Page 48 of Try Me

Tunnels Beach

Pearl

They surfed lateinto the afternoon, taking a quick break to eat the rest of the sandwiches Declan had so thoughtfully packed. Pearl couldn’t believe what she’d seen Declan do on the water. When he surfed, he became a bigger, bolder version of himself. His instincts proved right every time. He knew where the waves would break moments before she did, and could get himself into the best position to catch them.

Bold and courageous, Declan chose waves that could have easily ended in disaster, dominating them every time. He astounded Pearl with his bravery, his skill, his fearless determination. She gave up waves to watch Declan ride them. He provided more thrills than the night shift at the emergency room. No wonder people came from all over to watch him surf in a contest.

Every point break at every beach was unique. They named some for the families who lived nearby, like Patterson’s and Mahoney’s. They named others for the wave that broke on the beach: Pipeline, Suicides, Avalanche and Tunnels.

Tunnels was named for the giant tubes that rolled across the bay. Because of the offshore wind, the waves at Tunnels held their shape longer. They reared up higher and collapsed with a greater fight, creating barrels large enough to drive a semi-truck through.

Dropping into one of the long glassy tubes was like being transported to a different universe where everything is blue and the only sound is the roar of the ocean.

Getting tubed was miraculous.

Watching Declan getting tubed was even better.

“Last one?” Pearl asked, indicating a wave coming toward them. She was eager to get back to Oahu before nightfall. The prospect of flying in the helicopter at night was even more frightening than in the daylight. Just thinking about soaring over the jagged cliffs of Kauai in the dark made Pearl break out in a sweat.

Declan didn’t answer. He gazed over her shoulder, squinting toward the beach where they had parked earlier.

“Stay here,” he said. Flattening his belly to his board, he began stroking into a wave.

“What?”

Pearl turned around to look at the beach and saw Jack. A pickup truck loaded with surfboards blocked the exit, and three men with shoulders broader than the Ko’olau Mountains surrounded Jack.

As Pearl watched, one man snatched Jack by his shirt collar, dragging him off his feet.

The other two men crowded around, and they made a game of tossing Jack between them.

Declan had already caught a wave that took him to shore. Straight into the fight. Pearl groaned. She’d thought there might be trouble with the locals. And these guys on the beach, judging from their resemblance to ancient Hawaiian warriors, were definitely locals. Declan would get himself killed.

“Wait!” she called after Declan, but he was too far away to hear her over the crash of the waves.

Declan had told her to stay put, but Pearl had never been the type to sit back and wait. She turned and went on the next wave. As she hopped off her board at the shoreline, she saw Declan run up to the group of men and pull them apart.

Jack stumbled to his feet, scrambled into the Jeep, and took off in a cloud of dust. Declan ran after him a few steps, yelling and raising his fist in the air. Pearl’s duffel bag and then Declan’s came flying out as Jack tossed them out on his way down the road.

The men surrounded Declan. He was a tall man, at least six feet, but the locals were taller. She couldn’t even see his head, which meant he might be on the ground. Pearl pictured Declan on the sand broken and bleeding, and she threw down her surfboard.

Her heart lodged in her throat as she sprinted across the sand toward the men. Balling her fists, Pearl was trying to decide which one of the mountainous men to take down first when she heard the rumble of laughter.

Not just any laughter, but Declan’s laughter. Pearl had only heard Declan’s laugh a few times, but it resonated with her. It was low and humble — sexy.

Pearl had never known laughter to be sexy before, and then she’d heard Declan’s. His laugh made her tingle all over. It was a wonderful sound to hear at any time, but especially now. If Declan was laughing, surely that meant he wasn’t getting his lights punched out.

A chorus of deep male laughter rumbled across the sand. The circle of men around Declan loosened enough so that Pearl could see the blond of his head through the wall of their broad backs.

“What about J-Bay, brah? Was it full of sharks?”

“Nah,” Declan said. “Only a few.” He spotted Pearl through the gap in the men and waved her over. “This is Pearl Sunn,” Declan said, holding an arm out for her. “The best surfer in the world.”

Pearl’s belly tightened at Declan’s introduction. It was the second time he’d introduced her as the best surfer in the world. She tossed him a smile before she looked around at the others.

“This is Mahoe, Clive and Chuck,” Declan said. “They’re friends from way back.”

“Pearl Sunn,” said the tallest of the men. He had a long mane of curly hair and a weather-beaten face that looked vaguely familiar. “I wen met you a long time back. You were one little thing, eh? Could surf even then, but…” He paused and reached for her, enveloping her in a warm hug that smelled of sea and sand and the pakalolo he’d been smoking. “Sohayla was so special, eh? Everyone misses her.”

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