Page 36 of Broken Hearts

Oh my god, I need to shut up.

“Yo, Nate!” a voice calls out, the bell on the door chiming as people begin to file into the shop.

I quickly look around, almost in a panic as to where Nate is. I haven’t really had to interact at all with customers since I’ve been here. I can’t help with anything but calling for someone to help.

I’m standing behind the counter when one of the guys walks up. He’s holding a stack of papers, setting them down, he looks me over.

“You new here?” he asks, his eyes scanning my face, his brow furrowed. “We met before?” he now asks, a smile slowly developing on his lips. With a flirtatious grin on his face, he taps his knuckles on the counter. “Nani,” he mutters, and one of the guys who came in with him lets out a laugh.

“You’re a dick,” the other guy calls, still laughing as he heads toward the back of the shop and through the doorway that leads to the office. “Nate!” I hear him yell, and I turn back to look at the guy standing in front of me.

“It’s Sage, not Nani,” I reply. “You must have me mistaken for someone else.” My words come across cold and a little bothered. These Hawaiian boys are quite bold.

First, I’m met with Nate and all his grumpiness and now I have this guy who seems more interested in what I look like in a bikini than he is in getting to know me.

“Dude, back the fuck off,” I hear Nate’s gruff voice shout, coming to stand beside me. “She’s Mitch’s daughter. You think he’d want you hitting on her?”

“Ah, so yeah, I see that. The eyes,” the guy says, extending a hand. “I’m Malo. Name means winner in Hawaiian.” Winking at me, I feel my cheeks flush. Obviously, being Mitch’s daughter means nothing.

“Last I checked it means loser,” Nate growls, stepping closer to me. He’s so close I can smell the deliciousness of his tanned skin, of the surf wax that seems to be ever-present, reminding me of that damn kiss.

Fuck, I can’t stop thinking about it.

Malo lets out a hearty laugh, blowing off Nate’s comment. He pushes the stack of papers over toward Nate as he says, “Last time I checked, you haven’t been laid since…” he pauses, looking over at me, he stops, shaking his head.

“How’d the week go?” Nate now asks, the banter gone, and both guys seem to have a friendship despite the arguing that ensued.

“Good, good,” Malo replies, and I notice several more people, a mix of guys and girls milling around out front of the shop. The guy who went to find Nate in the back returns, hitting Nate with a fist bump as he walks by.

Tucked under one arm is a surfboard and a wetsuit is tossed over his shoulder. “Want to hit the water with us?” the guy asks, directing his question at Nate. “And you are?” His eyes fall on me, and I seem to be like a shiny new toy. It is a small area of the island and I’m sure everyone knows everyone here, and I’m the outsider. I stand out like a sore thumb with my pale skin, looking like I’ve spent the last five years hiding from the sun.

“I’m Sage,” I start but am cut off by Nate and his comment that seems to come out of him like a robot.

“She’s Mitch’s daughter.”

“Yeah, I’m Mitch’s daughter,” I say, a mocking tone to my voice. I’m starting to get annoyed that I’ve become just ‘Mitch’s daughter’.

“I didn’t even know Mitch had a daughter,” the guy says, and Malo nods in agreement. “I’m Owen. I work for your dad.”

“Feels like everyone works for my dad,” I mutter, joking a little, but there’s also some seriousness to it. Again, the island is small, and The Pipe Dream is one of the busier places, second only to the coffee shop.

“So what do you say,” Owen says, turning back to Nate. “Catch some waves with us?”

“I gotta close up here and then finish up a design, but after that, sure,” he says, and he’s strangely not surly, just a casual conversation.

“Cool, we’ll see you out there,” Owen says, and with Malo following, they begin to leave the shop.

Malo turns back, looking over his shoulder, a smile on his face. “And if you need anyone to show you around, maybe teach you how to surf, let me know.”

“She doesn’t,” Nate barks, glaring at him. His body is practically touching mine, standing so close that I’m surrounded in his smell, and I have to squeeze my thighs together to keep myself from getting turned on. I have no idea what is going on with me.

“They work for my dad?” I now question, curious on how they fit into all of this. I know Nate and Alana help run the shop, Tanner makes the boards, but I have no idea what those guys could possibly do.

“Yeah, they teach lessons,” Nate says, but he doesn’t really elaborate, his attention now on the stack of papers that Malo dropped off.

“Where?”

Nate looks up and laughs. “In the Pacific Ocean,” he sarcastically replies, pointing to the turquoise waters in front of us.

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