Page 80 of Riding the Waves

“And?”

“I’d like to.” She dragged a hand through her hair, which was still damp from the shower. “I’d really like to. It feels unrealistic though.”

“Why?”

Amy sighed heavily.

“Sometimes people think things are unrealistic when they’re not,” Scarlett said. “Everyone thought it was unrealistic that I’d start my own publishing company, but if you really want something, you can usually make it happen.”

“If I only had myself to think about, I could definitely make it happen,” Amy mused. “But I have Billy and Marty to think about. And Damian.”

“What’s Damian got to do with it?”

Amy shrugged. “Things are such a mess between us. Taking the job would mean attaching myself to Hope Cove, and I’m not sure that’s a great idea at the moment.”

“I don’t think you’d ever need to physically be here for the job. Not if you didn’t want to.”

“No, but I’ll be on the phone with you and Lizzie and Emily all the time, while knowing that you’d probably seen Damian. I’d want to ask about him. It just feels weird.”

“And you’d really walk away from a job you want just because of that?” Scarlett asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.

“No. I told you there are other reasons. I don’t know if it would work out financially, and I’m about to move house, so I have a lot of change at the moment. It’s probably good to keep some things stable.”

“Okay.” Scarlett stood abruptly. “I think it all sounds like excuses, but it’s your life.”

Amy decided not to let Scarlett’s impatient tone rile her. “I told you I’m still thinking about it. Everything is just a bit complicated.”

“Thanks for the help with the adverts,” Scarlett said at the door.

“You’re welcome,” Amy muttered, watching Scarlett stride to her car.

Wearily, she made a coffee and curled up on the couch with it. Her thoughts were such a jumble, but in the end Amy couldn’t help but think that Scarlett had a point.

If she really wanted the job, she could figure out a way to take it.

* * *

It was grey and overcast for Damian’s surf lesson on Wednesday morning. He did his best to concentrate, offering his group of four teenagers tips and advice here and there, but his mind was elsewhere for the majority of the time on the water.

Back on dry land, he rinsed off the boards and wetsuits on autopilot, then left Callie dealing with a group wanting to rent body boards and slipped into the back of the surf shack and the dimly lit office.

Considering his life was still exactly the same, it seemed illogical to feel so down. He’d mourned his relationship with Amy a long time ago, but now he felt he was going through it all over again.

With his feet propped on the desk, he stared into space until Scarlett wandered in, rapping her knuckles across the doorjamb as she did.

“I helped Billy and Marty get into their wetsuits and they’ve gone out surfing with Jared.”

“Great. Thanks.”

“They want you to watch them.”

“Okay. I’ll go in a minute. See you Friday?”

“Yes. It’s the last time I’ll be looking after them.”

He nodded, the reminder that the boys would be leaving next week making his mood plummet further. He’d cleared all his surf lessons for the beginning of next week so he could spend as much time with them as possible.

“You haven’t paid me everything yet. You still owe me half the money.”

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