Page 23 of Catch a Wave

Of all the things, I blurt out, “I won’t stalk you, I promise.”

Gah! Dork-o-meter in the red! I’m sure my face is starting to blush. Thankfully, between the amount of time I spend in the sun and my natural skin tone, the pinkening hue won’t show too much.

“I won’t stalk you either,” Summer says casually, as if I hadn’t just put my foot in my mouth, boot and all.

“Deal?” She smiles a commercial-worthy smile, only it’s genuine.

“Deal.”

Kai and I order our drinks. My eyes wander toward the patio. If Summer and Riley weren’t here, we could sit out there and watch the ocean. I may never put my feet in her waters again, but I still love her ebb and flow into the shore and away again, cresting and breaking, always tugging and calling to me. Maybeit’s a lot like my relationship with Bodhi. I won’t swim into those waters again either, but I feel the tug. How can I not?

It would be nice if he didn’t invade my thoughts every five to ten minutes. Maybe in time my preoccupation will diminish. I can only hope.

Riley serves up our drinks and then she joins the conversation. “How long will you be staying on Marbella, Kalaine?”

“That’s the million dollar question.” I glance at Kai.

He smiles softly at me.

“It’s complicated.” I admit.

“Because you dated Bodhi?” Summer asks.

“You knew?”

“Not until this week. These guys. I tell you.” Summer rolls her beautiful eyes.

She’s even more stunning in person with her sun-bleached blond hair and perfect skin. She’s the type of person you turn your head to look at twice when they pass by. It’s no wonder she’s on the big screen.

“Ben told Cam, and Cam told me,” Riley says.

“Ben told me right when he got off work yesterday. He said, and I quote, ‘Kai’s in deep, deep yogurt.'”

I laugh. “He is. So deep.”

“I’ll never look at yogurt the same way again.” Kai hangs his head.

“I’m still upset.” I find myself confiding in these two strangers. I’m not sure why. “And, yeah. It’s super awkward. Bodhi and I didn’t end on the best of terms. And I didn’t know …”

“You didn’t know Bodhi was here on Marbella,” Riley finishes for me.

“Exactly.”

“And now you’re living in the same house as him.” Summer shoots Kai a look.

“For now. I don’t know if I’ll stay.”

“I’d say you could move into my place, but I’m planning a wedding and I’ve had a temporary roommate staying in Riley’s old room ever since Riley moved out eight months ago after she and Cam got married.”

“And we have a spare bedroom at our place, but we’re upstairs,” Riley adds.

“I haven’t gotten the whole stair thing mastered quite yet. I can do two or three, but a flight multiple times a day might be above my skill level—not that I’d move in. It’s sweet of you to even say you’d consider it. The good news is, I should ditch the boot in a few weeks, though, if all goes well.”

I pause, letting the reality that two total strangers just offered me a place to stay sink in.

“You two don’t even know me. Why would you even consider letting me live with you?”

“You’re Kai’s sister,” Summer says as if that’s reason enough.

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