Tessa nodded as understanding filled in the gaps of the conversation. “You have some bad habits,” she agreed.
Lo’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. “Am I my father?” she whispered.
Tessa shook her head adamantly. “No. Not at all.”
“How do I keep this good?” Lo asked, her fear leaking out of her eyes with her tears. “What if I wreck it?”
Ah, the age-old question.
Time for some Tessa Truths.
“LoLo, you already know that’s an impossible wish. We’re human beings. We’re gonna break things. The key is finding someone who is just as passionate as you are about putting it back together.”
Lo sighed. “Hopeless romantic.”
“Hopeful. I’m a hopeful romantic.” Tessa corrected. “You’re the hopeless one. You and your hot boyfriend and all of your kissing. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been kissed?”
Which sucked for Tessa because kissing was her favorite.
The wait, the anticipation, the slight tremble in her lower lip right before everything in the world disappeared and it was just mouths and hands and sighs and hearts—
“I thought the toupee guy kissed you…” Lo asked, her eyebrows quirked.
Tessa narrowed her eyes. “I said kissed, not lapped at like a baby giraffe after a leaf just out of reach.”
Lo doubled over in hilarity, her laughter shaking her shoulders. “But baby giraffes are adorable!” she argued.
“Not when they’re trying to tongue you!” Tessa protested. She wasn’t there, she didn’t know. But Tessa knew. In a way that was probably going to scar her for life.
Lo’s laughter stopped suddenly and she turned her ear towards something.
“Tess,” Lo whispered, leaning close to the screen. “I think I have to go.”
Tessa could hear manly shouts in the distance and then the door behind Lo visibly shook.
“No!” Tessa pleaded. “Leave me on! I need this! You owe me! Besides I can be a witness in case it goes to trial.”
Lo was clearly torn between arguing with Tessa and checking the commotion in the hall. She stood up and made her way to the door. Right before she got there, it swung open with a crash and Miller and Brady tumbled into the apartment.
Oh, this was better than Pay Per View. Tessa clicked on the box, making it full screen on the large monitor.
Two shirtless, super-hot athletes pounding the crap out of each other.
Her heartrate increased and a flush spread throughout her body. At least someone was getting to express themselves with their fists today.
Brady carried an extra five inches in height and about fifty pounds in muscle on Miller. It wasn’t much of a contest as they grappled on the floor. Brady straddled Miller and braced one hand on his chest as he struck him in the face with his fist. Miller tried to reciprocate, but he just sucked in general.
“Hit him again, Samson! Break his face!”
While she had been harboring secret thoughts of revenge against Miller for a while now, she really didn’t mind how justice was currently being served.
“Tessa Lanore!”
Tessa glanced up to see Lo scowling at her. But she didn’t even feel bad. She’d been wanting to throat punch Miller for far too long. She was so happy someone finally did it and she was able to see it happen.
Brady connected another solid hit and Tessa jumped up. “Yes!”
At that point, Lo decided to stop wringing her hands and waded in.
When the punching stopped, Tessa lost interest.
She slumped back in her chair and watched them argue until Miller left.
Brady mentioned he’d be able to fix the door they busted when they’d come tumbling in.
“How?” Lo asked.
“Wood glue,” Tessa answered. They both turned to face her and she nodded. “That shit fixes everything.”
True story. Most of her furniture was predominantly wood glue at this point. Hey, a girl had to do what she had to do. Especially when that girl fell over as often as Tessa did.
Lo stepped closer to the screen. “I think it’s time to say goodnight, Tess.”
“No!” Tessa argued sadly. “If you hang up on me I’ll be forced to Skype random strangers until I pass out!”
Lo shook her head like she thought she was being cute. She wasn’t though.
“Go to bed, sweetie.”
“Fine,” Tessa grumbled and then looked past Lo to Brady. “Team Brady! WOO HOO!”
The screen went dark when Lo closed the lid, leaving Tessa alone with her thoughts.
And a little bit drunk.
She leaned forward and began navigating to her social media accounts.
“I’m just gonna check a few things,” she murmured.
No harm in checking out cute boys on Facebook.
No harm at all.
***
KIP
Kip stared at his phone as the video call started to ring.
Tessa Layne is calling you.
For a moment, Kip thought he was imagining it.
As if he’d been thinking about her so hard he’d begun to hallucinate her into his life.
Wouldn’t have been the first time.
He shook off those dark memories and focused on the screen again. Her profile picture was small, but he could see enough of it to recognize her face. Even with her hair blowing in the wind and her tongue sticking out.
He bit his bottom lip briefly as his eyes scanned the empty shop.
After closing and a phone call from a pretty girl?
Of course he was going to answer.
The pixilation took a second to clear, but when it did, her face filled his screen. Her full lips rounded into an O and her eyebrows lifted.
“Oh shit,” she said.
“Did you mean to call me?” he asked with a chuckle.
She tapped her bottom lip with two fingers. “Did you mean to answer?”
His eyes narrowed on the empty pitcher beside her. “How was the margarita?”
