Page 21 of Sea La Vie
“It’s hot in here,” I confirm.
Tate groans, “The AC is out.” He looks around the cottage then glances at me. “We should probably call it a day. I’m sorry I kept you so long, anyway.”
“I’m happy to help,” I say. A few days ago, one of the twin motors on the boat went out, and it’s currently in the repair shop. I’ve always been taught to never go out with one motor, so until it’s fixed, we’re even further in the red for the season. I wipe at the sweat dripping off me and push up the sleeves of my tee. “Do you want to go surfing?” I offer. “I could really use a cool down.”
Tate’s face instantly lights up. “I’d love that.”
It’s a calm day on the beach, an oddity for this stretch of sand. Tiny waves lap onto the shore and kiss my toes with the pleasantly warm water. The smell of Tate’s sunscreen permeates the air, and I can’t help but smile when I notice he hasn’t managed to rub it in completely on his face.
“What are you staring at?” He asks, brows furrowed.
“Nothing,” I say, averting my gaze. “I was just wondering if you had extra to spare. I forgot mine at home.”
“Sure,” he says and tosses me the tube. I’m fumbling with it, trying to get the last bit out on my back when I feel him take it from my hand. “Here. Let me help,” he says. “If that’s okay?”
“Um, yeah, sure,” I say, with a thick swallow. I’m already burnt from my last surfing trip, and any more sun in the same spot is going to have me crying and dancing around under the water in the shower tonight. Plus, this is only weird if I make it weird. Right?
Tate squirts some sunscreen into his palm then lays his hands gently on my skin. Strong hands glide over my shoulders and massage into them long enough for me to let out a tiny sigh. His hands are so warm and soft, and I catch myself wondering what they’d feel like cradling my face as he gives my shoulder an awkward pat and throws the tube onto his towel.
“All done. Let’s do this,” he says and scans the water with one hand over his brow.
I blink hard and shut my mouth, unsure of when it opened. “Yeah, let’s!” I say. It comes out as a squeak, and I bounce back on my heels, suddenly unable to do anything but awkwardly stand there and stare at Tate with a stupid grin plastered to my face. What is wrong with me? Just because I enjoyed a tiny little shoulder rub doesn’t mean anything other than I fish all day for a living, and my back hurts. And Lucille is the only licensed massage therapist in town—I’ll only make that mistake once.
You have a history, Lainey! He broke your heart. Get it together!
I avoid Tate’s eyes and finally snap out of it long enough to pick up my longboard. He does the same, and together we trudge into the cold, refreshing water.
“You remember how to do this, right?” I ask him. I pause paddling long enough to glance behind me, and my goodness, are his muscles absolutelyrippling.
He gives me a smirk that makes my stomach swirl. “I’ll let you be the judge of that.” He continues paddling, leaving me once again open-mouthed and at a loss for words.
Within minutes, he’s catching wave after wave and I’m enjoying watching him more than I should be. Not because of the way his muscles flex when he paddles, either. And definitely not because of the way he shakes his hair out after coming up for air, droplets spraying across chiseled cheekbones.
So what if he is nice to look at? I still find him incredibly annoying. The two thoughts can coincide nicely in my mind and he never needs to know.
“I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this all these years!” He yells back at me, flashing me that million-dollar smile. He paddles to me and straddles his board, mirroring me. “This is great,” he says.
“Mhm,” I agree. “Pretty great.”
“I could never get tired of this. I wish things hadn’t ended so differently last time I was in town.”
I dip my hand into the water and swirl it around, creating a mini whirlpool. “You could’ve called me, you know,” I mumble.
“Could I have?” he asks. “You told me you never wanted to speak to me again.”
I cringe, embarrassed by the things I said that night, while heartbroken.
“I’m sorry, Lainey for the way things ended. I didn’t want it to be that way.”
I bite my lip, knowing what I need to say has been a long time coming. “I should’ve never brought up your father. That wasn’t fair and I regretted it immediately after saying it.”
Tate looks skyward then lets out a world weary sigh. “I didn’t think I had any other options. No real friends, no real family to count on. When I got that letter in the mail saying they would offer me a full ride, I had to take it.” Tate chews his lower lip, then rubs his palms along his thighs. The wind blows warmly between us, and a strand of hair tickles my neck. I tuck it behind my ear.
“You didn’t even tell me you had applied,” I say in a small voice. “I think I wanted you to wait for me somehow so we could go to college and…you know…finally be together.”
Tate’s gaze locks with mine, and he frowns. “I never thought I would actually get in. I figured it was a one in a million shot. And Lainey, I wanted to be with you. I guess the timing just wasn’t right.”
I swallow, my mouth dry and my face flushed at my sudden honesty. “It doesn't matter anymore,” I say. “We were kids. We’re two completely different people now anyway. It worked out how it was supposed to, right?”
