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“That’s, uh, very noble of you.” She stared across the stage.
“On any given day, everyone deserves a fair shake. A chance to accomplish something they’ve worked hard for.”
Sophie couldn’t stop the pull to look at him again. “Is that how it is in the water, too?”
He ran a hand along the stubble on his jaw. “Yeah. Out in the surf, when it’s just you carving or pulling out your bag of antigravity tricks, there’s no predicting how things will turn out. If you get that unbelievable barrel, you’re golden. If you have to fight for something, you never know. Agility and precision play a big part, but there’s always a little luck involved, too. And it could be the guy next to you who gets a turn at the pipe dream.”
He spoke with passion and conviction, and she was impressed with how much brain power it took to be a good surfer.
“I get that. It’s a learning process, and the more you practice, the better your brain becomes trained to fire certain synapses in a particular order. And once they get comfortable with that, the results are usually instinctive. But you’re at the mercy of an always-changing wave.”
“You’re talking about muscle memory,” Zane said.
“Yes. You need that with the luck.”
She watched him blink hard and wished that, with all her research, she’d discovered how to actually read someone’s mind. Was he intrigued or put off by her words?
“Let me take you back out there.” He leaned forward, getting way too inside her personal space for comfort. “I promise I’ll be much more attentive than the last time.”
She pressed back.No waysat on the tip of her tongue, but the way he focused on her, like heneededa second chance, kept her from expressing it.
“I have a confession to make,” she said instead. “Sunday was the first time I’d even stepped foot in the ocean.”
Something flashed in his eyes. Surprise. Wonderment. Maybe even awe. She wanted to hang on to that look until she figured it out or he said something, but a burst of cheers and applause pulled her out of his thoughtful gaze. She turned. The digital clock read 00:57.
The chefs finished their burgers with seconds to spare and shook hands before a loud buzzer sounded.
“Let’s get these burgers to the judges,” the emcee said, helping Rachel and Alex carry over the most amazing-looking burgers Sophie had ever seen.
And the smell right under her nose? Holy grilled onions and bacon. She definitely had a little room left.
“You’re drooling,” Zane teased.
“I am not.” She straightened her back, pressed her hands in her lap, and focused on the two burgers placed in front of her.
“Okay, you three,” the emcee said. “First bite goes to Rachel’s spinach and caramelized onion burger. What else you got in there, Rachel?”
Rachel smiled and took the mike. “Mozzarella and gouda cheeses and my special secret sauce. I call it the Yippeekayay Burger.”
Sophie was surprised to hear Rachel had an accent. Sounded Australian, but she couldn’t be sure. She cut the burger and lifted one half for a bite. Flavor burst in her mouth, and the meat was the perfect amount of juicy. She chewed slowly and carefully, savoring each bite.
“From the looks on our judges faces, I think they like it,” the emcee said. “Now let’s dig into Alex’s. What’s going on between your buns, Alex?”
The crowd cracked up with hoots and hollers about Alex’s “buns.” Alex, tall, handsome, and probably in his midthirties, didn’t seem at all bothered.
“I call this the California Squealer Burger.” Squeals sounded from the audience like they knew all about the burger. “You’ve got cheddar cheese, a fried egg, coleslaw, and Cajun spices.”
Sophie didn’t love spicy things, but she cleared her mind of that thought and cut into Alex’s burger. Once again the flavor and consistency were amazing. And despite the slightbite,it tasted divine. How in the world was she going to choose one over the other?
“We’ll give the judges a few minutes to talk things over,” the emcee said.
“They were both amazing.” Sophie let out a deep breath.
“Agreed,” Zane and Midge said.
“But I’ve got to give the edge to Alex. Something about that burger is damn near out of this world.” Zane reached out and ran the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip. “A little sauce,” he said.
Sophie couldn’t speak. Her lip tickled from such an intimate gesture. Without thinking, she darted her tongue out to lick anything he missed. Zane watched her with interest that was as much unsettling as it was exciting. Quivers swept up her arms.
