Page 1

I stop the car in front of, of all places, a surf shop, even though the GPS assures me this is where I’m supposed to be. Checking the email on my phone, I confirm the address with what I typed into the map search and sure enough, they are the same.

“Weird,” I mutter to myself, my gaze still on the shop through the open window, wondering how this place could possibly be my Airbnb. But then I notice the second story and what looks to be an apartment above the shop. Smiling, I can’t help but think staying above a surf shop across from the beach will be pretty fucking cool.

“Alright then,” I say, pulling the hire car into the small car park to the side of the shop.

I undo my seatbelt, leaving my bags and shit in the car, and make my way toward the shop to find out exactly what the situation is.

A bell chimes above the door as I walk in and almost instantly, a feeling of relaxation settles over me, pushing the brain fog from the ten-hour flight away as I inhale the familiar scent of wax and sunscreen and the ocean.

A guy and a girl are standing behind the counter, completely oblivious to me having just walked in. The guy’s got his arms wrapped around the girl, his mouth at her ear and judging by the look on her face, he is clearly telling her something meant for her ears only. And probably kind of filthy if the way she’s blushing is any indication.

Cute.

I walk up to them and when they notice me, the guy unwraps himself from the girl, leaving one of his arms across her shoulders in what I’m guessing is a message to let me know she’s off-limits. He then hits me with a friendly grin and says, “Hey, can I help you?”

I smile back, wrapping my knuckles on the counter, which is an old-school longboard as I say, “Hope so. Flynn Hudson, checking in?”

His smile widens as he reaches over to shake my hand. “Nice. I’m Nate, and this is my girlfriend, Sage,” he says.

“Nice to meet you both. Wasn’t sure I was in the right place, but I guess I’m staying in the apartment upstairs,” I add, pointing to the ceiling.

Sage grins, shaking her head as she says, “No, that’s where we live. You’re out back.”

Out back.

Fuck, that doesn’t sound good.

“Oh, okay, cool,” I reply, giving them both another smile.

“I’ll leave you with Nate,” she says, turning to her boyfriend. “Babe, I gotta go,” she adds, a different kind of smile on her face now.

“Okay,” he replies, smiling as he leans in and kisses her before whispering something that makes her giggle this time.

This thing with them must be new. New and hot and when everything seems possible and amazing and just perfect.

I remember those days.

“Nice to meet you, Flynn, and welcome to Hawaii,” Sage says to me before turning and heading out what looks to be the back of the shop.

“Shall we?” Nate asks, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

I nod, following him in the direction his girlfriend just took, passing through an office and out the back door to what looks like a pretty cool backyard with a barbecue off to the side and a firepit in the middle, surrounded by a bunch of chairs. On the far side is a small guest house, and next to it, a garage that Nate’s girlfriend is disappearing into.

“This is you,” Nate says, gesturing to the house. “You’re our first rental.”

“Really?” I ask as the old SUV in the garage comes to life before immediately dying. The engine starts up again as Nate walks over to look inside.

“Babe, you good?” he asks.

“Yep,” comes Sage’s reply before the car slowly inches out of the garage. She smiles and waves at both of us as she navigates the worn driveway along the side of the shop before turning out onto the street and disappearing.

“It’s a piece of shit, that car,” Nate says, turning back to me, a grin on his face. “It was her dad’s,” he adds.

“Was? He not around anymore?”

“No,” Nate replies, shaking his head, not bothering to elaborate before changing the subject. “Anyway, what brings you to Hawaii? You’re from Australia, right?”

“Yeah,” I say with a nod as he opens the front door to the house without unlocking it. “Sydney, and I’ve come over here for the surf,” I say, knowing it’s more than that, but not feeling the need to explain. I’m here early for a break, and the longer I can maintain that break without anyone knowing the real reason I’m here or whatever, the better .

“Oh cool. You surf?” Nate asks, glancing back over his shoulder as we walk into the open plan living and kitchen area.

“Sure do,” I say, even though it’s no longer in the way I wish it was.

I look around the space that’s going to be my home for the next few weeks. It’s smaller than it looks in the photos, but it’s clean and airy, with a cool beach theme running throughout the whole place, including the artwork that hangs on the walls.

“Wow, this is cool,” I say, walking up to a colored sketch of a group of guys surfing a wave together, all of them smiling and doing the Hawaii hang loose thing.

“Thanks.”

I turn back to my host. “You did this?” I ask, gesturing to the sketch.

“I did all of them,” he says, his cheeks flushing. “This was…it was Sage’s idea to hang them.”

“Shit, man, they’re really good,” I say, turning back to him.

Nate nods in acknowledgement. “So, bathroom and bedroom are back there,” he now says, motioning to a short corridor. “Laundry is off the kitchen. There’s some welcome food and shit in the fridge too and a folder on the table with all the good places to eat and drink.”

