Page 35 of The Lyrics of Love

“That would be awesome, Rylie.”

“I’ll take you to the lake I learned on. It’s about fifteen minutes from here. Let me make a couple of calls and see if I can borrow a board for you.”

“Not necessary,” he told her. “Suggest a shop to go to, and I’ll buy my own. I have a feeling I’m going to like doing it. Especially with you.”

She gave him the place to go and a clerk’s name, telling Nash that Jarrod would take care of him, saying he would need things such as a whistle, light, and leash, as well as the board and paddle.

“What about a wetsuit?” he asked. “You mentioned you wear one.”

“That’s for the ocean. The Pacific is cold most of the time. Since we’ll be in a lake and the weather is good today, board shorts and a T-shirt will be fine. I’ll swing by and pick you up around two-thirty.”

“I’ll be ready,” he promised.

Nash called Phil again, telling him that he had taken his advice and brought a manager on board. When he revealed it was Chuck Cooper, his attorney praised him.

“Out-of-the-box thinking, Nash, and a really smart guy. Cooper is smart and will hustle. I’ll get in touch with him and keep you posted.”

“Thanks, Phil.”

He knew he needed to call Pops now and touched FaceTime on his phone. Pops loved FaceTiming with Nash, especially when he was on the road.

“Hey, Nash-a-rooney! What’s up? How’s Oregon? Or should I ask about who influenced A Mistake I Can’t Take Back?”

“You’ve been surfing the Internet, I see.”

“You know I get most of my news on it now. Listen to music. That YouTube lets me listen to fifteen different versions of the same song by lots of singers. And yes, I saw your little concert online.” Pops grew serious. “The song is good, Nash. Really good. It will be a hit. Hell, it already is.”

“I’m proud of it, Pops. Oregon has been good for me, along with Rylie Robinson.”

He spent the next fifteen minutes telling his grandfather how he met Rylie. About her store. How he felt an instant connection with her.

“It’s not Luna 2.0, Pops. I’ve learned my lesson. Rylie is more mature. A year younger than I am. Has her act together and is successful.”

He described Antiques and Mystiques and told Pops a little about the eras of furniture.

“You sound excited, Nash. About the woman and antiques.”

He swallowed. “I like her, Pops. A whole lot. I thought I’d written women off, but Rylie is way different from anyone I’ve ever known. I think she’s going to help me find myself again. The man I used to be. Or maybe the new one hiding inside me, waiting to be let out. I’d like you to meet her.”

“It’s early days, Nash,” Pops warned. “Give the relationship some time. If you’re still crazy about her in a couple of months, I may fly out and visit. How long are you going to be there?”

“I rented the house for two months, but the tourist season ends before the lease is up. I’ll talk to the real estate agent, but I’m thinking I could easily extend the lease. I’ll let you know what I’m up to. Oh, and I hired Chuck to be my new manager. Remember him?”

Pops beamed. “I always liked that boy. Now that’s a great decision.”

They talked a few more minutes before ending the call, and then Nash decided to do a little homework before he went to purchase the equipment he would need to SUP. It took him about an hour to read through several sites, which explained the equipment he would need and size of board to use. He also viewed a few sites that explained the SUP process—getting up on his board, keeping his balancing, and getting back up once he fell off, which he knew would be inevitable.

Nash drove to the Salty Point store, which was set right on the beach. The red-headed clerk greeted him by name, telling him that Rylie had called and given him a heads-up that Nash would be coming by.

“I’ve pulled what you need. There are a couple of different colors of paddleboards, so you can choose the one you like best.”

Half an hour later, Nash walked out of the store with the equipment he would need for his lesson with Rylie—and a promise to listen to one of Jarrod’s songs he had written. He got requests like this all the time and rarely agreed to listen to anyone’s work, not wanting it to influence his own. But the clerk had been friendly and Nash wanted to return the favor. He’d given Jarrod his e-mail and asked that he send the file to it.

He returned home and ate before spending a couple of hours working. He’d gotten two verses and a solid chorus down and was working on the bridge when Rylie texted him that she was leaving her house and would be there in ten minutes. Quickly, Nash gathered his new equipment and went to wait on the porch.

Her SUV pulled into his driveway, and he went out to meet her. As she got out of her car, he saw those long, shapely legs and his mouth went dry. She wore a swimsuit but had a tight, long-sleeved T-shirt on top of it, which only hugged her curves. He wanted to kiss her but with his hands full, it would be too awkward.

“We can strap your board with mine,” Rylie said. “Did Jarrod fix you up?”

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