Page 192 of Summer Love

He knew all along.

“What are you waiting for?” he teases.

I blink. Summer is still there.

It’s too soon. She told me six months, not three.

We talked on the phone yesterday. She sounded tired—nothing unusual.

She can’t be in Coral Bay this morning. And yet here she is, close.

I paddle as hard as I can. My arms burn; the distance between us shrinks. We meet halfway between the peak and the beach. Our boards pull up side by side.

“Surprise!” Summer calls out.

A bright smile lights up her face.

I don’t answer. I put my hand on the back of her neck, pull her to me. She leans in and kisses me. I kiss her back. For a long time.

I finally pull back, rest my forehead against hers.

“Fuck, Summer… what are you doing here?”

“You remember that interview I had two weeks ago? The San Francisco company.”

“Of course.”

“They called me back a few days ago. They didn’t want to wait until my internship ended. My agency let me leave early, so I start Monday.”

It takes me a second to get it. She puts her hand on my chest; her smile widens.

“And it gets better—I negotiated remote work. At first it was two days a week.”

“And?”

Her eyes find mine. The blue of her eyes is lighter than in July—or maybe it’s the light coming up behind me.

“Four days a month on-site.”

“What?”

“Four days a month in San Francisco, Jace. The rest here, remote.”

“You’re going to live here? For real?”

She nods. I take her face in my hands and kiss her hard—nothing like the tame kiss from earlier. Her board knocks into mine and we rock together, her wet hair against my forehead.

“¡Oye, los enamorados!”

Maya. Of course.

Summer pulls back and starts laughing. I don’t let go right away.

The whole crew has come closer. They’re a few yards off, in a half-circle on their boards.

“Welcome home, Summer,” Miles says, grinning.

“Took you long enough,” Kai says.