Page 8 of Try Me

Pearl was used to being the odd person out. Not only was she of mixed race — her father was white and her mother was Hawaiian and Chinese, but she was also a woman, which made two strikes against her.

“You think only white men can surf?” Jerry asked with a sneer.

Pearl glared up at him. “You think only men can surf?” she countered.

Jerry clammed up and finished refilling Pearl’s tray without another word.

The unfairness of surfing contests was something Pearl was determined to change. All over the world, things were changing. Sooner or later, the directors of the contests would have to accept that someone from Hawaii, South America, or Africa could be the best surfer in the world. And maybe, just maybe that person was not a man but a woman.

One day, she wouldn’t be serving drinks to the contestants, she would be competing with them.

And beating them.

As a descendant of a long line of legendary female surfers, Pearl believed it was her destiny to pave the way for others. She’d given up everything to pursue the contest circuit, and it was only a matter of time before her dreams came true. She wouldn’t stop until they did.

Pearl watched Claudia Montgomery present Declan’s trophy. He accepted it with a hug and then gave Claudia a kiss worthy of the big screen.

Pearl grabbed her tray and returned to the thick of the crowd. Who Declan kissed wasn’t any of her business, and neither were the rumors about his treatment of women. If he dumped them without explanation, she couldn’t care less.

Weaving through the crowd with her tray, Pearl let her mind escape to the waves. She had a few days off before her next gig — a boat show — started. She planned to spend all her time surfing. She was meeting up with a few friends in the morning to go to Sharp Park, the best big-wave spot in California.

“Are those free?”

Pearl looked up to see one of the surfers standing in front of her. She turned on her smile and nodded. “Courtesy of Kinsling Vodka,” she said.

The man took one of the glasses and smiled down at her. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Pearl.”

“I’m Sam,” he said. “Was that you I saw surfing before the contest?”

Pearl’s smile brightened. “Yeah.”

“I never saw a girl surf like that before.”

“I’m a woman,” she said, trying to keep her smile in place. “Not a girl.”

He grinned, letting his eyes drop over her body. “Can I have a smoke, too?” he asked.

Pearl shifted her tray to offer him the cigarettes, and Sam plucked one from the box. He pinched it between his lips and bent down so Pearl could light it. Cupping his hand around hers, he held her stare as the flame glowed between them. “Thanks, doll,” he said.

“You’re welcome.”

Applause broke out as the winners left the stage and the music started. Pearl walked to the edge of the crowd, counting the hours until her shift was over. The surfers tended to hang around long after the event was over. She felt a hand on the small of her back and turned around to see Sam standing close behind her.

“I didn’t offend you earlier, did I?” he asked.

“No,” Pearl said, stepping away from his hand. “It’s fine.” She wobbled in her heels. Her right foot was really killing her. She must not have put it back on right, the strap was digging into her ankle.

“Let me help you take a load off,” Sam offered, taking her tray.

Pearl let him have it, and reached down to fix her shoe. When she straightened, and tried to take the tray back from Sam, he wouldn’t let her have it.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot,” Pearl said.

“It’s kinda embarrassing,” Sam said, smiling sheepishly.

He gestured to a corner of the room away from the others, and then started in that direction. Pearl had no choice but to follow him while he still had her tray. She glanced toward the bar, hoping to catch Jerry’s eye. Jerry was there to keep them safe. One look from him, and Sam would leave her alone. But Jerry wasn’t there.

Pearl followed Sam down away from the main floor of the club toward a darkened corner. She hoped for Sam’s sake that he really did only want to ask her a question. She watched him put her tray down on a table warily. Pearl wasn’t like other girls. She didn’t put up with any bullshit. If Sam made one wrong move, he would find himself nursing some injuries tomorrow. Pearl had grown up with an army of large-bodied cousins who’d taught her how to take care of herself.

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