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“This is Danielle Thornton,” a woman’s voice says, sounding nothing like I expected. I don’t even know what I expected. Maybe someone who is a hardass and ready to crack down on all the wrongdoings of the surf world.

“Hey, Danielle. Flynn Roberts returning your message,” he says without the least bit of hesitation or concern in his voice, and I can’t help but admire how he’s handling this.

As much as I know we haven’t done anything wrong, I’m still worried about how this will all go down. Jade can be incredibly convincing, and right now, she’s looking to get her way, even if that means ruining my career, and Flynn’s for that matter.

“Oh, hey Flynn. Thanks so much. How’s the swell out there in Maui?” she asks like she’s chatting with an old friend.

“Epic as always. How long has it been since you’ve been out here?” Again, with the casual conversation, and I want to tell him to just get to it. This call to her could end all this nonsense. That’s what it is, nonsense, and Jade knows it. But there’s no getting through to her, and she thinks she’s doing the right thing.

Or maybe she knows it’s wrong, and that’s her whole point. Wasting the resources of the ISA and asking them to investigate something that will never appear as anything more than a relationship between consenting adults.

“Gotta be at least six years, maybe longer,” she responds, letting out a laugh. “Don’t do much surfing these days, to be honest. Mostly just taking my kids out and showing them that their mom was once pretty good. Never a world champ like you, though.”

“I don’t do much either. Just for fun now,” Flynn tells her, and I swear these two are killing me with their pleasantries. Just get to the reason for the call.

Mochi cries at my feet, and I pick him up. Tucking him under my arm and into my side, he cuddles in, getting comfortable.

I wasn’t joking about Jade not getting the dog back. I like him way too much and today I plan to surprise Sloane with him. I’ve already texted Daisy asking her to pick up dog food and clueing her in.

She had a million questions, but I need to see her and Sloane in person to give them the update on all this chaos. Hopefully after this call, it will all be a thing of the past.

“It’s been nice catching up with you,” Danielle now says, and here it is. The moment I’ve been waiting for. “I need to look into the allegations that were submitted yesterday. I’m sure you understand.”

“Absolutely. I have my girlfriend here with me if you think you have time to chat with both of us,” Flynn states, looking over at me. His face is impassive, and I can’t get a read on what he’s thinking. Wondering if he thinks this will all blow over quickly.

“Unfortunately, we’ll need to interview you separately. It’s protocol, same with the complainant. It will all need to be done in person, and I’ve assigned your case to one of our local agents. If you have any evidence that goes against the claim, like emails or text messages, you can share them with the agent during your interview. Is this going to be a problem?”

She asks the question like we’re lying and I’m almost insulted. Why would we have anything to hide? But she doesn’t know that; she’s only doing what her job asks.

“Nope, not an issue at all,” he says, looking over at me, and I give a subtle nod. “Anything else you need from me?”

“No, just need to verify your phone number and get the address of where you’re staying,” she says, and then lists out Flynn’s number, and he gives her the address to the cottage at The Pipe Dream. “Someone will be in touch soon.”

“Thanks, Danielle,” Flynn says.

“I’m sorry this is happening,” she adds. “But you understand that we have to take all complaints seriously, and with this being so close to the start of Maui Pipe, we didn’t want to sit on it too long.”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks again.”

I’m sure with Flynn’s connections to the surfing world, he could get us out of this, but that’s not what I want. We both need our names cleared and the media to understand that we fully cooperated with the process. Neither of us needs Jade coming back and saying Flynn paid someone off or used his name to throw this back on her.

I want her to throw it back on herself. She needs to see that she can’t just have a tantrum and she wins. This is real life, the kind that people use as their livelihood, and not some damn game. This will probably be the first time in her life when she doesn’t get her way, and a secret part of me is looking forward to it.

A few seconds later, my phone is ringing, an unknown number appearing on the screen, and my heart races with anxiety.

