Page 91 of Reckless Hearts

“Do what? Cheer you on from the beach? Of course,” he replies, hitting me with a cheeky smile.

He’s such a shithead. He knows what I’m asking, but again, he can’t help but make this day all about me.

I tilt my head to the side, giving him a knowing look, and he chuckles. “I’m sorry, yes, I’m going to be there to coach you too. Can’t believe I have to tell you that.” He rolls his eyes, hooking his arm around my waist as I attempt to squeeze past him in the doorway.

“I was talking about you getting back into surfing,” I say, pushing up on my toes to kiss the tip of his nose before I slip from his hold.

“I know what you’re talking about, and I told you before. Nothing until Pipe is over. This is your week, Alana.”

He follows me out into the kitchen. Sloane and Daisy are already at the competition. They volunteered to help out at the event, along with Miles, Kai and Owen. Sage and Nate will be there in my assigned tent with Flynn, my own personal cheering squad.

It’s a big deal for our island, and most of the locals volunteer or come out to watch. Again, it’s why I feel like I need to perform at my best, not that I think I won’t, but still.

Setting my bag down on the counter, I check through it again, making sure I have everything I need. Mentally going through my checklist before I look over at Flynn and give him the okay.

The traffic on the way to Pipe is insane, but I expected it, and it doesn’t help calm my nerves at all. Flynn reaches over, taking my hand in his, threading his fingers through mine. He brings my hand to his lips, kissing each knuckle and then the inside of my wrist.

“Take a deep breath,” he says, his words quiet and calm. “Hold it, and now release slowly. Think about how each wave tells a story and what story you want it to tell when you ride it.”

I nod, trying to clear my mind, but there, in the front, is the biggest thing of all.

Jade.

I want to show her that I’m not the amateur she thinks I am, saying it like it’s an insult, like it’s the worst thing she could call me. I’ll admit that it did sting a little, the words sour and spit out at me like venom, but she doesn’t get to win this.

Her life handed her that world championship, all her parents’ money, and Flynn’s expertise, the best of everything. But me, I’ve had to work for it all my life. Not that I’m saying I deserve to win for that reason alone, nothing like that. I just want to show people that it doesn’t matter if you have all the money in the world or you have none, you can still achieve your dreams.

Flynn parks the car, and we head over to the tent to check in, getting everything we need. He requested that we not be placed in the same heat as Jade or the same holding tent, but who knows if the organizers give a shit.

We both check the standing board to see our location, and I swear I hear him audibly let out a sigh of relief when he notices Jade is on the far end from us.

We’re all placed in heats and paired up with other surfers when we’re out on the water. Most of the time, it’s the lower-ranked surfers paired with the higher-ranked. It was a complete possibility I could have been placed with Jade.

Fuck, that would have been awkward.

Setting my stuff down, I take a look around—the crowd, the water, all the tents and the scoreboards, the judges’ table—and as exciting as it is, it’s also overwhelming as hell.

Calling me over to an empty massage table, Flynn has me climb up and he begins to stretch me out. Trying to relax, taking in calming breaths as he moves my arm over my head.

“Heat one will begin in thirty minutes!” a voice shouts over the loudspeaker. “Surfers, please be ready and be wearing your assigned Lycra color.”

“That’s you,” Flynn says, and my breathing grows uneven. Slipping my tongue out, I wet my lips, trying to keep calm, but that’s not going to happen.

He pulls my rash guard from the bag I was given when we checked in. Slipping it on, my legs hanging off the side of the table, I knot it in the back to keep it tight against my skin. I don’t need anything getting in the way.

“I need to head over,” I tell Flynn. The heat starts in thirty minutes, but I need to be over in my designated area so I can get checked in, and really, to see if I can calm myself down.

He gives me a kiss, resting his forehead against mine. He rubs a soft circle on my back. Kissing me again, he whispers, “You’ve got this, babe.”

I walk over, my board under my arm, my heart slamming around as my palms grow sweaty. This is the biggest competition of my life. It’s probably almost everyone’s here too. Maui Pipe is international and could determine the next world champion.

Again, it won’t be me, but a bid to another comp is what I’m hoping for.

Before I know it, I’m out on the water, my eyes focused on the judges’ booth, looking for my priority. When I see it’s first, I don’t know whether to be excited or terrified. I have twenty minutes to catch a wave, but not just one, hopefully multiple to help boost my score.

And that’s exactly what I do.

Wave after wave, score after score, I watch my place go up. I need to remain in the top six to enter the championship tour, but before then, I need to score enough points to move into the next round.

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