Page 8
The beach is getting crowded, this part of the North Carolina coast being one of the best surf spots in the east. This is because the continental shelf ends in a steep drop-off, creating powerful sets with wide beach breaks. I never quite understood what that really meant but I remember Hunter telling me that once when we were younger. It’s where we always hung out growing up, coming out to cheer on Hunter and Brody when they surfed in amateur competitions. Yes, Brody surfed as well, but he never had the competitive spirit that Hunter did. Brody was the brainiac in the Markham family, and was getting ready to start his second year of medical school at Duke when he was arrested. The thought of everything Brody lost because of one stupid and tragic mistake makes me so sad. I wonder how you ever recover a broken spirit from a fall that high?
I slather on some high SPF oil and slip my sunglasses on. Casey reaches into the cooler and hands me a beer that, even though it’s only 10:30 AM, I gladly accept. It’s just a thing… beach and beer.
Scanning the water more closely, I finally recognize Hunter. It’s not that I can necessarily make out the details, but I recognize his talent as clear as day. There are plenty of great surfers along the Hatteras coast, but Hunter Markham is in a different league. He was the number two-ranked surfer in the world just months ago, and he stands out. In fact, a lot of people walking up and down the beach stop to watch him and, before long, he’s drawn quite a crowd.
I even hear a pair of girls talk about him when they walk by us.
“I heard that was Hunter Markham out there,” one of them remarks
The other squeals with excitement and says, “Oh. My. God. I want to give him my phone number. ”
The other girl jumps up and down, also squealing with equal delight. “Screw that. I want to give him my babies. ”
Casey apparently hears that conversation too and snorts out loud. I turn to look at her and start giggling. As the girls make their way closer to the water to watch Hunter, I say, “Your brother is a real stud. ”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Don’t I know it? He’s left a trail of broken hearts all over the world, I’m betting. ”
I have to, no doubt, agree with that, thinking, Yeah, starting right here in the Outer Banks with me.
I watch Hunter for a bit more, even recognizing Brody out there. He and Hunter sit side by side on their boards, bobbing in the water while they wait for the next set to roll in. Sometimes they turn their heads toward each other, clearly talking about something. I hope that they’re having a good time together. As identical twins, they shared an unbelievably close bond before Brody was sent away. I know it’s taken quite a hit over the last few years.
Finally, the heat from the sun and the beer I drank starts to make me drowsy, so I lay my chair down flat, close my eyes, and let the warmth and sounds of the waves lull me to sleep.
I have no clue how long I was out but cold drops of water pelting down on me brings me out of my slumber, and I have to shield my eyes as I look up above me. A large body is silhouetted by the sun, but I can tell by the length of his wet hair and his build that it’s Hunter. He stands there with his surfboard wedged into the sand, his arm casually resting on the tip of it.
“What are you doing out here, Gabs?” he asks.
I sit up in my chair, raising the back up to support me, and glance over at Casey. She’s out cold. Looking behind Hunter, I see his fan club hasn’t dispersed. There are several girls huddled together about thirty feet away, looking at him hungrily.
Glancing back at Hunter, I shrug my shoulders. “Casey begged me to hang out with her today. ”
Hunter glances back at the water, and I follow his gaze. Brody is still out there, just sitting astride his board and looking out at the horizon.
“How’s he doing today?” I ask.
Leaving his board, Hunter walks to the other side of my chair and plops down on the sand beside me, resting his forearms on his knees. He keeps his gaze on Brody but addresses my question. “I think he’s having a good time out there. First time he’s been in the water in over five years. I think he even cracked a smile when he caught his first wave. Of course, it could have been a grimace, but at least it wasn’t that somber look he seems to constantly wear around. ”
“That’s good. You just need to keep him busy… get him back into the swing of things. ”
“Yeah,” Hunter muses as he watches his twin. “He needs to figure out what to do for his community service. It’s part of his parole requirements, so we were talking about it some out there. ”
“Why doesn’t he volunteer at The Haven? God knows, Alyssa can use the help. She’s trying to do everything herself and practically killing herself in the process. ”
“That’s a great idea, Gabs. Thanks. I’ll talk to him about that. He loves dogs, so that is right up his alley. ”
We lapse into a comfortable silence for a while, gazing out at the ocean and watching some of the other surfers. Casey eventually wakes up and passes out beers to Hunter and me. We chat about inane stuff, and I question Hunter relentlessly about his time on the ASP World Tour. I purposefully never asked Casey about it, preferring to keep myself distant from all things related to Hunter Markham over the last five years.
He obliges me and tells me about all of his favorite places he’s surfed. He’s been everywhere… Australia, The Maldives, China, Micronesia; the list went on and on. But then he looks back out wistfully at the waves as they break against the shoreline and says, “But my heart will always be here… where I started. ”
There’s something about his tone of voice, or maybe it’s the way he watches the water and keeps his eye on Brody, that makes my heart turn over and swear fealty to Hunter. Which again, makes me cranky, because I don’t want to have those feelings.
Casey stands up and heads toward the water, walking in up to her knees and scooping up the salty liquid to cool herself. It doesn’t escape my notice that practically every surfer turns their attention to watch her rather than the set of waves coming in.
