Better vs. Worse E-Book

Mary E. Thompson

• Herausgeber: BluEyed Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Commitment is a four letter word…
My little sister’s best friend has always been off-limits.
It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve imagined what it would be like to be with her, she doesn’t want me. She wants a clean-cut guy with a boring job who’ll sit at home and answer her every beck and call.
I know who I am, and I’m not going to change.
Sure, I’d do anything she asked, but I can’t change me. Not that she’s ever asked. She knows I’m a lost cause. Life as a surf instructor might not be stable, but it’s fun and I’m good at it.
These days I think it’s the only thing I’m good at. Because I sure as hell suck at saying no to her lately.

Leseprobe

BETTER VS. WORSE

OPPOSITES ATTRACT, BOOK TWO

MARY E THOMPSON

Better vs. Worse

Opposites Attract, book two

Copyright © 2018 Mary E Thompson

Cover Copyright © 2020 Mary E Thompson

Cover photo from depositphotos, Copyright © project1photo

Chapter header vector from depositphotos, Copyright © emaria

Published by BluEyed Press, All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-944090-56-2

Print ISBN: 978-1-944090-57-9

Created with Vellum

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

The Big Island of Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It’s a fantasy to visit there, but a few lucky people get to call it home. They get to walk out their front door and be in paradise every single day. But that doesn’t mean it’s all perfect all the time. There are still curves ahead, and not just the women these men fall head over heels for.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Order vs. Chaos

Better vs. Worse

Boy vs. Girl

Devil vs. Angel

Mainland vs. Island

Big & Beautiful Ever After is a subscriber exclusive short story that takes place after Mainland vs. Island.

SUBSCRIBE NOW AT MARYETHOMPSON.COM

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Epilogue

About the Author

For my husband, who reminds me every day what true love is like.

CHAPTERONE

There was nothing better than being out on the ocean, surrounded by deep blue water. Just me and my surfboard. That was peace. I could think out there. I didn’t have to worry about money or family or the woman I was in love with.

It was just me.

I lined up my board and paddled lazily with the wave. It picked me up and carried me toward the shore for a second. I slipped off the back end, letting it go on without me.

I trailed my hand through the water and eased back on my board, staring up at the sky. The clouds moved above me, changing from nondescript shapes to more nondescript shapes. I never understood how people could see things in a cloud. I just saw clouds.

Shaking my head at myself, I sat up and paddled in, catching a ride with another wave. Sand dragged along the bottom of my board, stopping me at the shoreline. I laid there for a few minutes, trying to force thoughts out of my head. Thoughts I had no business having.

It had been weeks since I saw Ada. Since she threw herself at me in the ocean right where I laid on my board. And I rejected her and sent her running.

I still wanted to kick myself. If I hadn’t turned her down, she might not have gone sprinting into the abyss. No one had heard from her, not even my sister, Ada’s best friend. She was gone. They all wanted answers from me, but I didn’t have any, so they were pissed.

I deserved it.

With a groan, I pushed myself up and grabbed my board. I stashed the board on my lanai and dropped into a chair and stared out at the water.

Then I got to work.

I measured the board I was riding and wrote everything down. The wood I had would work perfectly. It was straight, long, and wide. Perfect for a template for a new surfboard.

I laid the wood across the sawhorses I picked up at the hardware store and sketched right onto the surface. I knew the shape I wanted, but I wasn’t about to make any cuts. I had to work the wood for a while and make sure it was just right.

Making a surfboard was a dream of mine since I first rode a wave. The idea that something started as a tree, was covered in foam, and became a vehicle to carry me across the water fascinated me.

I only shared my dream with one person. And he shot me down immediately. He said the same thing as everyone else. I was a surf bum without any real ambitions.

Ada threw that in my face when I rejected her, too.

She was right. I’d always settled for what I had. I never reached for more. More meant taking risks. I knew what that led to.

I worked for hours on the board. When the dimensions were perfect, I took a saw to it and cut out the shape. It was starting to look like a surfboard. At least a blank for one.

I had all the supplies I needed to make my board. It was going to take a while, but I needed to do something. I had too much time on my hands. Time that didn’t do me any good if I was just sitting around.

After a quick lunch, I cut the stringer and added my foam. I set it aside to dry and went back into the water.

