’ll make a party of it. I’m sure they would love to meet you and your friends, and they don’t mind going in the water. I’ll let everyone know and get started on dinner while you two go meet the fans. Sponsors are an important part of your job, Todd.”

“Yes, Mom,” he said as he flashed that smile again. He was a good kid. Todd held his hand out for me as he got up, and I held it as he walked down towards the water. We let the camera people take some photos before we spent time together with our fans. Mercedes loved the idea of surfing lessons, and the girls were excited about having a home-cooked meal.

Todd held my hand any time he could, and I’m sure the social media posts with us leaving the event together would be out before we got into our van. He let go as soon as the door closed. “Sorry, Mercedes asked me to make our date look real,” he said.

“I didn’t mind, and the date is real to me,” I replied. Todd was a nice guy, but since he wasn’t of age, there was no way of telling if he was my mate. I could do worse, and I had. “It cut down on the date requests and marriage proposals. Only three of those today,” I said as I rolled my eyes.

I asked him about his surfing, and he talked to me about my reality show. “Producing the show yourself is a ballsy move,” he said. “High risk, high reward, like that big wave that will score high or put you through the washing machine.”

“It’s become so much more than I anticipated, and now with the Sea Scout, there’s so much more I can do,” I said.

“I don’t know how you can dive with big sharks! They scare the crap out of me when they show up while I’m surfing,” he said.

“Maybe I need to take you shark diving to make up for you teaching me to surf.” Maybe I could; I’d have to check with Ocean, because on our off day tomorrow, we were using her boat. I sent her a quick text to ask.

We rolled up with three vehicles to Todd’s home in the hills overlooking the North Shore town of Haleiwa. As always, our guards got out first, and Carly froze as soon as she stood up. “He’s here,” she sent to us. “MATE IS HERE.”

“You CANNOT shift, Carly, he must be human. Fiona, stay with her.” I waited for Fiona to give the all-clear, then we all got out and followed them to the back yard of the small house. Guests packed the yard, and a long table was filling with native Hawaiian dishes. To say it smelled fantastic was an understatement; I wanted Todd as my mate just for his Momma’s cooking alone.

Todd walked us around, introducing us to his extended family. It turned out that Carly’s mate was Michael, Todd’s older brother, who worked for a construction company in Waikiki. “You’re off duty until after we get back from the shark tour tomorrow,” I sent to her. We could always use more divers with cameras, but the show wasn’t as important as meeting your mate.

I watched her talking with Michael as Todd sat me at the table. “Try a little of everything, we may have gone slightly overboard,” Malia told us.

Dinner was a lively affair, family members trading places with each other, so the four of us could spend time with them all. The food was amazingly flavorful, using tropical fruits and sauces. I begged a few recipes out of Todd’s mother and aunts, and I had a little Sharkbaby belly by the time we loaded up to go surf.

We went to a beach with a gentler surf, our group joined by Todd’s father, younger sister, and cousin. Carly learned to surf in the cold waters of Oregon, so she went to a different beach with Michael.

I’m sure Linda got plenty of blooper footage out of our learning time. I was a strong swimmer, but I was better under than on top of the water. Todd was patient, helping me until I was able to pop up and ride a wave. “WOOOHOOOO,” I yelled as I rode it into shallow water.

“Great job,” he said as he swam in. I jumped on him, pulling him close and kissing him in my excitement.

I liked it a lot, and so did he.

The kiss turned into a make-out session in the knee-deep surf, caught on film by the ever-present crew.

We watched the sunset from the beach before he lit a fire. He invited a bunch of his friends to join us, and soon we were dancing and having fun well into the night. When it was time to go, I didn’t want to leave. After a lingering goodbye kiss, I got back into the car for the ride to our hotel.

“You look like you had fun,” Amy said as she nudged me out of my fog.

“I did,” I said. “Todd’s going to meet us at the dock in the morning. Ocean said he could join us.”

I got as much sleep as I could; tomorrow was a Bodyglove off day, but Amy and I were joining Ocean Ramsey and her team for the day. We brought our free-diving gear, while Fiona brought the big underwater camera and smaller ones to attach to our masks. Ocean’s husband volunteered to film with another camera, so we were set.

I had to hold Todd’s hand as Ocean did the dive briefing for the spot she had chosen. The area was perfect for free diving. It wasn’t too deep twenty to forty feet, clear water, and a sand and coral bottom. “This is one of my favorite spots for big tiger sharks,” she said, making Todd grip my hand tighter. She spent a lot of time talking about their behavior keys and what to do if they started getting aggressive. “I’ll dive with Vicki and Jane with Amy. Each camera operator will be with a safety diver. Once Todd is comfortable, he can take Amy’s place.”

Amy agreed; as much as she loved diving, her limited field of vision was a liability in a dive with multiple big tiger sharks. We anchored at the area, and the camera operators got in the water first, followed by Ocean and me.

I was in my element, and it was a great spot. There were a half-dozen tiger sharks around, ranging from eight to thirteen feet long. We alternated our descents, one pair diving down for a few minutes, then resting while the other dove. The big tigers weren’t aggressive, which gave us some great footage. I even got Todd to dive down close enough to swim next to one. I promised to watch Todd at one of his upcoming competitions, and we shared a long kiss before I left him at his house.

It had been a dream day, but Linda was banging her head against the headrest as we drove back to the hotel. “What’s wrong,” I asked.

“I can’t do both, and there is SO much more footage to go through than I anticipated,” she said. “There’s not enough time between shoots to be both director and editor of a reality show. I’m going to need help.” After discussing it for a while, Linda decided to hire an editor to travel with us. While we were filming, she would be setting up the rough cut of the previous day. Watching the dailies before going to bed would become a habit for us.

The next morning, we were off to the airport to travel to Tahiti, followed by Fiji, New Caledonia, and New Zealand.

And that was before Thanksgiving.