Delicious Do-Over (14 page)

She glanced over her shoulder. “I guess it’s a subculture I don’t understand,” she said diplomatically.

“Because you thought I was rude, or because I got all caveman on you?”

“There is that.”

Rick kept an eye on a young surfer riding a seven-foot funboard who was about to wipe out at any second. “Pono’s a nice enough guy, but the minute I would’ve left you alone, he’d have been all over you.”

She blushed. “Don’t worry about me. I know karate.”

He slanted her a long look. “Seriously?”

“No.” She grinned. “But I like surprising you once in a while.”

“No worries in that department.” He shook his head, pausing to watch as Ryan paddled out. The boy was too green. He had no business being in the white water. “Damn kid’s not using a leash,” he muttered to himself.

“Excuse me?”

He glanced at Lindsey. “Sorry. I see someone out there who should still be using the kiddie pool. How about here?” he asked, halfway between the grass and the water.

“Sure.” She laid out the beach towels, while he put down his board.

Rick didn’t sit with her. He waited until he could make out who was manning the lifeguard station. It was Brian. Good man. The lifeguard waved when he spotted him, and Rick signaled for him to keep an eye on Ryan.

“You guys sure are big on hand signs,” Lindsey said teasingly when he sat beside her. “Is it universal surfer speak or do you have to be a private member of the club?”

“A few are universal, used mostly if a guy cuts you off. I think you’d recognize those,” he said, chuckling as he crouched beside her. “The lifeguard’s a friend of mine. I asked him to watch out for one of the kids. If it seemed cryptic it’s because I don’t want to embarrass the boy, though I just might kick his ass in private.” Rick sighed when he saw Ryan make a bonehead move, and glanced at Lindsey. “Figuratively speaking.”

She was smiling at him, a weird pleased smile like the kind his sister sometimes gave him when he was playing with his nephews. It made him uneasy. “It’s nice that you care that much,” Lindsey said.

He shrugged. “The local surfers out here are a good bunch. We try to help each other out.” He stood, stretched out his legs, his arms. “Mind if I go out for a few minutes?”

“I forgot about your shoulder until Pono brought it up. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Fine.”

Her anxious gaze swept over the swells. “Those are awfully big waves.” She looked up at him, her blue eyes fretful, doing the talking for her. She wanted him to be careful. She wished he wouldn’t go out there at all because she was afraid for him.

He broke eye contact and picked up his board. He didn’t need that kind of concern. Hell, he didn’t want Lindsey to care that much. It would only end up bad for her.

“I won’t be long. Just need to whisper a few sweet nothings to a couple of hotheads out there.” He hesitated, thought about kissing her before he left, but then just headed for the water.

This would be a good test for his shoulder. He hadn’t been in the water for over four weeks. The doctor had told him to sit out for six, and as much respect as Rick had for someone who powered through four grueling years of medical school, ultimately he knew his own body better than someone with a certificate hanging on their wall.

The water was cooler than he liked, but still warm considering it was March. It felt good slapping against his thighs as he waded in before hopping on his board. He paddled out to catch up with Ryan and Sam. Neither boy was ready to take on six-foot waves, or Sunset, period. They were too eager, too immature to understand the danger. Both of them knew how many great surfers had drowned out here, but at their age they thought they were infallible.

He understood because it hadn’t been that long since he’d similarly regarded life and his future. But that wasn’t what was bothering him today. It was Lindsey. So, he liked her. Maybe too much. They had three and a half days left before he’d be driving her to the airport. It was going to be tough saying goodbye. For both of them, he admitted. But he had a feeling it would be worse for her.

Women like her didn’t check out a week of their life as if they’d checked out a library book. Use it for seven days, return it on time, no harm, no foul. She’d probably end up analyzing the hell out of everything they’d done and talked about, and then kick herself for putting it all out there. He had a younger sister who used to cry on his shoulder every time she broke up with a guy she’d been serious about. Thankfully, Jenny had been married for three years now.

After he realized Lindsey had overheard his call to Wally about making sure the place was clean, he understood the wrong assumption she’d made. The thing was, at any other given time, it could’ve been true. He liked women. There were plenty around who liked him, too. No promises were ever made. No one got hurt. They came and went. They didn’t gaze at him with concern in their big blue eyes. If anything, they wanted the rush of being with the dude who wasn’t afraid of Waimea at thirty or forty feet.

