Page 72 of Holiday Love
I blink. “He did?”
Jamie paddles a little closer. “Yeah. He said you don’t give up easily. That once you want something, it’s game over.”
My stomach flips, and it’s not from the waves.
“I’m not as confident as he is,” I admit softly, dropping my head to watch droplets of water splash across the nose of my board.
“Hey, you made it all the way out here.” He scans the horizon, tracking waves as they come closer, cresting a few feet after they pass us. “That’s half the battle.”
“Only half?” I ask, still panting. “Great.”
Jamie chuckles. “It’s not easy, especially on a day like today, when the waves are higher than usual.” He dips his hand into the water, letting it run through his fingers. “These are at least five footers.”
Just my luck to start surfing on a “rough sea” day. I’ve studied the surf condition reports, memorized the terminology, practiced with Teddy in the living room. Still doesn’t help me ride a wave.
“This beach isn’t the best for surfing.” Jamie lazily studies the shoreline, his gaze lingering for a minute on the bright orange umbrella where Teddy waits for us. From this distance, he looks like a stick figure from a child’s drawing. Behind him the palm trees are even more decorated than they were in October. Now they have string lights wound around their trunks and ornaments dangling from their branches.
Jamie draws my attention back to him. “I mean, it’s okay for beginners, but once you get better we’ll take you up the coast to Malibu. My parents have a place there. It’s Teddy’s favorite spot, so we’ll wait until he can go too. You’ll love it.”
At first, I think he’s bragging about how rich he is, but when he mentions Teddy I realize he’s simply making plans, not trying to impress me.
“You think I’ll be good enough someday?” I ask, doubtful. “To go with you and Teddy?”
Jamie turns to look at me, his eyes a dark blue-green, the color of a tropical sea after a storm. Not like Teddy’s pale blue, Jamie’s eyes are deeper, more guarded, like there’s an undertow in him, hidden just below the surface. “You went to med school, right?”
I nod, confused about where he’s going with this.
“Not exactly a walk in the park. You made it through that, you’ve already proven you’ve got grit. Surfing’s hard, yeah, but not harder than what you’ve already done.” He shrugs, like it’s no big deal. “I believe in you, Helen. You’ve got this.”
You’ve got this.
That’s exactly what Teddy said, right before I left him on the beach. Breath tickling my neck, he’d whispered in my ear, “You’ve got this, Hellcat.”
A knot in my chest loosens. I straighten on the board and even manage a smile as a swell lifts us gently and then lets us drop.
“Yeah,” I say, mostly to myself. “I’ve got this.”
The tide has pulled me away from Jamie, farther down the shore. He paddles through the water with a couple of powerful strokes, and he’s back next to me. He reaches over, grabs the edge of my board, and drags me to him.
“Hey, Helen.”
“Yeah?”
“Teddy’s like a brother to me. He’s been through enough shit in his life. He doesn’t need you adding to it.”
I freeze, unsure how to respond. “Is this a warning? I think you should know that I tend to take things literally. I’m not great at deciphering subtleties.”
He looks me in the eye deadpan and says a soft, “Good. I’m not trying to be subtle.”
I swallow, suddenly nervous, then remember what Gina said. About how Teddy isn’t for me. “We’re just friends,” I tell Jamie, mostly meaning it.
“Sure, you are,” he says, in a way that makes me wonder what, exactly, Teddy has told him. Like flipping a switch, he smiles, transforming into the laid-back surfer guy I met earlier on the beach.
“Well,” he says cheerily, full of charm, “since that’s out of the way, let’s get you up on that board.”
Rattled, I take a couple of deep breaths to calm down.
Jamie pushes away from me, giving me room. “All right, doc. Time to stand. Paddle hard, pop up fast, and, for the love of Poseidon, don’t overanalyze it.”
