Page 74 of Catch a Wave
“Yeah. Okay.”
I try to study Kai, but he dips his head and averts my gaze while he straightens more merchandise.
Bodhi enters the shop. His student follows behind him, thanking him profusely.
Once the teen leaves, Bodhi turns to me. “I’ve got to carry the two boards in from my lesson. Want to help me?”
“I’ve got it,” Kai offers.
“I’ve got it, Kai.” I tell my brother. “Please stop babying me. My PT said to use my foot and leg normally as long as I don’t overdo it. I know what I can handle.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
Bodhi looks between Kai and me, and then he heads out onto the dock, wisely dodging any potential crossfire from the Kapule siblings when they are in the middle of something tense.
Bodhi and I walk in silence down to where the boards are on the sand. Shaka trots behind us.
I grab a board and tuck it under my arm. The motion flows like second nature. How long has it been since I held a surfboard? That final day at Mavericks. I haven’t touched one since. The weight and curve of the stick feel so familiar I’m almost tempted to walk into the surf and lie down on the board without a wetsuit or any forethought.
“Want to sit in the foam with Shaka? I could hold the board steady and you two could just bob for a while.”
“On a board? No.” My answer comes out in a rush and with some force behind my words.
I backpedal. “Sorry. Just, no.”
“Okay. Your call.”
Bodhi’s natural ease and the way he goes along with the flow still surprises me. When things ended between us, this version of him had been so far gone, I never knew if it would come back.
“I’ll put my toes in, though.”
I offer a compromise. Besides, I want to. I wouldn’t mind another kiss on the neck, either, but I’ll settle for the feeling of the saltwater on my skin. I slip my sandals off and walk toward the edge of the water. Shaka’s alongside me, his tail wagging. Maybe he is a surf dog.
I put my toes on the sand where a wave just receded. The next one’s rolling in. Bodhi’s right next to me. Maybe a foot or two separates us, at most. He’s far too happy watching me get my feet wet.
I’m staring out at the horizon, enjoying the wash of the waves up over my feet and ankles and then tugging back out, again andagain. A splash from my left side surprises me and snaps me out of my reverie.
Bodhi’s wearing a mischievous grin.
“Did you just splash me?”
He shrugs.
Then he swishes his foot in the water as if he’s innocent.
At the end of another swish, he puts a little more force behind his movements and water sprays in my direction.
“Hey, what was that for?” I act miffed, but I’m not and we both know it.
“What was what?” He taunts.
I lift my foot, step in a little further to get a good amount of water on my side, and then I kick a spray of water back at him. “That.”
“Did you just splash me?” His grin is nearly devilish now. “You know I’ve got to retaliate.”
“You started it!”
