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When I reach her, I take ahold of her elbow and love how she doesn’t flinch, because she knows immediately it’s me. Turning her around, she hits me with a stunning smile.
“Hey you,” she says in welcome.
“Hey,” I tell her, giving her arm a squeeze. “Want you to meet someone… This is my agent, Keith Carr. He flew in from L. A. to discuss some offers that are on the table for me. ”
Looking past me to Keith, Gabby flashes him a full-blown smile as well and gives him a firm handshake. “Good to meet you, Keith. Hope you’re taking care of our boy here. ”
Keith’s eyebrows shoot up, and he looks from me to Gabby. “Our boy?”
Slipping my arm around Gabby’s waist, I say, “This is Gabby Ward… my girlfriend. ”
It feels so odd, yet so right, calling her my girlfriend. She claimed she was mine last night, and I took her at face value. I’m sticking with that moniker for now.
“Well, this is a nice surprise,” Keith says, and I think I sense an undertone of censorship there, but his face looks completely open and happy for me. “How long have you two been dating?”
I swear I can hear Gabby snort inside her mind, because “dating” isn’t exactly how this started out. More like banging each other’s brains out, but it’s definitely not that anymore. I mean, yeah, we still tear it up in the bedroom, but I think we’ve both solidly, if not silently, agreed this is way more than just sex.
“I’ve known Gabby my whole life. She’s Casey’s best friend. It just sort of happened when I got back into town. ”
“Ah,” Keith says in understanding, but I’m sure he really understands nothing because what Gabby and I have is surreal and unique, and can’t be boiled down to a few words.
Leaning down, I give Gabby a kiss on her temple. “I’m going to hang with Keith for a while today. Want to meet us back out here tonight for some drinks? John and Sasha are going to be in some time around eight. ”
“Sure,” she tells me with a smile and a gentle pat on my chest with her hand. “I’ll see you tonight. ”
Gabby starts to turn away, but I reach out and grab her hand. She turns to me, this time with a bit of surprise on her face, and tilts her head to the side. There’s nothing I really want to say, so I just step in and skim my fingers under her jaw, just before I lean in to give her a soft kiss on her lips. “See you tonight. ”
She gives a tiny sigh, which causes that panging sensation in my chest as I pull away. Quirking her lips at me, she winks and turns away.
Looking back at Keith, he’s watching me thoughtfully while chewing on the end of his sunglasses. He seems to be almost appraising and then judging my interaction with Gabby, and it starts to get my hackles up.
“What?” I ask as I walk back into the bar, Keith following me.
“Nothing,” he says.
“Bullshit… what’s the look for?”
“It’s just I’ve never seen you act that way with a woman before, and trust me… I’ve seen you around plenty of women. ”
“What do you mean?” I ask, stopping mid-stride and turning around to face him. “You’ve seen me be that way with Sasha before. ”
“No, man. Not like that. Never like that. ”
“Like what?”
“Like you’d never walk away from that,” he points out quietly. “Is she why you’re having a hard time making a decision?”
My immediate gut reaction tells me to deny, because the reason I’m hesitant is that I’m afraid to leave Brody. But the minute he mentions Gabby in conjunction with me leaving the Outer Banks to go back on tour, I have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, which does not bode well for me.
Shaking it off, I clap Keith on the back. “No, she’s not the reason. It’s the same reason I left the tour, and you know what I’m talking about. Now, let’s get out of here so we can talk about it. ”
Keith nods, and we head out. I fully intend to discuss with him and use him as my sounding board about my concerns for Brody. Even if I take the endorsements and commit to competing next year, I’m not sure I can just pack up and leave right now to get back on the circuit. I’d need time to get Last Call situated and decide if Brody can handle it. If not, could I sell it… or hire someone trustworthy to manage it.
No, my decision about whether to go back on tour has nothing to do with Gabby and has everything to do with Brody, and whether or not I could leave my brother when he is clearly still so lost.
19
I hold these truths to be self-evident.
I’m so f**king in love with Hunter, and yes, I know I’m quoting the Declaration of Independence to summarize my feelings at this point, but that’s a damn good clause.
Watching him now, the way he laughs, the way he touches me… the way he talks about me. I’m sunk in deep and there’s no preventing it, and there’s certainly no trying to claw my way out. There’s only one thing left to do… and that is give over to the euphoric feeling that courses through my body when I finally admit to myself that I love Hunter Markham.
We’re all having a great time at Last Call. I’m sitting at a large, round table with Hunter to my left. To my right is John, looking tanned and windblown, his fist curled around a Budweiser. Sasha sits beside him, intent on talking to Wyatt, who is on her other side. She’s wasted no time in latching on to him since she arrived, and I’m completely fine with sacrificing Wyatt to the greater good of the “stay the hell away from Hunter” game plan. Part of me even suspects Wyatt is intentionally keeping Sasha occupied, so her focus stays away from Hunter.
Finally, sitting between Hunter and Wyatt is his agent, Keith Carr. He’s staying the night, having checked into the Sand Piper Inn over in Kitty Hawk. He’s been busy all night, regaling me with tales about Hunter’s career, and I’ve been enjoying learning more about him. Hunter’s not the type that will talk about this stuff unless I push and prod him. He doesn’t toot his own horn very well.