“I wondered if you were ever going to come out,” a voice said when I came up from a wave. “I’ve been out here for almost an hour.”

I shook the water from my hair, wincing when it slapped me on the cheek, and smiled at Virginia Kelley, my closest friend and ex. Ginny was on Oahu last I knew, getting in some time in the serious surf. I paddled closer and gave her a one armed hug. “Welcome back. You should have come and grabbed me.”

Ginny snorted. “Been there, done that. What are you working on?”

I glanced at the shore and wondered how much she could see. Nothing, I hoped. “Just a project I’ve been thinking about. What are you up to?”

“I needed a break. My dad’s been up my ass all week. He still wants me to take over the plantation.”

“And you still don’t want to.”

Ginny shook her head. “I know I’m foolish to think I can make it onto the circuit, but I want to try again.”

“Not foolish,” I admitted. I had dreams of being a pro surfer once upon a time, but when my parents died, I gave that dream up to raise my sister.

I understood Ginny’s reluctance to work her dad’s coffee plantation. My dad worked for her father when I was growing up. After he died, I went to Mr. Kelley and asked him for a job so I could support Kiki. He gave it to me readily, but he was a hard-ass. He worked like a man half his age, and had no qualms telling me I was throwing my life away surfing.

He wasn’t the only one to tell me that.

“I feel like I’m letting him down. Then again, I’m always letting him down. Why would this be any different?” Ginny flashed that smile of hers, the one that got her into my bed in the first place. We were friends growing up, but after my parents died, she was there for me. One night, after too many drinks and not enough sleep, she gave me a smile that made me feel like I was more than the failure I felt like.

“Your dad just wants you to be happy.”

She snorted again. “Yeah, right. And he hopes I’ll marry a guy like you, too.”

I laughed with her. Her dad never liked me. Even less when he found out we were together. The relationship didn’t last, but her dad’s hatred of me did. It had been years since we split up, and he still wouldn’t smile at me.

“I know my dad’s trying, but I’ve never wanted to grow coffee for a living. Not like my brother.”

Ginny looked to the sky. The clouds offered no view into the heavens where her little brother, Dave, and my parents watched us.

“Maybe he should sell the plantation.”

Ginny tipped her head back and laughed. Her long, dark ponytail touched the surface of her purple board, clinging to her matching purple rash guard in places. When she met my dark eyes with her own purple tinted ones, the impact of her gaze shocked me like it always did.

She was a beautiful woman.

Maybe I should try things with her again. We were good friends. We got along. We both loved to surf. And she never accused me of being an overgrown child.

But she wasn’t Ada. That was what always got me. Every woman I slept with, looked at, thought about…none of them were Ada.

“I told my dad to sell, but he refused,” Ginny said, bringing me back to the conversation. “He’s as stubborn as they come.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” I muttered with a grin.

Ginny cupped her hand under the water and splashed me. We tossed water back and forth until we were both dripping wet and laughing.

“I know what I want. I can’t let anyone stand in the way of that,” Ginny said when we stopped splashing each other. “Dave always told me to go for it.”

I sobered quickly and nodded. Ginny’s brother was her biggest fan. He encouraged her to surf all the time, even helping her sneak out at times when their dad didn’t want her to go. His death hit Ginny hard, especially when her dad came down on her about running his plantation.

“Then go for it, Gin. Don’t let him hold you back. Push through and do it. There’s always a competition this time of year. Sign up.”

Ginny thought for a second, then nodded. “I will. Thanks, K. For now, I’m going to beat you to this wave.”

She took off, leaving me too far out of reach to catch her or the wave. I snagged the next one and met her on shore.

“Water?”

“Yes, please.”

We walked together to my house, trailing sand and water into the kitchen. I handed her a bottle and grabbed one for myself, then followed her back to the lanai.

“What’s that?” she asked, spotting my board, drying on the sawhorses.

“Nothing,” I said immediately, knowing it wouldn’t fly with her.

“It’s a board,” she said slowly, getting up and approaching it. “Are you making a board?”

I nodded. “Just a little project.”

She shook her head and inspected the template I had leaning against the side of my house. “This isn’t a little project. I love this shape. Is it yours?”

I nodded.

“Will you make me one?”

I immediately shook my head. “No. It’s not like that. I’m just playing around.”

