“Right,” Annabelle replied, though she didn’t sound totally convinced.
With that, the sliding doors opened again.
“Lizzy?” Jane appeared on the verandah, a smile quickly overwhelming the confusion on her face. “What are you doing here?”
“She emerged from the ocean, apparently,” Vivienne murmured.
Jane laughed softly, as if she had somehow missed the hidden jab in Vivienne’s tone. “Lizzy has never been able to pass up a storm surge.”
“Not true,” Lizzy said. “I promised to come save you, remember? The surf was just an added bonus.”
Jane laughed again, but something about Lizzy’s comment still sat heavy in Will’s chest. Had he missed something? Did Jane need saving? The night before had seemed benign enough, but then again, Jane was hard to read. If it was awful, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to tell.
Charlie himself appeared then, yawning and smiling as he ran a hand through his well-tousled hair. It took him a moment to notice Lizzy, but when he did, his eyes lit up. “Lizzy! Hey! Will, Lizzy’s here!”
Will didn’t reply, just braced himself for the inevitable.
“This is great! Wow. We were just talking about you last night! Weren’t we, Will?” Then Charlie noticed Lizzy’s wetsuit. “Are the roads open? Did you drive or… swim?”
“Ah, no, not exactly,” she replied, still smiling, though it was beginning to look weary. “The storm kicked up the waves, so I surfed down from Main Beach.”
“You surf?” Charlie’s eyebrows shot skyward. “What a coincidence! Will surfs, too! Don’t you, Will?”
Will only stared at him.
“He’s got a whole stack of boards at his place. Wetsuits, too,” Charlie continued undaunted. “And his favorite movie isPoint Break!”
Jesus. That was not Will’s favorite movie by any means, but he didn’t have the energy to correct Charlie.
“Wow,” Lizzy said, completely failing to dampen her sarcasm as she turned to Will. “Point Break, huh?”
He met her gaze. He was expecting that same patronizing look she had given him before, an invitation to continue their volley. But now, there was a hint of amusement, too.
“So, you’re like, arealsurfer,” she continued.
“Something like that,” he replied, his tone noncommittal.
“Lizzy, you should take Will out one of these mornings,” Jane offered, even as the words came out like they had been thoroughly rehearsed. “Show him the best spots. Or waves. Maybe.”
Lizzy laughed. “I’m sure Will has better things to do on the weekend that don’t require waking up before dawn.”
“You go out that early?” Will asked before he could stop himself.
She shrugged. “Yeah, most mornings.”
“Alone?”
Her expression turned sardonic. “Is there something wrong with that?”
“It’s dangerous.”
“Only if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“And do you?”
Her eyes flared again. He was becoming familiar with that look. The way her lips turned up ahead of the retort, how her back straightened ever so slightly, like her impending words had sharpened it. He was learning that it was inevitable. And surprisingly beautiful.
He quashed the thought as quickly as it had appeared.
