MARY
You know what’s too late? Fixing the ocean’s co2 levels.
Good luck finding any good shells.
LIZZY
Thanks, Mary
JANE
Not sure why you’re still texting us when there’s probably great waves today. Go!
Jane was right. There were already a few surfers out, and it wasn’t even seven a.m. Lizzy got up and shut the sliding door, then grabbed her newly waxed board on her way out of the room.
She hustled down the sand of Ditch Plains Beach and into the ocean, diving under each crashing surf with her board until she could paddle out to deeper waters. There was an etiquette to the sport when so many surfers were out there in a lineup. The one closest to the peak got priority, so Lizzy patiently waited her turn.
It was worth the wait. Each ride was smoother and longer than the last. She got into a rhythm, a zone, and lost herself completely in the pure joy of every perfect ride and forgot to keep an eye on the shoreline. When she finally looked up, she found that she had been pushed east, well past Ditch Plains Beach.
She’d never been up this far before. The way the land and the rocks extended into the ocean felt like she had reached a stretch of undiscovered coastline. The walk back would be long and treacherous along the rocky beach, but she didn’t care. It was beautiful. The sun was shining and she had the waves all to herself, so she rode one after another until she collapsed in the sand with a smile on her face.
That’s when she caught sight of another surfer along the beach. She sat up and watched him expertly tackle the long swells, maneuvering his board with ease until he hit the shore and went back out again.
He was good. Really good.
Guess he’ll be doing the same trek back to Ditch Plains, she mused.
She lay back down against the sand, looking up at the fast-moving clouds, willing the mid-September sun to dry her off. This weekend was exactly what she needed to clear her head. She was already starting to feel like her old self again. Focused. In control. Even… happy.
Grabbing her board, she untethered her ankle and stood up, ready for the long walk back to the motel. The other surfer had the same idea and was starting to head in her direction. Whoever he was, he was tall—even from this distance, she could tell that much. His wetsuit clung to his long legs, the top half zipped open and hanging low around his waist, exposing his bare chest and the hint of his board shorts at his hips. As he got closer, one of his hands moved to push his blond locks out of his eyes, and Lizzy froze.
It was Will Darcy.
The soft sand of the beach suddenly felt like cement, rooting her to the spot. Her mind screamed for her to flee, but her body refused to listen. All she could do was stand there, pulse thundering in her ears, waiting for the moment when—
“Elizabeth?” Darcy’s voice rang out loudly over the crashing waves. He slowed when he approached, his eyes locked on hers.
Shit.
“Hello. Hi.” She gave a little wave, her board slipping out of her grip and falling forward. She cursed and grabbed it before it hit the sand. Then she straightened again, brushing her hair out of her eyes even as the wind pushed it back. “Hey.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I live here. I mean, nothere. I’m surfing here. I don’t live here. I’m just visiting. Here.” She breathed in deeply to stop herself from rambling. But then her gaze found his again, darting fromhis hair to his eyes to his lips. The memory of those lips on hers was overpowering—his hand in her hair as he held her still, what he tasted like, how he kissed her like he needed her to breathe.
Shit shit shit.
Heat shot to her cheeks as she forced a smile and pointed a thumb over her shoulder. “Okay, well, good to see you.”
Then she turned, her board under her arm, and started walking along the beach away from him.
She made it four steps before his voice called out behind her.
“You can’t get back to Ditch Plains that way.”
She stopped. She could feel his eyes on her back, sending her pulse into an uneven staccato as every impossible option swam in her head. She could try to maneuver the rocks, or maybe take her board back out and battle the tide. But then she realized that brought up another question.
“How were you going to get back?” she asked, finally turning around.