“What about surfing?” I ask.

Nate chuckles, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, depending on your skill level, there’s an awesome break right across the street, couple of smaller ones a short drive from here. Just let me know what you’re after, and I’ll point you in the right direction.”

Now it’s me laughing as I lean back against the kitchen bench. Guess he doesn’t recognize me, although I shouldn’t be surprised, people don’t seem to anymore. I actually prefer it after everything that happened, though, and it will certainly make my holiday easier.

“I want the biggest and the baddest break you got,” I tell him, knowing nothing scares me when it comes to the ocean. Despite everything that’s happened.

Nate grins. “Well, in that case, you’re definitely gonna want to hit up Jaws at some point. But you should also check out the surf across the road, which is a very close second.”

I nod, having heard about Jaws before. “I take it you surf then?”

He laughs. “Yeah, I surf.”

“Cool. Maybe we can catch a few waves sometime?”

Nate blows out a breath, shoving a hand through his hair, which immediately falls back onto his forehead. “I’d go with you now if I didn’t have to look after the shop,” he says, almost apologetically.

“Nah, it’s cool. I get it,” I say.

Nate pulls a set of keys from his pocket and hands them to me. “Keys for the place, but it’s pretty safe around here. You’ll probably see a bunch of people hanging around out back too. You’re welcome to join us whenever.”

“Cool, thanks,” I reply. “Is there somewhere I can park my car?”

“Yeah, take the garage,” he says, walking back toward the front door. “Sage can park off to the side. Not sure anyone would steal that piece of shit we drive anyway.”

I laugh, following him out as I say, “I can take a look at it if you want? My dad’s a mechanic and taught me some shit.”

“Seriously?” Nate asks, shooting me a quick look.

“Yeah, seriously. I’ll take a look when your girl gets back.”

After I’ve moved my car and all of my stuff into the house, I change into some boardshorts and grab my board from the travel bag before heading out, barefoot to the beach.

As I pass the shop, I notice a van out front with the words Olsen Custom Boards emblazoned across the side. I make a mental note to ask Nate if he can get his hands on any of the boards I’ve heard they do. Literally no surf shop in Australia stocks them, and even the few places I’ve checked online don’t carry them.

And I would really love to get my hands on one.

I cross over the road, the sand hot beneath my feet as I walk down toward the water. It’s still relatively early in the morning and there are several people out on their boards. Holding my hand up to block the sun, I scan the horizon, a force of habit I’ve had ever since I learned to surf.

To check the swell.

To check the wind.

To check for danger.

Nowadays, though, it’s more to check on Jade. Although she’s not here for another week or so, so I don’t need to do that either.

There are a couple of kids trying to stand up and ride some waves, and I laugh as they both immediately fall off their boards. My gaze now moves to the other person nearby riding the same wave.

“Fuck,” I murmur, as I watch this chick drop in on the face of the wave before cutting back as it peaks and then rolls, her board cutting through the barrel like a pro.

She surfs the wave for as long as she can before jumping off not far from where I stand, ankle-deep in the surf. Now that she’s closer, I can get a good look at her, see if she’s someone I know. But I don’t recognize her, which is weird given she’s clearly really good and with my job, I tend to know all the good female surfers.

She’s also really fucking hot.

“Impressive,” I say as she picks up her board.

She smiles, tucking her board under her arm. “Thanks. You surfing or staring?”

I laugh. “Both. You a pro?” I ask, looking at her board. There are no sponsors on it, just the name of the surf shop across the road where I’m staying.

“Nope,” she says, shaking her head.

“You should be,” I say. “That was…well, you have great form.”

She bursts out laughing. “Is that a line? I can’t tell.”

“I mean, it can be,” I say, grinning.

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, still smiling as she gives me a slow and very obvious once-over. Maybe she recognizes me; I can’t tell. But if she does, she doesn’t say anything. I’m glad, because telling my story over and over again gets exhausting.

“So you’re one of those guys then,” she eventually says, still smiling.

“And what exactly is one of those guys?” I ask.

“A flirt,” she says as she turns to walk back into the surf.

“Is it working?” I call out to her.

She looks back at me, a huge smile on her face as she says, “I don’t know yet. Why don’t you come out here and show me your form, paddle-puss?”

I burst out laughing at the name she gives me, knowing that’s exactly what I look like, standing here staring at her.

I run to catch up to her, loving the coolness of the water against my skin. “Now who’s the flirt?” I say as we both push our boards out and jump onto them, side by side. “I’m Flynn, by the way,” I say, glancing over at her as we paddle through the waves.

She smiles, not looking at me, as she says, “Nice to meet you, Flynn. I’m Alana.”