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“A few… It’s something I want to turn into a business.” Anticipation danced over my skin, goose bumps following in its wake. “My sister is in fashion and was going to design board shorts, bikinis, and wetsuits for the shop. But since things have changed…”
“What are you, now?” Cass asked. “Three months along?”
“Yeah, a little over that. And because of how things are changing, I thought I would open the business online instead of a brick and mortar.”
“I love that!” Sky got to her knees, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “How were you thinking of doing it? Have you designed a website yet? Custom or a gallery of premade painted boards that people can purchase from?”
“Both. But I need to get a website—”
“I can help with that,” Sky cut in. “Either with the design or the writing or both.”
“That would be amazing.”
“When do you want to get started?” Cass grabbed a scarf from her bag and tied it on her head, keeping her pixie cut from blowing in her face.
“In the next week, maybe? Not live because I don’t have any inventory. I need to save up and get some boards.”
“Sure. Let’s get a few dates and times on our schedules, and we’ll knock this thing out.” Sky grinned. “I’ll text you a few options to check against when you know your schedule at the diner.”
My body buzzed with excitement. “Perfect.”
“We can help look for deals on the boards too.” Riley dropped her bag onto the sand.
I took that as a cue to hit the waves. “Thanks. I would love that.” We smiled before picking up our boards and taking them to the water.
We waded in and paddled out on our boards. Anticipation buzzed along my skin. Time slowed as my brain captured and cataloged everything about my surroundings, hyperaware of the danger. Surfer brain—and probably something that happened with other adrenaline-junkie athletes.
Once we were far enough out, I sat on my board and let my feet dangle off the sides as water lapped at our boards. Riley did the same. A few gulls circled not far from us, looking for their next meal. We kept an eye on the waves until a familiar buzz cracked through me.
I flattened out and dug my arms in, paddling furiously to catch the rising wave. I rose quickly, and a burst of speed sent a thrill like a ripcord through me as the wave picked me up. I popped to my feet as the wave broke and dropped down the vertical wall of water to ride the face. In the pocket, I reveled in a smooth ride without worrying about getting hammered.
My heart thundered in my ears. I lived for moments like those.
I kept my focus on the curl’s opening. Whitecaps frothed as I hunched low and cut through the barrel. The wave collapsed behind me, sending a spray of water. I coasted toward the shore, riding the gentle swell that propelled me forward until I dropped back into the water, twisting to watch Riley charge out of the barrel in the distance.
We shared exhilarated grins then paddled back out to catch the next one. After about an hour, I heeded the doc’s advice and went to shore to hydrate, rest, and hang with the girls before I had to head to the library.
Time went by too quickly on such a perfect morning. But hanging at the beach and riding the waves had done enough to bring a sense of calmness and creativity back into my life.
I went back to the dorms to shower and change, exhausted, exhilarated, and with a plan to launch my business with the help of Riley, Sky, and Cass.
If I hadn’t had a ton of homework that I hadn’t touched because of work and everyday stuff that had come up, I would have gone to one of the open studio times and gotten some preliminary sketches done. But I really needed to get some reading and notes done and figured I would join a significant portion of the student body at the library, the designated place for Sunday studying.
Still chilled from the ocean, I pulled on a pair of leggings and a fitted T-shirt. My mind wandered as I walked along Thane’s brick-lined walkways, complete with historic architecture, and lush greenery.
We were closing in on October, when I would be four months pregnant. I had the perfect Halloween costume in mind, too—a prom dress with a prom queen sash—with a very natural baby bump. I laughed at the thought of going to a party dressed like that. Regan would get it. We shared a similar sense of humor.
I shot her a text saying that we needed to talk business soon. The ideas for the custom surf line were burning a hole in my head. I couldn’t wait to get a website set up with Sky and start working. I would need pictures and a few prototypes, though, along with money for some great boards that I could paint.
Regan and I both planned to get at least a minor in marketing so we would know what we were doing. We needed to make sure we were set up for success with her clothing designs and my surfboards.
I jogged up the stairs to the library, my backpack smacking uncomfortably against my back. A girl held the door for me, and I smiled and nodded as I reached her.
I breezed through the door, found a quiet table on the second floor, and spread my homework out in front of me. I got to work. Statistics were a breeze, and I got that done in record time and moved on to physics. It wasn’t my favorite, but there was a science requirement I had to get out of the way. The last task was for lit class, and I only had a few chapters of reading to do. I cracked the book and got to reading until the heavy thump of a bag across from me startled me out of the story enough to jerk my gaze to whoever’d had the audacity to drop their crap so loudly when they could see I was studying.
Dark hair and darker eyes met mine, and I grinned, always welcoming Max. “Decided to crack a book?”
“Vixen.” He dropped onto a chair. “Joel has family in town and kicked me out of his room, so I figured I might as well get some boring work done. Imagine my surprise at seeing you here on my way out.”
