Page 101 of Try Me

Sunrise Over Diamond Head

Pearl

The phone rang earlythe next morning, ripping Pearl from her dream. She’d been dreaming that she was racing along the Waikiki strip in the passenger seat of a Corvette Stingray, and when she opened her eyes it took a moment to realize it had really happened. Declan had confronted his dad and gotten a lot more than he’d bargained for.

Declan reached for the phone and knocked it off the nightstand. It fell to the floor with a clatter and stopped ringing.

They’d hardly moved during the night. She’d fallen asleep with her head on the pillow of Declan’s chest and woken in almost the same position.

He smelled faintly of the ocean, and she remembered him diving into the water to save her the night before. She loved that he wanted to save her, even if she didn’t really need it.

Declan dislodged himself from her and she felt the mattress shift as he got up. The bed was so comfortable that she rolled over, content to go back to sleep until she suddenly remembered what day it was, and what was at stake.

She sat up in the bed just as Declan came out of the bathroom dressed in running clothes.

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “You’re not going running today?”

He nodded and started lacing up his shoes. “It’s early, go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when I get back.” He walked to the bed and dropped a kiss on her head. “I’ll even bring you coffee.”

Pearl grabbed his neck and pulled him back to bed. “I can’t go back to sleep now. I’m too excited.”

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her neck, stretching out on the big bed beside her. “Do you want to come with me?” he asked.

Pearl turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “I thought you only ran alone,” she said.

“I’ll make an exception,” he said. “It’ll be good. You can distract me from worrying about the contest.”

Pearl sat up and looked down at him. “You don’t have anything to worry about,” she said. “You’re the best. And this is your home. You know these waves better than anyone.”

Declan’s mouth tightened, and he closed his eyes. “Sunset Beach is where Eddie died,” he admitted.

Pearl felt her heart break for Declan. She wondered if she could compete at the beach where her mother had died. “You never said.”

“I know.” He opened his eyes and looked up at her. “Forgettaboutit,” he said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “You wanna go or not?”

Pearl could tell he was itching to get out the door, and she decided they could run together another day. “Go on without me,” she said, lying back under the covers. “But don’t forget the coffee,” she said as he headed to the door. “Strong and black, please.”

“Bossy,” Declan called, heading out the door.

After Declan left, Pearl got out of bed and took a long, hot shower in the luxurious bathroom. As she washed the ocean from her hair, doubts started creeping back into her head. Could she win today? Was she good enough?

She dried herself with the fluffy towel and wrapped herself in the hotel robe, refusing to meet her own gaze in the mirror. Using Declan’s comb to work the tangles from her hair, she thought about everything that could go wrong, and tried to work out all the possibilities.

As she walked out onto the balcony to watch the sun rise, she saw the wrinkled check for one hundred thousand dollars on the dresser. Declan had forgotten it was in his pocket when he dove into the water to rescue her. When they’d gotten back to his room, he’d showed it to her and explained his plan, then laid it on the dresser to dry.

Pearl picked up the check and looked at it closely. Her eyes watered as she read the amount. Declan was offering her what she’d always wanted, but could she take it? Or would she always wonder if she could have done it on her own?

Pearl slammed the check back on the dresser. Last night she’d been happy to lean on Declan, but this morning, reality had set in. It felt too easy to let him do this for her. Even though he insisted he was only picking the best for his team, she would always wonder if it was true.

Taking a deep breath, Pearl stepped out on the balcony to watch the sun rise on the most important day of her life.

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