‘That’s—’
‘And seriously, have you seen Malie, like, proper seen her?’ Jonny looked at him now, an all-knowing look in his eye that Todd really didn’t want to recognize and find resonant. ‘Like not just on the waves, but in the flesh.’
‘Hey, that’s not cool, she’s here to teach you, not be ogled.’
‘I’m only human, Boss, and there ain’t a red-blooded male out there that wouldn’t be ogling… ’S’OK though, I think you’re more her type.’
‘What makes you—’ He killed the question. He shouldn’t be engaging in such talk let alone encouraging it. Not only was it inappropriate, it didn’t fit with his desire to keep his distance and avoid anything close to what had happened the previous night. ‘So, you think the kids are enjoying themselves too?’
Jonny clearly caught his change in topic but thankfully knew well enough not to press, he just grinned instead and nodded. ‘Totally, check it out…’
He pointed out to the water where Malie and Tara were in the surf. Tara was lying on the board while Malie held it steady. Nalu stood at the nose end making the younger girl laugh as he nuzzled her cheek, his tail wagging happily.
Sky was also in the water, testing out her freshly learned skills, while Louis was happy on land making what looked to be a moat around his surfboard.
‘Mr Masters, Mr Masters!’
It was Tara, her hand waving at him excitedly and he felt himself grin. It had taken him a long time to earn the girl’s trust, but it seemed Malie had done it in one lesson. Watching it play out as he had, to see Malie coaxing her into getting involved, using Nalu as a loving accomplice, it had been brilliant, and he’d meant it when he’d said as much to her.
The warmth flooding his chest, just as it had when he’d observed it all play out, returned and he was powerless to stop it. Try as he might, he couldn’t dampen his instinctive response to her and the effect she had on those around her – another reason to keep these interactions brief, even as the appeal of working from the beach and hanging around more persisted.
‘Come and see what I can do!’ Tara beckoned and he realized he’d slowed to a halt, Jonny now several strides ahead.
‘I’m coming.’ He picked up his pace, the reminder to play it cool on repeat in his head. He lay his surfboard down next to Louis and ruffled the boy’s hair as he examined his moat. ‘Looking good, mate.’
Louis grinned up at him. ‘You going in?’
‘Yup, you coming?’ The more kids around him and Malie the better!
‘In a bit.’ He went back to his task, scooping up sand with his hands and piling it to the side. ‘I told Tara I could get down as far as my armpit.’
Todd laughed. ‘Good luck with that.’
And then he carried on into the surf, every step closer to them, to Malie, teasing his quickening pulse. That sensation would surely ease at some point, she couldn’t hold this power over him for the entire duration of his stay. He would become accustomed to her beauty, her smile, her fun-loving and caring persona, wouldn’t he?
He reached the board. Malie looked at him from the other side, her face so vibrant, and he knew she’d been as caught up in Tara’s joy as he had been. Her eyes sparkled off the water, her brown honey-streaked hair a mixture of windswept and sea-crisped curls that blew around her flawless bronze skin. He wanted to reach out, take hold of one corkscrew curl and wrap it around his finger, lean in to kiss those lips that he knew would taste of the sea now and be just as sweet as they had been last night… distance, keep your distance.
‘She’s learning to pop like a pro,’ Malie said, her eyes dropping to Tara, but not so quick that he missed the way her lashes flickered, a hint of colour streaking across her cheeks. Had her thoughts gone down a similar route or had she simply read it all in his face?
Way to go at playing it cool…
He snapped his attention to Tara.
‘Pop like a pro, you say?’ He gave a wide-eyed nod, grateful his voice sounded suitably impressed, rather than strained. ‘How cool.’
‘It’s totally rad, Mr Masters.’
‘Learning the language too, even better, I’m sure your parents will approve.’ He gave her a wink and she giggled.
‘They’ll be happy when they see what I’ve learned.’
‘I’m sure they will, they’ll be along shortly to pick you up.’
She gave him a pout. ‘Can’t I just go back with the rest of the gang?’
‘Not today, kiddo.’
