Page 12 of Try Me

It’s Not Hawaii

Declan

Rising with the sun,Declan rolled out of bed, laced up his tennis shoes, and went for a run. Running was his habit. When he’d quit drinking, he’d replaced staying up late to get loaded with waking up early to run.

Running had saved Declan’s sanity more than once in the last two years. Not only did it keep him in top physical shape, but it also helped him clear his mind.

Usually, he ran for an hour or less, but some mornings when he had extra things on his mind, he ran longer. Declan ran for almost two hours that morning. As he pounded the pavement, he turned the invitation to the Duke over in his mind.

For two years, he’d been running from home. He called it chasing the waves, going where the contests took him, but if Declan were honest with himself, he knew it was running. He was a coward. He wasn’t ready to go home yet, and he might never be. The thought of facing the bad memories, the disapproval in his father’s eyes, and the friends he’d dropped without saying goodbye made Declan wish he’d never seen that red envelope.

As he sprinted back up the stairs to the hotel, Declan wondered about Keoni. He was the best surfer Declan had ever known. Did he have an invitation, too?

The easiest way to find out would be to call him, but the thought of dialing up Keoni made Declan cringe. He and Keoni hadn’t exactly parted on good terms, and Declan dreaded confronting him.

He was such a fucking coward that he broke out in a nervous sweat just thinking of Keoni.

At 9:00 a.m.,Declan went down to the lobby, eager for the distraction of a beautiful woman and the waves. To his disappointment, the lobby was nearly empty. He went outside to wait. Doubt circled in his mind as the minutes ticked by and Pearl didn’t come.

Maybe she’d changed her mind. Maybe she wasn’t coming.

Declan’s thoughts spiraled down into the dank basement of self-loathing. He was comfortable there, wallowing in contempt.

McKenna had worked hard to ensure Declan’s reputation as a womanizing playboy, insisting it was best for Declan’s career. Pearl must have heard the rumors. Everyone thought they were true.

He’d almost given up on waiting when a bright yellow Volkswagen van with surfboards strapped to the roof careened around the corner and screeched to a halt in front of him. The back door rolled open to reveal a woman in a long dress standing in a cloud of marijuana smoke. She hopped down from the van, her eyes wide with surprise.

“It really is you!” she said. “I didn’t believe it when Pearl said you wanted to come with us. I thought there was no way that Declan Bishop, world champion surfer, was going to surf with us.”

“Be quiet, Jenny,” said the man getting out of the passenger seat. “You don’t want to scare him off.” He strode over to Declan with his hand extended. “I’m Oscar,” he said. “And this is Jenny.” He jerked a thumb at the driver. “And Billy.”

Billy ignored Declan and reached over to turn up the radio.

“Don’t worry about Billy.” Oscar reached out to shake Declan’s hand. “He’s alright. Just jealous.”

“Jealous of what?” Declan asked.

“Everything,” Jenny said, rolling her eyes.

“Pearl has never invited anybody before,” Oscar said.

A rumbling noise from the street interrupted their conversation, and a black motorcycle roared toward them. The rider was wearing a helmet and sunglasses that concealed her face, but Declan knew without a second glance it was Pearl. His heart lodged in his throat and then skipped a beat as she slowed to a stop behind the van. Wearing black pants and a leather jacket that molded to her body, she took his breath away.

“Sorry we’re late,” Pearl said. “It was Oscar’s fault.”

“Everything’s always my fault,” Oscar complained with a good-natured grin.

Billy laid a hand on the horn and shouted at them to hurry.

“Nice bike,” Declan said, stepping closer to look at the motorcycle. “A Black Shadow ’55?” he asked.

“’56,” she said, patting the chrome handlebars.

“I had one of those in high school,” he said.

“You want to ride with me?” Pearl asked.

Declan couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do than climb on the bike with Pearl. “Can I drive?” he asked.

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