Page 52 of Chasing Waves

After high school, I had traveled with Bridger for several years. It was a rush, at first. Helping manage the surfers and working for the touring company wherever they needed me. Sometimes, I would be handing out waters, and other times, I would be searching the bathrooms for a missing surfer for their next heat. On off days, I would surf all day with Bridger. Then on nights when Bridger wasn’t competing the next day, we would party. Hard. Work hard, play harder.

After a few years, it got exhausting, though. I was sick of watching groupies fall over Bridger like I wasn’t right there, and the long days in the sun were starting to get to me. Bridger didn’t understand, because he was the Legend and I was just the Runner. The magic of living on the road faded, and I decided to stay behind and get a job.

“I can’t go back to that life, B. I have a life here. I love the surf shop and teaching the beginners.”

We talked about it for a little while longer, with no real resolution, before we went in for the day. A large group of our friends were hanging out on the beach, which wasn’t abnormal, but they were standing in a straight line across the beach, blocking our way to the parking lot.

“What are those weirdos doing?” I asked Bridger, laughing. When I glanced over at Bridger, he smiled mischievously and walked up to our friends without saying a word.

“Bridger, what are you doing?”

I followed him, and just as I reached them, they separated, and in the sand was written WILL YOU MARRY ME AGAIN?

My hands flew over my mouth and I started to tear up. “B, what—?” I couldn’t find the words to finish.

He got down on one knee and presented me with a ring that complemented my wedding band.

“Char, will you do me the honor of marrying me all over again?”

My heart leapt. “You’re crazy.” I laughed.

“Is that yes?”

“What if I said no?” I teased.

He jumped up, pressed his hands on my cheek, and kissed me deeply, leaving me breathless. Our friends clapped and whistled like maniacs, causing us to separate and laugh. I locked eyes with my husband and smiled in disbelief. “You really are something, Bridger Cooper. Of course, I’ll marry you again.” He picked me up and spun me around wildly.

That year I agreed to go on tour with him, and when we returned home, we did our ten-year vow renewal on the cliffs. It was just as memorable as our wedding day. Bridger had loved me so much he had wanted to marry me all over again.

Bridger and I had so many big moments, but the everyday moments are what kept me from being able to let him go. No matter what Bridger was doing, he always made sure I was taken care of. Whether it was making me my afternoon tea or running to the store to grab a missing ingredient for dinner. And then at night, he would always wait for me to shower first, and cleaned the dishes before bed. Bridger was also super traditional and always opened doors for me, including my car door. He wasn’t perfect, and we fought over dumb stuff like any other married couple, but he always made me feel loved, and we never went to bed upset.

Bridger was my everything. Living life without him just didn’t seem worth living. I was never one for self-loathing, but something finally broke in me after Bridger died, and I just didn’t have the strength to find my way out of it.

When Midnight was finished playing, we headed up to the café to grab a pup treat from Beverly. The café was packed and people spilled outside, waiting for a table. I pushed by them and saw the entrance was just as packed. Beverly rushed by.

“Sorry, darlin’, your booth is taken. There must be a full moon tonight.”

She was referencing how unusually busy it was. She blamed all the crazy on a full moon.

I looked down at Midnight. “I guess your treat will have to wait.” Her ears perked up on the word treat and I scratched her head in response. When I turned around to leave, I had the oddest feeling that people were staring at me. When a girl who appeared to be in her twenties made eye contact with me, her smile dropped and her eyes darted away. I ducked my head and rushed out of the restaurant, suddenly feeling like the walls and people were closing in on me. Everyone outside seemed to be watching me, as well, as I started down the path. Maybe I was just being paranoid.

When I got back to my trailer, the sun was setting, and Levi and his sister were setting up a bonfire down the beach. There were several bonfires tonight with people gathering around them. The night was filled with loud voices and boisterous laughs, signaling summer was in full swing, but up until now, this beach had remained pretty quiet.

Genesis popped out. “Hey, you ready?” She smiled. She was dressed warmly and holding a glass of wine.

“Yeah.” I scanned the beach again, a nagging feeling that all of these people were here for Bridger. “I’ll meet you down there. I just have to feed Midnight really quick and change into something warmer.”

“Sounds good. I’ll bring down the wine. Just grab yourself a glass if you want some.” She squeezed by and headed down to the beach where Levi and Evie waited.

The vibe of tonight reminded me a lot of what it was like at night on tour. It was always a party around the bonfires. If I were being honest, as much as I got tired of it near the end, I did miss the camaraderie and freedom. We had no worries back then, aside from the next heat. What I wouldn’t do to go back to those days. My heart sank. Being on the beach would never feel the same again.

Levi

Evie jumped up as soon as she saw Genesis heading down to us. The sunset was stunning tonight, a fire amongst the storm clouds that were slowly starting to roll in. We didn’t have enough chairs for four people, so I had put down blankets instead. Evie helped me gather rocks to make the fire circle and we picked up wood from the gas station on our way back from the store. Evie set up one blanket with all the s’mores stuff, plus a bucket of bottled waters and a variety of cheese, crackers, and fruit.

“Wow, this is quite the spread,” Genesis said, gleaming. She put the bottle of wine she was carrying into the bucket of waters and sat down.

“It was all Evie,” I confessed.

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