“Now we take it to the water. You ready?”
“Define ‘ready.’”
Tino cackled like he knew an inside joke and handed him the board. The ocean was warm, the late sun skipping over the small breakers. Tino led the way out until the water hit their waists. The horizon stretched wide. Diamond Head shimmered beside them.
“Okay, Suit,” Tino said. “Paddle for me.”
Everett climbed onto the board, awkward as a newborn giraffe, and began paddling. His arms flailed, water splashing everywhere.
“Relax,” Tino said. “You fight her, she fights back.”
“I’m not fighting,” Everett protested between strokes.
“You fight everything. That’s why you’re tired all the time.”
Everett stopped mid-paddle, blinking. “You’ve been talking to Rowan, haven’t you.”
Tino chuckled. “I don’t need to. I see it. You’re a man with too many rules.”
“And you think surfing will fix that?”
“Not fix. Remind.”
He steadied the board. “Okay. When I say go, you paddle. When you feel the wave lift you, pop up just like you did on sand. No thinking. Thinking will get you hurt.”
“That advice applies to more than surfing,” Everett muttered.
Tino grinned. “You’re learning already.”
The first wave came. Everett paddled, popped up, and immediately face-planted. The next one sent him tumbling backward. By the fourth, he was coughing up seawater and laughing.
It was the first time in years he’d laughed that hard at himself.
He brushed water from his eyes and caught sight of something on the shore—two familiar figures.
Rowan stood barefoot in the sand, her short cover-up revealing the lines of her bare limbs, hands on her hips. Kelsey was beside her, clutching Bagel like a football and cheering loud enough for the entire beach to hear.
“Go, Dad! You can do it!”
Tino elbowed him lightly. “That next one is for her.”
Everett nodded, adjusted his stance, and paddled again. The wave rose under him—gentle but strong. He pushed up, knees bending, balance teetering—then steadied.
He was up.
For a few glorious seconds, he was riding.
Rowan clapped. Kelsey screamed his name.
He reached the shallows, stumbled off, and turned with a grin splitting his face.
Kelsey sprinted toward him, water splashing around her ankles. “You did it! You surfed!”
“I think I survived,” he said with a laugh. “There’s a difference.”
Rowan approached with Bagel firmly in her arms. Her green eyes sparkled with pride and amusement. “Not bad for your first lesson, Suit.”
He arched a brow. “You doubted me.”
