“So, what do you say? Do you want to be penguins with Elle?” Isabel asked with a smolder.
Autumn smiled at her supportively across the table.
“That’s the thing.” Gia reached for a sleeve for her coffee. “We haven’t discussed penguins just yet.”
“Yeah, but surely the penguin conversation is coming,” Autumn said. “You guys are spending more and more time together. You get the faraway look in your eye all the time like you’re thinking about her when she’s not even here.”
“That’s because I am. I don’t know how it happened. But that’s where we are. I don’t want to screw up the family thing. That could be disastrous.”
Isabel smiled into her coffee. “Good, then don’t. Families can make or break you.”
Hadley waved off the comment. “Stop scaring her. Everyone likes you, Gia. You have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s not true. There’s definite worry to be had.” They glanced up to see Larry Herman, their ultra-uptight landlord, peering over them, holding a coffee. “Ms. Malone is not perfect. Her rent’s not always on time.”
“I was two days late,” Gia said. “One time.”
He pushed up his eighties plastic glasses. “If a doctor’s late for surgery, everyone dies.”
“They do not,” Isabel interjected. “That makes no sense. Do you even hear yourself when you talk, you weirdo?”
Hadley passed Isabel a look. “He’s just being Larry.”
“Thank you,” Larry Herman said, standing a little taller. His cheeks dusted with pink right on schedule, his love for Hadley on full display. “Good luck, Ms. Malone. You’ll need it.” He walked away on that line.
She heard the foreboding sentence play again as she sat in that hotel room in Portugal. Gia blinked at Elle, who’d started dressing for dinner with her parents.
“I’m sometimes late on my rent,” Gia blurted. “Like one or two days. I just forget.”
Elle paused, one arm frozen on the way to its sleeve. “Was there a segue that I missed?”
“I have my own issues, is what I mean. I come with flaws, and what if they don’t like me for you because of them? What if they don’t like me at all? You didn’t.” She closed her eyes, terrified she wouldn’t make a good impression. She wanted to so badly. For herself. For Elle.
Elle softened and came and sat on the bed next to her. She gave her those earnest eyes that always stole Gia’s breath. “Are you planning to blow off one of their greetings, or shoot them a competitive stare, or drop in on one of their waves?”
Gia shook her head. “Not on my to-do list, that I know of.”
Elle smiled. “Then I’m confident you’ll do just fine.” She kissed Gia softly. “But we should get you dressed, because we’re about to find out.”
Chapter Fifteen
Elle felt on edge.
Not because she was afraid Gia would make a bad impression, not at all. But rather, because her parents would be meeting someone important to her for the first time. She hadn’t introduced them to a significant other since her senior prom, when the corsage hadn’t gone on right and the photos had been a comedy of errors and her dad had to drive them when the hired car hadn’t shown up. It only heightened the intensity that, this time, she would be introducing them to a woman. Her mother had been surprised, but supportive, when she’d broken the news. Her father had said…less. Though she knew inherently that he loved her very much and would be there for her when she needed him, she needed him tonight.
This was going to go well, wasn’t it? It would be fine. Just fine. She should suck it up and get out of her own head.
“Oh, there’s my girl,” she heard her father say, as they rounded the corner into the restaurant. She held firmly to Gia’s hand and passed her a supportive smile. And then there they were, standing in the entryway of Monterios, the high-end seafood restaurant attached to the resort. Her father wore a crisp suit that matched his gray hair, feathered back. Her mother had assembled her blond locks into a pile on her head and looked elegant in a turquoise cocktail dress with a solitary diamond hanging around her neck. They looked happy, tan, and like the stereotypical California parents.
“Hey, you guys,” Elle said, pulling her mother into a hug and then accepting a hug and kiss on the cheek from her father. “Been here long?”
“We had a glass of wine at the bar and headed over about five minutes ago,” her mother said.
