Page 65 of Come Break My Heart Again

But I actually feel like it couldn’t have gone worse.

“What’s the point of this again?” Tuck asks me.

“It’ll keep you from slipping off the board when you’re paddling toward waves,” I reply. “And help your feet keep traction on your board.”

Not that it’ll be necessary today. The surf is practically nonexistent. We’ll be paddling out simply to bob in the ocean, I’m betting.

But Tuck is excited about surfing, so I haven’t burst his bubble about the lack of decent waves. Maybe we’ll luck out.

I finish waxing my board and sit back on my heels, glancing around. I don’t know if this is a private beach or if it’s just early enough in the summer season, but there’s no one else around.

“Pretty sure Ophelia has a thing for you,” Tuck comments.

I huff a laugh as I tug my wetsuit over my shoulders and yank the zipper up. “Yep.”

Ophelia’s flirting wasn’t much of a distraction from Elle’s silence, unfortunately.

I’d forgotten what it was like to be in a room with Elle, to have my attention pulled to one spot like a magnet’s force. She’s a distraction like no other.

But I’m trying to follow her lead and make this weekend as not awkward as possible. Elle’s ignoring me, so I spent breakfast fighting the urge to look at her.

“You gonna go for it?”

“No,” I reply.

“Why not? Ophelia is great. Her lemon meringue pie is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. She lives in Fernwood, right by Keira’s place. And you know what they say about redheads …”

“What do they say about redheads?” I ask.

“They’re … fun?”

I shake my head.

“It’s been seven years, Ry. She’s dating some lawyer. She won’t care.”

I know it’s been seven years. I know she won’t care. And that’ll hurt.

Not that I’m admitting that to Tuck. He’s worried enough about me already.

“I didn’t come here to hook up, man.”

“You should’ve,” he tells me. “You can’t be getting laid in that trailer much.”

I snort. He wouldn’t even believe me if I told him how long it’s been since I had sex.

“I’m a mess, Tuck. You don’t want me getting involved with Keira’s friend and employee, trust me.”

He tilts his head, considering. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Maybe you’ll meet a local at the bar tonight.”

I stand. “We doing this or what?”

“Yeah.” He stands too, glancing toward the house. “Hey, we got a cheering section.”

I follow his gaze to the deck, where the five women are sitting. Only one isn’t looking this way, and I know without squinting that it’s Elle.

God, she’s stubborn.

I turn toward the water. “Great. They can watch us imitate ducks.”

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