Always Summer Page 3

  He walks over to the ancient front counter. “We can revamp this and leave it here,” he says. “And this area to the right – we’ll use it for a smaller display, maybe surfboard accessories since the showroom is the main focus. Stick the wax, leashes, whatever over here. Sort of like a ‘last minute items’ to go with your board.”

  “And what about the entire back part of the building?” Colby asks, still not seemingly sold on anything that Jace is pitching us.

  Jace smiles this Vin Brooks kind of smirk that makes my heart twinge in a somewhat awkward yet nostalgic way.

  “That’s the best part,” he says, too slyly for even my comfort level. “What if we don’t turn this into a second store? What if we turn it into a custom board shop? Shark always wanted his own line of surfboards. We can do it here. We can use that entire shop for an actual board shaping shop.”

  Colby walks over to the counter and looks around, like he can’t quite wrap his brain around everything just yet. “Okay, so the idea is borderline genius, but you’re forgetting the most important part of that plan,” he says. “We don’t have a board shaper, and most shapers want their own business, not to work for another company. At least not long-term. They’ll use you as a stepping stone until they can branch out.”

  Jace shakes his head. “Not if we hire someone internally who wants to do it just for Drenaline Surf,” he says. “And I already know who’ll do it for us.”

  Chapter Four

  The atmosphere in Drenaline Surf is dismal the next morning, even though Jace’s plan was well received by Joe. No one is really talking about our deepest fears, though. We all know what Liquid Spirit and its wave pool and corporate status could do to us. Joe said it himself when Jace gave him the details of our trip up the coast. This could drive us out of business. It’s that simple.

  Jace scribbles on the notepad in front of him, trying to create a cheat-sheet for paying invoices. I may just be the girl who talks to the media so our surfers won’t slip up and say something stupid, but all that time I spent wasting away while Vin did payroll and paid bills is finally coming in handy.

  “Okay, I think I’ve got this one,” Jace says, clicking through the screen to pay the T-shirt vendor. “Invoices are easier than payroll. Hopefully I’ll have the hang of all this before we have to train Alston on how to do it for the other store.”

  I step aside and glance out at the front counter. A.J. is in the middle of the room, making the rounds and speaking to customers. He’s a natural at this management thing, even if he doesn’t believe me when I tell him. Emily speaks with her hands, pointing to things on the screen, and probably overwhelming Alston with an overload of information. I should’ve let A.J. train him, but I feel like they’d spend more time talking than working. Topher and Miles were out of the question – they don’t take the cash register nearly as seriously as Emily does.

  My eyes draw away from Alston’s training session when Colby walks through Drenaline Surf, speaks quickly to A.J., and then heads in my direction.

  “Everything okay?” I ask, as soon as he’s in earshot. “It’s not like you to show up here without a demand for your presence, and even then, there’s usually some sort of scene to go along with it.”

  Colby laughs. “Only when Vin was here,” he clarifies. “I was actually hoping I could steal you away for a bit. I need to talk to you about some things – fixing my image and stuff. You know, PR-to-surfer kind of stuff. Think you can break away for lunch?”

  I glance over my shoulder at Jace, but he waves me along and says he’s ‘got this.’ I grab my bag, let A.J. know that I’ll be back, and make my way out onto The Strip with Colby. He drops his shades back over his eyes and doesn’t say a word until we’re secured in his truck.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about you and Topher?” he asks immediately. He cranks the vehicle and adjusts the air conditioner. “Of all people, I thought you’d tell me.”

  I lean my head back against the seat. “I’m just not volunteering information,” I tell him. “I wasn’t sure how people would react. I dated his brother, and then we had a horrible, public breakup where I was fired from my job. And then Vin left and now everything’s a mess. So I really didn’t think I should announce it.”

  “You obviously didn’t think about how this would affect me,” Colby says. He looks away from me in the most dramatic fashion. “Do you have any idea how stupid I looked last night when Topher and Miles were acting like this was old news and I didn’t know? You have no idea how dumb I felt when Miles said, ‘Dude, you’re like her best friend and shit. I can’t believe she didn’t tell you.’”

