Page 14 of Finding Love

CHAPTERFIVE

Inside, Ryder was freaking out. He tried very hard to act casual, but there were a dozen strangers on the beach that Brook was trying to introduce him to. Strangers that were her family. Or people she considered to be like family.

He met Brook’s cousins Kate and Nick, neither of whom looked much like Brook. Yet the three of them were as close as what he imagined siblings would be.

Nick and Tom acted like best friends. Then there was a man named Reece Crawford, who had dark hair and was easily as tall as Ryder at six four. Reece’s younger sister Hannah was a pretty brunette.

A brother and sister duo, Avery and Wyatt Auston, were easy to keep track of since both were redheads. Avery’s hair was a fiery color, while Wyatt’s was a much darker brownish-red shade.

Sisters Haley and Harper Davis looked so much alike he at first thought they might be twins.

Then there was Robin and her sister, Kara, who were married to Conner and George Jordan. He was a little confused as to whom was who since he’d lost track of people at this point. There were a few other people, two of whom were named Jordan, as well as their spouses.

“I think that’s enough introductions for now,” Brook said. “How about we grab a sandwich?” She sat in the sand and began taking food out of the cooler that he’d carried onto the beach. Then she handed him a cold beer, and he sat next to her while the rest of the group went back to playing a volleyball game.

“Did everyone here come on the big sailboat?” he asked.

“Yeah, Tom shuttles them up here. I usually take a few with me, but I had to work this morning. They’ve been here since this morning.” She shrugged and handed him a sandwich. “Which is why I brought you and Willy along.” She motioned to where his dog was playing with a few other ones.

He was thankful that his dog got along great with all creatures and humans. He’d really lucked out when he’d saved the little guy. He doubted that he’d have stayed on the road so long without the constant companionship. He probably would have returned to Seattle a lot sooner.

“How often do you and the rest of them come up here?” he asked, glancing around.

He realized that the beach’s only access was from the water. Tall cliffs hung over all sides and even the ocean view was cut off by the narrow channel that he’d rowed them in through.

If they were in the tropics, this would have been a total paradise. As it was, he guessed that once the cooler weather set it, the cove would turn into an outright dangerous place.

“For about three months each summer, we come at least every other week. Sometimes more if we’re lucky.” Brook shrugged. “I came up here in the winter once.” She shook her head. “Not a good idea.” She motioned to the two cliffs on either side of the entrance. “Those mammoths nearly turn the chilly waters here into a vortex. The waves during a storm could easily crash any boat that even gets near the channel.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Still, I bet it would be a surfer’s dream to shoot the pipe.”

Brook frowned. “My dad has rescued, or tried to rescue, more idiots trying that than he can count.” She pointed to her right. “There are memorials of about half a dozen over there. Most of them died within the last ten years.”

In the last year, he’d been careful not to do anything stupid. Until last night, anyway.

He’d always promised himself that when he grew sloppy, he would hang up the board. He knew that last night’s stupidity was due to his mind being on returning, but all day long, he kept thinking about what could have happened, and realized how dumb he’d been.

He could have lost Willy. Could have lost his own life.

He wanted to assure Brook that he wasn’t stupid, but each time he opened his mouth to do so, he realized that it would probably only make him look even more so. So he sat back with her watching the volleyball game until they were pulled into a new game.

He could tell instantly that she’d played the game many times before. She and her friends easily set up and spiked the ball more times than he could count.

When the game ended, the group sat around a fire and sipped beer as the sun sank lower. He chatted with a few of the guys, answering basic questions. Where he was from. What he did for work. If he had any family. He dodged the questions by being very vague.

When the sun started getting lower, everyone gathered around the fire and chatted or joked with one another.

Suddenly, he wondered how everyone was going to make it back to town in the dark. Shortly after the sun set, everyone started gathering up their things and combed the beach to make sure no trash was left behind. He helped Brook put her things back in her dinghy and pushed off and started rowing back to her boat. Three other small dinghies filled with people and items headed to the larger sailboat.

He helped Brook and Willy on board, then set the cooler down and pulled up the dinghy.

“Thanks,” Brook said as she helped him. “If you deflate that, I’ll weigh anchor.”

Deflating the thing took more time than filling it up. By the time he was done, they were already on their way.

“How do you know where you’re heading?” he asked, looking out into the darkness. He could see the lights from the larger sailboat following them. There was a full moon, which had everything sparkling and lit up enough that he could see fairly clearly. He hadn’t seen her use her phone or a GPS device yet.

“The lights.” She motioned towards the shore. “I guess I’ve done this so many times, I know it by heart.” She glanced over at him. He could just make out her face in the moonlight. “But I do have my phone as backup.” She chuckled. “Did you enjoy today?” she asked after a moment.