Page 78 of Reckless Hearts

She laughs again, rolling her eyes as she casts a death stare at Alana. “Fuck you, Flynn,” she says, her words like ice. “And you,” she adds, turning back to Alana. “You’re gonna pay for this, you amateur nobody.”

And with that, she turns and walks away, dragging her poor dog with her.

Well,that just shit all over our perfect day.

I’m standing here, my eyes wide, my heart slamming in my chest. This is exactly why we said we shouldn’t do this. But I have no one to blame but myself. I decided this was worth the risk, and while it still is, it doesn’t mean I’m not scared shitless. Things are about to blow up because, if there’s anything I’ve learned about Jade in this small amount of time she’s been here, it’s that she loves drama.

I look over at Flynn, blinking a few times as I try to gather my thoughts. And while I’m shocked, he looks anything but.

Rage blankets his face, a redness creeping up his neck, and when he turns to look at me, his jaw tightens painfully.

“That’s not true, you know that, right?” Flynn asks through clenched teeth. Letting out a hard sigh, he tugs a hand through his hair. The frustration I can feel radiating from him is palpable, but his anger bleeds through even stronger.

“What’s not true?” I ask, confused and still caught totally off guard. My brain can’t seem to catch up with what just happened and how the hell we’re going to figure a way out of it.

“You’re not a nobody,” he says, his hand resting on my cheek. He has zero interest in going after Jade, not caring in the least that she just caught us. If anything, he’s more worried about me and the insult she tried to sling at me.

“I don’t give a shit what she said about me. And she’s right, I am a nobody, but that’s not an insult. It’s motivation.” As the words leave my mouth, they encourage me on.

She can think what she wants about me, but she’s going to remember my name after Pipe because I intend on placing.

What I worry about now is Flynn’s job and his ability to get work in the future. He’s put it all on the line for me, someone he just met. This could backfire spectacularly, especially with Jade and her bruised ego.

She’s the kind of person who seeks revenge because she doesn’t understand how life works. There’s this expectation that everything is handed to her, and she gets what she wants, and when it doesn’t happen, the world feels her wrath.

“You should go talk to her,” I tell Flynn, motioning in the direction Jade took off in. That poor little fluffy ball Mochi was being tugged behind her, looking confused and startled by how quickly she took off. “Maybe you can talk some sense into her.”

“Me?” he says incredulously. “She doesn’t listen to me when it’s about surfing. What makes you think she’s going to listen to me about this?”

His voice is raised, and not necessarily at me, but at the situation. Like I said, though, we brought this on ourselves. We knew the risks, and this was one of them.

“I think she likes you, Flynn,” I tell him, my words quiet. “And not just as a person but really likes you. There’s some definite jealousy there.”

“She’s lost her fucking mind if she thinks anything would happen between us,” he barks, his fists now clenched at his sides. “I’ve known her since she was fifteen, and she can havewhatever fucked up fantasy she wants about us, but I will never be a part of it.”

“I get that, but you also need to realize she’s still just a spoiled child, even if she is eighteen. She’s not able to see things clearly, and when she walked up on us, she was probably taken aback.”

I’m trying to be diplomatic, trying to help him see her side of this, but he’s so filled with rage that he can’t possibly understand. I’m not even sure why I’m trying to, either, since she’s been nothing but rude to me. I guess in a strange way, my heart breaks for her. That unrequited love, no matter how misguided it is, still stings.

“I don’t fucking care, Alana. I should have quit a long time ago.” Every word that leaves his mouth is bitter, and I need him to calm down so we can talk this through rationally.

I have no idea what Jade is capable of, but I need to make sure I’m prepared for the fact that I could lose my place at Maui Pipe. Flynn could lose his job. He could even be banned from coaching ever again if the commission wants to make an example of him. That is if Jade knows enough to report us.

Something tells me what she lacks in people skills, she makes up for in street smarts, knowing exactly how to fuck up someone’s life.

“Okay, let’s go inside and talk about this,” I say, trying my best to remain calm, but inside my body is screaming, my heart slamming wildly in my chest as I go through every possible scenario.

None of them are good.

This is not the kind of publicity I need, and I can almost bank on Jade going to the media. She’d love that kind of attention, and even more, she’d love to play the victim. Getting her story out there lets her control the narrative. And no matter how we spin it, she will look like she got fucked over.

“How the hell are you so calm right now?” Flynn asks, a desperation to his tone that wasn’t there earlier. “I can’t even think straight, and you’re over there telling me to see things from her point of view. Fuck her point of view. She doesn’t get a say in this.”

I let out a laugh, but I know Flynn doesn’t think this is funny. Of course, I’m worried, but I also know this is the happiest I’ve been in years. Honestly, this is probably the happiest I ever remember being.

We walk into the cottage, and I pull a stool out from the little island, sitting down. I motion for Flynn to do the same, but instead, he paces. His hand dragging through his hair, a nervous habit that seems to come at all different times.

“What’s the worst that can happen, Flynn?” I ask, my brows going up as I wait for him to respond.

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