“She’s back that way.” I point behind us. “She’s got on a yellow shirt and by now she’s probably blasting K-pop. You can’t miss her.”
He chuckles. “You guys will make up. You and Meredith.”
“I know. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel like a colossal idiot for what I said.”
“We’re all idiots now and then. It’s human nature.”
“Thanks.”
“Anytime.” He grins boyishly and heads off in search of my sister.
I suck in a lungful of air, thankful to be alone once more. I walk a little further and find a less busy part of the beach. Sitting down, I kick off my shoes and dig my bare feet into the sand, draping my arms over my knees. I watch the ocean, like I do often, and it fills me with calm. The ocean is one of the steadiest constants in my life. I can always count on it to be there when I need it.nbsp;
The sun shines brightly, glimmering on the blue-gray water like a bunch of glitter. It isn’t long until I start to feel better—not perfect, but better.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I’m not surprised to see it’s Jasper telling me he’s here. He tells me where he parked and I get up to meet him there so I can change into a wetsuit.nbsp;
I hadn’t realized just how far I’d walked from the main crowd so it takes me a little while to get to where he’s parked. When I do, he’s already unloaded the surfboards and has them leaning against his Jeep. His wetsuit hangs on his hips, ready to be put on fully and zipped up.
He smiles when he sees me but that smile quickly turns to a frown.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
I wave a dismissive hand. “Meredith and I got into a little fight. It’s not a big deal.”
“Your face says different.”
“You notice everything, don’t you?”
He shrugs. “It’s hard not to when you wear your emotions openly on your face—that’s not a bad thing,” he adds when I pull a disgusted face. He leans against the Jeep and tilts his head. “What happened?”
I sigh. “I don’t want to talk about it.”nbsp;
“Okay,” he agrees, and straightens.
My mouth parts in stunned silence. “That’s it? You’re not going to press me to talk about it?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “Sometimes we all need time to process things through our own mind in our own way. If you want to talk about it with me, you will. And if you don’t that’s okay too.”
I stare at him in wonder.nbsp;
How on Earth did I get so lucky to have someone like this come into my life?
My conscience then reminds me, you were very unlucky before it was time something good came along. You deserve to be happy even if you don’t feel like it.
“Heath—my friend—already went to find her, I told him what she looks like, maybe he can cheer her up.” He shrugs and then holds up a wetsuit. “Ready to suit up?”nbsp;
I nod and take it from him. I step out of my shorts and take off my tank, laying them on the seat of his Jeep for safekeeping. It’s a struggle to get into the wetsuit, but I manage with
Jasper’s help. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the way they literally suction to your skin.nbsp;
“Ready?” he asks with a smile.
“Ready,” I echo.nbsp;
He carries both boards—Lord knows I’m too small to manage one—and I walk along beside him. I struggle to keep up with his long-legged strides.nbsp;
When we near the water, he stops and finally gives me the board.