Page 144 of We Are Just Us

“How can you tell?”

“I’ve been watching him surf since he was twelve. I know his posture.”

They watched as the heat started. The surfers caught waves one by one, carving and cutting, pulling off tricks that looked effortless but Kieran knew were anything but.

Rory caught his first wave about three minutes in. It was clean. Smooth. He rode it almost all the way to shore before kicking out and paddling back.

“Nice,” Samantha said.

“Is that good?”

“It’s solid. Not flashy, but solid. He needs to push a little harder if he wants to score higher.”

Kieran wrote that down in his notebook. Push harder. Less solid, more flashy.

Samantha glanced at the notebook. “What are you writing?”

“Notes.”

“On surfing?”

“On Rory. Watching him. I don’t know. It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.” She smiled. “It’s kind of sweet.”

Kieran’s face flushed again. He was blushing more today than he had in years.

They watched Rory catch two more waves. The second one was better, faster, more aggressive. He pulled off a snap turn that made Samantha whistle.

“There we go,” she said. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

Aubrey wandered over, climbing into her mom’s lap to watch.

“Is Uncle Rory winning?” she asked.

“We’ll see,” Samantha said. “They don’t announce scores until the end.”

“I think he’s winning.”

“You always think he’s winning.”

“Because he is!” She threw her little three-year-old hands above her head.

Kieran smiled. He liked Aubrey. Liked the way she believed so completely in Rory. Liked the way Samantha was with her, warm but in charge, the same way Rory was with her.

The heat ended. Surfers paddled back in, exhausted, adrenaline still pumping.

Rory came out of the water shaking his hair like a dog, board tucked under his arm. His eyes scanned the crowd until they found Kieran and Samantha.

He jogged over, still dripping, breathing hard.

“How’d I do?” he asked.

“Good,” Samantha said. “Kicked ass. That second wave was killer.”

“You think it’s enough?”

“We’ll find out.”