"Let her know you'll be there if she gets sober. That the door is always open. But if she's not…" She looks up at the bright blue sky. Then toward the horizon. "It's too calm, huh?"
"You know a lot about this."
"Yeah."
"Anyone you know—"
"No one I loved. I, um… I guess you should talk to your parents."
"They wanted to do dinner tonight. But that was before—"
"I can talk to them if you want. Scare them with research."
"Nothing scares them."
"I can still go. Hold your hand." She presses her lips together. "Or… I don't want to intrude."
"No. I want you there."
She nods. "Good." She turns back to the ocean. "Oh. That's one, a set, right?" Her voice gets bright. "I'm going to catch this one."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. You'll see. I'm going to have a Roxy contract in no time flat." She looks to me with a smile.
The first waves crashes into the beach.
The next rolls toward us.
"Go." I push her board in the right direction.
She paddles. Catches the waves. Pops up with one messy step. She rides the wave for a second and a half, then she falls/jumps into the water.
It's a smooth fall. Like she's been surfing for years.
She pushes the board back to me.
And she wraps her arms around me and she kisses me like she needs everything I have to give.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Iris
"Mmmm." I fall onto the bench seat as I take a long sip of my sugary cold brew. Sweet, sweet caffeine. "Thank you, surf gods."
"You're welcome." Walker slides onto the bench next to me. He taps the outside of my knee with the outside of his.
We're both in shorts and t-shirts. We both towel changed at the beach. After about a gallon of water, I'm finally hydrated enough to caffeinate properly.
"Don't you want to eat?" He arches a brow as he takes a long sip of his black cold brew.
"Eventually. This first." I lean back in my seat. Sip. Sigh with pleasure.
He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me onto his lap. "You make me so fucking jealous, Iris."
"Yeah?" I lean back so my neck brushes against his cheek. It feels warm. It feels better than it has any right to.
"You don't fool me, sweetness. You do it on purpose." He places his palm on my quad and rubs my inner thigh with his thumb. "You sure you're good to do dinner at seven tonight?"