AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nonsense,” Freya says. “You have to meet Ava first.”
“Who’s Ava?” Ivy asks.
“My sister,” I answer. “The other owner of Kaos.”
She shakes her head in amused disbelief. “I have about three working brain cells in my head right now. Can I take a raincheck on that? A few people at work recommended this place, so I decided to check it out, but I’m not equipped for quality interaction.”
Freya grabs her hand and drags her toward the back room. “Honey, this is Pelican Beach. Three working brain cells is the average around here.”
Ivy allows Freya to lead her through the large swinging doors into the workshop, where Ava runs a sander over a foam surfboard core. A fog of foam dust lingers in the air, blanketing Ava and the surrounding materials in white. Her slender body rocks to the music in her headphones, her face concealed by a respirator and goggles.
“Ava,” I shout, but she doesn’t acknowledge me. I walk overto the desk and blow the dust off Ava’s iPhone, tapping on the screen to wake it up and pause her music. Ava stills, killing the power on the sander before setting it down on the board and pulling off her headphones.
“Ava,” I try again, and she glances over at me, removing her respirator.
“What?” She asks, running a hand through her short dark hair to shake off some of the dust. “This order is due out by the end of next week, make it quick, Zae.”
“Meet Zaden’s girlfriend,” Freya says. “Ivy.”
“Girlfriend?” Ava says, laughing. “What did I miss?”
“Trust me, it’s news to me too,” Ivy says sarcastically, reaching out a hand to Ava.
Ava doesn’t move to shake her hand, and Ivy glances back at me in question as she lowers her arm.
“She’s blind,” I provide, knowing Ava isn’t the least bit sensitive about it. After everything we’ve been through, she’s like the female version of me. Thick-skinned and all sarcasm. “Blind and deaf when she has her headphones on.”
“But still smarter than my brother,” she adds seamlessly. “I bet he told you he owns this place when he’s really just the handyman.”
Ivy laughs. “I almost believed it.”
“Starting a relationship on a foundation of lies? Sounds healthy and totally not toxic at all,” Ava comments.
“It’s a foundation of sex, actually,” Ivy clarifies. “I haven’t really listened to anything else he’s said.” Ava and Freya bust out laughing, and Ivy glances over at me in amusement. “That’s for the girlfriend comment.”
“I like her,” Ava says, leaning back on her workbench. “Where are you from, Ivy? What brings you to Pelican Beach?”
“Nebraska,” Ivy answers. “And I came here searching for… something. I don’t know what exactly.”
“Have you found it?” Ava asks.
Ivy shakes her head. “Not yet.”
“Just keep looking,” Ava advises. “Sometimes it’s in the last place you expect.”
Ivy glances around, exploring the materials and surfaces, running her hands over the unfinished boards.
“You have an amazing shop,” Ivy tells her. “How do you decide on board shapes?”
“Some coursework in hydrology and a handful of good friends willing to get wet in the name of R&D,” she replies. “With Freya’s help, we’ve pushed our reach online and ship worldwide.”
“How long have you owned it?” Ivy asks, glancing over at me.
“About five years,” I answer. “Ava started building boards in the garage when she was fifteen. It just made sense to her. When the old owners of Kaos Surf put the store up for sale, we bought the whole business. Freya helped them run the shop for years before they sold it, so she’s like a walking history of Kaos. But they were strictly retail back then. We added the workshop and the custom boards.” I nod toward Ava’s desk. “Many of those photos were from back when the store began in the seventies and eighties. They started sponsoring a few surfers in the nineties when Pelican Beach entered the competition circuit.”
Ivy walks over to the photos, curiously glancing at each one. Suddenly she stills, and her eyes narrow. She reaches out, andlifts a framed photo off the wall. She wipes the frame free of foam dust, her head tilting to the side in contemplation.
“Who’s this?” She asks, holding the photo up so I can see it.
