Chapter 14
The Big Kahuna
My eyes are gritty as I rub them while stumbling into the kitchen in a desperate search for caffeine.
Jules and I crashed at Ry's house after the races last night. The evening started out great with Liz. She was more relaxed around me, even letting me put my arm around her. And then something changed, and she went back to being wary whenever I got near her. Not to mention, she's spending all of her time with Jules and Ry. It’s starting to make me jealous and tick me off. Julien keeps telling me to be patient, but all I can think of is how much time I've lost with my girl already. How she must have been in pain after her car accident, and I wasn’t there to take care of her. How scared she must have been when she woke up and couldn’t remember anything.
I want to make things better for her. I just want my girlfriend back.
The Keurig finishes making my coffee. I set another K-cup in and refill it with water just as Ryder comes strolling in wearing board shorts and a swim shirt. I pass my mug to him and grab another from the cupboard.
“Thanks, man.”
“You look like you’re heading out to the beach,” I comment.
“I’m taking Elizabeth surfing.”
I’m surprised the coffee mug in my hand doesn’t shatter under the pressure I strangle it with. “Liz doesn’t surf.” And why didn't I know anything about their plans?
“She wants to try it out,” is his reply.
Ryder finishes his coffee and starts to pack a cooler with snacks and bottled water.
“You and Liz have been spending a lot of time together lately.”
“Yeah, and?” He looks over at me. There’s a challenge in the way he angles his head my way.
“And nothing. Forget I said anything.” I back down, not wanting to get into an argument I know I'll lose. “Why don’t Jules and I join you?”
“Join what?” Julien asks as he walks into the kitchen.
“Join Ry and Liz today at the beach.”
“You never said anything about going today,” he says to Ry. “I’m in, but Elijah has to work this afternoon.” Jules finds a protein drink in the fridge and chugs it down.
Ryder throws a few bagged chips in the cooler and closes it. “Not up to me. You need to ask her.”
I hold up a finger and dial Liz’s number. It takes two rings for her to pick up.
“Hello?” she answers a little too hesitantly for my liking.
“Good morning, princess.”
“I’m not your princess,” she groans.
“Jules and I want to know if we can crash your beach day,” I say, trying to sound cheerful, even though my heart is beating out of my chest from just the sound of her voice. Liz doesn’t answer for several seconds. “Liz, you there?”
I hear her sigh. “Yeah. Is Ryder there?”
I look over at him. “Yeah, he’s here.”
“Can you give him the phone, please?”
I grit my teeth. “Yeah. Hold on.” I shove my phone at Ry. “She wants to talk with you.”
He takes it and walks out of the kitchen. “Hey, I’m here,” is all I catch before he disappears down the hall.
I slam my coffee mug down on the counter.
“Jay, let it go,” Julien tells me.
“Easy for you to say. You’ve gotten to spend time with her already. That’s all I want, Jules—to spend some time with her. I don’t care where or when or how. I just miss her.”
“I know. You know I know, and I get it. Time and patience, brother.”
Ryder walks back in and hands me my phone.
“What’s the verdict?”
“She suggested we all meet up later. That is, if you still want to make the two-hour trip out. We can grab some dinner or something before coming back home.”
“What the—? Come on, Ry. Seriously?”
“Like I said, not my call. You don’t like it, take it up with her.”
He knows I won’t do that. If this is the compromise that I have to accept in order to spend time with her, then I'll take it.
“Fine. Where and what time?”
“Around three at Seaside Grille on Pier 3. We'll be on the strip of beach next to it.” Ry grabs his bag and cooler. “Jay, I know you feel that this situation sucks, but if all of us are going to be part of her life right now, we can’t push, and we have to defer to what she wants, not what we want. It’ll get better,” he promises and cuffs me on the shoulder before walking out.
If anyone dares to tell you that standing up on a board in water is easy, they need to have some sense smacked into them. I think I’ve fallen off every single time I’ve gotten on this stupid thing.
Ryder had me practice with the surfboard on the dry beach first. I had to go from lying on my stomach to popping up on two legs over and over again before he would let me take it into the water.