I use the opportunity while Casey is gone to ask Hunter a question that I’ve been insanely curious about. “Why did you retire from surfing? You were at the top of your game. ”
He doesn’t respond at first, just watching his sister and brother. Then he turns to me and smiles. “You know the answer to that. ”
I think I do, so I go ahead and lay it out there. “You came back for Brody. ”
“That I did,” he says and then stands up from the sand, brushing the back of his shorts off. “Want to go out in the water?”
Shaking my head, I smile. “No way. It’s not nearly warm enough yet. Hit me up in July, and I’ll think about it. ”
“Sissy,” he says with a smile, as he grabs his board. He heads off toward the surf, and then turns back suddenly. “By the way, Gabs… that bikini on you is slammin’. ”
He lets his gaze roam over me in a leisurely way, and then drifts back to my eyes, which I’m sure are wide with shock. He gives me a wink and then trots off to the water with his board under his arm.
My gaze narrows at him because I just don’t know how to handle this new friendship with Hunter. It’s what we had before… an easygoing, laid-back relationship. Not too deep, not too frilly. But now… Hunter laces his looks and words with sexual innuendo, promise, and longing. It’s exactly what I always wanted from him, but now it’s just sort of freaking me out. While I accepted his apology and I truly believe he’s sorry for how that unfortunate incident played out, I really can’t accept that he wants me in any way. I mean, I want to accept that, but I can’t. It’s too risky.
The sun rose and set on Hunter Markham as far as I was concerned five years ago. When he disabused me of my fantasies, I buried that love and longing very deep. While I can let go of my anger, I’m not sure I can let go of the lock that I put firmly around my heart.
I know Hunter isn’t looking at me and wanting a serious relationship. This is about sex, no doubt. He appreciates me as
a grown woman now, and there is chemistry between us. If he’s flirting with me… if he’s making a pass… it is solely from the fact that he’s a man and thinking with his dick.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m a healthy, sexually aware woman myself. I’ve had my share of casual relationships, which focused around an easy friendship coupled with some smokin’ hot sex. In fact, I have never once felt a strong, emotional pull toward any of the men that I’ve had relationships with since I lost my virginity my freshman year in college. I think… deep down, knowing that I’d never have Hunter Markham’s heart ruined me from having anyone else’s.
And like I said before, all of this knowledge and confusing array of emotions that Hunter has evoked in me the last few days makes me grumpy as shit. I’m seriously not liking what this man does to me. I need to harden up a bit where he’s concerned.
“Those look like some deep thoughts you have going on in that head of yours. ”
Glancing over to my left, I see Brody taking a seat on Casey’s chair. It’s the most words he’s said to me since returning home.
“There’s some beer in that cooler,” I tell him, pointing to where it sits behind our chairs.
“Nah. I don’t drink,” he says, and I cringe internally… because, of course, he wouldn’t drink anymore. Not after that night.
I take a moment to really look at Brody. His face is identical to Hunter’s. Same straight nose, square jaw with a slight dimple in the middle of his chin, and full lips. His hair color is darker because he’s spent the last five years locked away, while Hunter’s has been streaked pale by the hot sun. He wears his hair much longer than Hunter does, coming down to his shoulders with the top half pulled back into a ponytail. He has a full beard compared to Hunter’s scruffy look, but he keeps it trimmed close. The biggest difference that I see though, is the lack of light in Brody’s eyes. They are dim and shaded, while Hunter’s are bright and accented by laugh lines in the corners. The men could have identical haircuts and coloring, but stand them side by side and you’d know the difference based on their eyes.
Turning toward the ocean, I see that Casey’s in the water using Brody’s board. She and Hunter are just bobbing on the water, apparently not really caring if they catch a wave. Hunter says something to her and she smacks at the water to hit him in the face, laughing at whatever he just said. Casey can surf… her brother’s made sure she knew how from when she was little, and they taught me as well. I mean, I pretty much suck, but I know the fundamentals. But right now, brother and sister are just content to sit out on the ocean and hang together.
Peeking over at Brody, I see he watches them intently and his lips are curled slightly upward. No matter what horrors Brody has suffered, it didn’t kill the love he has for his family. It’s written all over his face. I suppose that’s just not an emotion you can suppress, no matter what dark demons you have boiling inside.
“So how was the surfing? Was it like riding a bike?”
Brody turns those sad eyes to me, and I see the briefest flicker of interest in what I just asked. “Yeah… it was good. I’m really rusty, but it felt good. ”
“You looked good out there,” I tell him. “Gave Hunter a run for his money. ”
Then the most joyous sound erupts from Brody. He gives a short bark of laughter. “I don’t think so. Hunter was just out there playing. Letting me look good. ”
I shoot him a bright grin and he responds, letting his smile widen so I see a flash of teeth. “I like seeing you laugh, Brody. It’s a good look on you. You should do it more often. ”
I expect him to withdraw, because my statement is meant in jest, but it’s also a pointed reminder that we are all aware of how unhappy he is. Instead, he keeps the smile in place, even as his eyes hold a touch of wistfulness. “I’m trying, Gabby. I’m really trying. ”