John wiped his brow, feeling the humidity and trying to remember if he’d packed extra suntan lotion. It was going to be a scorcher—already near eighty degrees, and it wasn’t even nine in the morning.

“If we’re lucky,” Cooper called back over the roar of the engine, “we’ll catch some redfish, sheepshead, maybe trout, though it’s late in the season. And maybe shark.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Gordon said. “I get enough shark when I surf.”

“Oh yeah? What’s the biggest shark you’ve ever seen?” John asked. He knew he was starting it, the mine’s-bigger-than-yours stories.

Gordon didn’t skip a beat. “I’ve surfed all over the world, but my favorite spot is off the coast of Australia. I have a lot of mates there and it’s a good time. And the waves.” He half-smiled. “Not the little skimmers you have here.” He paused to take a drink.

Cooper barked out a laugh while John simmered.

“Anyway, I was out on my board, minding my own business, waiting for a wave. We were all a good distance apart. I remember looking out, thinking about the serenity of the moment. All was so quiet. Peaceful. And then, out of nowhere, I catch sight of this bloody huge gray shadow under the water. Sixteen, seventeen feet, at least. It all happened so fast. Suddenly there was this head. A great white. The pink gums were pulled back. The teeth.” He shook his head. “Monstrous. I drew back. It was instinctive. Then he comes crashing down on the board, literally flipping me high into the air. Except, I’m still tied to the board. I hit the water, and the next thing I know he’s diving and taking me with him. I was trying to pull myself free of the band when the shark must’ve let go because the board came rocketing up to the surface, dragging me up with it. I surfaced, choking, and ripped off the leash. My buddy came paddling toward me and I climbed on his back. Somehow we managed to catch a wave.” He laughed. “It was a miracle we both stayed on the board.” He paused, remembering. “I’m lucky—I know that.”

“Well, shit,” said Cooper.

Gordon looked out at the water, then turned to John. “I’ve stared into the eyes of a lot of animals—whales, dolphins, sea turtles, seals. There’s a connection there that’s beautiful. But looking into the eye of a shark…” He paused again, and shook his head. “It’s like looking into the eye of a dead man.”

There was a long silence.

“That’s… wow,” John said, backing down. He’d never been to the Australian coast. Hell, the farthest away he’d ever surfed was off the coast of California. There was no contest.

Cooper shook his head. “I didn’t know we were getting into Jaws stories.” He laughed. “Dude, we need a bigger boat.”

Laughing, Gordon raised his hand, and John tossed him a beer, which he snared with one hand.

“You?” John asked Cooper.

“No thanks. I’m driving.”