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Ella’s dated both men and women before, but she’s never really been invested before. Maybe this will be different.
“You need to call Moms.”
My face falls. I haven’t talked to them since we started this trip, and they haven’t reached out at all. “They haven’t called me.”
“True, but you also haven’t called them, and this is kind of a big trip. They want to give you space to grieve and process.”
“There’s nothing to grieve,” I snap.
“Sally.”
“I know, I know.” I sigh. “I’ll call them later, okay?” She nods. I don’t even know what I will say to them.
Hey, Moms, turns out I have no fucking idea what I’m doing or want from this, and now I’m left with more questions than answers.
I just need to find more of those letters, but that might also be an excuse to spend more time with Oliver.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Oliver
“Lana, remember to keep your eyes on the eyeline,” I call out to one of my students.
Her head snaps to me for a second before sliding her feet forward and lifting her body to stand on the board.
“That’s it!” I call out happily. I can see the excitement on her face because she turns slightly. “No, Lana, keep your eyes on the water!”
To my fear, a wave crashes into her, sending the girl off the board. Without hesitating, I jump into the water, swimming to her location. The water is not deep, but I’ve been knocked off my board more than once, and if you aren’t expecting the crash, it can disorient the surfer. I reach out, grabbing hold of Lana and pulling her above the water. I brace myself to handle an upset girl.
“That was awesome!” she yells with a grin on her face. “Can I go again?”
I let out a laugh before looking back to the beach. Even with my soaked hair clinging to my face, I saw her mom standing at the water’s edge. She looks pissed. Crap.
“I think your mom might pull my ear off,” I say.
“Now I’m gonna have to convince her surfing isn’t dangerous.” Lana cringes.
I’m about to tell her that surfing can be dangerous when her mom’s voice rolls over the water. “Lana, get out of the water now!”
Both of us make our way out of the chilly morning water. I try to give her mom my best grin, but that falls to the sand when her scowl points at me.
“This is why you shouldn’t surf.”
“Mom, I just made a mistake. It’s no more dangerous than soccer. What if I got a soccer ball to the face?” Lana fights back, which causes an intense staring contest.
“Well, soccer won’t make you drown,” the mom shoots back.
I probably shouldn’t interfere, but I also don’t want Lana to get discouraged. “Mrs. Carlson, Lana has improved immensely over the last few sessions. I can see her even doing this in high school.”
Mrs. Carlson’s eyes soften before looking at me and then back at her daughter. She’s concerned for her little girl. Every parent should be concerned about their child’s safety. It’s probably the bare minimum when you have a kid.
At least it should be.
“I just don’t like the idea of you being in danger since…” she trails off, realizing I am still standing with them. “What do I owe you, Oliver?”
I shake my head. “You know you don’t owe me anything.”
I refuse to charge these parents who are barely getting by.