  I crack up immediately, and I’m not sure which is funnier – Colby’s offended attitude or that spot-on impression of Miles. He turns onto the street and tells me that we’re headed to Shipwrecked because he’s craving fries after watching Miles eat half a bag of them last night.

  “I thought we were tight, though,” he says. “After all we’ve been through, the cover band and the Solomons and breaking my window…”

  “Don’t forget breaking that coffee table,” I chime in. “Or when your parents showed up and I had to track you down on the pier. Or when you were going to quit Drenaline Surf and I was creeping in your living room waiting to give you that speech I’d prepared.”

  “Exactly!” he shouts at his steering wheel. “There is no one in Crescent Cove who has been through this much shit with me. You’re like the one person who always has my back, even when I’m wrong. I expected better of you.”

  Luckily he lets me off the hook pretty easily. I guess that’s the perk to being Colby Taylor’s only real friend. He forgives quickly. He tells me how Topher finished moving the last of his things in last night, but he didn’t unpack anything. Miles doesn’t seem to be making himself at home, either.

  “He’s always leaving to go to Emily’s house, and I overheard him telling Topher that he’s trying to convince her to get an apartment with him,” Colby informs me as we pull into Shipwrecked’s parking lot. “He also told Topher that it’s hard to live with me because I buy all that ‘organic grass shit that humans aren’t supposed to eat.’”

  “You should’ve invited him today,” I say. “Prove to him that you do sneak carbs sometimes, usually with me, but still. It might would’ve made him happy to see that you are in fact human.”

  Colby scoffs and shakes his head. “And ruin my reputation? Are you crazy?”

  I slam the passenger side door and glance at him over the hood of his truck. “You think eating fries will ruin your reputation? Have you seen your reputation lately?” I ask.

  The question remains unanswered because he knows I’ve made a solid point. We slide into a back booth inside the diner, away from the lunch crowd which mainly consists of construction workers. I doubt they care about anything Colby has to say, but he’s surveying the room with careful eyes, just like the night we met.

  I lean forward on my elbows, trying to study his face. “What is it? Do you know someone in here?” I ask.

  The waitress interrupts before he can answer. We place our orders, which include extra spicy fries, and wait until she disappears to pick up where we left off.

  He shakes his head. “Just making sure it’s safe to talk,” he says before skimming the room once more. “I didn’t ask you to lunch to talk about my reputation or whatever you have with Topher,” he says. “I wanted to show you something.”

  He picks up his phone and opens the photo gallery of screenshots. “Here. Look at this,” he says, sliding his phone across the table.

  I zoom in and recognize a popular surf website that I personally hate because they tend to post garbage and make surfers look badly. They have all but outright celebrated Colby’s recent drama with his parents and the lawsuit. If there’s a way to bring a surfer out of the ocean and into trouble, they find it and capitalize on it.

  As usual, there is no one named as the author of the article, but I can see Colby’s concern by the headline alone.
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  Drenaline Surf Newcomer Logan Riley Gets The Sh*t Deal

  “They don’t believe in sugarcoating, do they?” I ask, hoping Colby picks up on the sarcasm in my voice. He has his serious face on, so I’m not sure how to read him right now.

  Drenaline Surf’s newest surfer, Florida native Logan Riley, may end up regretting inking his contract with the California-based surf company. Although Riley has made his way to the west coast and better waves, he has been left out of the limelight in favor of even newer recruit, Topher Brooks, and the surf world’s own tabloid star, Colby Taylor.

  Riley’s co-sponsorship with Ocean Blast Energy has done him zero favors. The high profile energy drink company has yet to release promo images with the newcomer. Colby Taylor remains at the head of their promotional material. Rumors state that Brooks and his childhood best friend, Miles Garrett (also sponsored by Drenaline Surf), have a photo shoot later this month, leaving Riley out of the loop once again.

