Page 85 of Reckless Hearts

“Seriously? You think she’s been feeding him that?” I ask, my nose wrinkled up in disgust. That poor little thing needs someone to take care of him way better than that. He deserves to be spoiled, but not with hamburgers.

“Hell if I know. She eats crap ninety percent of the time, rarely following the meal plan the dietitian worked up for her. Fuck, the cost her parents dished out, and she couldn’t give a shit. She’s probably long since fired her dietitian.”

“She has a dietitian?” I now ask, and holy shit, this girl really does have it made. A world champion coach, a world title of her own, a dietitian, a personal trainer. I can’t even imagine what else. Sponsors, tons of sponsors.

“She did, but like I said, I’m sure she’s fired her. She’s fired everyone but me,” Flynn says, and it’s like it hits him. “Maybe I’m next.” He sounds way too excited by this prospect, and I hit him with a hard stare.

“If she fires you, she wins, you know that, right? You want her to get to control this narrative? Stick it out because this is going to be a non-issue soon, and you can keep your job.”

He doesn’t say anything, and the look on his face seems to speak for itself, his brain processing what it means to be fired. But he also seems to be thinking about letting Jade control this situation.

She already is, and it sucks.

“I need to walk Mochi, and then I’m going to head home. I need to get a run in before work, and if I can, I need to get out on the water.”

“Want me to join you?” Flynn asks, but then his phone rings, and it’s either Jade looking to continue her bipolar behavior or it’s the ISA to schedule Flynn’s interview.

“It’s the ISA,” he now says, letting out a hard sigh. Taking the call, I begin to walk out of the room to give him some space.

But he hooks his arm through mine, holding me there as he jots down his time on a piece of paper. Sliding it over to me so I can see, the time there in black ink.

His meeting is in an hour, and I feel this strange sense of relief mixed with worry. I keep telling myself we’ve done nothing wrong, but I have no idea how we convey that or how the ISA is able to figure that out.

“Let me know how it goes,” I say, clipping Mochi’s leash on. I lean in and kiss Flynn, letting my lips linger against his for a few seconds.

“Text me as soon as your interview is done too,” he tells me, kissing me quickly again. “I’m going to hop in the shower and get ready for this shit.”

“It’s going to be fine,” I say, and I don’t know if I’m reassuring him or myself.

The day seems to drag, and I’m back at The Pipe Dream for my shift after spending as much time as I could out on the water. Flynn stopped by the shop to update me on his interview. He let them look through his emails and texts on his laptop and phone, which seems extreme, but I guess they do need to be thorough.

He didn’t really have much to say other than he answered the questions honestly, and the person doing his interview wasn’t really up for chatting or hearing a narrative. He was told to leave out any opinions or embellishments, and I’m trying to imagine Jade’s interview without this.

I’m pacing the house when a knock comes on the door, Mochi barking like the little protector that he is, and when I open the door, Mochi goes from protector to best friend.

“Sorry,” I tell the interviewer as I open the door, stepping aside so they can come in.

I grab Mochi, tucking him under my arm, putting him in air jail which he doesn’t seem to like, but I don’t need him jumping all over this person.

Daisy and Sloane are still gone with Sloane working late at Orchid Bay and I assume Daisy has a shift at the bar. I’m glad they’re not here, though. This is uncomfortable even all on its own.

“Alana Hale?” the interviewer asks as he enters the house. I nod, and he continues. “I’m Steven Abbott and I’ll be doing your interview. It shouldn’t take long.”

I motion for him to sit down at the kitchen table, taking in a deep breath. My hand shakes as I go to rest it on the table, and I hope my voice doesn’t do the same when I start talking.

He begins by asking me my name and then moves into some questions about how I know Flynn and Jade. They’re simple and easy, and like Flynn’s interview, he asks me to leave out anything that could be construed as an opinion on the situation.

The questions get harder as he goes, but I do my best to answer honestly, and at times it’s even hard to remember. He asks for specific dates, like all the dates Flynn and I went running together, and dates that we surfed together.

Then he gets into questions about Jade’s training program, and every single question, I have to answer by telling him I don’tknow. Because I don’t. It starts to feel like I’m trying to cover up or that I’m lying to save my ass, but I’m not.

There is very little I know about her life and her surfing career, including her training and the people who work for her.

Next, he begins to ask me questions about my training, and if I shared any of that information with Flynn. He asks me to get very specific, and he takes notes on everything, down to how many hours a day I spend in the gym, on the water, if I have a specific regimen I follow.

I give him everything I can, telling him about when I’ve rented a jet ski and the times Daisy, Sage or Sloane were with me. I tell him about the program Mitch had me running. It’s as specific as it gets, and I even pull up my calendar on my phone to give him my work hours over the last several weeks.

He’s professional, but there’s nothing personal or friendly about the interview, which feels like how it should be.

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