Love, Lucas (6 page)

I stare out into the water, thinking of all the problems the world has. The ocean, especially. I’ve seen some documentaries on oil spills and what it does to the animals who are unfortunate enough to get caught in them. Fish, whales, birds. It’s awful. And then those fishing nets that strangle dolphins and other sea creatures is sad to think of too. I’m so proud of Jo for saving animals like that.

“Did you know blue whales are on the endangered species list?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know a lot about them. All I know is that they’re really, really big.”

“Largest mammal on Earth.” She looks around for a second and steers us to the right. We pass what looks like a tour boat full of people and she waves at the captain. She looks back at me. “People started hunting them in the 1800s, along with several other species, but the blue whales were the biggest prize, obviously. They’re fast and tough to catch, but whalers got the best of them. They killed hundreds of thousands of blue whales for over a century, until the International Whale Commission finally banned whalers from killing any more of them in 1966. But of course there were still poachers for a few years after that. Even after people stopped killing them, their populations can’t seem to recover. They’re fascinating creatures. Intelligent, quick for their large size, and gentle. They’re my favorite species of whale.”

“I’ve never seen one up close, just pictures.”

“I see the pod ahead.” She slows the boat down right when I spot a whale poking its head out of the water. The blowhole sprays foam and water everywhere and I watch, transfixed, as it dives down again.

I grab my camera and take a few pictures. “They’re amazing,” I say as the tail splashes water into the boat.

“I know, right?” She turns off the motor of the boat and we sit and watch as several other whales break the surface. “I know they know I’m here but they’ve never bothered me. They just do their own thing.”

A whale appears about a foot from our small boat and shoots water out of its blowhole. I shove my camera under my shirt as it rains down on us.

Jo reaches out a hand and touches its slick-looking skin. “You can touch him if you want. Since they’re so big, it’s easy to reach out and touch them before they go under again.”

I don’t hesitate at all and reach out to feel the cool, slippery skin. I slide my fingers over it and watch the droplets of water scatter across the dark surface. The whale moves underneath my hand, going slow but steady, until it disappears into the water again. “The skin is so weird. Cool, but weird.”

“Their skin feels weird because the dead cells they shed actually adhere to the surface. That’s what makes it slimy. It acts as a lubricant to allow them to move through the water more easily and reduce drag. The layer of fat underneath the skin is called blubber. It helps keep the whale warm. This water gets very cold and they have so much blubber they don’t seem to feel it.”

Jo is so smart. “Sweet.”

Another whale appears on the other side of the boat and I watch, fascinated, as its long body moves past us and finally disappears under the water again. It’s amazing how huge whales are. It’s like nothing can hurt them. Besides poachers, I guess. As I watch a few more swim near the boat, I’m surprised I’m okay with them being so close. They could knock us out of the boat in seconds and eat us for dinner. But I know whales don’t eat people. Well, besides Jonah, I guess. He had it coming though.

“You’re getting a little red. You ready to head back?”

“Sure.” I look at my arms, surprised to see a little pink tint to them. I didn’t think we were out that long.

“You get more sun when you’re surrounded by water,” Jo explains. “And with your light skin, you don’t stand a chance.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“You forgot your sunscreen, didn’t you?” She smirks at me.

“Uh . . .” I trail off and look back at the whales.

I hear her chuckle behind me. “I warned you. I have some aloe back at the house. The way you’re already burning, you’ll need it tonight.”

I shrug. No big deal. It was totally worth it.

CHAPTER 6

On our way home, Jo picks up some McDonald’s for the two of us. When we pull into the driveway a few minutes later, she grabs the bag of food and grins. “How about we have a picnic on the beach? I don’t want to go inside yet.”

“Sounds good,” I say. “I need to run in and put on some sunscreen really quick. I’ll grab a beach blanket while I’m in there.”

“Okay. I’ll wait for you out here.”

I skip up the porch steps and go inside. As I pass Mom’s room, I open her door to see if she’s in there, but the room’s empty. Where did she go? She doesn’t know anyone around here, and why would she leave without telling me? I shake my head and go to my room, trying not to let it bother me. I grab some sunscreen off the desk and rub it on my arms, shoulders, and face before heading back outside with a blanket tucked under my arm.