  The Floridian did, however, compete in and go on to win the recent Sunrise Valley Tournament. The scandal? He wasn’t meant to surf in the event in the first place. Drenaline Surf’s Colby Taylor and Miles Garrett were slotted to compete, and Topher Brooks surfed on his own name prior to his sponsorship. Riley was a last-minute replacement as Garrett broke his leg in a free surf before the competition.

  “Send those shots to me,” I say, sliding the phone back to Colby. “I’ll let Jace know.”

  “You think it’s weird? Because I do,” he says. He scans the room again. “I feel like someone’s trying to bring us all down. I know, I know – I’m paranoid. I know I’ve been paranoid for years, and old habits die hard, but I just…I don’t know. I feel it. My parents show up. Vin leaves. Now this?”

  I take a deep breath and watch my phone light up as Colby’s texts roll in, sending the evidence to my phone. I want to believe this is all coincidence. When it rains, it pours – or something to that effect. The universe is testing us. We’re being pushed to make sure we can survive any storm. Drenaline Surf is strong, and we have to prove it. It’s not a conspiracy.

  “Haley, admit it,” Colby says. “You think I’m right.”

  I exhale. “I can’t,” I say. “If I admit it and put it in the universe, then it becomes real, and that’s when things get really scary.”

  We’re silent as the waitress brings our lunch to the table. Colby thanks her and fakes a smile. Then he looks at me. “I don’t know about you, but this already feels real, and I’m already scared.”

  When Colby drops me back off at Drenaline Surf an hour later, I stand outside on The Strip and try to steady my breathing. I don’t want anyone to pick up on my concern. I don’t want A.J. or Emily or Alston or anyone else to see the worry written on my face.

  I push through the door and manage to slip by with a half-wave before closing the office door behind me. Jace looks up from the computer screen.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks immediately.

  So much for a brave face.

  “You need to see this,” I say, completely defeated. I hand over my phone and watch the dread sink into Jace’s skin as his eyes trace the words.

  He looks tired when he turns toward me. “Can we just keep this between us for now?” he asks. “I’d rather not make a big deal out of it. Maybe it’ll blow over.”

  I nod and keep my mouth shut about Colby’s knowledge. I’m not really sure how Jace feels about my east coast friend. If he’s anything like Vin, Colby probably isn’t his favorite person, and it’s a fire I’d rather not play with.

  “Do me a favor, though,” Jace says. “Keep your eyes open for any local competitions, even if they’re small. When you find one that seems good, stick Logan in it. Just Logan. You know, to be on the safe side.”

  I continue to nod, unsure of what I should say. Is this how it’ll always be with us? Will I always feel like he’s an awkward stranger, even though I’ve been around him for a little while now? Will I always secretly wish it was Vin sitting in this office, even though fighting with him would’ve been inevitable?

  A knock on the office door jerks me back to the issue at hand. Joe steps inside, all smiles, but his happiness quickly fades upon seeing us.

  “Did something happen?” he asks, eyeing Jace more so than me.

  Jace quickly shakes his head and laughs it off. “Nah, just a long day with a lot of learning,” he says. “I’m just trying to take it all in. But we’re good.”

  Joe smiles. “You’ll catch on sooner than later, I promise. I know you,” he says. “I bring good news, so maybe that’ll help. I spoke with Rob, and he’s all in for this board shop. He’s looking to retire soon and get out of the business, and until now, he’s had no one to pass his knowledge down to.”

  The words float around me like the dust particles from the new shop – small and scattered but sparkling with hope and light, like tiny stars bouncing around in a dark galaxy, trying to find their ways to each other to form a supernova and light up the universe.

  Rob Hodges. He’s the guy whose board shaping convention we never made it to that day when Emily convinced Miles to paint a lizard on his face. I instantly smile when I remember her squealing about being their own little garden. I’m really glad we took the wrong exit. That day was worth the epic Brooks brothers’ showdown that happened hours later.

  “I want you to bring Theo over to my house,” Joe tells Jace. “I know he avoids me, and you can’t deny it for him. I understand his guilt, but he’s always been part of my family. I want this for him. Jake would’ve wanted this for him. This is my chance to give him the dream that my son didn’t get to.”