Elle turned to Gia. “I want to introduce you both to Gia Malone. Gia, this is my father, Blake Britton, and my mother, Dee. They live in Laguna Beach.”
She looked on as the three of them exchanged handshakes and pleasantries.
“You’re a talented surfer,” her father said. “Right on Elle’s heels.”
Gia looked off balance. It would be in her nature to say something competitive. It was what they did with each other. Instead she pivoted. “She makes it hard.”
Her father wrapped an arm around Elle and smiled. “That’s my girl. Shall we go inside?”
Dinner got off to a decent enough start. Her parents were friendly. Gia was charming. The food was wonderful and the restaurant quiet enough that they could all talk comfortably. That’s when it happened.
“So, Gia,” her mother said, cutting into a scallop, “are you seeing anyone?”
Gia went still. Elle swallowed the bite of chicken in her mouth before choking. “Mom,” she said, setting down her knife and fork, “Gia and I are seeing each other. You know that.”
Her mothered dropped her voice. “I know there was a kiss and a lot of hubbub about it, but I didn’t know you were moving toward an actual relationship. That seems like a big leap.”
Elle went numb. Her mother thought this was a phase. She’d been supportive while quietly waiting for it to pass. Elle met Gia’s sad and uncomfortable eyes and sent her a reassuring smile. “Well, we are.”
Her father sat taller. “It’s surely difficult, dating someone you’re in such close competition with.” He directed the question at Gia.
“I think we take that part one day at a time. Having a sense of humor about it helps. I think we both do.”
Elle nodded. “Definitely some razzing.”
“And you think that’s sustainable?” he asked them both.
“I guess that’s what we’re hoping,” Elle said. Gia attempted a smile, looking nervous as hell.
“And this is what you want?” her mother asked, looking pained.
“This is what I want,” Elle said, matter-of-factly, embarrassed in front of Gia and disheartened for herself. This wasn’t like her parents. Not at all. Her coming out had apparently hit them harder than she had realized.
Her father forced a smile as the waiter removed his plate. “Where did you go to school?” he asked Gia, with a new level of scrutiny.
“High school?” Gia asked, thanking the waiter with a smile.
“Where did you get your degree?” he amended.
She glanced at Elle and back to her father. “I didn’t go to college. I went straight away onto the qualifying tournament, hoping to rack up enough points to join the Championship Tour.”
“Which I see you’ve managed to do,” he said. “Elle took a similar route, but got her degree from UCLA at the same time.”
“Education is important,” her mother said, gently.
Her father nodded. “It’s everything.”
“Some people, however, are students of the world,” Elle told them. There was now a negative undercurrent to the entire conversation. The room felt tense and Elle’s senses moved into a heightened state.
“I wish I had gone to college,” Gia said quietly, in explanation. “It just wasn’t possible at the time. I didn’t have any help financially. My parents could never have afforded the entry fees. As you know, professional surfing isn’t cheap.” It was her way of subtly pointing out that Elle had Britton money backing her, which was true. With the help of her parents, she’d been able to afford classes on the side, which had
led to her degree in sports medicine. It wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Elle was very much aware of that.
“And what will you do when you can’t surf anymore? How will you make your living then?” he asked.
“That’s a bridge I’ll cross when the time comes.” Gia took a sip of her water, the vibrant color now gone from her face.
“Could really come at any time, if you think about it. Injuries change lives at the drop of a hat.”
“Dad.”
“What?” he asked, with a smile. “We’re just getting to know each other a little.”
“It’s okay,” Gia said to Elle. “I would imagine I’d turn to coaching.”
“And you have the skillset for that?”
“I do.”
Elle couldn’t take much more. Dinner was over, and she certainly didn’t want to stay for dessert. “Mom, Dad, I’ve got an awful headache. Let me get the check.”
“Don’t be silly,” her father said. “I’ll take care of it. Go rest up for tomorrow. We’ll be in the stands rooting for you.”