Five minutes later, we’re sitting a few yards from the waves, relaxing and enjoying our food.

“Do you do this a lot?” I ask as I shove my last fry in my mouth.

She shakes her head. “Not really. The last time I did this was with my ex-boyfriend.” She chuckles. “I’d rather not talk about him though. He’s old news.”

“Oh. Okay.” I’m kind of glad; something tells me Jo’s love life is really complicated.

“Hey, Jo!” Someone calls from across the beach. We both look over and see Carson running toward us, carrying his surfboard. He’s wet from head to toe and still has a slight limp, but he’s obviously well enough to be surfing again.

“Carson, you better be taking care of that foot. You shouldn’t be out surfing so soon.”

He shrugs and his eyes shift to mine, but only for a second. “It’s nothing. Good as new, in fact.”

She frowns. “Just keep it wrapped up. You don’t want to hurt it even more. And if you bleed, you know what you could attract.”

“I know. No worries, Jo. I’m not even surfing; I’m teaching today.” He smiles and looks at me. “Hey, Oakley. Nice to see you again.”

“Hi.” I refuse to look at Jo. I can feel her watching me and I pray she doesn’t say anything to embarrass me.

“Well, just thought I’d say hi. I’d better get back. My student’s waiting for me.” He backs up, his eyes still on mine until he finally turns around and runs back into the water.

He gives surf lessons? Huh. As I watch him in the water, I think back on Lucas’s advice for the day.
Learn something new
. What about surfing? Right. Like I could learn how to surf. Carson’s probably been surfing since he was a little kid. I’m seventeen. I’m like that stupid saying: you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

But what if I
could
learn how to surf? I wonder what he charges? Maybe if I see him again I’ll ask him about it. Learning something new could be good for me.

I can still feel Jo staring at me. I sneak a look at her and frown at the grin she’s giving me. “He’s a good guy. You really should go out with him.”

I sigh. “He seems like he is, but I’m not really here to date people. I’m leaving in a few months anyway.” I fold my arms and watch Carson in the water again. “Besides, he hasn’t asked me out, so how could I go out with him?”

“Oh, I don’t know. You could always ask
him
.”

I chuckle. “Can you really see me asking anyone out? I can’t even look people in the eye when I talk to them.”

Jo laughs. “You’re not
that
shy.”

“I am. There’s no way I could get up the guts to ask a guy out. Especially one I barely know. And isn’t it the guy’s job to ask the girl out?”

“It’s the twenty-first century, babe. Girls ask guys out all the time now.”

“I know. I just . . . can’t. It would be weird.”

“Too bad for you.” She stands, grabs the wrappers from our dinner, and starts back toward the house. I watch Carson standing on the beach, talking to a boy who looks like he’s about eight. He says something and points to the waves, ruffles the kid’s hair, and walks out in the water with him.

He looks so at ease. Relaxed. Cute.

I shake my head. Stupid. I don’t need a guy to distract me. I’m trying to find myself. Or move on or whatever. Start over. I take one last look at him before following Jo back to the house.

I’m surprised to see Mom when we walk back in. She’s on the phone and looks like she hasn’t slept in days. She sees me, stops talking, and gives me a small smile. I’m sure it’s Dad on the other end but I don’t stick around long enough to find out. Even though I want to know where she’s been all day, I don’t want to know what’s going on between them. Not now, anyway. By the way Mom looks, it’s not good.

I head to my room, change out of my sweaty tank top and shorts, and put on a yellow sundress. I’m not a huge fan of dresses, but I like the happy color. And it’s freaking hot outside, so it feels nice to wear something light. I put more sunscreen on my arms and face, grab my camera, and head across the street to the beach. I don’t really have a plan for where I’m going but end up at the tide pools again.

Once there, I take a few more photographs of the rocks, the ocean, and the starfish. The starfish are still close to the surface and this time I don’t hesitate at all as I set my camera on the rock and reach my hand into the cold water to grab one. I cringe a little as I pull it away from the rock it’s stuck to and turn it over to see the little sucker things on the other side. I wonder if the little hole in the center of the starfish is the mouth? I’m not really an expert on starfish anatomy, so I have no idea. I may have to look it up when I get home.