So, the reason it became self-evident just now… as we sit in this group surrounded by Hunter’s closest friends and advisors—as well as one ex-girlfriend—you know, the people that know him best, you would think this would be a Hunter-palooza—a veritable party to pay homage to the greatness of the number two surfer in the world. But on the contrary, even though Keith tries very hard to center the talk around Hunter and how important his career is, Hunter matches him beat for beat in talking about me… in trying to put me to the forefront of the attention.
At first, it was embarrassing, the way Hunter repetitively bragged about my accomplishments and me. I know he just wants his friends to get to know me better, to validate his choice to be with me. By my third beer, and the fact that Hunter had moved his chair close to me so he could drape his arm over my shoulder, I’m feeling more relaxed and willing to let him extol my virtues.
“Hey Sasha… remember that time that Corey Granz cut Hunter off in the third heat of the Bali Pro? You went apeshit on his ass,” Keith says while laughing and taking a sip of his fifth Jack and Coke. His voice was getting a little louder, a little more slurred, but we were all here to have a good time.
Sasha laughs, her eyes going warm with the memory, and it makes my stomach clench. It also sort of pisses me off that Keith has now gone down Sasha and Hunter’s memory lane, a place I have no wish to journey.
“Yeah,” Sasha says, leaning forward against the table to look at Hunter. “When he got out of the water, I went a little crazy on him. ”
“A little crazy?” Keith says with a bark of laughter. “You ran up and pushed him so hard that he landed flat on his ass. I thought I would die from the look on his face. ”
Hunter’s hand softly caresses my shoulder, and he says, “It wasn’t a biggie. I whipped his ass in that heat, and Sasha acted like a brat. ”
Okay, this was getting a little awkward, and I sneak a quick glance at Sasha. Her eyes narrow at Hunter but then she shakes it off, even giving me a friendly smile. “Yeah… in hindsight
, I guess that was pretty stupid. Hunter can handle himself. ”
“Exactly,” Hunter says in agreement, even as his attention is taken away when someone taps him on the shoulder. It’s one of his bartenders… Susie I think, and she leans down.
“The cash register at the front is broken again and won’t open. I tried resetting it, but nothing. Brody’s too busy at the back bar to look at it. ”
“I’m on it,” Hunter says as he stands from the table. He doesn’t leave though, until he bends down and places a kiss on top of my head, which again, is another reason why my heart has flopped over and submitted to love. Because he’s always thinking about me.
As soon as Hunter’s gone, Keith turns to me. “So Gabby… what do you think about Hunter competing again?”
I take a sip of my beer and appraise Keith. His eyes are almost glittering as he waits for my answer. Somehow, I feel that when said answer comes, he’s going to be poised to strike at me in some way. Glancing around the table, I see everyone else is watching me for my answer as well.
“I think it’s great… if that’s what he wants to do. ”
“What do you think he wants to do?” Keith asks, and I suddenly feel Sasha’s interest hone in on my answer. It could be the way she leans further across the table, practically licking her lips over what I might say.
“He’s torn… I think you all know he came back for Brody. ”
Keith nods sagely. “Yeah… pretty dumb f**king reason, but I get it. ”
“Shut the f**k up,” John snarls next to me. “You have no right to judge his decision. ”
“Hey,” Keith says, picking up his drink and waving it toward John. “I’m entitled to my opinion. Just as you are. ”
A quick glance around the table, and I see Wyatt with his fists clenched and glaring at Keith, Sasha has her head dipped and a small smirk on her face, and John looks like he’s about ready to jump across the table and tackle Keith.
“Listen,” I say calmly. “Hunter knows Brody will be okay if he leaves, so that’s not something you need to worry about. If he wants to go back, he will, and he’ll figure out a way to make it work. All of us sitting here will support him when he does, so everyone just stop worrying about it. Okay?”
Sasha picks up her drink… some fruity concoction. I have no clue what it is, but it’s a nauseating pink color, and she holds it up to me in salute. “I agree with Gabby. Hunter will make his decision in good time, and we’ll all support it. I think Gabby knows what she’s talking about. ”
Her words are supportive of me, particularly supportive of me as Hunter’s girlfriend, but for some reason, they don’t quite reach my truth-o-meter. She’s holding something back, but I’m not sure what.
Keith raises his glass and slugs back the rest of the contents, slamming it on the table. “To Gabby… may she talk some sense into our boy. ”
I swear I hear John growl next to me, and I shake my head slightly at him not to say anything more. Keith is on his way to being drunk, and half of what he says has to be taken with a grain of salt.
“He’s a star. He could be a legend, Gabby,” Keith says quietly as he stares at his empty glass. “He passes up this chance, he’s dried up. It’s over for good. ”
Everyone’s heads sort of drop over this proclamation, because it’s not something any of us would argue with. We know this is Hunter’s only chance if he wants to get back in the game. The endorsement offers won’t come again.
“Why is everyone looking so glum?” Hunter says as he walks back up to the table. He doesn’t sit down but stands behind my chair, his hands on my shoulders.
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