Elle squeezed her mother’s shoulder. “I’ll look for you after.”
She gave Gia a moment to say goodbye to her parents, took her hand, and got the hell out of there.
“I’m so sorry,” Elle said to Gia, once they were alone on the elevator.
When Gia raised her gaze, the vulnerability Elle saw looking back at her left her struck, staggered.
“That didn’t go well at all,” Gia said.
She wanted to argue. To reassure Gia and make her feel better. Unfortunately, she couldn’t. “I was expecting so much more from them. They’re good people, Gia. They are. You just wouldn’t know it from tonight.”
“I know.” Gia blinked and pretended to study the lights on the ceiling. But Elle caught the welling of tears she was hoping to hide. Her heart ached for Gia, who had a much more tender side than she ever would have imagined just a year ago. She’d grown to understand that Gia was a softie underneath it all, with very real and fragile feelings. She cared about other people and put the needs of those she cared about before her own. But right now, she was hurting, and that hurt Elle.
“I guess it didn’t go as well as I planned.” Gia smiled in spite of her tear-filled eyes.
Elle took her hand. When they were together, they seemed to touch more than they didn’t. She needed that connection now. “It’s not your fault, okay? You were wonderful. It’s theirs. They behaved badly. Apparently, they have a lot to work through. Let me talk to them.”
“Don’t do anything to make it worse,” Gia said. “Okay?”
Elle nodded. “Okay.”
Things felt tense between them the rest of the night. A distance cropped up. Gia recessed behind her self-made armor and didn’t say a whole lot, and Elle wasn’t sure what to do to close the gap that now existed between them.
“Does it bother you that I don’t have a degree?” Gia asked finally, just as she was about to turn off the light for bed.
Elle tucked a strand of Gia’s hair behind her ear. “Not in the slightest. What bothers me is that you surf like a champion.” A pause. “I also think that’s pretty hot.”
Gia nodded, offered a halfhearted grin, and kissed her softly. “Good night.”
* * *
No, no, no. Gia was screwed. Fucking screwed.
She blinked at the scoreboard. She’d turned in a dismal combined score of 10.2 in round one of the tournament. Luckily, two of the three surfers competing would move forward to round two. She’d made it by two tenths of a point. The conditions were utter perfection, the weather was on point, and she was in the best shape of her life. Yet Gia couldn’t seem to get her head in the game, no matter how hard she tried.
“What was going on out there?” Elle asked, once Gia made her way back to the beach. She offered a reassuring smile, but Gia could see the concern all over her face. She’d sucked, and not just by her own standards.
“I don’t know. I just wasn’t…me. I wasn’t taking risks and then when I forced myself to be more aggressive, I bombed epically. Wiped out, lost all form.”
“Okay, look at me.” Elle took Gia by the shoulders in a manner that said she meant business. “It was a weird heat, okay? You’re gonna go back out there in the next round, clear your head, breathe, and take it one wave at a time.”
Gia nodded. “I can do that.” In her peripheral vision, she saw a number of cameras pointed their way and heard the telling click, click, click of a dozen shutters. Apparently, they’d just served up another good photo op. She shrugged it off in annoyance. “You’re up in twenty. You ready?”
“More than ready.”
That’s when Gia caught sight of Elle’s parents in the surfers’ reserved section, which meant they’d just seen her tank out there. Another chance to make a decent impression gone. Her muscles tensed and frustration flared. She shook it off and made a point to focus on Elle. It helped. Her encouraging face alone, her kind smile, made everything extraneous calm down. “All right, go get ’em. I’ll be watching.”
Elle took the heat and easily advanced to round two, but not by the impressive margin she usually did. They were off, both of them, and it transferred to their lives outside of competition.
“So today sucked,” Gia said, over what had been a quiet dinner so far.
Elle nodded. “Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow we kick ass.” She rested her foot on top of Gia’s underneath the table and they shared a smile.