She huffed. ‘Fine.’
‘Hey, don’t be like that, I want to see the fun from seconds ago – don’t forget I’m here to see you surf.’
Now she grinned. ‘Too right, you are.’
But the girl had a point, the fact her parents insisted on being her transport to and from the hotel was madness. And he knew it stemmed from their over-protectiveness. It was something he would have to work on if he was to help Tara feel normal, just a part of the group this holiday, and have her parents relax, take some decent time out together.
‘You OK, Todd?’ Malie’s voice was soft and he realized she was frowning up at him.
‘Yeah, of course.’
She nodded and studied him a second longer before breaking off to scan the sea and bend down to Tara. ‘You ready?’
‘Yup… ready, Nalu?’ Tara nodded to the dog who gave a quick woof and wriggled back into position.
Malie moved to the rear of the board. ‘You best stand back a little, Todd.’
He did as she asked and braced himself for the wave that was approaching.
‘1… 2… 3!’ She shoved the board forward with the surge of water and it caught the wave. In the blink of an eye Tara was up on her feet, crouched low and not a wobble in sight.
‘That’s awesome, Tara!’ he called out.
The other kids were all watching her now and yelled out their own much cooler accolades and his entire body lifted with happiness for her, their group and… he turned to look at Malie as she gave an excited whoop and his breath hitched. She was captivating. Her grin electric, her eyes alive and sparkling with… tears… tears of joy?
She must have sensed his eyes on her as she flicked him a quick look. ‘Sorry… it’s just such a rush when your kids catch a wave.’
‘No apology necessary.’
It was such a rush and he could witness it all in Malie: the colour in her cheeks, the brightness of her eyes, the elation in her voice. He could feel it in himself, too. And the connection that had been building from the moment they’d met tugged at him now. He’d never needed to share his passion with another, never craved the companionship of a friend or anything more, but he couldn’t ignore the glimpse of what that connection might be like, if he stopped fighting it and let her in.
And then what?
It ends in whatever way life dictates and you go the way of your father.
No. Just no.
She turned to look at him properly now and he snapped himself out of it. He was being ridiculous and fanciful, and he blamed it entirely on the euphoria of seeing the kids excel. Nothing else.
‘I love that you still get a kick out of it, regardless of how long you’ve been doing it.’
She gave him a smile and started to walk towards the shore. ‘I can’t imagine ever not. I’m sure it’s the same for you, no matter how many children you help.’
He followed close behind her, ‘That’s true enough.’
‘Although I can’t understand how you have the time to do it all…’ She looked back at him briefly, her frown curious.
‘All?’
‘Yes, your work and your charity. I thought you were just the pretty face of it…’ She gave him a teasing wink that made his pulse trip over itself… again, ridiculous. ‘But you clearly spend enough time with these kids for them to feel as comfortable around you as they do.’
‘I work at the centre when I’m in London, it’s how I fill my spare time.’
‘I’m surprised you have any.’
He shrugged. ‘I enjoy it, and it’s not like—’
He broke off, knowing what he was going to say and not feeling comfortable putting words to his feelings.
‘It’s not like—?’ she pressed.
He aimed for another nonchalant shrug, but it was stiff with guilt and something else he didn’t really want to examine too closely. ‘I don’t have family and friends to share my downtime with.’
‘No one? You have your father…’
He could hear the continued surprise in her voice.
‘I see him occasionally.’
‘And that’s all? Don’t you get… lonely?’ The last was said so softly but he could feel her sympathy, her worry in that one word. He could imagine it softening her green gaze even as she watched Nalu and Tara approach the shore.
‘Life’s just easier that way.’
She sent him a look and he could see so much, feel so much in that one glance that he tensed and pulled his eyes away, focusing on the surfing duo instead. It was easier, it was less… hang on… He squinted at them still standing on the board, saw Nalu flexing and shifting…
‘Don’t tell me Nalu is helping to balance the board?’
‘He is…’ she said vaguely, her mind presumably still on their conversation.
He kept his eyes locked on the duo, on the safe subject. ‘That’s amazing.’
