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Tossing the keys into their slot, we walk to the office where Leland hovers over paperwork on his desk.
“I’m out.” I offer a nod as my brother looks up at me.
“Cool. Night surf, right?” Leland questions.
“We will be there.” I point between Massey and me.
Leland nods and waves us off. Lawson pops his head from the shop, giving Massey doe eyes. “Party at mine after?”
“Nope,” “Not a chance,” Massey and I say at the same time.
He groans, then gives me a quick fist bump. Following Massey out of the garage, I give her a knowing nod to follow me to my home. I’ll need a shower to wash off all this grease and sweat and grab my longboard and shortboard. I place them in the bed of my late nineties Chevrolet pickup truck. It’s an old beat-up thing but handles the off-road better than Massey’s little Jeep. Yes, it’s a Jeep, but it’s a standard Jeep and too girly to be off-road material. Plus, we are going to a locals-only spot, which means it can get rowdy. I wouldn’t want her car to get messed up by drunken locals.
A quick pit-stop at the store to load up on snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, and glow sticks. I don’t drink that much. I want a clear head when I’m surfing. After arriving at our spot, it’s already packed full of our friends. A few fire pits are blazing and a few people are in the water riding waves.
Massey jumps out of the truck, excited to hit the waves. “Let’s rip this shit!”
I laugh at her eagerness. Climbing out and rounding the truck to pull my longboard out. The way Massey acts, you would never know she works for corporate lawyers. She’s in the advertising and marketing department but still… lawyers.
We wave to our friends and concentrate on the boundless ocean ahead of us. Standing at the water’s edge, we drop to the warm sand to wax our boards. The atmosphere was alive with the sound of fire, laughter, and surfers out on the horizon calling for their waves. This is heaven. Massey and I stand with the waves, gently kissing our toes. As tradition, we link our pinky fingers and swing our arms.
“Big waves.” I sniff the ocean air.
“Big rewards.” Massey follows.
With our ritual words spoken, we charge into the water. Paddling into the surf, ducking under the waves as it rolls over us. Out beyond the reef, we ride every wave we can find. A few hours later, as the sun sets, we head back to shore to grab a bite to eat. Resting on the tailgate of my truck, we are stuffing our faces with food. A sudden rush hits my stomach, like someone is watching me. Looking up, I notice him standing next to my brothers. Tall, lean, eyes gleaming, and two women are pawing at his side for his attention. His dry-cleaned pressed shorts and button-up, short-sleeve shirt are wrinkle-free. Not one stitch of fabric or hair is out of place. My hand sneaks up to shove a large piece of hair back into my messy bun. Wrinkling my brows, wondering why I just did that.
“Damn.” Massey looks over at the group.
“What?” I lean closer to her. Curious why that little curse word escaped her dry lips.
“Victor is here.” She nods in their direction. I slowly tip my head toward her, dropping my chin. Massey knows this guy? I open my mouth to ask how, but her eyes stay trained on the poster boy. “My dad works for his dad’s company–blah, blah–boring work. Victor joined the west coast firm for a real estate deal that is supposedly in the works. My dad and the partners have been hush–hush about it. Victor is one of the most sought after lawyers or consultants in the corporate real estate world. My dad even tried to set us up on a date,” she cackles. “I left after the first round of drinks.”
I’m left dumbfounded. Turning my whole body toward my best friend, my curiosity peaks, tucking one leg under the other. “Oh, please don’t stop on my account!”
“He’s not my type.” She shrugs her shoulders hard while glancing over at the group.
“What is your type?” I respond, knowing she has a crush on Lawson.
She puckers her lips and scrunches her nose. “I’ll let you know when I know. Victor isn’t bad. He’s just… how do you say it without sounding mean? He’s a douche.”
I can’t hold back my laughter. “Wow! Okay. Well, you are a liar. You have the biggest crush on my brother. Don’t think I haven’t seen your sideways glances at him.”
“Maybe if he didn’t party so much.” She shrugs and blushes hard.
I nod in agreement with her statement. We continue to eat in silence while watching Victor and my brothers talking. The two girls are still poking for attention. Shoving the rest of my sandwich in my mouth in the most unladylike manor, I jump off the tailgate and grab the bag of glow sticks.
“Come on. Let’s go catch up with my brothers.”
Massey and I grab our boards and walk over to the fire pit where everyone is standing. As we arrive, we catch the tail end of their conversation. Lawson and Leland look pissed, standing with their arms crossed and shoulders stiff. Lawson has a fire burning in his eyes, ready to pounce. Disheveled blonde hair and rage radiating from his pores. Leland has a calmer, more controlled look. He has his long brown hair pulled into a braid.
“She isn’t your type,” Leland says, shaking his head.
Victor looks over as we approach and his hazel eyes shine brighter next to the fire. He’s taller than I realized as I am standing closer to him. His cheeks tint red, obviously forgetting to apply sunblock today.
“Avert your eyes,” Lawson warns. My eyes dart to my brother, who stands to the side with his arms covering his bare chest.
“What’s up, boys?” Massey interrupts. Her cheerful tone offsets the awkward conversation.