“Perfect,” she replied as she used her elbow to push the empty pitcher out of frame. Kip chuckled.
This girl.
“Where are you?” she asked, leaning forward as if that would give her a better view of his surroundings. All it did was give him a close up of her strawberry stained lips.
“At work.” He glanced around the dark shop. “You just caught me. I was locking up.” He came around the counter as he said it and made sure the front door was secure.
“At the surf shop?” she guessed slowly.
“Yep.”
“Do you work a lot?”
He smiled and hopped onto the counter. “I work enough. What about you? What pays your bills?”
She blew a strand of dark hair out of her eyes. It landed in a loop on top of her head, but he didn’t point it out.
“I work for Narrs and Beltzer selling pharmaceuticals.”
He tilted his head to the side, something about that ringing familiar. “Is that where Lo worked?”
“Yeah,” she replied and hurried on to, “did you know Brady and Miller Boden got into a fist fight?” As soon as the words left her mouth she sat back and covered her lips with one hand, eyes round. “I probably wasn’t supposed to tell.”
Kip laughed out loud, rocking back on the counter. “Are you serious?”
“I am serious,” she replied, leaning forward and using one finger to point to her serious face. “Can’t you tell?”
“How did you find out?” Kip asked through his laugh.
“I saw it.” She nodded and took a deep breath. “It was hot.”
He arched his eyebrows in question, but she waved her comment away. “I was Skyping with Lo and they came crashing through the door.”
Kip nodded in understanding. “Brady and Bo have always been brawlers.”
“Don’t you live with them?” she asked.
“I do.” He looked past his phone into the dark of the store. “We’ve all been
friends since we were kids.”
She tilted her head and frowned, her dark eyebrows drawing together thoughtfully. “Why don’t I remember you? Spencer and I go waaaay back.”
Kip licked his bottom lip as he considered how best to answer that. She probably would remember if he gave her the details she would need in order to jog that particular memory. But he didn’t really want her to remember the guy he was in high school.
Except… that wasn’t entirely true.
So instead of answering her question, he shrugged.
His guilt was immediate.
Her delicate features shifted to an expression of apology and frustration.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’ve always been…” Fingers of one hand came up to tap on her bottom lip and she chewed on the pink fullness as her eyes drifted to the side. “More than a little self-absorbed.”
Wrong.
Nope.
Nuh-uh.
That’s not at all how he remembered her.
He shifted on the counter as a light sweat broke out on the back of his neck.
“That’s not—”
“I’m trying to be better,” she declared softly, blue eyes deep and absorbing.
He lost what he was going to say as he was drawn into their depths. Such an unusual shade of blue. Dark and reflective, the iris rimmed in a line of black and the entire package framed by thick, inky lashes.
“Can we be friends now?” she asked hopefully.
“Oh, Peaches,” he replied with a sideways grin. “I’d really like to see you prevent it.”
“Peaches?” she asked with a laugh.
“Yeah,” he said rubbing his chin with his fingertips. “From class today. When I asked if you were okay and you said, ‘Peachy.’ I’ll never forget. I won’t let you forget it either.”
An embarrassed giggle bubbled out of her and she rolled her eyes. “Oh geez.”
He grinned. “What are friends for, am I right?”
She sobered but her eyes continued to sparkle with her good humor. “I’ll allow it.”
Kip rubbed his cheek and felt the smile on his face.
“I’m glad you called,” he said honestly. “Even if it was an accident.” He lifted one eyebrow letting her know he was well aware what she’d been up to.
“I am too,” she answered softly.
Kip pursed his lips and hopped off the counter before sliding his back down to sit on the floor. “So Tessa, what’s a girl like you doing home alone drinking margaritas by herself on a Friday night.”
“I’ll tell you, Kip,” she answered with a lip curl. “It’s not an exciting story.”
He grinned and rested his head against the counter wall behind him. “I’m all ears.”
CHAPTER 3
Sweet sixteen and never missed
Is it better to be poorly kissed?
Lips of love I’ve never known
Someday, babe, they’ll call you home.
-Tessa and Unknown
KIP
“And if you add one more pair of socks you can get another pair for free.” Kip scanned the barcode and glanced up at the blonde co-ed chewing on the corner of her credit card. She was probably debating whether or not she needed five pairs of winter knee socks in the height of summer in California.
They were having a sale.
They were always having a sale. Shane kept the prices and deals competitive, making it easy for Soaring Bird to stay busy, even in the off-season months. They were the only surf and snow shop that remained fully stocked in inventory throughout the year. Other places you’d have to wait for seasonal changes or pay elevated prices online to get what you needed.
But since Shane had come from the traveling, competitive athlete background, he understood the necessity of supply.
The blonde looked from the sock display across the floor and back to Kip.
“I’ll wait for you if you need to go take a look,” he offered.
She flashed him an embarrassed smile. “Thanks.”
Kip suspended the transaction for the moment and folded her purchases as he waited.
A fresh breeze blew through the door as the bell sounded. He glanced up to greet the incoming customer and warmth spread through his chest when he recognized Tessa.
