After a few hours, I headed back to shore for breakfast and to open up the surf shop I owned. It was prime time tourist season and the shop needed all hands on deck, but I had hired a couple extra people this summer. The shop could afford it, and it meant I could spend extra time out here.
I arrived at the surf shop half an hour later with a coffee in one hand and a breakfast bagel in the other. I unlocked the door, flipped the lights on, and woke the computer up to check for any important emails.
揌ey, bud,?Carter, one of the summer workers called from the door. Carter was in his early twenties, had shoulder length shaggy hair, and moved to Queen抯 Cove for the summer to surf and party. He was a pretty good surfer, actually, and taught the beginner lessons.
揌ey,?I called back, clicking through emails, deleting junk mail, flagging a few to deal with later. My gaze snagged on one, though, and my gut twisted hard.
Pacific Rim Worlds caught my eye.
The Pacific Rim World Competition was a surf competition held yearly in Queen抯 Cove. It was a qualifier level, which meant if surfers placed high, they could move on to pro-level competitions and considered professionals. They would get attention of the big surf brands, and many signed sponsorship deals at that level.
Not just anyone could compete at Pacific Rim. You had to apply. Year after year, they rejected me. Finally, last year, I got in.
And then I fucking bombed.
Last year was my shot, and I choked. I still remember the way the water ripped the board out from beneath me. The bruising crash of water on my face and chest. My stomach burned with the memory.
I hadn抰 told a soul the truth of what had happened.
All year, in the back of my mind, I had been sure they抎 reject me again. Maybe they figured one shot was enough.
Pack your bags, because you抳e been accepted to the Queen抯 Cove Pacific Rim Worlds competition in September, the email read.
A grin spread across my face and I exhaled. Going pro was still possible. Surfing was as much mental as physical, and there was no point to worrying over last year. I had two months to get my head on straight.
揃ro,?Carter drawled over my shoulder, peering at the screen. 揧ou got in? Congrats.?He held his fist out and I snorted but knocked my knuckles against his.
揟hanks, man.?
揧ou need a guy to take over your shop when you go pro??
I laughed and closed the email. 揕et抯 not get ahead of ourselves.?Between running the shop and the mortgage payments on the little house I had bought from my aunt, I was doing fine for money, but I wasn抰 flush with cash. Going pro meant flying all over the world for competitions and festivals, and that was going to add up fast.
Pacific Rim wasn抰 just my chance to go pro, it was an opportunity to get a sponsorship deal. That was how all the pros did it. Competitions paid a bit of money, but the sponsorships were where it was at. All I had to do was wear their gear, surf on their boards, and pose for a couple photos once in a while.
If I didn抰 get a sponsorship, I抎 have to do more music videos like the one I did last winter for that popstar. I laughed to myself and rubbed my face, remembering how the body paint clung to my skin. The video had paid well, but I didn抰 want to do more of them. I hadn抰 told anyone in town because I抎 never hear the end of it, especially from my brothers.
The door opened and a family with three teenagers entered the surf shop.
揥e抮e here for our surf lesson,?the mom told me, beaming with excitement, and I grinned back at her.
揅ool. Welcome.?I gestured at Carter beside me. 揅arter抯 going to help you out. Have fun, it抯 a great day out there.?
Carter strolled out and clapped his hands. 揂lright, Hathaway family! Are you ready to hang loose??
I snorted and headed to the back to change out of my swim shorts. I had already hung my wetsuit out to dry on the railing behind the shop. The family would be struggling into their wetsuits in the change rooms for at least twenty minutes so I opened the back door and changed out of my suit there. No one ever came back behind the shop except employees and this morning, it was just Carter and I.
I pulled my shorts off and tossed them over the railing beside my wetsuit. I was buck naked as I reached for my bag.
I heard a soft gasp behind me.
Hannah Nielsen stood with wide eyes and an open mouth, staring at my bare ass. She blinked three times before her face turned bright pink and she whirled around.
I bit back a laugh. Poor Hannah looked like she had seen a ghost. A naked ghost. Amusement pulled at my mouth.
Hannah was my sister-in-law Avery抯 best friend. Emmett抯 wedding last year was a fun party, and the guy seemed happy. The whole marriage and long-term commitment thing wasn抰 for me. Everything in the universe was temporary, including relationships and love, but if Emmett wanted to dive in head first, it was his life.