‘Yes… he is.’ She looked from him to Nalu now and his shoulders eased. ‘He’s great for helping those that need the extra assistance. Although to be fair, I think Tara has got it.’
The board slid up the beach and both Tara and Nalu jumped off together. They could hear the girl’s excited chatter as she rubbed Nalu’s head, congratulating themselves on their ride.
‘That was sick, Tara,’ said Louis, offering his hand up in a high-five which she quickly swiped.
‘I’ll never understand how sick came to mean cool,’ Todd said to Malie.
She laughed, the easy sound working away the rest of his unease. ‘Now you’re just showing your age.’
‘Hey, I’m hardly ancient.’
She studied him for a second, a little crease forming on her forehead. ‘How old are you?’
‘I’m thirty-three. You?’
‘Twenty-eight.’
‘Oh.’
‘Oh?’ She sent him a look, ‘What’s oh supposed to mean?’
‘Nothing, I just assumed… you just look younger, I guess.’
‘You guess?’ She laughed and shook her head.
‘I’m sorry, that came out wrong, it’s more… you have an aura about you, a fun-loving edge, it made me assume you were younger.’
‘Well, you act older than your years.’ She turned to him then, her eyes glinting with mischief, her lips quirking up at the edges. ‘Are you ready to loosen up a little?’
‘Try me.’
‘Your turn now, Mr Masters!’ Tara called out as soon as they were on dry land. ‘It’s a real buzz, you’ll see.’
He did see. He didn’t need to experience it for himself, just viewing it through the eyes of the kids, through Malie’s, feeling their positive energy, their vibe, it was contagious.
‘She’s right, you know.’ It was Malie who spoke. ‘You ready to catch a wave?’
‘Absolutely.’ He strode over to his board and was about to pick it up.
‘Na-ah. Leave it there, make sure the fins are in the sand, we’ll do some land work first.’
He didn’t know why but the idea of being the only surfer in their group trying to conquer the board while they all watched on made him feel oddly foolish. But a group session… now that was different.
‘How about you kids do it with me? I could do with the moral support.’
The excited gabble around him told him it was a definite yes, only Jonny played it cool.
‘I’ll show you how it’s done, Boss.’
Malie laughed. ‘I thought you paid for private lessons, Todd?’
‘I’m hoping we can start those when the kids leave for the day.’
He’d meant nothing by it, no innuendo, yet the colour in her cheeks, the heat he could feel rising in his own, suggested that neither of them was thinking of surfing.
‘We’re ready!’ Tara shouted, slicing through the sudden atmosphere and they both turned to see all five boards lined up, Todd’s taking centre stage. Just how long had they stood staring at one another for?
He shook out his fingers as he made his way to the line-up and took a deep breath… This was going to be interesting…
‘And pop!’
Out came the instruction, complete with laughter. And Malie knew she shouldn’t laugh, she knew it, she kept telling herself, but it was impossible not to. And it was all his fault. Never had she seen someone pop and produce windmill arms as swiftly as she could say the word pop.
And the result… Todd face-planting each and every time.
Even better, the kids were absolutely loving it. Great big belly laughs filled the air as a sand-covered Todd brushed himself off and lay himself forward on the board once more.
Louis piped up, ‘Like this, Mr Masters.’ Both he and Tara had taken it upon themselves to manhandle Todd and demonstrate the entire movement again and again, their patience never-ending. Meanwhile, Sky and Jonny had given up after fifteen minutes to go and enjoy the last few waves before their minibus arrived to take them back to base.
The thing that got her the most was the change in Tara, from when she’d first arrived to now. She wasn’t self-conscious, she wasn’t anxious, she was wholly wrapped up in teaching Todd to surf.
‘I think I may have been wrong about you,’ she spoke up as Todd popped to Louis’ instruction and Tara stood beside him braced for his failure, her arms outstretched to offer a counter-force should he fall her way.
‘You don’t say,’ he said, wobbling this way and that but managing to stay on his feet this time.
