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“Where did you get yourdegree?” he amended.

She glanced at Elle and back to her father. “I didn’t go tocollege. I went straight away onto the qualifying tournament, hoping to rack upenough points to join the Championship Tour.”

“Which I see you’ve managed to do,” he said. “Elle took a similarroute, but got her degree from UCLA at the same time.”

“Education is important,” her mother said, gently.

Her father nodded. “It’s everything.”

“Some people, however, are students of the world,” Elle told them.There was now a negative undercurrent to the entire conversation. The room felttense and Elle’s senses moved into a heightened state.

“I wish I had gone to college,” Gia said quietly, in explanation.“It just wasn’t possible at the time. I didn’t have any help financially. Myparents could never have afforded the entry fees. As you know, professionalsurfing isn’t cheap.” It was her way of subtly pointing out that Elle had Brittonmoney backing her, which was true. With the help of her parents, she’d beenable to afford classes on the side, which had led to her degree in sportsmedicine. It wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Elle was very much aware ofthat.

“And what will you do when you can’t surf anymore? How will youmake your living then?” he asked.

“That’s a bridge I’ll cross when the time comes.” Gia took a sipof her water, the vibrant color now gone from her face.

“Could really come at any time, if you think about it. Injurieschange lives at the drop of a hat.”

“Dad.”

“What?” he asked, with a smile. “We’re just getting to know eachother a little.”

“It’s okay,” Gia said to Elle. “I would imagine I’d turn tocoaching.”

“And you have the skillset for that?”

“I do.”

Elle couldn’t take much more. Dinner was over, and she certainlydidn’t want to stay for dessert. “Mom, Dad, I’ve got an awful headache. Let meget the check.”

“Don’t be silly,” her father said. “I’ll take care of it. Go restup for tomorrow. We’ll be in the stands rooting for you.”

Elle squeezed her mother’s shoulder. “I’ll look for you after.”

She gave Gia a moment to say goodbye to her parents, took herhand, and got the hell out of there.

“I’m so sorry,” Elle said to Gia, once they were alone on theelevator.

When Gia raised her gaze, the vulnerability Elle saw looking backat her left her struck, staggered.

“That didn’t go well at all,” Gia said.

She wanted to argue. To reassure Gia and make her feel better.Unfortunately, she couldn’t. “I was expecting so much more from them. They’regood people, Gia. They are. You just wouldn’t know it from tonight.”

“I know.” Gia blinked and pretended to study the lights on theceiling. But Elle caught the welling of tears she was hoping to hide. Her heartached for Gia, who had a much more tender side than she ever would haveimagined just a year ago. She’d grown to understand that Gia was a softieunderneath it all, with very real and fragile feelings. She cared about otherpeople and put the needs of those she cared about before her own. But rightnow, she was hurting, and that hurt Elle.

“I guess it didn’t go as well as I planned.” Gia smiled in spiteof her tear-filled eyes.

Elle took her hand. When they were together, they seemed to touchmore than they didn’t. She needed that connection now. “It’s not your fault,okay? You were wonderful. It’s theirs. They behaved badly. Apparently, theyhave a lot to work through. Let me talk to them.”

“Don’t do anything to make it worse,” Gia said. “Okay?”

Elle nodded. “Okay.”

Things felt tense between them the rest of the night. A distancecropped up. Gia recessed behind her self-made armor and didn’t say a whole lot,and Elle wasn’t sure what to do to close the gap that now existed between them.

“Does it bother you that I don’t have a degree?” Gia askedfinally, just as she was about to turn off the light for bed.