Sometimes the situation went sideways. If a woman got too clingy, he stayed out in the water for hours and tended to clam up until they got the hint. Never his finest moments, but that’s the way he was, the way he was built.

Lindsey was different. It was those eyes. If he hurt her, those blue eyes would haunt him forever. He’d see them in the blue depths of the ocean, he’d see them in the blue of a clear sky. Oh, he had a feeling it would be a long time before he stopped picturing that sweet innocent face, the one filled with concern for him. And that would be all on him. Wouldn’t that be something?

He saw Ryan paddling toward the big outside sets, and Rick cut loose a string of obscenities that would make a drunk soldier blush. He yelled to get the kid’s attention. Ryan couldn’t hear him.

Before he could paddle out to the boy, a huge wave rose up and crashed down on Ryan. He was floundering in the white water by the time Rick reached him, meanwhile Rick’s shoulder was aching. He totally deserved every ounce of pain. Ryan had been only half the reason Rick had stubbornly paddled out after the first warning twitch. He wanted to show off for Lindsey. What an ass.

He managed to grab Ryan and put him on the front of his board, which was too small, but he had no choice. He paddled outside of the impact zone with Ryan hanging on by his fingernails. Rick glanced back, saw another huge wave rising up on the horizon and hoped like hell that Brian had seen what had happened and was on his way out with the big rescue board.

She looked up. It was the lifeguard Rick had signaled. He was tall and lean, and keeping his focus on the ocean even while he talked to her.

“Yes?”

“How’s Rick’s shoulder? Do you know?” It wasn’t a polite, icebreaker question. He seemed tense, alert to whatever was happening in the water, and he’d brought a long orange board with him.

“I don’t know. He said it was okay.” She hadn’t realized she’d gotten up on her knees until now. She quickly scrambled to her feet. “Is he in trouble?”

“He’s trying to help a kid,” he murmured, half to himself. Without tearing his gaze from the waves that seemed to be coming at a more rapid and terrifying pace, he ran with the board into the surf.

Lindsey’s heart somersaulted. She strained to locate Rick. The waves were high and when they broke, there was nothing but white spray. Most of the surfers had swum to shore. A few were still out there. The spectators who’d been sunbathing were all standing now and staring out to sea.

Fear tightened in her chest. She couldn’t see Rick. She just wanted to be able to see him. Even in her panic, she was furious with the lifeguard. Why had he wasted time asking her about Rick’s shoulder?

“He’s gonna be okay.”

She turned sharply, saw that it was Pono, the guy Rick had spoken to earlier.

“That’s nothin’ for Rick. I’ve seen the dude out at Waimea at twenty-five feet.”

“Do you see him now?”

Pono pointed vaguely to the right.

Lindsey saw nothing but waves breaking and crashing. “I don’t understand why the lifeguard waited so long. He wanted to know about Rick’s shoulder instead of going out there and helping him.” Her voice was shaky, her whole body had started to shake.

“Brian’s helping another dude.” Pono touched her arm, got her to look at him. “He asked about his shoulder because he wanted to make sure Rick was okay first.”

She turned back to stare at the frightening water. But what if he wasn’t okay? Men were stupid about admitting vulnerability. He could be hurting and unable to help himself, or the boy. She shuddered uncontrollably.

“What’s your name?”

“Lindsey,” she answered grudgingly.

“Look, Lindsey, Rick’s the best. No lie. If it was me out there in trouble, he’s the one I’d want saving me. The dude is a world-class big-wave surfer. Everybody around here knows that. Even if he won’t commit—” He pointed again. “There he is. He’s got the kid. Ah, you’re kidding, it’s Ryan.”

Lindsey saw him about twenty feet from the shore and she ran toward him. The boy was lying prone on the board. Rick trudged through the water, pushing the surfboard, his chest heaving.

“Is he okay?” Lindsey’s gaze darted from the boy to Rick. “Are you?” She stopped when the water slapped her thighs.

The kid lifted his dark head, pushing the long wet hair away from his face. “I lost my fucking board.”

Rick tapped the back of his head. “Watch your language.”

The boy glanced sideways at Lindsey, and slid off the board with a sullen expression on his face.

“You’re lucky that’s all you lost.” Rick looked tired, he looked as if he might be hurting.

