Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
KAIRI
Mood boards are spread across a massive oak table alongside product mockups, ingredient lists, packaging samples, and enough sticky notes to drive me crazy.
In the five days that Colton’s been gone, Gabriel was able to find me a small but mighty brand—Costal Current—right here in the heart of Saltwater Springs to collaborate with to create products for surfers of colour.
Through the wall of windows next to me, I can see local surfers out on the early afternoon waves while tourists crowd the Saltwater Springs boardwalk below. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I belong.
“Okay, but hear me out,” Simran, a beautiful girl from Delhi, India, and the marketing genius behind this project, says as she leans forward in her chair. “If I paddle out with this sunscreen on and come back looking like a ghost, I’m never using it again.”
A burst of laughter circles the room.
“Exactly!” Simone points at her from across the table. “That’s what we want to avoid.”
When Coastal Current reached out to discuss the potential of this collaboration line, I expected a room full of executives nodding politely while secretly not understanding a single thing I was talking about.
Instead, they assigned Simone Carter as project lead.
She’s a Black, retired female surfer turned business woman with long braids currently piled atop her head.
The second she walked into the room this morning, I knew this project was in the right hands.
Nothing we’ve discussed feels like performative diversity bullshit for a campaign slogan, it feels real.
“We need waterproof curl protection that doesn’t feel greasy,” I continue. “And leave-in products that can survive salt water.”
Simone nods rapidly while jotting things down. “Got it.”
“And silk-lined hoods for changing ponchos,” I add.
Her eyes widen. “Wait. That’s actually genius.”
“I know,” I reply proudly.
Eliana snorts from her seat, laptop open and fingers flying over her keyboard.
“You’re both terrifyingly passionate,” she says. “In a good way.”
“That’s the goal,” Simone replies. “We need to be passionate about the things that matter.”
The room dissolves into another round of conversation as everyone starts bouncing ideas off one another faster than I can process them. We talk about campaign concepts, photo shoot ideas, community outreach to the right communities, protective style guides, and so much more.
This is what I’ve wanted. Not just sponsorships, competitions, and magazine covers of me with straight hair and skimpy bikinis. I’m going to make an impact.
The younger version of me would’ve killed to walk into a surf shop and see products that were actually made with girls like me in mind instead of treating us like an afterthought, and now I get to help create them.
“You okay?” Eliana asks gently once the conversation around us shifts toward budgeting timelines.
I blink and realize I’ve gone quiet.
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m honestly just really happy.”
Her expression softens with understanding. “This is huge, Kairi,” she says.
I smile down at the sample packaging in front of me.
“Yeah,” I whisper. “It is.”
My phone buzzes beside my notebook and my heart instinctively jumps thinking it’s Colton, but when I glance down, it’s just an email notification, and the disappointment hits harder than it should.
Colton’s been gone for five whole days, and I know if he’s stayed at Bluewater Bluffs this long, things with his family must be going well. I haven’t messaged him because I want him to enjoy this time with them without me being a distraction.
The thought makes my chest ache a little because I miss him—more than I should probably admit. I miss hearing his laugh, and the way he calls me darlin’. I miss the feeling of comfort he gives me when he’s nearby.
I miss him, I think to myself, and I love him.
The realization has been circling my mind for days now, impossible to outrun. I love the way he pushes me, the way he sees me, the way he makes every room brighter the second he walks into it. I especially love that he never asks me to make myself smaller.
I love him, and that terrifies me because Colton isn’t just some guy. He’s my best friend. The person I trust more than anyone else in the world, and if this goes wrong, I’ll lose more than a relationship. I’ll lose him.
So instead, I flip my phone face down on the table and force myself to focus on the meeting again. Right now, I’m figuring myself out. I’m building something meaningful. When Colton comes back to Saltwater Springs…then I’ll figure out what to do with my heart.
When the meeting finally wraps up, the sky has turned into different shades of pink and orange. I’m exhausted, but it’s the good kind. The kind that leaves your body tired and your soul full.
Eliana and I take the team van and stop at the grocery store on the way to Maliah’s house, tossing snacks into the cart for our first official girls’ night in a long time.
“Do we really need three bags of chips?” I ask as Eliana grabs another.
“Yes.”
“We already have pizza planned.”
“And wings,” she adds with a wink, placing the bag in the cart.
I snort, grabbing two bottles of wine from the cooler while she loads the cart with candy and chocolate.
Twenty minutes later, we pull up outside Maliah’s house looking like we robbed a convenience store. Music drifts faintly from the open front door as we climb out of the car, and standing near the front steps is Koa, one hand hooked around Maliah’s waist while he kisses her goodbye.
“Ugh,” I groan loudly. “Get a room!”
Maliah flips me off without looking away from Koa.
