Page 106 of Try Me

Hawaii’s Own

Declan

Declan grabbedhis surfboard from Reno and ran off down the beach into the crowd. The women were already ripping it up on the waves by the time he found who he wanted in the crowd.

“Can I borrow your dog?” he asked, stopping in front of Lady’s owner.

Her mouth opened, and she swallowed as if trying to come up with words.

Declan was too impatient to wait for her answer. “That’s a yes, right?” He reached down and plucked Lady’s leash from her hand and ran off with the dog.

Unclipping her leash, he bent down to scratch her ears. Anxiety mounted as she gave him a look he swore was full of disdain. “Please tell me you remember how to do this,” he pleaded.

She looked away from him and trotted into the ocean to join the competitors for the exhibition. Declan ran after her, diving into the waves with his board.

Lady not only remembered how to surf, she also remembered how to steal the show. As soon as Declan zoomed across the waves with Lady on the front of his board, tongue lolling in an adorable doggy smile, the crowd went wild. The cameras zeroed in on Declan’s spectacle, and even the contestants quit surfing to turn and watch.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pearl dive into the waves and surface on the other side on top of her board. By the time he rode his wave to shore, Pearl was in the lineup with the other competitors. Declan could only pray his ploy worked and they would allow her to score points. Otherwise, he’d probably just gotten thrown out of the biggest contest of his life for nothing.

As he jogged past the crowd on the beach, he heard the announcers laughing and calling him a clown. They blew another horn, and the exhibition started over. Declan raised his hand to Pearl, tucking his fingers in toward his palm in the shaka sign, the Hawaiian symbol of goodwill. She raised her hand back, smiling as she waved. A moment later, she was all business as she turned to the ocean to watch for a set of waves.

Declan returned Lady to her owner and signed a few autographs before running back to take his place among the other contestants. No one told him to leave. No one kicked him out. The other contestants looked at him with varying emotions on their faces. Reno and Bobby laughed at his antics, but Murray and some others were clearly pissed. It seemed Declan could get away with murder. What they didn’t know was that he was still a bowl of jelly inside hoping he wouldn’t pressure out again. The panic that had seized him on the waves had been worse than crashing his car into the light pole. He could only hope he wouldn’t repeat it when the horn blew to start his heat.

While his thoughts were churning in his head, his eyes were glued to the ocean watching Pearl light up the waves. Those who’d never seen her surf were in for the spectacle of their lives. Watching her was like watching magic unfold. She was graceful as a dancer, powerful as a warrior, beautiful as a goddess. No one could look away. Declan was standing near enough to a speaker to hear the commentary of the contest.

“Newcomer Pearl Sunn is destroying the competition!” the announcer said.

Declan felt his heart soar as Pearl pulled out all the stops, walking the board to hang ten, and then cutting back to rip up the face of the wave for another surge down the line. On her final wave, Pearl managed a drop-knee cutback that was practically unknown in the sport. It was a cold-water maneuver she could have only picked up at a place like Sharp Park in California.

It blew everyone away and scored the most points of the contest.

Declan’s chest swelled with pride as Pearl soared to shore on her final wave, smiling and waving at the crowd. How had he gotten so lucky that a woman like her loved a man like him?

There was a five-minute break while the judges conferred, but everyone knew the winner. When they announced Pearl’s name, it surprised no one.

Now, it was Declan’s turn.

Unlike the exhibition, they divided the contest into heats of six contestants each. Only their best three waves would score.

Sunset Beach had a dangerous lava-rock reef and a heavy lip ready to pound anyone in its path. Today the waves were giants. Danger waited for him at every turn.

When the horn blew to start the contest, the others dove in and headed for either The Bowl where they’d had the exhibition, or Val’s Reef where the waves were smaller and more consistent. But Declan had been in enough contests to know that consistency didn’t win. The judges wanted to be impressed.

Declan took a moment to study the waves, then took a chance and paddled straight for the West Peak. It could be a big mistake, or it could be a brilliant strategy, but it was a risk he had to take.

Sunset Beach had six point breaks, all of which Declan knew like the back of his hand. The West Peak was the most dangerous break. It was unpredictable and deadly, but it could also guarantee him a win.

Declan flattened his belly to his board and paddled through the choppy waves past the contestants bobbing in the lineup. Helicopters circled overhead capturing his every move.

Declan blocked out the distractions. The other contestants, the cheering fans, and the cameras faded into the background as he focused on the waves.

The ocean rocked beneath him. He could feel the restrained power and taste the raw energy in the air. The ocean was angry today, and Declan was glad. He was angry, too. He wanted vengeance for his friend. He wanted to prove his worth. He wouldn’t let panic control him ever again.

The other contestants racked up several waves before Declan caught his first wave, but he wasn’t worried. He would wait for the wave that counted, not waste time on anything less.

His patience paid off when he spotted a rogue wave crash into the reef and then double up to race straight toward him.

He knew Eddie was smiling down on him as he caught his first wave of the contest. And even though he couldn’t hear her, he knew Pearl was screaming his name.

---