Used to be only experienced locals and the occasional pro surfer who knew about the better break, but they kept quiet about it. Then someone put it on social media, and that was the beginning of the end of any serenity at Serenity Cove.
I catch Frankie’s frown as the surfer-packed break comes into sight.
“There’s a spot.” She points to a tiny area between two cars where the curb is painted red.
“It’s not legal.”
“Just for a minute?” She turns to me with pleading eyes that are impossible to say no to.
I park my truck—in the loosest sense of the word—and we climb out.
“Do you surf here often?” I ask her as we stop on a grassy bluff with a view below.
Frankie keeps her gaze pinned on the surfers, her body swaying in motion with the person riding the wave. “I used to, but I haven’t in a few years.”
“Why not?”
She glances at me, then lets out a long breath.
“Because this…” She sweeps her arm toward the water and the cove we’ve left behind. “Is my fault.”
I study her. “The ocean?”
Frankie scoffs. “No. The people who crowd it because of my viral Tik Tok and everything else I did.” She glances at me, and her face twists with unbelief. “You know about all of it, yeah?”
I shake my head.
She scoffs again. “You’re the only one then. Do me a favor and forget I mentioned it, yeah?”
“What were we talking about?” I put on a confused look that brings a relieved smile to Frankie’s face.
My phone buzzes, and as much as I hate to interrupt the moment, I check the number. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this.” I turn my shoulder to Frankie. “Everything okay, Hank?”
“I think we need your help here, Cal. Jasmine’s in labor and things aren’t going well.”
“On my way.” I end the call and shove the phone in my pocket. “I hate to do this, but I’ve got an emergency,” I say to Frankie.
She tears her eyes from the surfers. “Oh…that’s fine. You can drop me off back at the diner. Flo probably needs me.”
I pull off my hat and scratch my head, calculating the right thing to do. “I don’t have that kind of time. I’ve got an animal in crisis.”
Frankie’s eyes widen. “You should go then. I can find a ride back to the diner or my apartment.”
That’s not true. Everyone at the diner likes Frankie. They’re protective of her. But, as far as I'm aware, she doesn’t see anyone outside the diner. I’m probably the closest thing she’s got to a friend, and I’ve only been back six months. She’s been here three years.
“Or…” I shift my feet and take a chance. “You can come along and learn the difference between wrangling a large animal and a three-year-old.”
Frankie’s perfect lips pull up. “I bet the animal is easier.”
“Damn right it is.” With my hand on her back, I guide her to my truck.
She laughs and hoists herself into the passenger seat. As soon as we’re both buckled in, I kick into high gear. I speed upand pass cars trolling for parking spaces, then swerve back into my lane to avoid a head-on with oncoming traffic. Frankie grabs the dash and keeps hold of it while I navigate in and out of lanes until I get to the freeway.
“Are you trying to kill me, Cal?” Frankie squeals.
I scoff but take my foot of the gas. “Every second counts with a mare in distress.”
As I slow, she drops her hands onto her lap, but her shoulders still pull tight. “Just in case we die, I feel like I should explain why the tourists here are my fault. Truth is…there’s heaps you should know about me.”