Answering it, I’m met with the ISA agent assigned to our case, and I set up a time to meet with him. Trying to work around my training schedule and my work schedule, and also wanting to get this done as soon as possible.

I settle on later today, after The Pipe Dream has closed, asking if he could come to my house. I need to be in a place I feel comfortable so I’m able to focus and not let my anxiety get the better of me.

I need to tell Nate and the girls, but it all feels so overwhelming. This isn’t how my life is. I’ve tried so hard to keep it drama-free since my mom left, hating that she was always involved in something over-the-top. I made a promise to myself that I would be happy, but not just that, I would keep my life my own, quiet and calm, peaceful. And up until now, I have.

Not that I regret any of this. I don’t. I would do this all over again if it means I still get to meet Flynn. I hope he feels the same way.

“You okay?” he asks me, and it’s an impossible question to answer.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be with you when you do your ISA interview,” he now says, his arm wrapped around my shoulders. He pulls me into his side, dropping a kiss against my temple.

“I get it. They want the most honest version of the events and I’m sure there are people who don’t feel comfortable speaking the truth when the other person is in the room. Same reason you can’t be there when Jade gives her interview. You might try to coerce her into lying for you.”

I smirk up at him, Mochi now wiggling in my arms to be put down. As soon as his little legs touch the ground, he scampers over to lick the plate that Flynn obviously put food on for him.

“Please, like I could coerce Jade into doing anything,” he mutters. “If that were true, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“What did you feed the dog?” I now ask, changing the subject far too quickly.

“A hamburger from the other night.”

“No, you didn’t.” I laugh, shaking my head. “You know he’s going to puke, right?”

“Doubt it. He’s hearty. He’s probably been surviving on Twizzlers and Dr. Pepper with Jade. That burger was gourmet to him.”

“Seriously? You think she’s been feeding him that?” I ask, my nose wrinkled up in disgust. That poor little thing needs someone to take care of him way better than that. He deserves to be spoiled, but not with hamburgers.

“Hell if I know. She eats crap ninety percent of the time, rarely following the meal plan the dietitian worked up for her. Fuck, the cost her parents dished out, and she couldn’t give a shit. She’s probably long since fired her dietitian.”

“She has a dietitian?” I now ask, and holy shit, this girl really does have it made. A world champion coach, a world title of her own, a dietitian, a personal trainer. I can’t even imagine what else. Sponsors, tons of sponsors.

“She did, but like I said, I’m sure she’s fired her. She’s fired everyone but me,” Flynn says, and it’s like it hits him. “Maybe I’m next.” He sounds way too excited by this prospect, and I hit him with a hard stare.

“If she fires you, she wins, you know that, right? You want her to get to control this narrative? Stick it out because this is going to be a non-issue soon, and you can keep your job.”

He doesn’t say anything, and the look on his face seems to speak for itself, his brain processing what it means to be fired. But he also seems to be thinking about letting Jade control this situation.

She already is, and it sucks.

“I need to walk Mochi, and then I’m going to head home. I need to get a run in before work, and if I can, I need to get out on the water.”

“Want me to join you?” Flynn asks, but then his phone rings, and it’s either Jade looking to continue her bipolar behavior or it’s the ISA to schedule Flynn’s interview.

“It’s the ISA,” he now says, letting out a hard sigh. Taking the call, I begin to walk out of the room to give him some space.

But he hooks his arm through mine, holding me there as he jots down his time on a piece of paper. Sliding it over to me so I can see, the time there in black ink.

His meeting is in an hour, and I feel this strange sense of relief mixed with worry. I keep telling myself we’ve done nothing wrong, but I have no idea how we convey that or how the ISA is able to figure that out.

“Let me know how it goes,” I say, clipping Mochi’s leash on. I lean in and kiss Flynn, letting my lips linger against his for a few seconds.