He finally pulls back with a grin before spotting us. “Oh good, they’re here.”
Koa heads toward the team van and helps us unload the grocery bags from the backseat.
“Where’re you spending the night, Koa?” Eliana asks him.
“At the Shredder House with Griffin, Zale, and Colton. We’re planning the bachelor party.”
I freeze halfway through grabbing a grocery bag.
“Wait.” I blink. “Colton doesn’t come back for another two days, doesn’t he?”
Koa looks over at me, a smirk fighting not to show. “He came back early.”
Warmth sparks alive in my chest. “Oh.”
Koa’s grin widens like he can literally see the exact moment my brain short-circuits.
“Couldn’t stay away for long,” he adds knowingly before climbing into his SUV as heat crawls up my neck.
I hear a sharp intake of air from beside me and quickly hold my hand up to silence it.
“Eliana,” I warn quietly.
“I didn’t even say anything,” she replies innocently.
Koa drives off while Maliah and Eliana exchange looks that immediately make me suspicious.
“Whatever conversation is happening silently right now? Stop it,” I say, pointing at both of them.
Neither of them stop smiling as they drag me inside before I can interrogate them further, and within ten minutes, Eliana’s already pacing around Maliah’s kitchen dramatically recounting the entire day.
“And then,” she says, pointing aggressively at me with a tortilla chip, “Kairi basically took over the whole meeting with her amazing ideas.”
“I did not take over anything.”
“You absolutely did,” Eliana argues.
I roll my eyes, but Maliah’s expression softens when she looks at me.
“I’m really proud of you, Kairi.”
“You are?” I ask quietly.
“Obviously.” She gestures vaguely toward me. “You’re still competing and surfing while building an actual business venture that means something.” She smiles a little sadly. “It’s inspiring.”
I lean against the kitchen counter, studying her carefully, because underneath her smile, there’s longing too.
“Do you miss surfing?” I ask.
Maliah exhales through her nose. “Sometimes.”
“You should come back,” Eliana says immediately.
Mal laughs. “Yeah, okay. Between surfing and running the bakery I’d be totally burnt out.”
“Hire part-timers,” Eliana says, like the answer is obvious. “Be a substitute surfer like what Colton does.”
Maliah blinks. “You know,” she murmurs slowly, “that’s not a bad idea…”
“Don’t tease me like this,” Elaina squeals. “Does this mean the girl gang is back together?”
I grin as Maliah shakes her head laughing before she changes the subject entirely. “Okay, time to talk bachelorette party plans.”
For the next hour we discuss the themes, games, outfits, and eventually we settle on renting out The Kooky Coconut for the night, mostly because we know the owner and because the place already looks like a tropical fever dream after dark.
I send off an email expecting to hear back tomorrow, but five minutes later, my phone dings with an approval email from the bar. The three of us scream like idiots before deciding this calls for a celebration.
Our wine bottles get opened, and the music gets louder as we dance around the living room barefoot while waiting for pizza delivery, horribly singing throwback songs into wooden spoons.
At some point, Eliana convinces Maliah to do shots every time she says Koa’s name, which turns out to be a catastrophic mistake. And somehow, against all odds, we even convince Maliah to watch a paranormal movie with us afterward despite the fact that she hates horror movies with her entire soul.
“This is how people get possessed,” she mutters into her pillow.
“That wouldn’t shock me,” Eliana says.
A demon immediately appears on screen and Maliah screams so loudly I almost choke on my pizza, laughing until tears run down my face.
I can’t remember the last time I felt this happy. But even through our laughter and all the chaos, my thoughts keep drifting back to Colton and the fact that he’s back in Saltwater Springs.
Hours later, the house finally grows quiet, empty pizza boxes littering the coffee table while the TV screen glows softly. Eliana is sprawled across one couch snoring loudly, while Maliah somehow fell asleep sitting upright with a blanket half sliding off her shoulder.
I smile at both of them before glancing down at my phone for the last time, instantly waking up when I see an unread message notification.
Colton:
Hey, stranger.
My stomach twists as I stare down at the single word.
Kairi:
You’re back?
Three dots appear almost instantly.
Colton:
Yeah.
Can’t sleep?
My lips curl into a smile.
Kairi:
No.
Colton:
Same. Want to meet at the beach?
My heart stumbles and I hold my breath as I type back.
Kairi:
Yeah, I’ll see you there.
I slowly stand from the couch, careful not to wake the others as the hardwood floor creaks beneath my feet, and head toward the hallway. I throw on Maliah’s oversized sweater over my tank top, slip my feet into sandals, and sneak out the back door.
I can hear the waves crashing softly against the shore just beyond Maliah’s backyard, and as I walk toward the sand to wait for him, my heart begins to race.