Page 25 of Ride the Wave

‘Yes.’ He lifts his eyes up to meet mine. ‘It’s a recently appointed position.’

‘I see. I was under the impression that he didn’t have a coach. That he was… alone.’

‘Surfers are never alone,’ he says coolly. ‘And certainly not my Leo.’

‘Nice to know I’m right about something,’ I murmur, glancing around the shop. When I return my attention to him, I notice he’s still watching me. I plaster on a smile. ‘I know that this is a longshot, but is Leo here, Mr Silva?’

‘Adriano, please. No, he’s surfing.’

‘I didn’t see him out there.’

‘He doesn’t just surf here; he goes to several places along the coast,’ he explains. ‘He goes where he wants, wherever has the best waves.’

‘Do you think he’ll be back soon?’

He shakes his head. ‘He didn’t leave too long ago and he seemed… agitated. Was he meant to be meeting you?’

‘We can rearrange.’

‘Probably a good thing. He wasn’t so easy to talk to today,’ he says with a shrug. ‘He was angry at himself after our session this morning. He thinks he surfed badly.’

‘Canyou surf badly? You mean he fell a lot?’ I ask earnestly.

‘You can read the water wrong. Sometimes, you ignore your gut; sometimes, your instincts lead you awry. Leo puts a lot of pressure on himself to always be the best and that’s when he makes mistakes. He should be out there for the love of it. It’s my job to remind him of that when he gets inside his head.’

‘And what’s it like? Coaching Leo?’

A knowing smile spreads across his face. ‘I can tell from the way that you ask that you haven’t seen the best side of him yet.’

Damn it. I’m usually good at masking my feelings about someone.

‘The most complex subjects tend to be the most interesting ones,’ I say coolly.

He laughs. ‘I like that. Complex, eh? A nice way of saying he’s been a shit to you.’

I grin at his bluntness. ‘He’s… nervous. How do you feel about him doing this feature?’

He leans an arm on the counter. ‘Are you asking me that as his coach or as his father?’

‘Depends on how you answer.’

He looks satisfied with my response. ‘I have read your other articles, Iris. You must be good at getting people to talk about themselves.’

‘It’s not that difficult. People like to talk about themselves.’

‘That is true.’

‘What about you? Would you be happy to talk about yourself and your son for the piece?’ I ask cheekily, going straight for my chance to secure him.

He takes a moment to consider my request.

‘Despite what Leo may have told you, I promise I haven’t come here to write an article that in any way upsets your family,’ I insist. ‘I just want to hear his story. Maybe you can help with that.’

Stroking his chin, he finally nods. ‘Yes, I am happy to talk to you. I’m very proud of Leo; he deserves a bit of good press.’

‘Great! When would it work for you to meet? Shall I come here tomorrow?’

He brushes the idea off with a wave of his hand. ‘No, no. If we’re going to do this, let’s do it properly. I shall take you to lunch at my favourite restaurant.’

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