“Text me as soon as your interview is done too,” he tells me, kissing me quickly again. “I’m going to hop in the shower and get ready for this shit.”

“It’s going to be fine,” I say, and I don’t know if I’m reassuring him or myself.

The day seems to drag, and I’m back at The Pipe Dream for my shift after spending as much time as I could out on the water. Flynn stopped by the shop to update me on his interview. He let them look through his emails and texts on his laptop and phone, which seems extreme, but I guess they do need to be thorough.

He didn’t really have much to say other than he answered the questions honestly, and the person doing his interview wasn’t really up for chatting or hearing a narrative. He was told to leave out any opinions or embellishments, and I’m trying to imagine Jade’s interview without this.

I’m pacing the house when a knock comes on the door, Mochi barking like the little protector that he is, and when I open the door, Mochi goes from protector to best friend.

“Sorry,” I tell the interviewer as I open the door, stepping aside so they can come in.

I grab Mochi, tucking him under my arm, putting him in air jail which he doesn’t seem to like, but I don’t need him jumping all over this person.

Daisy and Sloane are still gone with Sloane working late at Orchid Bay and I assume Daisy has a shift at the bar. I’m glad they’re not here, though. This is uncomfortable even all on its own.

“Alana Hale?” the interviewer asks as he enters the house. I nod, and he continues. “I’m Steven Abbott and I’ll be doing your interview. It shouldn’t take long.”

I motion for him to sit down at the kitchen table, taking in a deep breath. My hand shakes as I go to rest it on the table, and I hope my voice doesn’t do the same when I start talking.

He begins by asking me my name and then moves into some questions about how I know Flynn and Jade. They’re simple and easy, and like Flynn’s interview, he asks me to leave out anything that could be construed as an opinion on the situation.

The questions get harder as he goes, but I do my best to answer honestly, and at times it’s even hard to remember. He asks for specific dates, like all the dates Flynn and I went running together, and dates that we surfed together.

Then he gets into questions about Jade’s training program, and every single question, I have to answer by telling him I don’t know. Because I don’t. It starts to feel like I’m trying to cover up or that I’m lying to save my ass, but I’m not.

There is very little I know about her life and her surfing career, including her training and the people who work for her.

Next, he begins to ask me questions about my training, and if I shared any of that information with Flynn. He asks me to get very specific, and he takes notes on everything, down to how many hours a day I spend in the gym, on the water, if I have a specific regimen I follow.

I give him everything I can, telling him about when I’ve rented a jet ski and the times Daisy, Sage or Sloane were with me. I tell him about the program Mitch had me running. It’s as specific as it gets, and I even pull up my calendar on my phone to give him my work hours over the last several weeks.

He’s professional, but there’s nothing personal or friendly about the interview, which feels like how it should be.

When he finishes his last question, he thanks me for my time. “We may need to look at your computer and your phone should we need to investigate anything further.”

“Not a problem,” I tell him, and he holds out his hand for me to shake. “When will I hear back?”

“This feels like a very cut and dry case. It shouldn’t be too long. I’d say the commission should have the investigation completed in the next day or two, and our decision will be communicated to you shortly after.”

“Can I ask you one more question?” I wait, my eyes widening, wondering if I’m not allowed to ask about Jade.

“Sure.”

“Have you interviewed Jade yet?”

He doesn’t say anything right away, just standing there, watching me. My question floats between us, and it’s then that I realize he probably can’t share with me how Jade’s interview went, needing to keep things confidential.

“I can’t disclose what happened in her interview,” he answers. Again, taking a pause, but a small smile crosses his lips. It’s a knowing one, one that feels positive, like he’s giving me a silent okay. “But we’ve interviewed everyone involved.”

“Thank you.”

And as I close the door, I realize he asked me all those questions about my training schedule because he has already interviewed Jade.

There’s not a chance that her story matches what I just told him. She knows nothing about me because in her words, I’m just an “amateur nobody.”

Thank fuck for that.