“Let me help you,” I said, taking the crystal butter di
sh from her. It was a gift from Mom, and I wanted it to last longer than a week in our house.
Noah put down the plate and lifted Gina into her booster seat. “Bon appetit!”
“This looks great,” I said.
“Wait until you taste them,” Noah said, sitting down at the end of the table. “I added a secret ingredient.”
“Powdered sugar,” Gina said to me.
Noah opened his mouth in mock-shock. “It’s not a secret if you tell her.”
Gina giggled, and Noah shook his head while smiling.
“In any case, I can’t wait to try them,” I said, placing a pancake on Gina’s plate. I cut it up into several large pieces, and she doused them with syrup before digging in. “Don’t each too much though. You don’t want a full belly for surfing.”
Gina put down her fork and wrung her hands together in her lap.
“I didn’t say you can’t have any.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m not hungry anymore.”
“What’s wrong, honey?” Noah asked.
“What if I fall down?” Gina said.
I reached over and touched her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. I tucked her hair behind her ear and lifted her chin with my finger. “You probably will fall down. That’s part of learning. But your dad and I will be right there to help you onto your feet. Don’t think you need to be perfect on the first day. It took me a while to learn.”
“It did?” Gina asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes, it did.”
Gina sighed and picked up her fork, her appetite returning.
I went back to my plate and felt Noah’s eyes on me. I lifted my gaze and met his. He had a small smile on his lips, but his eyes sparkled.
A ripple of heat moved through me. I matched the contentment in his expression. I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten so lucky in life, but I didn’t question it.
After we had eaten, we changed into wetsuits and headed down to the beach.
I knew we lived on the shore, but after living in a home that was five minutes from the sand for most of my life, it was a strange sensation to walk down the steps attached to the terrace and be right there.
Mom found two surfboards in her garage. These wouldn’t disintegrate like the boogie board, but a few days ago, I had a local surf shop clean them up. Thanks to Noah and his unlimited bank account, I was able to afford the highest quality maintenance on them. Leaning against the concrete wall, the boards looked brand new.
The waves were already rolling in and that time of morning would be perfect for practicing techniques of the board prior to actually hitting some bigger waves.
I showed the two of them how to hold and maneuver the board on the sand. It was step one to getting comfortable with the board. While I didn’t intend on letting Gina go out on the water alone, as she was way too young for that, she needed to understand how to balance her weight and the like.
Once I was comfortable with them and their understanding, we headed for the water.
The moment we stepped into the surf, Gina clung to my leg, hard enough that it stopped me in my tracks.
I looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to go,” Gina said.
Noah came over and held my board while I dropped down to Gina’s level. I moved the stray strands of hair off her face. “You can do this.”