Page 29 of California Waves

He nodded again, looking almost bashful. “Both MD and PhD. That is correct.”

“Wow. I can’t even imagine what kind of competition there is to get into the astronaut program.”

“Oh, it’s fierce. You have to have the right background in education. They really like some flying experience, which is why a lot of jet fighter pilots have become astronauts in the past. They used to come more from the military. and now it tends to be quite a few from the scientific and medical communities. But yeah, something like less than one percent of the applicants—and we’re talking solid, capable applicants—even get into the training program. And that is rigorous. You also have to have the fitness and the right kind of personality to live in a small space for a long time. We are thoroughly screened.”

She was fascinated and just loved how animated he got when he talked about his favorite subject. It was like she was finally getting to see the real man.

He glanced out at the sky, where the night had crept in and the stars were coming out, and wistfully said, “Do you know what the word astronaut means?”

“No,” she murmured, intrigued.

He turned his gaze back to hers. “Star sailor. Isn’t that beautiful? I like to think the Herschel I’m named for, that astronomer who added so much to our initial body of knowledge about space, would be thrilled to think of a much later Herschel actually sailing around in the stars. I know I’m a man of science, but I have to tell you, being out there is magical. Earth—its beauty echoes through the dark. It’s blue because so much of earth is covered by water and from space it seems almost fragile. I wish I had the words to really describe it to you. It’s the most humbling experience you could ever imagine. You just stand there, gaping, realizing what a tiny cog in the universe you are, but also how lucky you are to be a part of something so amazing. “

She felt a whisper down the back of her neck like the lightest brush of fingertips. He was so sexy and so darned thoughtful. It was almost too much to handle. She felt herself tipping from wanting him into desperately wanting him. Like right now, on this very table.

Trying to get her focus back on what he was saying and not the undercurrent of attraction, she asked, “It sounds incredible. And you describe it beautifully. What kind of research did you do at the space station?”

“I was part of a team working on Alzheimer’s research.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “To make it simple, it’s much easier to look at the mechanics of the disease when gravity isn’t getting in your way. A lot of the best research now is being done in space.”

“I had no idea. That’s so cool.” She glanced at him as their plates were taken away. “So, you’re super smart, super fit, and you’re working to eradicate one of the worst diseases on the planet.”

He paused and looked at her. “Well, I wouldn’t have put it that way myself, but some of that is true, yes.”

The waiter brought their wine, and they clinked glasses again. “A second cheers to the woman who rustled up my dream home like it was a quick omelet.” He smiled. “So I already know from working with you that you’re an excellent Realtor, with an engaging personality and a head for business. With the help of YouTube, I’ve also learned you’re an accomplished athlete, and the other term I would use for you is fearless.”

She chuckled, delighted at how neatly he’d summed her up, and even if it was a slightly flattering picture, it was also accurate.

Then he grew serious. “But I bet it wasn’t easy making the transition from surfing champ to Realtor.”

She shook her head and for a moment lowered her gaze to her wine. Then she looked up and said honestly, “No, it wasn’t. But it’s worked out okay.”

It wasn’t like Mila to go into her sad story, and as though he silently understood that about her, he redirected the conversation and asked, “How did you get started surfing? I mean, how does somebody even get to that level at the young age you were when you were competing?”

This was much easier to talk about. She remembered being young and full of an ambition that at times had been overwhelming. “My dad put me on a surfboard when I was about two years old.”

“Two?” he asked, clearly stunned. “You’re joking.”

She laughed. “No. I had my own little life jacket, and he put me on the front of his board, and we’d ride in together on the waves. It’s a pretty common way to teach really little kids.”

“It might seem common to you, but it sounds remarkable to me.”

She shook her head. “It’s what happens when you grow up by the ocean. By the time I was three, I was on my own tiny board. But he was always out there with me, making sure I was safe and didn’t end up in any riptides. He loves to tell the story of me coming onto the beach and saying, ‘More, more,’ and he’d take me out into the surf again, and I’d say, ‘More, more.’ Of all the kids, he said I was his water baby. I don’t know—I got hooked. I love the water. I love being on it and in it and on top of it. I love to be in wave patterns, figuring out where that perfect sweet spot is. I took dance when I was younger, not because I wanted to be a ballerina, but because I needed better control of my muscles and better balance for surfing.”

He said, “That’s funny. When I watched those videos of you, even when I watched you the other day coming in to the beach or out there surfing, I thought to myself, ‘My goodness, she’s dancing with the waves.’”

She laughed out loud, delighted with him. “That’s how it feels when I’m out there. But the sea is an unpredictable partner, and sometimes it trips you up.”

“Right.”

There was a short pause. “But you were right about having to be fearless. I guess I had natural talent, just something I was born with and that my dad nurtured, and then combine that with years of training, and you’re almost there. But if I hadn’t been fearless? Well, I never would have entered the world of championship surfing.”

There was another pause while the waiter delivered their meals. As he set down their plates, she felt that Herschel was as eager to keep the conversation going as she was. She picked up her fork and then set it down again. “It was fun while it lasted. Now that you’ve seen the video, you know all about the accident that broke my back and ended my career.”

“I saw what happened, yes. But I don’t know how it made you feel. Not just physically, but emotionally.”

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