Page 57 of Try Easy

Keoni paddled hard to get ahead of the wave, but it caught him quickly and lifted him. Keoni popped up, sliding his feet under his body and crouching low over the board as the wave roared beneath him.

The wave doubled in size, growing stronger as it hurled toward shore. Keoni dropped in on the steep wave, bent at the knees halfway down the line, and stalled his surfboard by stamping down on his back foot. He leaned sideways and scraped his hand along the face of the wave, slowing his speed. He made a big bottom turn, and with a snap under the lip of the wave, he maneuvered the long nose of the Himalaya into the most dangerous section of the wave.

The wave formed a barrel around him, just as Keoni had intended. For a few moments, the outside world fell away. His fears, his worries, his disappointments were eclipsed by the blue-green wall of water that surrounded him. It was a religious experience, getting tubed inside a wave. Everything moved at once, yet everything stood still as the roar of the wave filled his ears.

At that moment, inside the turquoise barrel of the wave, time stood still. Keoni was mesmerized by the brilliant light at the end of the tunnel. If he died at that very moment, then it wouldn’t be a bad way to go. He hoped Eddie had felt the same.

Keoni pumped forward and came gliding out the end of the wave to a deafening cheer from the crowd gathered on the shore.

He was tempted to double back and paddle in for another, but the contest was getting ready to start. He headed for shore.

As Keoni exited the water, he was surrounded by adoring fans shouting his name and demanding to know why he wasn’t included in the contest.

Keoni shrugged. He didn’t have an answer for them.

He tucked his board under his arm and shook out his wet hair, conscious of everyone staring at him. He smiled and raised his fist in the shaka sign, and the crowd erupted in a cheer.

Keoni pushed through the crowd, determined not to lose the lightness in his heart created by the wave. He made his way through the press of his admirers, bearing their attention with patience. He paused to say hello to those he knew, shook hands, and received hugs.

Then he saw Lou, standing alone at the edge of the crowd, and his heart stopped. She was watching him with a bemused smile. Keoni felt his cheeks redden as he read her thoughts. Lou would tease him about being a celebrity, but what she didn’t understand was that these were his people. He’d known most of them for half his life. Hell, he was related to a quarter of them. Of course they wanted to say hello.

Lou managed to look sweet and sexy at the same time in the white bikini she’d had on at Makaha. Keoni thought he was going to lose his mind just looking at her. She was the most beautiful woman in the world.

The sun loved Lou. Her honey-brown hair sparkled, and her skin glowed. A sprinkling of freckles dusted her shoulders and the bridge of her delicate nose. Keoni wanted to kiss each one of them.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to act as if he didn’t want to pick her up and carry her off the beach to somewhere they could be alone.

“Howzit?” he asked.

A dimple winked in Lou’s cheek, and her eyes sparkled with a smile. “You are amazing,” she said.

“Thanks, eh?”

“Everyone is talking about you,” she said, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “They want you to surf in the contest even though you’re not invited.” She reached for his hand, drawing his attention when he tried to look away. “I think they may protest.”

Keoni stiffened and then relaxed his shoulders in a shrug. “It won’t change anything.” He glanced at the crowd and changed the subject: “Where’s Penny and Henry?” he asked.

“They’re around here somewhere,” Lou said. “They got tired of me taking pictures. We’ve been here since sunrise.”

“Oh?” Keoni asked.

So she’d seen their ceremony with the leis. Keoni wondered what she’d made of it, but didn’t ask.

Lou stared up at him. “Do you mind if I hang around with you? I’ve never been to a surf contest before. You can tell me what’s happening.”

“K’den,” Keoni agreed. He looked down at her, wondering how he was going to keep his hands off her the whole day. “You don’t mind being stuck with me?” he asked.

She shook her head. Their eyes met and clashed, and Lou looked down, suddenly engrossed in her camera.

“What did you do yesterday?” Keoni asked.

“Henry took us to the top of Diamond Head.”

“Ah,” said Keoni. “Did he tell you the story of how it got its name?”

“He said something about the sailors thinking that the crust might have had diamonds.”

“Remind me to tell you the real story,” Keoni said, smiling.

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