I understand why now. Surfing is a hard skill to learn and I know my leg muscles are going to be sore tomorrow from all the jump-squats I've been doing.
“You’re doing fine, Elizabeth. You’re trying too hard. Just relax and let it happen.”
“Easy for you to say,” I grumble, falling off the board yet again. “I think I need a break.”
I hop myself up and do a belly flop onto the board, splaying my arms out wide. Ryder pulls me out a little farther where the swells aren’t so high, and we bob gently up and down in a rocking motion.
“Sit up for me and straddle the board,” he instructs, and I do as he says.
I don’t know how he accomplishes it, but he gets on the board so that he’s facing me and our knees touch.
I become mesmerized by how the sun glints off the water dripping from his hair and face.
He’s wearing a swim shirt that fits his chest like a glove and makes me drool a little.
I’m not so sure that all the sun I’ve gotten today is the reason I’m feeling hot and flustered right now.
“We’ll need to head on in soon to meet the guys.”
“It’s that time already? I feel like we just got here.” I want to spend more time with him. Just the two of us.
“We could take a walk on the beach while we wait for them to show up.
I brighten up at his suggestion, very much liking the idea of a walk on the beach with him.
“How do you know me so well? Wait, that was a stupid question. Of course, you know me well,” I laugh, causing Ryder’s eyes to sparkle like smoky quartz crystals.
“I hope this wasn’t too bad for you.
“I may have grumbled through most of it, but I seem to have fun with you no matter what we’re doing.”
“Good to know. I’ll take you to a monster truck show one day.”
“I insist on a greased pig race,” I counter.
“Sumo wrestling.”
“Golf.”
“What’s wrong with golf?” he asks. “You played putt-putt at the go-cart place, did you not?”
I dip my hands in the warm ocean and flick water at him. “It’s not the same thing and you know it. Golf is boring to watch—like paint drying. At least with mini golf, you have obstacles and windmills to make it more exciting and kick it up a notch.”
Ryder kicks his foot up, spraying me with water. “True.”
Giggling, I kick both my feet and douse him good.
“Oh, she wants to play,” is the only warning I get before he tips the board and we both fall in the water.
I come up sputtering and feel hands around my ankle.
I kick out as a reflex because scenes from Jaws are never far from anyone’s mind when they enter the ocean, and for some reason my brain decided to retain that movie for me to remember.
Instead of the sharp bite of a shark, I feel fingers around my lower calf and a tug that releases the ankle strap tethering me to the board.
Before I have time to consider why Ryder would do that, I’m lifted high and thrown up and out, landing in a big, inelegant splash.
“Oh, now it’s on,” I threaten him when I resurface.
I swim over to where he’s hanging on the surfboard and dive under.
Once I come up behind him, I jump on his back and dunk him.
Ryder retaliates by grabbing my legs and pulling me under with him.
Breathless when I resurface, I make a 'T' with my hands and ask for a time out.
“Give up?” He smiles down at me as I float on my back.
“Never. Just give me a minute. You’re sneaky.”
I grin up at him and he grins back. And there is that flip again, deep in my stomach.
I right myself and grab hold of his shoulders.
They feel like banded steel under my wet hands.
My legs automatically come around his waist, and he reacts to my touch by taking my hips in a firm grip.
I notice his pupils contract to pinpoints; the brown, green, and yellow of his eyes hypnotic as we stare at each other.
We start to lean in towards one another.
I’m so ready to do something stupid, like attack him and kiss him senseless, when we hear our names being called.
Ryder and I look over to see Jayson and Julien waving at us from the shoreline.
“I guess that’s our cue,” Ryder says, but he doesn't let go of me.
“I guess so,” I reply, disappointed. “Want to tow me in?”
“Hop on,” he says, easily lifting me up onto the board without me doing a thing to help.
“Ryder?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for another wonderful time.”
“Anytime.”
“I guess we won’t get our walk on the beach.”
“Who says we can’t? I’m sure Jules and Jay won’t mind joining us.”
I reach to cover his hand that’s gripped on the side of the board. “I meant with you.”
He turns his hand over and we link our fingers.
“Anytime you want, Elizabeth.” And I fall just a little bit more.