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I never graduated high school and yeah, my dad told me I had shit for brains so often that I believed him.
“I hear it can be magical out there,” a female reporter said. “Any truth to that?”
Zane redirected his focus to the woman. This morning had been amazing, in no small part thanks to his growing relationship with Sophie and his thoughts about confiding in her.
“Definitely,” he said. “It’s that feeling of flying we thought about as kids combined with the sense of accomplishment we hunger for as adults. Not a bad way to spend a few hours.”
“Zane, rumor has it SHE wants you to be their next ambassador. What can you bring to the table?”
Effing Chris. He’d mentioned SHE to him earlier, not expecting to be put on the spot like this. The back of Zane’s throat constricted and he fought to swallow. His hand squeezed the board. He knew what he wanted to contribute, but saying it in front of all these people…
Every word out of your mouth means jack shit. You’re stupid, son, so best keep quiet. You’re a lost cause except in the water.
He skimmed through the pack of people, avoiding eye contact, the shapes and sizes blurring until that halo of beautiful reddish-yellow hair snagged his attention.
Sophie.
She stood off to the side, a burst of sunshine on this cloudy day.
“I think I speak for every surfer,” Zane began, “when I say we’ve become increasingly aware of our impact on the planet.” Sweat trickled down his back; his heart pounded in his chest. “And uh…”
Sophie nodded. She nodded like she knew his answer and knew the crowd wouldn’t find fault with it.
“And I want to bring more positive environmental, social, and global change.”
Jesus. He sounded like a PSA for any charitable organization. But the generalization was a start, at least. “I’d like to keep the rest of my thoughts to myself until I have a chance to talk to SHE personally.” He felt deeply about helping to make a difference. Knew in his head he could if given the chance. Even more so now. If an intelligent woman like Sophie thought him worthy, then so would SHE and everyone else.
The smile she wore drew his own. Everything faded away but the look of pride on her face. He didn’t know if he deserved her admiration, but in that moment, every second he’d spent with her flashed through his mind and he did know he didn’t just want her. He wanted to know everything about her.
“That’s all for today,” he said. “Thanks.” A few long strides and he stood in front of this crazy beautiful woman he hadn’t a clue how to handle. “Hi.”
Her gaze took in his chest, dipped lower, came back up. “Hi. You were amazing.”
“In the water?”
“Just now.”
Pride unlike any he’d felt before swam through his veins.
She ran her hand along the logo on his surfboard. “But in the water, too, definitely. I got really nervous watching you. Those waves are gigantic. Honor told me to chill out.”
“That’s good advice.”
“Were you scared out there?”
“Not even a little.”No fear or go home, he and his surf buddies said. Sure, he’d been shaken a time or two. But nothing like the massive impact Sophie seemed to have on him with growing frequency.
“Well, that’s good. I guess you’ve surfed even bigger waves?”
“Yeah.” He ran his finger across her nose and cheek. “You’ve got a couple more freckles than you had yesterday.”
“I do?” Her eyes grew rounder. She reached up to cover her face, but he stopped her with a gentle hold on her wrist so he could watch her cheeks redden. That he made her nervous was such a rush.
“I think the California sunshine likes you.”
“I like it, too.”
“Fritz says some rain is coming.” He rubbed the pad of his thumb across the inside of her wrist.
