“Because… you write travelogues and are gone most of the year.”
He shrugged. “I always have to come crash somewhere and do the actual writing,” he said. “I’ve done some of my best writing, and living, right here.”
“But your parents,” she argued. “Don’t you normally stay with them between books? Won’t they miss you?”
“No,” he said, definitively. “No, they most definitely will not. They’ve been talking about turning my old room into a media room for years and every time I come home, they kind of look… disappointed. Besides, Sage, I’m ready. Ready to settle down.”
“Bullshit!” she scoffed, splashing him forcefully. “You’re talking like some old man.”
“Okay, okay, maybe not ready to settle down, but at least put down roots. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather do it.”
“Think about this,” she said. “Think about what happens if you buy a place here, sink a few grand into a down payment, buy some furniture, get all cozy and, two years from now… two months from now… we break up. You get tired of me, you get bored here in Seaside, and… then what?”
“Then I rent my place out to a couple of surf dudes and still keep my investment and besides we’re not breaking up in two months, or two years, or two anything’s!”
She laughed at his enthusiasm. “How can you be so sure?”
“Oh no,” he said. “Not this shit again. We’ve been through all this, remember?”
“Yeah, and I was right, Derek. The first surf bunny to wag her finger and you run off like a scared rabbit.”
“Not the first, Sage. Just the most persistent.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”
He shrugged. “I can’t make you feel better, Sage. I really can’t. Only you can do that.”
He pushed away from her, then. Pushed away and gripped his board tight and grabbed the first wave he could. It was a smooth and effortless motion, one he’d done a thousand – done ten thousand – times before. She followed him in on the next wave, just as effortlessly.
He planted his board next to his towel and sat, grabbing a neon blue sports drink from his cooler and, after opening it, handing it to her. She took it and said, “Thanks,” so softly he looked over before grabbing his own.
But she was already drinking hers, and by then he had his own: Neon green this time. It was melon flavored, and sweet, the perfect refresher after a long morning in the froth. He sipped it, slowly, to avoid a headache and snapped his head around when she said, “What?”
“What?” he asked back.
“You’re over there sighing,” she said, smiling crookedly. “What about?”
“What do you think, Sage, gheez? It’s not every day I ask a girl to move in with me.”
“I know,” she said, covering his hand with hers. It was sandy, warm and wet. “I’m… I’m sorry I’m making this all so hard.”
“Well, I’m not making it any easier, but… I’m trying.”
“I know you are, Derek,” she said, tugging his hand gently so he’d look at her. She kissed him then, soft lips, wet and salty and warm. “And I’m grateful. I want… I want to start over. I want to start fresh. And… and if that means moving in together, then… then… let’s do it!”
“No shit?” he asked.
“No shit,” she said.
“That… that is awesome,” he said, his whole day changing. Hell, his whole life changing on the spot. “I… what made you change your mind?”
She winked in the mid-morning sun. “You may have noticed, Derek, it takes me a little while to get used to things.”
“You don’t say?”
“I’m serious, Derek. This… this is a big step for me, and after what we’ve just gone through, I want to be sure, you know?”
“Sage, honestly, I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life!”
“Really?”
He stood, and offered his hand. She took it, and dragged him back down onto her towel. It was big enough for both of them, and the uncharacteristic maneuver made him laugh. “What’s all this?” he asked as they cozied up to each other.
“It’s so nice here,” she said, nodding as their hips touched, side by side, chin on their knees facing the gently rolling waves. “And we’ve got all day. Let’s just… take our time.”
“You don’t have to work?” he asked.
She wore a curious smile as he peaked at her. “I just hired this new assistant manager and, well… I’m thinking of fast tracking her to manager soon.”
“Yeah?” he asked, nudging her shoulder. “That’s a first.”
“I’m thinking… I’m thinking of taking more time to myself, you know? The store’s doing well, it’s not exactly brain surgery and I can afford to hire a little more help to make sure I’ve got more time to spend with a certain… someone.”
“Wow,” he said, impressed. “Sage that is… awesome. And you’re going to need it, when we move in together.”
She laughed and they paused, both admiring the ocean waves, the sand on their skin, their skin on their skin. “You might know her, my new employee,” Sage teased. “I think her name is Cole? Or Colee? Or… no, it’s Colby, that’s it!”
“Very funny,” he said, nudging her shoulder again.
“I’m serious,” Sage said. “I… I hired her back.”
“What? Why? Why would you do that, after all that drama we just went through.”
“Because we all make mistakes, Derek. And… I believe in forgiveness. Don’t you?”
He considered it thoughtfully, finally nodding. “Yeah, I sure do, it’s just… that’s gonna make it a little awkward when we’re all in the store together.”
Sage nodded, looking at him curiously. “The only way to forgive, Derek, is to live with your mistakes and move on. We’ll all just have to be adults from now on, you know? It’s a good thing. I think… I think she was happy. And I think… I think she learned that other people are real, you know? Not just playthings for her enjoyment.”
“Or maybe that’s just what she’s making you think,” Derek huffed. “I just… I just don’t want you to get played anymore, Sage.”
She sighed, standing at last. “There are worse things than getting played, Derek.”
“Oh yeah?” he challenged, standing up and sorting out his towel and board as he waited for her. “Like what?”
“Like telling your boyfriend the real reason you hesitated moving in with him is because… is because…”
“Is because what?” he asked, racing her to the showers.
“Is because he… he… snores!” she confessed, turning on the spray as they both cavorted under the lukewarm water.
“Bullshit I do!” he said, rubbing sand off her shoulders as they stood, facing each other under the spray. “In fact, the only reason I didn’t ask you to move in earlier was because you snore!”
“Now that’s bullshit!” Sage said, but he couldn’t hear her over the sound of joy, beating long and loud in his heart.
Waves of Romance: Contemporary Romance (Holidays Beach Read Book 2) Page 8
