Page 32 of Try Me

“World champion?” Linda said. “And now the Duke?”

Declan felt his balloon of happiness burst at the mention of the dreaded contest. “I saw Keoni,” he said. “At the airport yesterday. He and Bones both.”

Linda peered up at him. “So you know?”

“Yeah.” Declan knew she was talking about Keoni getting passed over. “I can’t believe it.”

“Who’s Keoni?” Pearl asked.

Both Linda and Declan glanced at her in surprise. Linda hadn’t even noticed her, and Declan had been so caught up in the reunion with Linda that he’d momentarily forgotten her.

“You must not be from around here,” Linda said. “Everyone knows Keoni.”

Declan saw Pearl’s nostrils flare. He grabbed her hand and squeezed. Pearl got fired up quicker than any woman he’d ever known. Her face flushed, and her chin lifted. Declan couldn’t help admiring her beauty. She was even more gorgeous when she was spitting mad.

“Pearl’s from Maui,” Declan said. “Pearl, this is Linda, an old friend.”

“Not that old,” Linda said. “I’m only a year older than you.”

“Pearl’s surfing in the exhibition before the contest,” Declan said, steering the conversation away from their past. “You coming on Saturday?”

Linda nodded. “The whole island will be there cheering for you.”

Declan swallowed the lump in his throat. “We better go,” he said. “We have to finish our run.”

“Okay.” Linda came up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I’m glad you’re home.”

Declan couldn’t say the same. At the moment he wished he was anywhere but Oahu. There were too many memories, too many familiar faces, and too many potential disasters waiting around every corner. Grabbing Pearl’s hand, he tugged her beside him and they started running again.

They ran in silence until they reached the end of the park, and then turned to head back the way they’d come. Declan tried to wrap his head around everything Linda had said. They were proud of him. They were coming to support him. He felt the heaviness of their expectations settle on his shoulders like a wet blanket. If Keoni wasn’t competing, Declan was the closest thing Hawaiians had to a hometown hero. It was almost too much to bear.

They arrived back at the hotel, and Declan couldn’t remember how they’d gotten there. He’d thought Pearl would be a nuisance on the run, but she’d run next to him as easily as she’d shared the waves at Sharp Park. On the way back from meeting Linda, Pearl had left him to his brooding silence, sensing it was best. She hadn’t grilled him about Linda like most women would. She hadn’t peppered him with questions. She’d let him think.

They rode the elevator up to the third floor, and Declan walked Pearl to her door.

“I never got to tell you that I’m sorry about yesterday,” Pearl said.

“Which part?”

“Passing out on you,” she said, wrinkling her cute nose. “I shouldn’t have taken that pill. I don’t like flying.”

“No kidding?”

Pearl sighed. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

“You’re welcome.”

She fit her key in the lock and opened her door. “I’ll see you at the commercial in a few hours?” she asked.

Declan had completely forgotten about the commercial. He’d been so busy dreading the reunions with his former friends and estranged family members that he hadn’t given one thought to the contest or his responsibilities leading up to it. “Okay,” he said, realizing he’d better check his itinerary. McKenna had a tendency to book him solid the week before a contest, thinking it was the best way to keep Declan focused.

Pearl leaned up on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to Declan’s mouth. “Don’t be late,” she said, then went into her room and shut the door.

Declan stood frozen to the spot, his lips tingling from Pearl’s kiss. He was going to need another cold shower.

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