Meet Me in Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo (best affordable ebook reader TXT) 📗

‘I must admit I was surprised when you hinted as much earlier. I know you obviously work thousands of miles away, but I got the impression you’d grown up close, that you got your love of the ocean from them – surely with what you do now, you would still share that bond.’

You’d think so, wouldn’t you? The chill set in. The ache of loss and longing. ‘They quit surfing when my brother became too ill to surf himself.’

It was her turn to stare out at the setting sun now, unable to look at him for fear of what he’d see in her, of how weak and vulnerable she would be in that moment and how easily he could become a distraction from it all again.

‘They shut down the surf school and locked up our boards – if he couldn’t surf none of us could.’

‘They forbade you?’

‘Yes,’ she said it so quietly, ‘to the point that I had to hide my surfboard at Zoe’s and sneak out with her.’

Her throat closed over with the memories – of being devious when she didn’t want to be, of hurting and not being able to escape it in the water because it was shrouded in guilt. ‘I’d never needed that time on the water more and…’

She shook her head, her eyes lost in the beauty of the sunset, her heart lost to the memories.

‘And so, it created distance between you?’

Slowly she turned to look at him. ‘Pretty much… and when Koa died…’

Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes, just as they had the previous night, tears she hadn’t let fall in so long. She swallowed and took a breath, but the compassion in his gaze kept them coming, forcing her to look away.

‘It was worse. I carried on sneaking about and they carried on ignoring me, and then we were in that car accident and suddenly they were all over me. I knew they were scared they could lose me, too, but that made them ever more watchful, ever more controlling, and I couldn’t stand it any longer.’

‘So, you left and pursued your dream to surf?’

‘Yes.’

‘It was brave of you.’

‘Selfish, I think they called it.’

‘But surely they must be proud of you now, to see what you have achieved, to see how you are helping people, sharing your skills, teaching people to find solace in the ocean.’

She laughed but it was harsh, angry. ‘They don’t see it that way – they think I’m an adrenalin junkie destined to live a short life. Hell, maybe they’re right.’

‘They’re not right, you do what you love, and you share that love with others. There’s nothing wrong with that.’

‘No?’ She turned to face him, the depth of feeling in his face tugging at her, making her want the other kind of intimacy back, the lustful distraction she knew he could provide, regardless of the consequences.

‘Absolutely not.’

‘You’ve not seen my real passion yet, though.’

He grinned. ‘Which is?’

‘How about I show you?’

Malie, what are you doing?

She ignored her freaked-out self and raised her chin, uncaring.

His eyes narrowed. ‘Now?’

‘No,’ she laughed, ‘not here, tomorrow morning. If you’re free?’

‘I can make myself free.’

‘You heard of the Banzai Pipeline?’

‘Is that a place?’

‘It’s just off the North Shore, Ehukai Beach. If you can get there tomorrow morning just after sunrise, you can witness my passion for itself… then tell me you don’t agree with my parents.’

He looked at her quiet for a moment and she didn’t look away. She was too caught in the emotions flickering across his face and trying to decipher their meaning.

‘I can’t work out whether you’re trying to push me away by inviting me to witness whatever this crazy act is, or if you’re letting me in on the real you.’

He had a good point. She didn’t know either but the idea of him being there watching her rip it up on the waves filled her with more excitement than just the prospect of surfing Pipe. ‘Does it matter which?’

‘I guess not.’

Chapter Eight

IT WAS AN HOUR’S drive to the North Shore and when he saw the state of the parking, he was glad he’d set off early. Cars lined the roadside and the designated car park was already full.

It took ten minutes to find a gap big enough take his hire car and he wished he’d opted for a smaller vehicle. He wasn’t sure what possessed him to get the convertible Mustang… OK, that wasn’t quite true. He’d got it because it suited Malie’s personality best. Vibrant red, it was fun, sexy and impossible to ignore. Not that she’d given any indication she would go anywhere with him after, and he knew he shouldn’t even be hoping for it. But he was.

Didn’t matter that there was no future, no crossing of lines, nothing, he wanted to spend as much of the day with her as possible.

He parked up and followed a group of surfers, listening to their pumped-up talk of double overheads and the ultimate tube riding. He had a fair idea of what they meant and even though he could hear the roar of the waves, it still didn’t prepare him for the scene that greeted him beyond the trees that lined the beach.

The sky was clear blue, the golden sand dotted with people, but beyond that the waves were insane. It was the only way he could describe it. If double overhead meant twice as tall as a man, someone had forecasted wrong because they were at least twenty feet and they were swallowing up surfers left, right and centre.

And Malie was somewhere here?

Was she out there already? His heart was in his mouth as he thought it. Surely not. He knew she liked to live a little crazy – she’d hinted as much the night before – but this?

And he felt foolish now, with all the people here; how was he supposed to know where to look for her? Why hadn’t