“What? You’re in your underwear!”
I swatted at him, and he chuckled again. “I’m serious! I noticed your arms the other day. You don’t get arms like that unless you’re an athlete.”
“Thanks.”
I did my own once-over of his magnificent body. Woof. “You’re not exactly a slouch yourself.” He shrugged like that was obvious, and I snorted at his ego.
“So, you do yoga?”
“I do. I’m an instructor. I own a studio in Charleston.”
“An athlete and a business owner? Right on.”
My pride swelled. “Thanks. It’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding. And I love teaching.”
“Must be nice to take some time off and be a student for a change.”
“It is, I guess. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but yeah.” Thinking about this as a break to enjoy my own practice hadn’t even occurred to me. I used to be like Elias, focusing on positivity and fun in any situation. When had I lost that?
“What about you? You mentioned last night you’re not a musician. So, what do you do?”
“I help run the family business. I teach swimming, open diving, sailing, water sports. I run charters. Basically, anything that involves the ocean.”
“That sounds very you.”
“It is. A new adventure every day. I never know what the next week will bring, but I always know I’ll be on the water.”
I hesitated, worried that asking about his family might reopen wounds and cause me to spiral, but I was too intrigued not to ask. “You work with your family?”
“Yeah. My family owns the Ocean Explorers Club here in Sea Pines. My papa and his brother started a fishing company when they emigrated from Greece. Then my dad and Niko’s dad turned it into what it is today—a tourism company. Charter sailing, open diving, general water sports.”
That explained Elias and Niko—their names, their Mediterranean tans, their piercing blue eyes.
“I can’t believe your family owns the Ocean Explorers Club. My grandma used to take me on the dolphin cruises when I was little.”
“Right on. We still do those, and a lot more. It’s funny we both grew up on this island and never met until now.”
I couldn’t help the mischievous grin that took over my face. “Well, I do think you’re a few years older than me.” He snorted and rolled his eyes. “But maybe not so surprising. I went to Montessori until high school and spent most of my summers with my grandma at her herbalism shop learning about Ayurveda and natural healing. I’m sure you spent your summers on the water.”
“Yup. Helping the family business as soon as I was useful. And I went to high school in Greece, so…”
“Ah. There you go.
“I envy you having such a big family and getting to work with your parents on your family’s legacy.”
“I’m lucky, for sure. But our parents are much older now and largely out of the day-to-day business. Niko manages the office, the finances, all that stuff.” Elias made a face like he tasted something sour. “And I run the charters and classes. With the help of a few of my cousins, of course. Everyone chips in.
“Like I said last night—my family means the world to me. My family and the ocean.”
He turned his gaze to the water, and his eyes filled with longing. If Elias ever looked at a woman like that, she’d be lost to him forever.
I propped myself up to sit, bent my legs, and wiggled my toes in the sand. I rested my forearms on my knees and clasped my hands in front of me. Elias scooched forward, and we sat side by side in comfortable silence, watching the never-ending expanse of ocean perform its slow, rhythmic dance.
“Whatcha thinking?”
“About my studio,” I said, wistfully.
Out of the corner of my eye, he tilted his head to face me, patiently waiting for an explanation. A good listener, too. Great. The reasons for resisting a friendship with this man were dwindling fast.