“You really like those starfish.”

I jump and curse as I almost knock my camera into the water.

“Sorry,” Carson said. “I always seem to scare you.”

“Yeah, you kind of have a habit of showing up out of nowhere.” I smile and scoot back from the water, making sure my dress is down. I didn’t realize how unladylike I was sitting before he showed up. Hopefully he didn’t notice. “And yes, I do like starfish. They’re pretty cool. Not as cool as whales, but they’re still interesting.”

“Whales are amazing.”

“They really are. Jo took me out on the boat earlier and showed me a bunch of blue whales. In person! It was awesome.”

He nods. “Your aunt’s the coolest. Mind if I sit?” He gestures to the rock beside me.

I smile up at him. “I’d love some company.” As the words come out, I realize how true they are.

He sits down and leans back on his hands, totally relaxed. There are drops of water in his light hair and he runs his hand through it to get them out. He’s still in his wet suit, though he’s pulled the top down so it hangs low around his waist. I can’t help but peek at his ripped chest. It’s nice. Nice enough for me to stare at him like an idiot. Which I’m still doing.

“Do you like being by yourself all the time?”

His question catches me off guard and I look away from his body and out into the water. “No, not really.” I hate it, especially since I used to spend all my time with Lucas at the hospital. I don’t want to admit I’m lonely, but that’s the only word that comes to mind. “I just don’t really know anyone around here, so I don’t really have a choice.”

“Then you should hang out with us.” He sets his hand on my shoulder and squeezes it before leaning back again.

I give him a small smile. “I’m pretty sure those girls you introduced me to last night don’t like me much.”

He gives me a weird look and shakes his head. “They’re just girls. Shy until they get to know someone.” His shoulder bumps mine. “Kind of like you, I think.”

“I guess.” I realize I’m still holding the starfish.

“Just drop it in the water and it will eventually get back to the rock by itself. Try not to drop it on its back or it’ll get stuck.”

“I rescued a starfish that was stuck on its back yesterday,” I tell him. I lean over the tide pool, drop it, and watch it until it lands at the bottom. I wonder if it’s cursing me for making it have to climb all the way up the rocks again.

“Perfect,” he says.

I lean back and don’t realize how close he is until I turn to look at him. His face is inches from mine and his brown eyes are light and curious. His breath catches and his eyes flick to my lips. My heart races and I realize I haven’t moved. What am I doing? I’m supposed to be grieving. Not lusting after some guy.

Embarrassed and mad at myself, I move over a little and stretch my legs in front of me. He follows suit, his legs stretched out a few inches from mine. We sit there for a while, not saying much. I can’t really look at him anyway, since that moment was sort of awkward. Instead I pass the time taking pictures of the surfers on the water while he points out different creatures in the tide pools.

I gasp when I see a guy on his board crash pretty hard on a wave, but he comes up sputtering and goes right back out for another run. “I don’t know how you guys do that.”

Carson looks up. “Surf?”

I nod. “It looks so hard. And when the wave pushes you under the water . . .” I rub the goosebumps on my arms and shake my head.

“It’s not too bad. Once you get up the first time, it gets easier.”

“I doubt that.” I watch the same guy fall again. That would be me. No . . . I would have fallen off a lot sooner than he did.

“I can teach you if you’re interested in learning.”

My heart races. “Really?” I look at him, but he doesn’t notice. He’s staring out into the waves again.

“Of course. It would be my pleasure.” He glances at me for a second and looks away again.

I put my camera away.
Learn something new.
Part of me is terrified and the other part is thrilled. It would definitely take my mind off things. And having a hot surfer teach me wouldn’t be so bad either. I lean toward him. “Could we start tomorrow?” I smile and blush at how forward I sound. “I mean—”

“I’ll tell you what. If you let me show you around the city tonight, I’ll start our lessons tomorrow.”

“Why do you want to show me around?”

He shrugs and plays with a brown bracelet around his wrist, not meeting my eyes. “I like going into town and you’re new and should see what’s around. And it would be nice to have a pretty girl on my arm.”