  And that alone is all the hope I need. Theo will be our supernova.

  Chapter Five

  “You can’t do this to me,” Miles says with a groan. He leans against Colby’s kitchen counter, only one crutch under his arm. “I’ll starve to death while you’re gone.”

  Topher gives him a dramatic eye roll but doesn’t bother with a comeback. It’s hard to believe that Miles has actually calmed down in the last hour since I broke the news to him that I was going with Topher this weekend in his place. It makes sense for Ocean Blast Energy not to want him for the photo shoot. A surfer on crutches isn’t exactly what you want in a magazine ad. But it does ruin all of Miles’s plans for the next two days.

  I hesitate before speaking, but I refuse to walk on eggshells around Miles Garrett. “You can’t buy groceries?” I ask.

  He shakes his head. “I never go grocery shopping. My mom just always had food in the fridge. When I go to Emily’s, she’s stocked up for me. If Topher leaves me here for the weekend, I’ll shrivel up and die,” he says, in the most serious fashion.

  I bite down on my lip to avoid laughing. I bet Miles is the kind of guy who lies in bed moaning and whining when he has a cold. Mr. Tough Guy isn’t really all that tough.

  “Have you seen the shit Colby buys?” Miles asks me. He nods toward the cabinets. “Even his damn pasta noodles are organic. Who makes fucking organic noodles? That’s supposed to be carbs and the good stuff. He’s like a damn cow out in a field with his organic lettuce and shit. I’m not even kidding.”

  As if being summoned, Colby steps in through the back patio door. He glances at us but doesn’t say anything before heading back to the shower. I have to give him credit. He probably wants this pro surfer gig more than anyone else in Crescent Cove or Horn Island. That boy trains more than Miles or Topher even think of training.

  “I’m taking you to Emily’s,” Topher says, grabbing his keys off the counter. Then he glances at me. “I’ll pick you up tonight. Six, right?”

  I nod and he shoots me a smile before rushing out of the house with Miles. Hopefully Emily has enough food stocked for this weekend. I have a feeling Miles won’t bother hanging out around his new home.

  I settle in on the couch in the living room. Colby joins me moments later, hair freshly washed and messy. He glances around before speaking. “Looks like the new roomies did
n’t want to stick around,” he observes. “I’m guessing it’ll be a quiet weekend.”

  “Miles is going to Emily’s,” I tell him.

  He sits in the opposite corner of the couch and nods. “I figured he would. He’s always bitching to Topher about how I don’t have food here. He thinks I can’t hear him, but he’s loud,” he says. Then he shrugs. “So you sure about this whole weekend away with the boyfriend thing?”

  Oh God. Are you serious? Who does he think he is? Alston and A.J.? Colby’s the one person who hasn’t been curious my personal choices thus far. I don’t need him joining my roommates in their conversations about me.

  “It’s a business trip,” I say, even though I know he won’t buy it. “He has a photo shoot. I’m taking Miles’s room. It’s not a honeymoon.”

  “Well, I’d hope not…considering,” he says without elaborating.

  Now the hesitation sets in, though. Maybe Colby Taylor isn’t the best person to go to for guidance or advice. Hell, he wasn’t the kind of person I needed to be chasing across the country. Even when his heart is in the right place, his head usually isn’t. But I can’t help feeling that maybe he has a point. Maybe this is all too soon, too sudden. Vin’s only been gone for about two weeks, and this relationship is super new. Even if we take it slow, people will talk, and more gossip is the last thing Drenaline Surf needs.

  “Look, nothing’s going to happen,” I say. “I can’t afford for anything to happen or to even look like it’s happening. Drenaline Surf’s reputation depends on me right now. I’m not going to be the one to drag us down.”

  Colby shakes his head. “I’m not worried about you,” he says. “It’s just…sometimes, in this industry, people lose focus. We’re surfers. We’re on the beach all day, hanging out, getting wrapped up in it all. Just keep a tight grip on the reins with Topher. I could see the whirlwind catching up to him.”