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“Maybe some other time then?”
A smile briefly flashed across her lips. “Sure. If you want.”
“Surfing aside, you were pretty impressive out there,” I added.
“I guess what they say is true,” she sighed. “You can take the girl out of Silver Point, but you can’t take the Silver Point out of the girl. Cheesy, but true.”
“It is true,” I smirked. “You know, I’m surprised you’re here doing all of this.”
Her eyes cut over to me with a questioning stare.
“That you’ve moved back here, and you’re putting so much into this marina,” I clarified.
“You’re surprised that I would take care of my best friend who nearly died?”
“No. Of course not,” I groaned, raking a hand through my hair. Why did she always have to make everything so difficult?
“That you’d actually stay here and put down roots enough to start a business. Considering that you love surfing enough to open your own shop for it, and there’s obviously no surfing here. Not to mention all the other things California has to offer that Silver Point doesn’t.”
She took a sip of her beer and stared out over the water. “I didn’t leave Silver Point right out of high school because I hated it here. If I had known Claire’s parents had so little time left, I probably would have stayed longer. But it’s more than just Claire and the people. I miss the sights, smells, and sounds. I didn’t have a good childhood until I ended up here with the Halsteads. This place will always be my home.”
“So, why leave at all?” I wondered.
“Well, aside from the waves… I always knew I wanted to do big things, and it’s hard to do big things in a small town. Rebuilding this marina is probably as big as it gets for me around here.”
It dawned on me that was why Lana always seemed to be on a different level from the other girls in town. I never knew anyone who dreamed as big as she did. Most of the women just wanted to get married and have babies, maybe work some hourly job at one of the local businesses. There was nothing wrong with that kind of life, but it wasn’t enough for some people. Lana was one of those people.
I felt my cheeks growing red as I thought about it. I played it off like it was the summer heat setting in and started pressing the cold beer can across my face. But the truth was everything about Lana turned me on. Even when she was pissing me off. I knew nothing would ever happen, but when she actually sat and had a conversation with me like that, it made it harder to keep it all pushed down.
“It’s a shame, though,” I replied finally, clearing my throat, trying to keep my mind out of the gutter. “You’ll do all this work and get this place going…then what? Go back to LA? I know you’ll get your profits and all, but you won’t get to see the place in all its glory every day.”
She looked up at the willow tree over our heads, then closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of the country air. “That’s okay. It will give me a reason to come back more often. I do miss it here. If only there were two of me. One who could always be in California, and one who could always be here.”
I swallowed hard and did my best not to fantasize too hard about there being two of her. Of course, I’d want them both to be in the same place at the same time—preferably in my bed.
“Besides,” she continued, snapping me out of it. “It’s still too early to tell how things will go with Claire. She’s come a long way in such a short time, but there’s still a lot she has to overcome before she’s up and walking and moving around like normal. I had to fight her tooth and nail just to let me have Mrs. Hawkins next door come over and check on her while I’m working during the day. She wouldn’t let me hire a nurse like I wanted. And as for Chris, well…Psh.” She trailed off, shaking her head.
“What about Chris? Where does he fit into all of this? The lumber yard isn't so far away. Couldn’t he at least run home on his lunch breaks?”
“There’s a lot he could be doing if he cared to,” she huffed. My eyes widened in surprise, which she didn’t even so much as flinch at. “Sorry for not sugarcoating it, I guess. But it’s the truth. And I don’t think it’d come as much of a surprise to Claire if she knew I said that, so this isn’t just small town gossip. I think she’s always known I don’t care for Chris much.”
“No need to apologize,” I assured her. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. I just didn’t know you had picked up on all of that. Claire has always been the sweetest girl in town, and I never thought Chris appreciated her the way he should. I mean, if I had a wife like that at home, I would never…”
I stopped myself, knowing I was probably crossing a line. I took a swig of my beer, shook my head, and bit my tongue. But I could feel her eyes burning into me, pressing for more.
“You would never what?”
“I’d never leave any room for her to question whether or not she was the most important thing to me. Because she would be, and I’d show it. If she had any doubts, I’d know I needed to step up and do a better job.”
Relationships may not have been my thing, but the men in our family had always set an excellent example for what role they should serve in their family. They weren’t the types to be so strong and silent that they were distant. They were involved in their kids’ lives, and they put family before everything. Derek had always embodied that same set of values.
I started to regret mentioning it even more when I looked over and noticed the strange look on Lana’s face.
“What?” I asked, nudging her arm. At some point in the conversation, we had drifted closer together without me even noticing. With that little nudge, we were now sitting shoulder to shoulder, skin to skin. I started to move away and give her some space, but then I noticed she didn’t seem too bothered by it. So, I stayed put.
“Nothing. I just never saw you as the marrying type.”
“Maybe I’m not,” I admitted. “But then again, sometimes I think it might be time to try and find someone. To stop messing around. If I ever found the right woman, I think I would. I don’t know if I’m cut out to be the kind of man my brother is, but…I don’t know. Is it crazy to think I could have a marriage that didn’t have to fit into all the boxes?”