She leveled me with a look that could only come from someone who knew me. I couldn’t bullshit her, and her eyes said so.

I caved under her stare. “Fine. I want to make boards. I always have, but I never had a chance.”

“Good for you. This is going to be awesome. I want to be your first customer.”

“I don’t know if it’ll be any good.”

She scoffed. “Of course it will. You can do anything. You hide behind that hang-ten attitude you’ve perfected, but you’re smart. I see the marks on this. You didn’t half-ass this design.”

I sucked in a breath and followed her fingers as they traced the lines I drew on the template. She was right. I sketched the general shape I wanted, then I measured everything. Precisely. Five times. I wasn’t going to leave anything to chance and end up with a board that didn’t do what it was supposed to do.

“Do you think you can have one for me by the competition?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know how long this is going to take.”

Ginny chugged the rest of her water and tossed the bottle in the bin. “Then I’ll get out of your way so you can keep going. Purple. I want a purple board. Like I have. Same shape as this one, but smaller so I can ride it without looking like a child.”

I knew better than to argue with Ginny when she made up her mind. I just nodded and watched her jog back into the water and dive under a wave. She popped back up a few seconds later and waved. I waved back, then studied my board. It would be another day before it was dry and I could do more work, but I still had things to do.

Like design the damn thing.

I drew different logos and design options but nothing felt right. I didn’t even know what to call my company, if I ever started one. I was surrounded by wadded up paper and getting more and more frustrated by the second when my phone rang.

“Hey Kiki,” I said to my sister.

“I’ve been trying to call you. Where are you?”

“Home. Why?”

“I need some help. Three waiters called in sick and I can’t get by tonight without the help. Is there any way you can—”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” I assured her. “Black tie?”

Kiki snorted. “This is Hawaii. We’re never black tie. But a clean pair of shorts and a nice shirt would be good.”

“Black?”

She hesitated. “Yes, please.”

I snickered. “See you soon, sis.”

I showered and changed into an outfit appropriate for serving guests at a wedding and headed to Opposites Attract. I pulled into the parking lot, breathing a sigh of relief when I saw how empty it was. There was no way the wedding had already started, which meant I had time to help Kiki get set up before show time.

I got out of my Jeep and was walking across the parking lot when I saw her. Strolling casually toward the office as though she hadn’t disappeared for weeks. She smiled at one of the other waiters, accepting a hug from him, and holy fuck did my blood boil.

I stalked across the parking lot, keeping her in my sights. She didn’t see me approach, which was definitely to my advantage. I was on her in seconds, grabbing her arm and spinning her to face me.

The shock was quickly replaced by a mask of apathy, but anger flashed in her eyes, tinged with unease, before she looked away.

“Where the hell have you been? Kiki’s been going nuts trying to find you.”

Ada shook her head and met my eyes. I could see the depths of her fear in them. Fears that I knew first hand. Fear that kept me from telling her how I felt about her for years.

“I needed some time to myself,” she admitted.

Her voice was different. She wasn’t the feisty Ada I knew. This Ada was worn down. Beaten and bruised.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head and gave me a smile that didn’t get anywhere close to her beautiful hazel eyes. Eyes I could stare into and get lost if I let myself.

But it wasn’t smart. I wasn’t educated or clean cut or wealthy. Not like the guys she went for. I was a guy who went straight to work after I finished high school. I never had big dreams about fancy jobs or big houses or expensive stuff. A beach and a surfboard was all I ever needed.

I didn’t need an education to know getting involved with Ada would only end with pain. Mine, not hers. She knew what she wanted from life, and it wasn’t a guy like me. It was one of those guys I’d never be. Which was why I kept my hands to my damn self even though she looked like she needed a hug.

“I’ve spent a lot of time convincing myself I needed a lot of things. I’ve been trying to figure out what I really want. The problem is, I’ve been telling myself I need a certain kind of guy. A guy that meets all these arbitrary requirements. I’m not sure about that anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” I demanded, reaching out to cup her elbow before she walked away.

Big mistake.

Touching her sent a bolt of lightning through me so fast it burned me. I ached to tug her against me and never let go. To believe her words and trust that she really meant it.

