Page 170 of Better When Shared
“Come on,” he said, heading toward a trail that wound down to the beach. “I want to show you my favorite spot.”
I followed him, picking my way carefully down the rocky path while he moved with the easy grace of someone who’d walked it a thousand times. At the bottom, the trail opened onto a crescent of dark sand bordered by driftwood logs. The waves looked even more intimidating up close.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Makai had stopped beside me, his face turned toward the water with an expression of pure contentment.
“Terrifying,” I corrected.
He laughed, the sound rich and warm. “Nah, the waves are chill today.”
We walked along the water’s edge, me keeping a safe distance from the waves that rushed up the sand.
Makai bent to pick up a flat stone, looking thoughtful as he rolled it between his fingers, then threw it with a playful, sideways motion that sent it skipping across the water. “So, I get that you aren’t all that interested in surfing, but maybe there’s something else we could do. What sports do you enjoy back home?”
I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Mostly horseback riding. I rowed in school.”
His eyes widened. “Horseback riding? And you think surfing is adventurous?”
“Riding isn’t adventurous.”
“You’re right. Balancing on a thousand-pound animal as it races through the forest doesn’t sound challenging at all.”
“I tend to race in fields. I play polo,” I said. “Though I do ride the trails as well.”
He burst out laughing. “Jesus. You play polo? Why are you worried about a few little waves? A big field of horses sounds way more terrifying.”
“I grew up riding horses. They’re not terrifying.”
He paused, staring out at the ocean for a minute. “What do you like about riding?”
I considered the question seriously, thinking about the way riding horses took my mind off the stresses of my daily life and my work. “It’s hard to explain. The rhythm of it, I guess. The way my mind goes quiet when I’m focused on the movement of the horse. It’s the only time that I’m not calculating a million different possibilities. The only time I’m not stressed out and anxious.”
“Nice.” He nodded. “That’s how I feel about surfing. Finding that perfect sync with something bigger than you. Letting go of control while still guiding your path. It’s freedom.”
The way he described it made something shift inside me, curiosity overtaking the fear, just a little. “I’ve never thought of it that way.”
“Most people see the waves and think about drowning, not flying.” He spread his arms wide, gesturing at the water. “But this? This is where I feel most alive.”
His passion was infectious, his eyes lighting up as he talked about surf breaks and offshore winds and the perfect wave. I watched his hands as he spoke, the way they carved through the air, strong and confident. I wondered what they’d feel like against my skin.
The thought jolted me back to reality. What the hell was I thinking about that for?
“So, what inspired your trip to our little island?” Makai asked, dropping to sit on a massive driftwood log. “Besides scaring yourself with surf lessons?”
I sat beside him, not too close. “My wife. She’s here for work this summer, helping out some friends who own a hotel here.”
“She wasn’t in your hotel room. Did you scare her off?”
“I’m not staying with her. I haven’t seen her yet.”
He blinked. “She doesn’t know you’re here?”
I picked at a splinter on the log. The more confused Makai sounded, the sillier I felt about my plan. “The idea was to come here and prove myself first. Learn something new, show her I can be... I don’t know, spontaneous. Less predictable. She thinks I’m too set in my ways.”
He eyed the tea cup in my hand. “You? Mr. Yorkshire Gold? Set in your ways?”
I laughed, raking my hand through my hair. “Perhaps I am. But I... I don’t want to lose her. And I don’t want her to think I’m chasing after her, trying to get in her way while she’s following her dreams.”
The admission hung in the air between us, more honest than I’d intended. Makai’s expression softened.
