Page 53 of Seven Summer Weekends

As Terrence completed his final professional ride, they made their way over to greet him. The judges were busy tallying up the score, and Terrence happily signed autographs and took pictures. From the joy on his face, it was hard to imagine he was serious about quitting, until he saw Kizzy, that is. And then it was quite obvious that he was.

The head judge stepped up to a microphone and tapped on it,getting the crowd’s attention before reading off the final scores. It was a close call, but Terrence emerged as the winner. The crowd cheered and showered him with congratulations, and as he collected his trophy, he took the moment to announce his intention.

Terrence grasped the microphone, and the crowd went silent again.

“Thank you, thank you! It means so much to me to take this cup home today, on my last ride as a competitive surfer.”

The crowd reacted to the news with both cheers and boos. After all, the Vagabond Surfer was a legend.

“The decision to retire is a tough one, but in my gut, I know it’s time. I want to take a minute to thank my fellow surfers, fans, sponsors, and supporters, who have been by my side throughout this incredible journey. I have had the honor of riding some of the most off-the-hook waves in the world, sharing the lineup with some of the most talented surfers on the planet, and being part of a community that has become family. The stoke and the bond that we share as surfers is amazing. I love you all, man.”

The crowd cheered, and Ben looked around in amazement. There was no doubt about it—Terrence Williams was truly loved.

“While my competitive days may end, my love for surfing never will. Keep following me—there’s more to come!”

He held the trophy over his head, and the crowd went wild.

The story was indeed writing itself.

It was some speech. And it prompted Ben to contemplate retirement as well.

Retirement from misery, that is.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Addison had spent the week thinking up ways to bump into Ben that didn’t involve her staring out the window all day, waiting to pounce. By now there was no denying, even to herself, her attraction to her ornery neighbor and nothing stopping her from pursuing him. That almost kiss had been playing out in her mind ever since it didn’t happen. Though she would be hard-pressed to admit it, she now believed he truly did not know that she was Gicky’s niece when they began their little flirtation. Still, it was hard to align flirty Ben, with Ben from the book, with the ill-tempered Ben who berated her on the sidewalk. He was an enigma, and she was determined to crack his code.

With no luck in the bump-into department by Thursday, she decided she would bake more scones and bring them over for a taste test. Surely Gicky had shared her renowned culinary creations with her neighbor, rendering him the best person to judge.

While the scones were in the oven, Addison went to the studio to meditate. She had been diligent about it for the past three weeks, and it had been getting easier every day. Plus, she couldn’tdeny the positive effect it was having on her. She had transitioned from admonishing herself to “be in the moment” every few minutes to actually being in the moment.

The oven timer went off and, for the first time, the results of her baking looked like actual scones. She put a few on a plate and headed next door, filled with hope and curiosity. She had never been inside Ben’s home, even if from the pages of his novel she felt as if she knew every inch of it.

“Knock, knock,” she said out loud, while rapping on Ben’s porch door. Sally was the first to greet her, obsessively offering her paw.

“Good girl.” She kneeled down and scratched the dog’s ears. Then she broke off a piece of scone and gave it to her. Sally quickly spit it out and ran into the house.

These fucking scones.

She heard footsteps approaching and swiftly tossed the evidence of her failure over the railing into the garden. Shep appeared before her, immediately focusing on the empty plate. Addison stared at it too before handing it to him. “Hi, I’m returning this plate,” she said, oddly proud of the cover that was sure to eventually backfire. He took it.

“Ben went to the city for a few days. I’m watching Sally. I’ll tell him when he returns.”

Addison felt overly foolish. She took back the plate.

“It’s my plate,” she mumbled, before embracing next-level foolishness.

“What’s going on here?” Shep inquired.

“Nothing. Really, nothing.”

“That’s what Ben said when I asked him about you—you know I was most certainlynotborn yesterday.”

There was a woman’s sun hat hanging on a hook shaped like a mermaid next to the doorway. Shep saw Addison’s eyes turn toward it, the hat’s meaning sinking into her face.

“He hasn’t cleaned out even one of his wife’s things from this house,” he said. “I broached it once, and he bit my head off. He puts on a cocky face when he is out and about, but he’s still mourning Julia far more than he wants to admit. His anger is really just grief dressed in wolf’s clothing.”

He took a deep breath in and sighed, adding, “I’m not telling you this to discourage you—I’m telling you because he is worth it, and I don’t want you to give up. You know, Gicky really adored him. This would make her so happy.”

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