“Everything I’ve ever told myself I wanted is the opposite of you. I’ve tried to convince myself I needed someone who was opposite of you. I had this crush on you for so long, and you never reciprocated, so I told myself I needed someone who was nothing like you. But now I’m not so sure I was wrong. Maybe I really do need a guy who’s the opposite of you. You don’t have anything for me. You don’t want me, and it’s time I get that through my head and stop trying to force something that’s definitely not going to happen.”

* * *

Ada delivered her parting blow with all the flourish of a funeral director. She didn’t offer me anything beyond her words and her back, telling me I’d truly crushed her.

I wanted to yell, but it would only alert everyone else that something was seriously wrong. Something none of them could fix. It was up to me, and I didn’t know how in the hell I was going to solve it.

I numbly followed Ada to the back where people rushed all over the place as though they were singlehandedly responsible for the wedding. I spotted my sister and pushed Ada from my mind so I could go to work.

“Where do you need me?”

“Kapena. Hey. Um, you can go. I’m sorry. I’ll figure it out.”

“Ada told you to get rid of me?” I accused.

Kiki immediately shook her head. “No. Of course not. I just figured it would be easier on both of you if you weren’t here together.”

“I already saw her. I’ll stay out of her way. If you don’t need the help, I’ll go, but that’s not what you said just a few minutes ago.”

Kiki chewed on her bottom lip and glanced at the waiters scurrying around. “Fine. I need the help. If you can handle it, I’d really appreciate it.”

I nodded and went to work. I knew the drill from helping her get the place off the ground. It was easy enough to jump in and help the guys finish setting up the space for the reception and the tables for dinner.

We finished just in time. As per usual, all the guests showed up together. We were ready for them and directed them to the beach for the ceremony.

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” a voice said from behind me once the guests were gone and things settled down.

I spun and grinned when I saw Alvin, Ada’s brother, behind the bar. “You work here? Kiki didn’t tell me.”

Alvin nodded. “I do. She hired me a few months back.”

I clasped his hand over the bar surface and nodded. “Good to see you. It’s been too long.”

“It has,” Alvin agreed. “What have you been up to?”

“Still surfing. You know me. Living life on the water.”

“We’re just a couple screw-ups, aren’t we?” Alvin said with a laugh. “My sister tells me all the time that I should do more with my life than serve drinks, but she doesn’t get it.”

The mention of Ada and her reservations about any man without a traditional job that afforded certain luxuries turned my stomach.

“I love your sister, but she doesn’t have nearly enough fun.”

Alvin laughed. “I tell her the same thing. She says she’s happy with her life, though. I think she’s crazy.”

I nodded, thinking about the woman in the parking lot. She was definitely not happy with her life. That Ada was damaged. I damaged her.

“Maybe she’ll find someone who makes her happy. Brings a little excitement to her life,” I forced out, hating myself for every word. I wanted her to be happy, but dammit, I didn’t want her to be happy with someone else.

And I was an asshole for it.

Alvin snorted. “She has the worst taste in men. I don’t think she could pick a good one if you paid her to. I don’t know what it is, but my sister can’t find a decent guy for anything. I’ve almost given up hope that she’ll end up with someone who will treat her right, let alone someone who will bring her that excitement we’re talking about. The one she’s been dating the last few months seems good enough. He checks all those boxes she wants a guy to check. You know, good job, clean-cut, nice, boring. Nothing like us. I figure a guy like this one might be what she needs. At least I know he won’t hurt her.”

I nodded, unable to choke out any words. I didn’t know she was seeing someone. Or rather, that she never stopped seeing the guy from before.

It didn’t matter, though. Alvin was right. Ada had shitty taste in men. Mostly because she wanted me, and I was all kinds of wrong for her. Everyone knew it.

Which meant I needed to just stay away. It was the best thing I could do for her. Let her go on with her life with the perfect guy who wouldn’t hurt her and stay as far away from her as I could get. She said she was done with me. I needed to find a way to be done with her.

CHAPTERTWO

I stayed around the edges of the reception all night. The alcohol was flowing freely thanks to Alvin’s heavy-handedness and a line of limos ready to take the entire wedding back to their hotels. The few times I caught sight of Kiki, she was smiling, so it was a good night.

As long as I ignored the beautiful woman flirting with every male in the place. Except me, of course. She steered clear of me.

