Chapter Fourteen
Everett stared at his daughter from across the table.
He’d wrapped up at a decent time and decided to take her to Monkeypod Kitchen.
It was a casual tiki bar, set on the beach, with great sandwiches and desserts.
A local band played music in the background.
Tourists swarmed the place, but Everett had called ahead and reserved a table, even though they usually took no reservations.
His job gave him excellent connections. He figured he’d share the benefit with Kelsey, along with some one-on-one time. For the past two days, he’d been in emergency mode, but everything was back on track and New York was pleased with the progress.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same at home.
Her head was bent, thumbs tapping nonstop on her phone. A shuttered expression kept him at bay. She was polite and answered his questions, but her voice was flat, as if speaking with Tom rather than him. Even worse? Her eyes held a banked sadness and frustration he couldn’t understand.
Everett took a sip of his whiskey for liquid courage. “Hey, want to put the phone down for a while? Go retro for this dinner? Or vintage?”
She literally winced at his awkwardness and suddenly, he felt less like a powerful millionaire spearheading a hotel and more like a nerd desperate to impress the cool girl. Her withering stare matched the words. “Neither, Dad. I haven’t seen you for two days so I figured it’d be a working dinner.”
“I had a crisis. But I solved it and I’d love to catch up.”
Her phone clattered as she laid it on the table.
He noticed her wardrobe was more casual and age appropriate.
The white shorts, T-shirt, and sandals reminded him of the old days, when she dressed for comfort and fun; before middle school and her sudden need to fit in revolved around designer wardrobes and makeup from influencers.
Her hair was in a loose ponytail. Silver hoops adorned her ears, and a stack of colorful bracelets lined her arms. She was changing so fast he couldn’t get a grip to slow it down or control the speed.
“You always do.” Her light tone contradicted the words. “Is the opening back on schedule?”
“Yes. September first. Right before Labor Day weekend. Then we head back to the city. Are you excited about going home and starting school?”
“No.”
He blinked. “How come? I thought you were pumped since so many of your friends are going?”
A shadow crossed her face. Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “I was. Things changed.”
“Why?”
She hesitated, picking at her cuticle. “They just did.”
Everett nodded. “I get it. You’re worried about the ambitious curriculum. But, Kels, you’re really smart and I know you’ll do fine. You wouldn’t have gotten in otherwise.”
“Yes I would. We have money, so we can buy our way in.”
His jaw unhinged. “Why would you say something like that? Did you hear it somewhere? Did Rowan say that?”
Now Kelsey looked shocked. “No, Dad! God, everyone knows the way the world works. We’re privileged. Your job can buy us in anywhere.”
“That’s ridiculous and wrong.”
“How’d we get a table, then, when there’s a line wrapped around the building to get in?”
Everett fell silent. Took another sip of whiskey—this time a longer one. “Okay, you’re right. Sometimes, it does help. But I swear, you got in on your own accord. You’ll love it.”
“Doubt it,” she muttered, twisting her fingers. “I just wish—”
The waiter came and dropped off their meals, interrupting her. He was glad. He wanted a change of subject. Anything to make her smile and open up and not look at him like an ogre. “Tell me how your surfing’s going.”
And just like that, the light bulb snapped on.
“It’s amazing! Rowan’s been teaching me about rip currents and ocean safety. Do you know it’s critical to be able to read the waves because it helps you decide what wave to take and which ones to skip? And guess what happened yesterday?”
Everett tried to switch mental gears from being dissed to his daughter’s sudden wide grin. “What?”
“I actually stood up the whole time—like, for real, not that flailing thing I was doing before. Rowan said I finally ‘found my stance.’”
He paused mid-bite to stare. “Your stance?”
“Yeah!” She grabbed a fry and stuffed it into her mouth.
“So, okay, you know how I kept wiping out? Rowan said it’s because I was trying to muscle the board instead of ‘feeling the line of the wave.’ Which sounds super mystical, right?
But it’s real! She made me practice popping up on the sand, like a hundred times, until my arms felt like noodles. ”
He smiled. “Sounds intense.”
“It was! But then I caught this tiny inside wave, and I stayed up the whole time! Well, almost. She said I held my rail—wait, no, my weight—on the stringer? Something like that. But she said it was ‘clean form.’” Her hands mimed the motion—crouching, balancing, eyes on the imaginary horizon.
“It felt like flying. I didn’t even think about falling. I just did it.”
