“Um, no. Just poking around.” The girl gave an eager grin. “I’m Kelsey. I saw you all surfing. You’re incredible. Are you joining that contest?”
Rowan winced. Why did the sweet ones get tortured? Brie only responded to strength, and it was obvious she wasn’t finding any. Chelsea shoved the cash into Rowan’s hand and joined her friend. “We’re in training,” Chelsea said. Her gaze took in Kelsey’s outfit. “Why aren’t you at the fancy beach club? That’s where they give your type lessons.”
Kelsey nibbled on her lip, an obvious nervous habit. “I thought I’d check out some of the other beaches. See some real surfing. There’s not much going on at the hotel, but I’d love to go to the North Shore.”
“You interested in learning?” Brie asked.
“Yeah, it looks amazing.”
The girls shared a knowing look. “We’ll teach you,” Brie said with fake sweetness. “But you have to ditch the jewelry. And the bag. And those ridiculous shoes.”
“Here, I’ll hold them,” Chelsea offered. “Come with us. We’ll show you a good time. We’re pricey, but it’ll be totally worth it. Much better than those loser instructors at the Hilton.”
Kelsey hesitated.
“Enough.” All three girls stared at Rowan. She lifted a brow. “Aren’t you due to pick your brother up, Brie? I know your mom mentioned having to work late this week. Probably not a great time for lessons.”
Her words had enough edge to get them to back off.
Brie gave a half shrug. “Sure. Come back later, city girl. We’ll have some fun.”
Chelsea giggled and they walked out of the shop.
Rowan shook her head and returned to the counter. “Brie and Chelsea are harmless, but I wouldn’t recommend you pay them for lessons.”
Kelsey nodded and glanced at the door. “I figured. Do they surf in competitions?”
“Some, but they’re still learning.” She studied the girl’s longing stare and tried to harden her heart. “If you want to surf, the hotels have some solid instructors.”
Kelsey straightened her shoulders. “I’m not at a hotel. We rented a place for the summer.”
“With your mom and dad?”
“Just my dad.” Rowan caught the defensive tone, and damned if she didn’t feel worse. “He’s got this big business deal going on. I thought learning to surf would be cool.”
It was what she didn’t volunteer that told Rowan the real truth. Her father was busy working and she was on her own for the summer. There was only so much shopping, sunbathing, and sleeping a young girl could do before getting bored.
Well, some of them. Others would be thrilled to simply hang, but Rowan got the impression that having endless time alone was more of a problem than a luxury for Kelsey.
Not that it was her business.
“Waikiki is a great place for touring,” she offered. “Snorkeling with the sea turtles is popular. Hiking through Diamond Head. I’m sure you’ll have a great summer.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Kelsey offered a weak smile and gave a wave. “See you.”
Rowan watched her walk out of the shop. Why did she suddenly feel like she’d kicked a lost puppy back to the streets?
Ridiculous. Kelsey was sweet, but she belonged at the fancy beach clubs, where she could make similar friends. Not trolling for company at an ancient surf shack, hanging with a washed-up pro surfer who had nothing to offer.
Shaking her head, she wiped down the sand-spotted counter and returned to stocking inventory.
Returned to the calm, predictable shoreline of her life.
Chapter Two
“I have a business dinner tonight. Do you want Italian or Mexican?” Everett Hale asked.
He stood in the doorway of his daughter’s sanctuary, wing-tipped shoes not crossing the threshold. The room was a change from the one they’d left back in New York. He was used to unicorns, the color pink, and butterfly bedding. Now, he faced blue-green shades, sea turtles, and trendy pictures of sunsets and skylines. Even though it was a rental, Everett allowed Kelsey free rein to make it her own, and she’d gone full force.