I did my job and tried not to notice. I smiled at the bridesmaids, barely noticing how attractive they were. I handed out food and drinks and cleared tables and directed people to the bathroom. I smiled and put on a happy face.

And I wanted to kill myself.

Did she have to flirt with every guy? I mean, really? Every one. She was dating someone.

“You’re looking awfully annoyed tonight,” Jack said by way of hello. “What has your attention so snared? Or should I say who?”

Jack followed my gaze and snickered.

“Ah, I see. What has my dear friend done that has you so focused on her?”

I didn’t answer Jack knowing his loyalties lied squarely at Ada’s feet instead of mine. I had no fantasies that anyone was on my side in this.

“She looks good for a woman who was gone for weeks. Did she tell you where she was?”

I shook my head.

“I think the volcano was good for her.”

“Volcano?” I blurted.

Jack grinned that damn smile that said he knew I was thirsty for any bit of information I could get about her.

“She said she spent some time at the volcano. A friend has a house or something. She was relaxing and enjoying her time there. Went to the spa and hiking and got her head on straight from what she told me. I wonder what had her so twisted up. Any ideas, Kapena? Because I’m thinking it wasn’t David.”

“Screw you, Jack.”

“Be careful. I might take you up on that,” Jack joked.

I rolled my eyes at him and walked away. The volcano. Ada spent weeks at the volcano. With a friend. Who was the friend? David? Jack didn’t say that, but maybe she was. Was she fucking him while she was trying to figure out how she felt about me?

No. I shook my head. I had no right to be upset with her. If she was there with David, she had every right to be. He was her boyfriend.

“You okay?” Sawyer asked as he walked past me, camera in hand.

I nodded and kept going. I needed a break from watching Ada and disappearing seemed to be the only way to get it.

The water lapped gently at the shore, tempting me in ways only the ocean or a woman could. I kicked off my shoes and stepped into the water. Just the feel of it hitting my skin calmed me. I took a few steps into the surf, the familiar pull sinking in deep.

Surfing was a way of life in Hawaii. Everyone surfed. It was the way I connected with my father as a kid, and a source of contention when I grew up. It became one of the few things I was able to hold on to after he died. We didn’t live a lavish life growing up. My parents worked hard, but Hawaii was always expensive. Surfing was cheap, though. All you needed was a board and a beach. So we surfed.

Standing in the water reminded me of my parents. They were out there somewhere, entombed in a plane at the bottom of the ocean. It killed me to know they died that way, but they were together, and that would have made it easier on both of them.

Nothing about losing them was easy on me. Not getting the phone call that they were gone, or telling Kiki, or dealing with everything that came with the responsibility of being the only adult left in our family. I never regretted the choice I made to give up my shot at being a pro surfer to take care of Kiki, but I’ll never stop regretting how I left things with my father the last time we spoke. Right before he got on the plane.

In my darkest moments, I wondered if I would have been good enough for Ada if they’d survived and I’d made it as a pro surfer, but I’d never know the answer to that question.

“What are you doing down here?” Ada asked from behind me.

I spun to face her, taken aback once again by how beautiful she was. The moonlight reflected off her silver gown. Shadows accented her curves, curves I wanted to trace with my fingertips, and my tongue. Her hair blew in the breeze, whipping back from her face to expose her neck to me.

But above all was her eyes. Those eyes drew me in as they always did. My mother used to say she could see the truth in our eyes and knew when we were lying. With Ada, I could see everything in her eyes. Love, heartbreak, a future, a past.

“I’ll go,” she said, turning to walk away and breaking the connection that rendered me mute.

“No, don’t.”

She turned slowly and met my gaze. Her arms crossed over her chest, waiting for me to say something.

Except I had no idea what to say. I just didn’t want her to go.

She huffed, dropped her arms, and stormed off, leaving me on the beach.

I rolled my eyes at myself and chased her back to the party. By the time I got there, she was sitting at a table with another guy, looking far too cozy for my conscience.

I huffed out a deep breath and headed for the bar. The party was winding down. Kiki wouldn’t mind if I had a drink.

“You still working?” Alvin asked when I leaned against the edge and asked for a beer.

“Yeah, why?”

“Kiki said not to serve anyone during work hours.”

“Even me?”

