Page 14 of Out in the Surf

“Yeah.” I checked out his apartment to keep from staring at him. I was in serious danger of popping wood…not so easy to hide in a pair of board shorts. “This is nice.”

Lame adjective, but it worked. The living area was a glorified box with a sofa and flat-screen on one side and a kitchenette on the other. The ceilings were low, the carpet was a nondescript oatmeal color, and the basic white walls were decorated with framed retro surfing posters. It was like any basic bachelor pad for sure…until you looked out the window at the beach and the endless stretch of blue beyond.

“Incredible, huh?” Cal commented, coming to stand beside me.

“Fucking amazing.” I didn’t bother hiding my awe. The view was absolutely stunning: the pier, the sand, and the sea. In a way, this sliver of coastline encapsulated my inspiration to move west. It was so inviting and promising. Like a fresh start. “I can’t believe you wake up to this.”

“I don’t. My room overlooks the alley.” He snorted. “But if you think this is cool, wait till you see the deck. It’ll blow you away. Want some coffee?”

“Um, sure. Thanks.”

I followed him to the kitchen area, thanking him when he handed over a cup. He poured himself one, then inclined his head. “This way.”

He led me through his bedroom—a small, darkened room with an unmade king-sized bed, lined with surfboards—to a closet…that turned out to be a narrow stairwell. We climbed a short set of stairs to another door. Cal unbolted the lock, flung it open, and stepped onto a large rooftop deck.

And…wow!

I scanned the horizon as salt air and a mild ocean breeze washed over me. Any nerves and tension I’d been holding on to faded in an instant. This was heaven.

“How did you luck into this place? It’s….insane.” I hummed reverently.

Cal cradled his coffee in both hands and took a sip. “I’ve practically lived at this store my whole life. My grandparents were friends with Jay’s parents…and my folks are friends with Jay and his wife. I went to school with Jay’s kids too. I actually dated his daughter, Hannah, for a while.”

“High school sweetheart?”

“No, the couple part happened in college. And it ended a while ago.”

“Rough breakup?”

I wasn’t sure why I pressed. Maybe I needed to be reminded that this guy was mostly straight and two rogue kisses weren’t going to change that.

“Yeah, that was…a rough one.” Cal shrugged as if pushing away a memory. “Anyway, I’ve always worked here. After school, weekends, summer jobs…Jay’s parents lived in the room upstairs when they first bought the building, but when they died, it became an extra storage room. Big-ass spiders took over the kitchen and I’m pretty sure there was a family of mice there for a while too.”

“Gross.”

“It got kinda nasty. One day, Jay asked me to grab a box up here, and the wheels started turning. I told him I’d clean it up and reorganize the storage room downstairs so he didn’t lose any space…if he rented it to me. He liked the idea. Better yet, he liked having someone on hand at the shop—especially for when he retires, which supposedly is happening in January.”

“Oh. Will you still run the store for him?”

“I could, but I’m hoping to do it forme. I want to buy the business,” Cal replied matter-of-factly.

“Wow. Really? That sounds so…grown up.”

He snickered. “Allegedly, I’m an adult, so—”

“Ew.”

“Ew?”

“Yeah, don’t admit you’re an adult. In my experience, that’s exactly when everyone starts looking to you for answers. Trust me, it’s a trap. Stay young, my friend,” I advised sagely, taking another sip.

This time, Cal guffawed. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-three. And you’re…let me guess—forty?”

“Fuck off,” he chided without heat. “I’m twenty-nine.”

“Close enough.” I held a hand up in surrender and grinned when he scowled at me. “I’m kidding. Owning a place like this…wow. How’d you save that kind of dough? Rob a bank? Win the lottery?”