Page 91 of Rut Bar

“You can swim, right?” I probably should have asked her that before dragging her out of bed at dawn. I grab my board from where I wedged it into the sand and lead her toward the shore.

Good, they’re still there.

“Yeah. Why?” The waves lap over her toes. “Jesus Christ, that’s fucking cold. Nope. No. I’m going back to bed. Wake me in a month.”

“You’ll like this,” I tell her, threading her fingers with mine and squeezing her hand. I lock eyes with her and refuse to budge. “Please. Trust me.”

She’s so grumpy it’s cute. It reminds me of Anthony. He’s not a morning person either. I’ve learned not to ask him too many questions before he’s had his first cigarette.

Vee glares at me, then huffs and nods. “Fine. But it better be amazing or you’re making it up to me. With your tongue. For a month.”

I grin. “Deal.” I squeeze her hand and drag her into the water until we’re deep enough that I can put her on the board. I get on behind her and paddle us out beyond the swell of waves.

“What’s so amazing?” she asks, squinting while she looks around. “I mean, the sunrise is pretty and all, but I could have watched that from the shore and—holy fucking shit.” She flinches and tries to lift her legs out of the water, nearly toppling us into the ocean. “There’s something moving down there. Did you see that?”

I lock my arms around her middle and keep us steady. “Wait for it.”

I hold my breath, smiling when she whimpers, and then the first dark fin breaks the surface. The dolphin breaches, blows out its breath with a spray of salt water, sucks in another breath, then dives back down. A second joins it, and then a third. We’re in the middle of their pod. A brave one sees us and swims close, its eye swiveling to keep us in sight as it jumps higher on its next surfacing. It’s showing off.

“Oh my God,” she croaks. “Those are dolphins.”

I grin and hold her tighter, even though she’s no longer struggling. “They like an early breakfast. They’re most active at dawn.”

“You do this every day?” she asks, her voice breathless.

“Every day I can. Dawn patrol’s my favorite time to surf.”

We sit there in silence and watch the pod swim past us. There’s a mother and her baby, which makes Vee squeal with such omega delight that my insides feel as soft as cotton candy.

I prop my chin on the top of her head and grin. She’s not as cold and tough as she pretends. When the pod swims on, their fins only visible in the distance, I turn us back toward shore. She’s shivering by the time we get through the surf and back onto the beach.

“Thank you,” Vee says, throwing her arms around me.

“You’re welcome.” I rest my chin on the top of her head and savor the moment. “I’m glad you saw it, and that you liked it. I like seeing you happy.” And I really like knowing that I’m the one who put that smile there on her pretty face. I pull away so I can see it again.

The wind blows her hair into her eyes, and I drag the strands back before she can. I tuck the wayward lock behind her ear and cup her jaw in my hand, stroking her cheek with my thumb. “I like making you smile, Vee.”

“Oh,” she whispers. Her cheeks pinken.

“I’d like to make you smile every day. We all would. If you’ll let us.”

Her mouth opens and closes while her eyes search mine. “I… I’d like to watch you surf. If that’s okay.”

“Of course.” The winds are picking up, but the waves are still small. They’re barely more than ankle slappers. “This isn’t the best board for these little waves, but I’ll try to catch a few.”

I leave her on the sand and crash into the surf, pushing my board out until I can barely reach the bottom. I climb onto my stomach and paddle out there. After a few minutes of waiting, I catch one in the pocket, getting up on my board and rolling in until I have to dig the fins into it and turn around to get enough force from an airy jump off the white to keep going before it loses all of its power and height. Two more times, I find a decent wave and pull out every trick I know to make it look good, and then I ride back toward shore.

I’m panting and pleasantly sore—some of it from surfing and some of it from her heat—when I grab my board and hike up the beach to where I left Vee. She’s sitting there with her toes buried in the sand and a smile on her face. Her hands are clasped around her knees.

With her beach waved hair and the wetsuit, she’s a surfer’s wet dream. Plus I know she’s not wearing anything underneath it. I need to get her a suit that fits her. One that’ll show off all her amazing curves while keeping her warm.

“You’re really good,” she says while I lay my board down in the sand and sit beside her so our hips and thighs touch. She leans into me, laying her head on my shoulder, and my heartbeat kicks up. “Do you miss doing it professionally?”

“Sometimes. I miss traveling and doing competitions. Seeing new places. But the waves are so crowded with kooks now and the big falls rattle me a lot more than they used to. Ten footers make me feel my age.” I laugh and watch the waves turn into foam while birds search the receding surf for their next meal. “I’m happy with cruising my little slice of heaven here.”

“I’m happy too. Rut’s doing well enough to think about opening a second location. Or maybe doing a traveling show. I haven’t decided yet. We have to get through this audit first.”

“Do you like Brendan?” I ask.

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