Page 6 of Long Shot

I squint at the man. No . . . really? It looks like Cade . . . it’s hard to tell, though.

I watch as a wave picks him up and he gets to his feet, balancing and riding the wave toward shore. It’s not a huge wave, but he seems pretty comfortable on that board. The wetsuit outlines his perfect shape—wide shoulders, narrow waist and hips, and a perfect, round ass.

Maybe heisa laid-back surfer dude at times.

I smile at the thought. If that’s him, it probably pisses him off that he can’t control the waves.

Shaking my head, I move away from the railing and Jack and I stroll toward the beach.

Back trudging through sand, I survey the area for the surfer in the wetsuit, curious if it really is Cade, not seeing him . . . until we’re face-to-face.

Yep, it’s him.

He stops and meets my eyes, his hair dark gold and wet, his surfboard held under one arm. Sunlight glints off drops of water on his shoulders. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Goddammit, I actually lose my breath. I reel in Jack’s leash as he attempts to chase a seagull.

Cade’s gaze drops to Jack. “Who’s this?”

“This is Jack. He’s not really mine. I’m just fostering him.”

His eyebrows rise. “Huh. That’s cool.”

I shrug. “I guess. I like dogs, but I don’t know how long I’ll be here, so . . .”

Now those thick eyebrows tug together. “Really. I didn’t realize this was temporary for you.”

“Oh, I haven’t decided for sure.” I wave a hand and smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving anytime soon. I am absolutely committed to Conquistadors.”

“You’re the only one, then,” Cade mutters, shoving his wet hair back off his face.

“What? That’s not true. Danny’s very loyal.”

“Yeah, he is. It’s just that we have more staff turnover than we expected.”

“That’s common in the restaurant business.”

“Yeah, we’re learning that.” He eyes me, his arctic-blue eyes alight with curiosity.

I need to shut up about the damn restaurant. “So you surf.”

“Yeah.” He glances down at the board. “Good way to start the day. You?”

“Never.”

He grins. “You should try it.”

“Yeah, I don’t know. I love looking at the ocean. Swimming in it, not so much.”

“City girl?”

“Hell, yeah.” I try a smile. “I mean, I can swim. But the ocean is . . . big.”

“That it is. And powerful.”

“You must be a good swimmer.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Navy SEAL, remember?”

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