Everett watched the way her whole body seemed to be still riding that wave. He imagined all that fire and joy being shared with Rowan. Not him. “You’re getting good,” he said quietly.
Kelsey’s grin widened. “Rowan says I’ve got natural balance. And she’s teaching me real surfer words, too. Like ‘the lineup’—that’s where everyone waits for sets—and ‘the pocket,’ which is, like, the power zone of the wave. She says that’s where the magic happens.”
“Sounds like she’s giving you a full education.”
“She is. Brie said I’m ready for the bottom turns but Rowan wants me to watch first because it looks easy but it’s really advanced.”
“Wait—who’s Brie?”
Kelsey ate another fry. “I told you. Brie and Chelsea were at the beach hangout. Brie’s seventeen and Chelsea’s fifteen. They’re surfers, too.”
“Still a little old for you, though,” he commented.
She narrowed her gaze. “Are you serious, Dad? Trust me—the girls my age are so much worse than Brie and Chelsea. You wouldn’t believe it.”
Alarm struck. “What do you mean? What do they do?”
Kelsey waved her hand through the air. “Never mind, just listen. Rowan said I’m not ready for the bottom turn yet, but I could probably start learning to trim—like, you lean your body to guide the board instead of fighting it. Isn’t that so cool?”
Her voice softened a little, a whisper of awe breaking through the rush. “She said surfing’s kind of like life. You can’t control the wave. You just ride what shows up and try not to panic.”
Everett’s chest tightened. “She said that?”
“Yeah.” Kelsey picked up her burger, then studied him like a sudden science experiment. “I think you’d like her if you didn’t act so . . . dad about it.”
He raised a brow. “Dad about it?”
“You know.” She smirked. “All serious and business-y. Acting like you’re judging her lessons and her lifestyle. She’s showing me all this new stuff that makes me really . . .”
She trailed off, and Everett practically leaned in with anticipation. “Really what, Kels?”
A half shrug. “Happy. I like it here. Maybe you should learn surfing, too.”
Her words were like an explosion he didn’t know how to protect himself from. Knowing he was missing all these changes while the space between them widened was like a slash of a knife.
His hotel was back on schedule, but he’d missed something so much bigger.
Before he could respond, she began chattering again. “Rowan said we’ll start practicing at Threes, but eventually, if the wind’s clean, we might go to the North Shore. Real waves, Dad. Not just the kiddie ones. I’ll totally wipe out, but it’ll be epic.”
He stared at her, caught between pride and panic. “The North Shore, huh?”
“Yeah.” She bounced up and down on the stool, eyes blazing. “It’s where the big sets live. And I wanna see if I can catch just one.”
“I don’t think—”
“But first I need to cut my teeth on Threes before North Shore. Brie said if I extend my practice time I can get to North Shore faster, so I’m going to do that.”
“More surfing? That’s all you do. Don’t you want to, uh, go shopping and touring or something else?”
The light dimmed. He literally sensed her retreat as she focused on her plate. “No. Surfing is all I want to do. You should understand. Just think of it as your work.”
His breath almost left his lungs but Everett couldn’t scold her.
She’d said the words like fact, not like an insult.
If he kept this routine up, they’d return to the city destroyed rather than closer, like he’d imagined.
“Maybe I can come watch you again,” he offered.
“See all these amazing moves Rowan’s teaching you. ”
“You’re too busy. Remember last time?” She ate her burger while his phone shook and buzzed. Her glance was full of a wary expectation he didn’t like.
Everett knew he had to do something different and show up for his daughter. “Well, I have a surprise for you. I’m booking tickets to go to a luau.”
She looked up with interest, but not outright excitement. Her expression made his heart sink a few notches. “But I wanted to go with Rowan so we could see her cousin Howie. I can go just with her if you’re too busy.”
His temper spiked. Was Rowan filling his daughter’s mind with stuff that made him the villain? Who knew what they talked about when they surfed! He and Rowan had been forming a deeper bond, he thought, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe she was simply playing him while she talked shit to his kid.
“No. I’m going with you, Kels. And I’m inviting Rowan to join us for Saturday night.”
Kelsey paused, obviously surprised. “For real? No canceling last minute?”
His chest ached but he deserved the doubt. “No. I promise. I’m looking forward to it.”
Her smile was tentative but real. Everett clung to it and swore no matter what happened, he’d be at a hundred percent on Saturday.
And he’d have a chat with Rowan. It was time to get more information from the woman stealing his daughter’s heart.