Page 4 of Tan Lines & Trouble
I sigh. “I’m just saying.”
She looks up again, pushing her blue hair—yes, her hair matches her name—behind her ear. “Listen, I know you and you’re not gonna let this go without closure.”
“I know.” I cover my eyes and groan. “What do I do?”
Blue peels my hands away from my face. The megawatt smile she’s rocking tells me I’m not going to like whatever she suggests. “Simple: you try again.”
Ugh. Yup, called it. “I don’t know…that sounds like?—”
“The best idea ever? I know. It’s like I’m a genius or something.”
“Or something,” I mutter and Blue laughs.
“Whine all you want, but we both know, as per usual, that I’m right. So do your little stalk-y thing and talk to him.”
“It’s not stalking, it’s?—”
“Call what you want, but find an in, talk to him, and move on. Simple as that.”
I nod, because as much as I don’t want to admit it, she’s right. I’m being a baby. I need to face this thing with Dane head on, so I can move on once and for all.
I spentthe last two weeks agonizing over how to approach Dane again. The confidence—ahem, false bravado—I had the night of the party has long since vanished. Every time I even thought of talking to him again my gut churned. But for the sake of my own sanity, and to satiate my curiosity, I have to. It’s like Mama always says—you gotta buck up, buttercup.
However, two days ago, the tides finally turned in my favor and the perfect buck-up-opportunity fell into my lap while perusing the schools’ website, in the form of private surf lessons with none other than my golden god. I don’t think I’ve ever filled out an online form so fast in all my life. Major props to my middle school computer lab teacher for getting me to 60 words a minute!
Today’s our first session and even though it doesn’t start until nine, I was up before the sun, my body wired with nervous energy.
My inner-asshole whispers to me, telling me I should stay home and that I’m only going to make a fool of myself. But just like at the party, I shut her poisonous ass down. And plus, even if I do end up crashing and burning, at least I’ll go down knowing I tried.
FOUR
Dane
Last month when I told my agent Lance I needed to come home, he almost had a coronary. He went as far as straight up trying to forbid me from traveling, like I was a naughty child. I shut him down real quick though.
My family will always come first, and when my mom called and told me Dad suffered a major heart attack, I didn’t hesitate to pack my bags.
I told Lance if it came down to it, I was prepared to walk away from it all. In the end, we compromised. In return for me being here while Dad recovers, I have to give surf lessons for a PR boost.
Which means instead of hitting up Dante’s for a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich with my boys, I’m sprawled out on my back in the hot sand waiting on what’s sure to be some grom that doesn’t know a nug—a good wave—from mush.
Even worse than that scenario is I could be waiting on some superfan who wants to collect a lock of my hair or some shit. Then again, said fan could be a fangirl, which I am totally down with. Especially if she’s down to fu—a shadow falls over me, abruptly ending my train of thought.
“Here for lessons?” I ask, looking up toward the interloper. The sun shines brightly behind them, making it impossible for me to really see them. Details, sure. Like it’s a she—a short and curvy she with tits to rival a porn star. Huh—maybe that train of thought won’t be derailed after all.
“Yup. So maybe quit staring and start teaching.”
Fuck. That voice. “Dots,” I say before I can stop myself. I straight up acted like I didn’t remember her the other night and here I am calling her by her old childhood nickname.
“Oh, now you know me?” Her tone drips with indignation
I shrug, trying to come off as careless, relaxed even. “Knew you then too,” I murmur fully prepared for her to yell.
What I’m not expecting is a face-full of sand. I’m so shocked when she kicks a mountain of it my way that I don’t even think to cover my head. “You piece of shit! Do you have any idea of how you made me feel?”
Blindly, I fumble for my towel. “Fuck!” I yell spitting out granules of sand. “What the fuck Dots?”
She waits until I’ve removed as much of the sand as possible before answering me. “It’s Thea now and let’s not act like you didn’t deserve it.”