She spotted him immediately and grinned.
“Welcome to Soaring Bird,” he greeted. “Anything I can help you find today?”
Tessa approached the counter with Spencer right behind her.
Kip hadn’t seen Spencer in a few years, but she was hard to forget.
Wild, long blonde hair, tanned skin, periwinkle blue eyes, athletic build with long, lean muscles, and just a hint of badass.
“Hey, Kip,” Spencer greeted. She stood sideways to the counter and rested a hip against it while crossing her arms.
“Long time, no see, Clementine,” he returned, lifting his chin her direction before turning his attention back to Tessa.
“Hey,” she said with a small wave.
After her accidental video call last night, they’d spent hours talking until she’d nodded off to sleep at her desk.
As such, it didn’t feel like they were strangers anymore.
It felt easier.
“So, this is where all the cool kids hang out,” Tessa said, taking in the shop by turning in a slow circle. “I have to be honest,” she continued when she’d made one full rotation. “I’ve never been in here. I’ve never had a reason.”
“You don’t surf?” Kip asked. “That seems almost sacrilegious seeing as you live in the Surf Capital of the country.”
Tessa rolled her lips inward and shrugged. “Guess I haven’t gotten around to it. Is that all you have? Surfing…apparatus?” she finished slowly as if she were guessing at the best words to use.
“Oh, we have so much more.” Kip came around the counter. “Hey, Steve,” he called to his housemate-slash-coworker-slash-friend who’d been working on a water bottle display. “Can you finish this order for me?”
Steve lifted his head, craning his neck to spot the blonde headed back to the counter with two more pairs of their warmest socks.
Kip had gotten a glimpse of Tessa’s attire when she’d entered, but he took an extra moment to examine her once he reached her. The breath he inhaled weighed more than the one that had come before.
Her rich, dark hair hung free and straight down her back, ending at her waist. Her long legs were semi-hidden by a sheer cream-colored skirt with a lacy golden overlay that reached the floor, topped with a plain white t-shirt that hugged her lean torso. His eyes lingered on the area around her thighs and he spotted a pair of pale blue shorts, keeping the skirt from becoming scandalous.
It was how he always imagined she’d look if he ever saw her again. Same ethereal beauty of a fairy come to life, but now in a woman’s body.
The octopus tattoo on Kip’s arm burned slightly like it did the day he’d gotten it. He brushed a hand over it, trying to dismiss the feeling. It was only in his head and he knew that.
“Let me show you all we offer here at Soaring Bird.” He flashed her a smile and offered his arm as if they were now in a Jane Austen novel.
Tessa took it, her fingers wrapping gently around his inner elbow. Spencer fell in behind them, chuckling under her breath.
Kip used his free hand to point out the different sections of the store. “Over to the east you’ll see our state of the art snow display. It is by far our largest section of the store.” Two mannequins were poised in mid-air and suspended by thin wire from the ceiling to replicate some of Shane and Lenny’s (the owners/founders) most famous moves on the course.
The “mountain” they were racing down had been built by professionals to look like the real thing somehow tucked into a warehouse in Huntington Beach. It reached 25 feet, nearly touching the ceiling. The open design of the warehouse allowed for the second-floor metal walkway to wrap around it partially so patrons could get a close-up look at the design.
Surroundin
g the display on the floor were racks of differing clothes and outdoor gear. They only kept sample sizes on the floor to leave as much room as possible. Shane was a fan of open space and he didn’t like the cluttered look of many other shops. But they had nearly everything on hand in the back. All a customer had to do was ask and someone would gladly get it for them.
“Everything you could ever need from socks, to hats, to a good wax, we can take care of all your snow sports needs.”
Kip glanced to his right to catch Tessa’s eye. “Do you snowboard?”
“Uh,” she stammered and cleared her throat. “No. Not currently.”
“It’s on the list,” Spencer supplied from just behind his left shoulder. Kip turned an ear that way and waited for more information.
None came so he asked.
“What list?”
He glanced back and forth between the two women and realized they were having a conversation with their eyes behind his back. He dropped his arm so Tessa had to let go and turned to face them both, looping one arm around the neck of a male mannequin in a beanie, snow goggles, and complete snowsuit.
“What list?” he asked again.
Tessa pressed her lips together before running her tongue over her top teeth.
“Oh, just tell the man,” Spencer said with an amused chuckle in her voice. “It’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”
Kip tilted his head to the side as he watched Tessa’s reaction. She averted her gaze and a blush crept along the sides of her neck.
Interesting.
Maybe she hadn’t stopped in to see him like he’d originally thought.
Maybe she was just there for product.
Which… okay. That was cool too. He’d appreciate the sale (they all would), but a pebble of disappointment dropped in his stomach and echoed when it hit bottom.
Tessa crossed her arms over her middle and rolled her eyes at herself. “It’s stupid, but I have this list of things.” Her arresting blue eyes connected with his and suddenly he didn’t care why she’d come into the shop.
“What kind of list?” he prompted when she didn’t continue right away.
Sushi and Sun Salutations Page 3