Alvin shrugged. “Sorry, dude. She’s the boss.”

I groaned and pushed away from the bar. Nothing was going my way.

An hour and no alcohol later, the bride and groom finally headed to the limo waiting for them. They were both smiling, and walking, which meant the night was a success. Kiki would be happy. And maybe let me finally have a drink.

“Can you stay and clean up?” Kiki asked when she appeared at my side. “Usually the waiters help out, but if you’ve got to run, I can handle it.”

I shook my head. “I can help. Can I get a beer first?”

“If you get hurt, it’s my ass, so no.”

“You’re joking, right?” I asked.

“Hey, Kiki,” Ada interrupted us. “I’m going to head out, okay?”

Kiki smiled at Ada and nodded. They hugged, exchanging whispers that left them both smiling sadly.

“Say hi to David for me,” Kiki said as Ada released her.

Ada nodded. “I will. I’ll see you soon.”

Ada walked away without a glance at me. She held her head high, but I could see the tension in her shoulders. It killed me that she was so upset, and I couldn’t do anything about it.

But another man would.

* * *

I tossed and turned all night, every time I closed my eyes imagining another man bringing Ada to a finish I’d never see in real life.

By the time I fell asleep, the sun was up, which left me in a crappy mood when I hit the beach for a lesson later that day.

“Hey,” I grumbled to the guy straight out of the midwest. I’d done enough lessons with enough grooms that I could pick out where they were from by what they wore to surf.

This guy, with his slightly balding dark hair, bushy eyebrows, and Hawaiian shirt that hung loosely off his slender frame, screamed midwest. He had the classic pasty skin that one only got from a life spent indoors in a place that didn’t offer endless sunshine. My money was on him being an accountant, and if the pink nose and boat hat on his head was any indication, he hadn’t traveled much.

“Hi! I’m George. Are you Kapena?”

He pronounced my name like I was hispanic instead of Hawaiian, rolling his n until it sounded more like a y. Definitely midwest. And wanting to fit in. Twenty bucks said he’d say mahalo after the first instruction I gave him.

“It’s Kapena,” I corrected him. “Nice to meet you. Come on in, and we’ll get you a board and head out back.”

“Oh, here? I didn’t realize we’d be surfing here. You live on the beach?” He walked past me, his eyes glued to the sapphire paradise just past my lanai.

I was a lucky son of a bitch. And I knew it.

“I do. It’s convenient since you have a place to park that you can plug into your phone, and I don’t have to leave to go to work. Are you ready to go?”

He finally tore his eyes from the water and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. Go where?”

I nodded toward the hallway that led back to my guest room, also know as surfboard heaven. I had boards to fit just about anyone who came to me for lessons. Since locals had their own boards, I mostly stocked boards that were good for beginners. Wide, long boards to make sure they could catch a wave and stay slow. The last thing I needed was a newbie flying toward the shore and no idea how to stop, or an unhappy customer who spent all day on the water and didn’t snag a wave.

Happy surfers liked to throw in a little extra in tips. I liked happy surfers.

I found a board that would work for George and rolled my eyes when he threw out mahalo. He wasn’t a bad guy. A little dull for me, but I wasn’t the bride so it didn’t matter.

We started on the beach, making sure he knew how to get his feet under him if he actually caught a wave. It would end with a wipeout, but he’d love it.

“Did you bring a rash guard?” I asked.

He shook his head. “This is all I have,” he said, patting his shorts. Thank God they were shorts and not bikinis. Bikinis only belonged on a hot woman.

“I have something you can borrow if you want. Your chest and stomach will hurt like hell if you don’t cover it up.”

George eyed me carefully. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the dude was checking me out, but nope. He was just trying to figure out how my 6’6” frame, broad shoulders, and pecs that made the ladies drool would ever fit his 5’9” body that came with more pouch than pecs.

“I have different sizes. I keep them in case someone doesn’t have a guard.”

George smiled, shaking his head. “That makes more sense. Only in Kerry’s dreams would I ever fit into the same clothes as you.”

I laughed with him knowing his bride was madly in love with him if they came all the way to Hawaii for the wedding. Sure, people got married for the wrong reasons every day, but they didn’t drop the kind of cash you needed to have to get married in my backyard.