‘Yup…’ she folded her arms as she eyed him, ‘you’re far too loose.’
‘Yeah, you’re like a jelly,’ blurted Tara, shaking her head, her eyes tearing up with her laughter.
‘And I can’t believe you’re all laughing at me.’
‘Hey, it’s not just us!’ piped up Louis as he acted out a perfect pop on his board. ‘Sky and Jonny were laughing when they ran off.’
‘They were?’ He dropped onto his board and gave Louis a deep-seated scowl. ‘Just wait until I speak to chef about the dinner menu tonight, none of you will be laughing then. Can you get sprouts in Hawaii, Malie?’
‘Eugh.’ Both Tara and Louis grimaced.
She played along, loving the interplay between the three of them. ‘I’m sure something suitable can be sourced.’
‘Hey, did someone mention sprouts?’
It was Jonny coming back in from the sea, his board hooked under his arm and Sky not far behind, their faces flushed from exertion and the unmistakable joy of catching waves.
‘Mr Masters reckons he’s gonna poison us at dinner for laughing at his board skills.’
‘What skills?’ Jonny said it so seriously and everyone cracked up, even Todd who shot to his feet, notably solid, not a wobble in sight. How interesting…
‘Someone’s in need of a dunking,’ Todd lunged forward and Jonny dropped his board, legging it to the water, Todd hot on his tail, their laughter pealing after them. Water flew through the air as they each tried to outdo the other. Todd’s hair took a thrashing, its perfect, swept-back curve falling forward over his face, his grin wide and flashing dimples in his cheeks that Malie hadn’t noticed before.
‘I’m not sure who’s the biggest kid,’ Sky said, smiling at their antics.
Malie pulled her attention off them to look at the fourteen-year-old girl. She was mature for her age, quiet and sensible, a good companion to her single mother Malie was sure. She had no siblings. It was just the two of them, and it was obvious she was close to Jonny. Malie couldn’t help wondering whether there was something more developing between t
he pair. Sky was certainly pretty, in a porcelain doll kind of a way, in fact she reminded her a lot of Zoe. Especially with her pale blonde hair, long and fine, her pale skin, even paler with the sunblock Malie had insisted she layer up with.
‘It’s nice seeing Jonny like this.’
Malie wondered at the quiet sincerity in Sky’s remark. ‘Like what?’
‘Relaxed, happy, laughing even.’ Sky looked to her and gave a shrug. ‘You know he’s the eldest of four, right?’
Malie nodded, it had all been in his file.
‘What with his dad running out when he was a baby, and his mum having so many children, Jonny sees himself as the provider.’
‘It’s a big responsibility for someone so young.’
Sky gave a shrug. ‘It’s not that uncommon where we live. I think it’s why we get along so well, we get what it’s like growing up without a dad, but I don’t have all the pressures he does. It’s just Mum and me.’
‘And your mum is lucky to have a daughter like you.’
Her smile was small. ‘I’ve had my moments, getting into trouble, not coming home, bunking off school…’
Malie thought about her own antics, of lying to her parents and sneaking off to Zoe’s to grab her board and hit the waves, of staying out late because she couldn’t face the pain at home. ‘We all deal with the rough in different ways.’
‘I’m not so bad now, the counsellors at Fun For All really help… you know, just having someone to talk to, to help you realize you’re not alone, even when you think you are. I mean I had Mum, I’ve always had Mum, but sometimes it’s not enough, is it?’
It was a rhetorical question, Malie knew, but she found herself murmuring her agreement anyway. ‘My brother died when I was sixteen,’ Sky turned to look at her but Malie’s eyes were fixed unseeing on the ocean now, ‘I felt invisible to my parents – even though they were around and I knew in my heart they loved me, their presence wasn’t enough. If it hadn’t been for my friends, I don’t know how I would have got through it.’
‘I’m sorry about your brother but I’m glad you had friends around you. I met Jonny at Fun For All…’
The rest went unsaid. She didn’t need to say it. The affection she felt for Jonny, whether it was platonic or something more was written in her face.
Meet Me in Hawaii Page 8