Pono had run up behind Lindsey and took over the surfboard. “Ryan, you dumbass.” He smacked the side of the boy’s head much harder than Rick had. “What’s up, dude? You know better.”

“Shut up.” Ryan jerked away, his face red with embarrassment.

Walking backward, anxious for them to be on dry land, Lindsey touched Rick’s wrist, gazed helplessly into his weary face. He gave her a faint smile and rested his arm heavily around her shoulders. She slid her arm around his waist, her feet sinking deep into the wet sand, the water swirling around her knees.

“Where’s Brian?” he asked, craning his neck to see toward the water. “I saw him go in.”

“He’s paddling in now,” Pono said. “Some dude got caught in a break too far outside. I think it was a tourist. Shoulda left ’em.” Chuckling, he winked at Lindsey.

She didn’t know how everyone could take what had happened so lightly. Her heart was still pounding so hard she was a bit dizzy. Even Rick seemed calm, just tired, and twice she caught a small wince which probably had to do with his sore shoulder.

By the time they reached dry sand, a dozen or more people converged on them. They all talked at once, most of them more impressed with the size of the unexpected waves than anything else.

When the lifeguard came in with the man he’d rescued, a few people wandered over to them, but most of the crowd stayed put. They all seemed to know Rick, and wanted details, and to trade war stories about rogue waves and daring rescues by helicopter.

Lindsey had been elbowed aside in the crush. She didn’t mind, and shook her head when Rick tried to draw her back into the circle. If she thought he needed to lean on her, she would’ve instantly gone back to his side. But listening to everyone chatter was fascinating. Some of the people—mostly teenagers—sounded like fans. They practically worshiped Rick. Not a single person had had a doubt that Rick could have brought the boy in safely.

Ryan had plopped down on the sand, his head hung as he pummeled a piece of driftwood into the ground. Rick was mostly quiet and broke away from the crowd twice, only to be drawn in again. Two gorgeous blonde women wearing thong bikinis were all over him. He obviously knew them, and each pressed him to let her take him home. That was the first time Lindsey had seen Rick blush a little. It made her smile.

“It’s over, folks,” he said abruptly. “Everyone is all right.” He stepped away, glanced over at the lifeguard who was shaking the rescued tourist’s hand, and then at Ryan. “I’ll see you at the shop, huh?”

The boy nodded, a weak smile softening his brown face before he went back to punishing the sand.

“Rick?”

He turned his head. So did Lindsey. A woman stood off to the side. She had shiny brown sun-streaked hair that hung to her waist, and a stunning bronze body barely covered by a few strips of buttery yellow fabric. Her almond-shaped brown eyes reflected her concern.

“How’s the shoulder?”

He shrugged. “Okay.”

“You need me, you call,” she said softly.

“Thanks, but I got it covered.” He smiled at Lindsey, held out an arm to her. “Let’s go home.”

Feeling a bit awkward, she sidled up to him, and waited until he slid an arm around her shoulders before she slid hers around his waist.

They started toward the Jeep, and she promised herself she wouldn’t ask. She kept her word for five whole seconds. “Who is she?”

“That’s Lani. We saw each other for a while.”

“What happened?” She felt him tense. She knew she had no business being nosy but she didn’t retract the question.

“We wanted different things. I’m sorry but I might have to wrap my shoulder when we get to my house.”

“Please. Don’t be sorry. I knew you were hurting.”

He squeezed her shoulders tighter and kissed her hair. “No acrobatics for us tonight.”

She blushed. “Shut up or I’ll hurt your other side.”

Rick grinned. “What happened to my sweet—”

“Your surfboard.” She stopped. “And the beach towels—”

“Don’t worry. Someone took care of it.” He shaded his eyes, squinted toward where the Jeep was parked. “Pono is strapping my board on now.”

“Wow. That’s really nice.”

“Yeah. It’s a pretty tight community.”

“Is Ryan going to be okay?” she asked, frowning after him.

“So you worry about everyone, not just me, huh?”

She sighed. “Sad to say, that’s partly true. But you—” she lightly jabbed a finger in his chest “—don’t ever do that again.”

“What? I shoulda let Ryan drown?” he said, his brow cocked in amusement.

“Would he have?” she asked, renewed fear tightening her chest.

“Don’t go there. It’ll eat at you.” He opened the passenger door. “Let’s go home.”

She nodded, hating that she loved the way that sounded.