He spotted Ted’s latest PI a couple of days later. First, he’d seen the scruffy young guy hanging out on the beach. He seemed to be engrossed in reading a novel but Nick noticed he never went near the water, not to swim, to surf or even to wade in.
He could have a water phobia, or else he was the latest PI.
He wasn’t certain which until he glimpsed the same man later that day. He and Kate were sitting outside munching fish tacos at a restaurant near her surf shop. Her lessons were done, her hair and eyelashes spiky from the salt and she glowed with health and, he liked to believe, with happiness.
She ate both her tacos and then, to his amazement, reached over and helped herself to his onion rings.
She didn’t even realize what she’d done and he wasn’t going to tell her. She was telling him a story about one of her students, her face was animated, alive, and he felt love squeeze his heart.
Which was not as pleasant as he’d always thought love would be. Where was the constant glow? He’d imagined love would be a lot like that post sex rush, when the world seems like a great place and everything is slightly better. And love was a bit like that, but there was a dark side he’d never expected. He worried about Kate. He wanted her to be safe, happy, he wanted everything to go right for her.
His blood boiled at the scruffy snoop who settled a few tables away and ordered a wrap. Exactly what Nick would have ordered in his position because if Kate left the restaurant, he could grab the wrap to go.
“Surf’s going to be strong in about an hour,” she told him. “My lessons are done.”
He hesitated. Should he tell her about the investigator tracking her every move? No doubt snapping photos of her and Nick even now?
She caught his expression and teased. “What? You worried you’ll fall off your board Seattle Boy?”
“Not if my teacher is any good.”
“Okay, the challenge is on. Let’s go.”
She jumped up, and he threw cash on the table to cover the meal.”
As they headed out, he noticed the scruffy PI also threw money on the table and grabbed his wrap to go.
They surfed for an hour. He was beginning to get the hang of it and Kate had decided he was now good enough to head out into the deeper water without killing himself or another surfer. High praise from Kate.
He discovered there was no rush quite like the feeling when he caught a wave. When he judged the moment right and let it carry him, getting to his feet and then standing exactly at the moment the wave picked him up, like a waiter carrying a tray through a busy restaurant.
He was still learning and between getting dumped off the board many more times than not plus having to paddle back out to the deeper water and wait for another wave, it was tiring work. But he loved every minute of it, especially when he was with the world’s sexiest surf instructor.
There was one time that he caught a wave and Kate caught the next one in the set, so they ended up near the beach, laughing. “That was awesome,” she cried.
He wanted to grab her to him and kiss her so badly his whole body ached with the need, but he knew scruffy was out there with a pinhole camera and he had no intention of giving the dude any information that could make Kate look bad. All the PI had seen so far was them having a meal and surfing together. Unless Ted saw the photos and recognized him, he was simply another student.
Even if Ted did look at the photos there was no story. They were lunching together, surfing. So what?
They took a short break and a young couple walked by, holding hands. Their pale skin proclaimed they were on vacation.
The woman came up to him. “Excuse me, would you take our picture?”
“Sure.”
He rose and snapped a few photos as the couple snuggled together, smiling.
When he passed back the phone, she said, “Thanks. Want me to take one of you?”
“Yeah,” he said. “That would be great.”
Kate scrambled to her feet and he put an arm around her. He handed the woman his smart phone and she snapped a few photos of the two of them.
They said their goodbyes and he and Kate headed back into the surf.
They rode the waves through the sunset and he thought watching Kate silhouetted against the glow of the setting sun was a picture he’d carry in his mind forever.
As the sun went down, the surf died right along with it. They headed in and grabbed their stuff, then walked up the beach. He was finally carrying his board like a real surfer. She said, “You want to come to my place?”
He hesitated, then decided to tell her the truth. “I would love to, but I think you’re being followed.”
“I know. That bearded guy with the bad board shorts?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
She raised her eyebrows. “He’s not the first PI who’s tailed me. Besides, he asked me about lessons earlier. But his questions made me suspicious. Then I saw him again at the restaurant.”
“He’s a really bad PI.”
She huffed in protest. “Or I’m a very smart woman.”
He grinned at her. “Okay, that one. Anyway, it’s probably better if we stay below the radar.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s probably making a report right now.”
“Good. I think it’s excellent. He can see me obviously intimate with someone else. I hope he tells Ted.”
“You don’t care?”
“No.” She came closer, spoke softly. “The second you and I got intimate, it was over forever with me and Ted.”
He felt the thrill, maybe not his noblest thought, but he’d won the rarest prize when he’d won this woman’s heart.
Or had he?
She wasn’t telling him she was in love with him. She was telling him that, in sleeping with him, she was saying no to Ted. Which didn’t necessarily translate into a big Yes for him.
“Okay, then. I’ll come to your place.”
“Do you think he can see us in the dark?” she asked softly.