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“Nope, I’m almost positive you need coordination for that, and I’m seriously lacking in that area.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
I raise a brow and look at him. “You do remember how many drinks I spilled yesterday, correct?”
He laughs a little too hard, clearly remembering. “You should try it sometime. It’s fun. I can teach you.”
“I might.” I smile.
Harrison continues to encourage me to try surfing, and before long we are sitting in a booth at The Fish Market. The view is spectacular as we sit in front of a wall of windows facing the ocean. The food is always amazing here. I’ve never ordered something at The Fish Market that I haven’t loved.
Harrison orders halibut, and I order scallops. The waitress knows Harrison and keeps flirting with him while shooting me irritated looks. Harrison is oblivious, which makes me laugh. Harrison Myers is clueless that he’s way up there in the looks department. I like that about him. It’s a nice change of pace from Jake, who thinks he’s god’s gift to women.
We eat and chat through lunch. We don’t discuss Brady or Jake any further, much to my relief, instead sticking to work, hobbies, school, all the usual get-to-know-you stuff.
When we finish eating, I pull out my purse to get money to pay my half. I prefer to go Dutch, as I had told Harrison when I agreed to the date. As I open, my purse, the condoms Liv shoved inside fall out and slide across the table. Where’s the nearest hole? I’m going to crawl into it.
Harrison bursts out laughing, and I quickly grab the foil-packaged splash guards and shove them back into my purse. My cheeks and neck burn feverishly. The older couple next to us snickers, and I remind myself to kill my best friend when I get home. My eyes lift to Harrison; his laughter has calmed, but his smile is still h
uge.
“I’m going to kill Liv.”
“Blame the friend, huh?” He’s joking, but I’m sure my face is the brightest shade of red on the spectrum.
I huff out a breath and shake my head. “Seriously, Harrison, it’s not funny. She has us married with kids already.”
“Well, no need for a goalie if we’re having kids.”
Harrison chuckles to himself while I dig around in my purse for my wallet. “Just so you know, don’t get any ideas. I swore off guys after Jake, remember?”
“Oh, I remember.”
On the drive back to P.B., Harrison offers to give me a surfing lesson. For some bewildering reason, I agree. We stop briefly at his apartment, and I wait in the car while he runs up and grabs two surfboards and changes into board shorts. He’s loaning me his sister’s board and wetsuit. We stop at my house, and I quickly change into my swimsuit. Thankfully, no one is home, because I’m not up for the third degree from any of the Hunters.
Once we’re at the beach, Harrison removes the straps from the surfboards, lifts them from the top of his car, and sets them in the sand. I catch his sister’s wetsuit when he whips it at me, and squeeze into it while he pulls his on. My eyes roam up and down his frame deliberately, checking him out. He’s got great abs, not as Adonis-worthy as Brady’s, but nice.
Harrison carries both boards to the water’s edge and sets them down side by side, telling me to step up on the smaller one, and I do. He instructs me to lie flat and pretend to paddle. Once I’ve gotten the hang of paddling, he demonstrates how to pop up on his board, and I give it a try on mine. He shakes his head, and positions my feet wider on my board. His hands hold each side of my waist as he tells me to bend my knees more. There’s something I wasn’t expecting, a sensual little stirring in my belly telling me that I’m attracted to him and not just as friends. I smile but look away. He pulls my arms away from my sides, and instructs me how to use them for balance.
When I inform him I’m ready to try it in the water, we swim out and straddle the boards. I watch him, and when he lies flat, I follow, and we paddle out into the water. The first swell hits me and almost knocks me off.
“Paddle through them,” Harrison yells.
When I do that, it’s easier. Once we’re out a ways, he tells me to turn and face the beach. “When the next wave comes in, start paddling. Once you feel it on you, pop up and ride it in like I showed you.”
The next wave comes, and I start paddling. Just as he said, I sense the wave behind me, and I pop up exactly the way he showed me. The wave hits the back of the board and knocks me clean off. A wave rolls over me, and I suck in water. When I finally get my head above the surface, I start coughing so violently I might throw up. I climb up on the board, and spot Harrison paddling toward me from the shore.
When Harrison reaches me, he smiles. “Hey, you did great.”
“You suck at lying,” I tease and he laughs.
After several more attempts, I’m quite certain my lungs can’t hold any more water, but Harrison convinces me to try once more. When the wave rolls up behind me, I wait a couple of seconds longer than I have in my first attempts. The wave pushes against the board, and I pop up moving toward the shore. I almost tumble off but find my balance in time to ride the wave most of the way in. When I finally fall, it’s more graceful, and I dip slowly into the water next to the board.
Harrison’s already paddling over. “That was awesome.” He slides off his board into the water next to me.
Ecstatic, I throw my arms around his neck. “Wow, Harrison, that was crazy.”
His hands slide around my waist as he returns the hug. We both pull back and our lips almost touch. I enjoy the soft sigh he gives me. My mind plays tug-of-war. Kiss him, don’t kiss him. While I debate, a giant wave slaps us in the face and we both break out in laughter. The moment is lost with a twinge of disappointment.