“Damn right we will.”
But Gia was out by round three, barely even making it there. Her surfing had come apart. She returned to the hotel room in tatters, not understanding any of it.
She tossed her water bottle onto the bed with force. She was angry with herself, disappointed in the final results, and helpless to find a way to turn it all around. It would be near impossible to hold on to her number two ranking at this point, simply from a mathematics perspective. She’d fall to three or four, depending on the outcome of the tournament she was now out of. “Fuck!” she yelled to the empty room.
* * *
Elle went down in round four. Not even a shot at the quarterfinals. She was dazed, in shock, and furious with herself by the time she met her parents at the hotel café late that afternoon. Their faces held the disappointment she would have expected, and that sliced at her. She’d give anything for a do-over, a chance to surf the way she wanted to. The way she knew she could. She’d invested a lot in this tournament, imagined a triumphant outcome a thousand different times, planned on that finals heat, on earning those much-needed points, and still, she’d let the whole thing slip through her fingers in the most embarrassing manner.
“It just wasn’t like you,” her father said. “I’ll take a Pellegrino, with three limes on the side,” he told the waiter, with a smile that he promptly dropped when they were once again alone.
She nodded. “Can’t agree more. I had a bad day.” Lindy Ives, who she gone head-to-head with, had surfed a clean set in the fourth, but on any other day, she’d have been no match for Elle. And that didn’t even take into consideration her less-than-stellar performances in the heats prior. Something was definitely wrong.
“Have you kept up with your training?” he asked, skepticism creasing his brow.
She resisted the urge to snap at him, instead maintaining control of her voice. A deep breath. Slow and steady. “I most definitely have.”
“I don’t know if you want our opinion, but I’m just going to say it.” Her mother set her tea cup on the table with the most delicate of clinks. She met Elle’s gaze. “I think you let yourself get caught up with whatever you have going with Gia Malone.”
Elle took a breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t think that’s the issue.”
“Hear me out, because I happen to know you very well,” her mother said. “When something has your attention, you fixate like nothing else matters. Just think back to when you wanted that puppy we saw for sale in the supermarket parking lot.” Sh
e turned to her husband. “When was that? Was she nine?”
“Ten,” he corrected, with a nostalgic smile. “You couldn’t eat. You couldn’t sleep. All you thought about was how much you wanted that puppy. Brought it up every day. Your grades fell.”
“Please tell me you’re not comparing Gia to a childhood whim, to a puppy I never got and haven’t thought about in years.”
“The behavior’s the same. And maybe this is another whim,” her father said with annoying confidence. “She’s not who I imagined for you, Elle. Not even close, and that has nothing to do with sexuality. Are you willing to throw away your career for an exciting few months?”
“We’re just worried about you,” her mother said. “We love you so much, Elle, and want to make sure that your eyes are open.”
“They are, and this isn’t some tryst.”
“All right, then. Let’s say it is more. What then?” her father asked. “Are you going to be able to handle the hit your surfing is going to take? Because I can all but guarantee there’ll be more days like today if you’re splitting your focus between yourself and your top competitor. That’s a lose-lose every which way you look at it.”
Elle felt like the world was shifting, because not only did his words anger Elle, they forced a trickle of terror down her spine. What if, by some slim chance, he was right? What if the connection she and Gia had forged was the very thing that was taking her down, and Gia right along with her? While their relationship was one of the most remarkable things that had ever happened to her, she’d spent her whole life working toward one goal, and she couldn’t give up on it now. She wouldn’t. Elle gripped the table, rejecting the unsettling idea and the implications that came with it.
“Just wait for the Rip Curl Pro,” she said, with a serenity she did not feel. “You’ll see. This tournament was nothing but a fluke.”
Her parents exchanged a defeated look. Her mother sighed. Her father shook his head. “It’s your life, sweetheart. You get to make all the decisions.”
* * *
Sparks Like Ours Page 20
