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“Okay, okay,” he said, moving to her and wrapping his arm aroundher shoulders. “Sounds like you have a lot going on in there.”

“You have no idea.”

“Well, let’s break it down,” Christopher said. “Sometimes thatreally helps me gain perspective. It’s like crunching numbers.”

“We could try,” Elle said, sounding pathetic even to her own ears.

“What’s the most important thing in the world to you?”

“Surfing my best. Rising to the top. It’s been my lifelong dream.It was right there for, well, a few fleeting months, and now…gone. Poof.”

“That sounds like it’s weighing on you. And the new girlfriend?The other surfer.”

“Gia.”

“What about Gia?”

“She’s amazing. When we’re together I feel fifty times lighter,and I look forward to seeing her again and again. But we’re both paying for itdearly because of the toll it’s taking on our scores. It’s adding a whole newlayer of tension, and I hate it and have no idea what to do.”

“It’s a legitimate problem. There are football players who won’thave sex during the playoffs because it takes them off their game. Some avoidit for the entire season.”

She laughed. “I’d like to think I’m a little more complex thanjust that.”

“But maybe not. Cut yourself some slack. It’s a common problem forathletes.”

She sobered, understanding it was time she faced that reality. “Ifthat’s the case, then what?” She resisted the urge to throttle something,because this was so not fair. For the first time, she was with someone she hadhonest-to-goodness feelings for, who she thought about constantly and plannedher proverbial future around, and the matchup came with these kinds ofconsequences?

“I don’t envy you,” Christopher said.

“It’s a Sophie’s choice that I’m not prepared for.”

His eyes carried sympathy. “What can I do to help?”

“Feel like listening? Take me out for sushi and listen to melament my long list of problems.”

He pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’ll drive.”

As they walked to his car, Elle’s phone buzzed in her pocket. Acheck-in text from Gia.Youdoing okay? Thinking about you. Miss you.

While her heart fluttered pleasantly at the sight of Gia’s name,her warring emotions took hold.

“You ready?” Christopher asked, car door open.

“Yeah, let’s go.” She hesitated, then shoved the phone, and theunanswered text message, back into her pocket.

* * *

The Cat’s Pajamas was closed for the evening, but Gia and herfriends had gathered there anyway.

Needing someone to talk to, Gia had gone to Autumn, knowing she’dbe on her own and going about her typical closing duties. Autumn in turn hadcalled Hadley, who’d promptly texted Isabel, which brought them to this momentwhere they’d congregated in the shop with the darkened sign out front, allpositioned around their normal breakfast table. Only at night.

“You haven’t been yourself since you got back from Australia,”Autumn said, gently.

Feeling under the microscope, Gia closed up, finding it hard toexpress all that was going on in her head. She nodded, with an uncomfortablelump in her throat.

“I know you were hoping for a better finish,” Isabel said. “We allhave slumps. I’m sure that’s what this is. It’s just a bitch is all. Whiskyhit?” She pulled a flask from her bag.

Gia reached for it and a took a quick swig, passing it to Hadley,who demurred, and then back to Isabel. “Maybe. But it’s more than that.”