Thornton waited until Tessa was securely in the boat before moving toward it. "I think I should be able to manage it," he said, sounding far more confident than he felt. Stepping into a boat while wearing robes was not new to him, but it also wasn't necessarily the easiest thing.

Tentatively stepping off the dock with one foot, Thornton leaned to put his weight on the foot now in the boat, wobbling slightly. Quickly, before he could be too worried about it, he swung his second leg over, thankful that he'd kept his balance.

Now in the boat, he moved to sit, so as to make room for others.