And if that wasn’t a big enough clue, it was that George was with me instead of following his bride around to make sure she didn’t screw some other guy while they were in paradise.

Nope, George had nothing to worry about.

“Kiana’s told me you two are perfect for each other. No reason to think she’d ever fantasize about any guy but you, dude.”

George’s eyes lit up at my compliment. We all had those moments, but George was about to get married. My personal opinions about marriage didn’t come into play. He was psyched about it. And he should be.

Better him than me.

We headed into the water and got George ready to go. He followed directions well, taking off when I told him to go. Ninety minutes into his lesson, though, and he still hadn’t caught a good wave. He had a few little ones, but nothing that blew my skirt up. I wanted to see George fly.

“I’m not doing it right,” he lamented when he joined me again. “I keep missing it.”

“Nah, you’re doing great. I’m holding you back too long. We’ll get the next one.”

We were both frustrated, but I had to keep my spirits up so he didn’t lose his patience. He was going back and telling his bride he kicked some wave’s ass if it killed me.

I glanced behind us and saw a sweet set rolling in. My mouth watered at the idea of taking it, but I was there to do a job. And stealing a killer wave from under my client’s nose wasn’t it.

“Get ready, George. This is your wave.”

“You said that last time,” he complained as he turned his board.

“I know. I was wrong. This one was made for you.”

The added compliments worked wonders. George licked his lips and gripped the edge of his board. I held the tail in place, waiting until it was just right. George didn’t even bother to look behind him, just trusted me to tell him when to go.

When I shouted and gave his board a shove, he took off. That mother fucker paddled like Jaws was on his ass. I yelled, watching as the wave drew closer to him, until he disappeared in front of the swell.

I held my breath, knowing he was on his own now. Either he caught the wave and was riding it to shore, or he was under the water and trying to find the surface.

Endless seconds ticked by as the wave crashed in on itself.

Then I saw him.

He was crouched low on his board, the wind blowing his hair back.

“Stand up!” I yelled as loudly as I could.

He jumped up, pushing with his legs and arms simultaneously like I taught him.

Then he was surfing. Holy fuck he was surfing!

“Woohoo! Hell yeah!” I shouted.

A wave was coming up my ass so I paddled like hell and just barely caught it, carrying me toward George. He stood in the knee deep water beaming.

“That was awesome,” I shouted as I dropped to the sand next to him.

We slapped hands and I pulled him in for a bro hug. I was proud of the dude.

“I’ve never felt that excited in my life. That was amazing. I thought I was going to throw up when the wave caught me. It was just like you said. Like someone shoved a rocket up my ass. I wanna do it again.”

I grinned and nodded toward the vast sea.

“Let’s do it.”

* * *

George finally went back to his bride an hour later than he was supposed to. We had to wait for another perfect wave, which took a little longer than it should have. After his one amazing ride, he kept dropping off the waves. He took a few hits, but he was thirsty for more. So we waited.

He left with a smile and a few hundred bucks less in his wallet. I didn’t mind the extra tip he gave me. He was a fun guy to spend the day with.

As the sun started to sink into the ocean, I cooked some dinner and sat on my lanai, staring at the water. I still hadn’t wrapped my mind around Ada being back. Or the facts that she was at the volcano for weeks and still had her boyfriend. None of it made sense, especially when she all but said she was done with me.

It didn’t matter, though. She wasn’t mine and never would be.

I finished my beer and glanced over at my board. The foam was probably dry, but I didn’t want to take any chances on it. I could wait another day before I started slicing away chunks to create the perfect shape.

My house was quiet when I went inside. The quiet never bothered me, but I always had my sister. Kiki spent the night with me more often than not before Sawyer moved in. When she asked if she could let her new photographer live with me for a little while, I never imagined he’d become the one man who was more important to her than I was.

I didn’t resent that, not even a little, but I missed my sister sometimes. Hell, I missed Sawyer, too. He was a great guy. Good for Kiki. He brought her back from a place I hadn’t even realized she’d gone. He was there for her when I couldn’t be, in ways I couldn’t be. And he loved her.

He was a lucky son of a bitch.

They were both lucky.

Nah, that wasn’t even true. They deserved it. They deserved each other. I was the son of a bitch who didn’t deserve a relationship. Or happiness. Or love. That was the biggest one.