Chapter 2
Nita
I know that voice. I’ve had dreams and fantasies about that voice. I turn slowly because I don’t want to be disappointed when I find that it belongs to someone else. But then there he is. The sight of him pulls the air from my lungs.
My ultimate crush, my father’s best friend. Waylan Holland. Even his name makes me smile.
He looks different, but still so good. He’s grown a bit of a beard and his hair is longer. I let my eyes drink him in. He’s in a rash guard T-shirt that clings to every single one of his muscles, board shorts, and leather sandals.
“Way?”
His brows lift in surprise as he looks at me. I’m glad I wore my new bikini. I was hoping I’d meet a surfer up here on the North Shore, but this is even better.
“What are you doing in Hawai'i?” he asks.
“I start school in a few weeks. I’m going to the University of Hawai'i.”
He laughs. “Leave it to you to find a way to get closer to the beach while going to college.”
I shrug. I do love the beach. I used to tag along with Way and Dad whenever Dad would let me. It was always my jam. Mom’s not much of a beach bunny, but I am. Then again, the biggest reason I wanted to go to the beach was to watch Way surf.
I loved watching him move and balance, or even paddle out on his board.
Mom would never let him teach me, but a few times, Dad let me paddle out with one of them and one time, Way let me cling to the board while he took us in.
He stayed up all the way until the sand stopped us. Then he hopped off and helped me up.
I sigh as I realize that my crush on Way hasn’t gone anywhere, even though I haven’t seen him in almost three years. I know he never saw me as anything more than a kid, but there’s something new in his eyes when he looks at me now.
“You’re not going to let your grades slip with all the time you’ll be spending on the beach, will you?”
“No, sir,” I joke, but the words make him pause and something flares to life in his eyes, something that looks a lot like heat.
“Well, as long as you keep those grades up,” he says with a smirk.
“How do you know I have good grades? Do my parents talk to you about me?”
He shakes his head. “No. They spend too much time telling me what I’m missing. And updating me on how I dodged a bullet by divorcing Susan.”
I nod. I’m friends with Susan’s son, Bailey. I don’t tell Way that she remarried within six months of the divorce. Her new guy, Jerry, seems like a nice guy. He’s a lot older than Susan, where Way is a bit younger. He’s not in Way’s league at all.
“Maybe I’ll finally learn how to surf, now that I’m an adult.”
“You have definitely grown up, Nita. And if you’re really looking to learn, I’ll teach you.”
My insides light up as a million butterflies take flight. “You will?”
“Sure. I would have taught you when you were younger…” He leaves the rest unsaid.
“I have a couple weeks before school starts.”
“You still on California time? Because I go surfing at about 9AM Pacific, which is 6AM here.”
“Well, considering that it takes an hour to drive here from the dorms, that might be a little early for me, even though I’m not fully on Hawai’i time.”
“Are you staying at the hotel?”
I shake my head. “One of my friends knows a girl who’s getting married here this weekend and came to see all her friends. I tagged along to check out the North Shore beaches.”
“To check out the surfers, you mean?”
I laugh, but don’t dispute it. He thought that’s why I came with him, to salivate over all the surfers. And though that technically has become a habit of mine, it all started with him, with Way.
“I’d love to learn how to surf. I always wanted you to teach me.”
I hear one of my friends joke that she’d let him teach her anything.
Way’s eyes dart over to her and something curdles in my belly as I elbow her.
If he were to date a younger woman, it’s more likely to be one of my friends than me.
Does he still see me as his a kid that followed him around like a puppy?
Way hands his phone to me. “Program your number in.”
I bite my lip as I type my number into his phone. When he takes it back, he nods at all my friends and turns away.
“Who was that?” Angie asks.
“An old friend of the family.”
“I’d let him be my daddy anytime.”
I roll my eyes, but then can’t help but watch as Way makes his way through the lobby.
Then he walks behind the desk and into a back office.
Is he the manager of the hotel? In California, he managed a whole chain of hotels, so it would make sense that he’s still working in the industry, just on a smaller scale.
I want to ask him about it, but realize my mistake.
I programmed my number into his phone, but I should have sent myself a text so that I’d have his as well.
What if he wasn’t that happy to see me? What if he doesn’t text me at all?
What if the offer to teach me to surf was just small talk?
My phone buzzes and I practically trip over myself to pull it out of my bag.
It was really good to see you.
It’s from an 808 area code, so it must be from him.
It was good to see you too. Let me know when you’ll have time for those lessons.
How about tomorrow? You get to ?Ehukai Beach by 7AM local and I’ll still be there, ready to give you your first lesson.
My mind dives right into the gutter. I wonder what other lessons he can teach me.