Sage

"A large black coffee with one sugar, please." I was making a quick stop at a coffee shop just a few blocks away from The Surf Shack, on my way back to rent another surfboard from Jonny. I'd told Jax that I'd go with him next time, but now that I knew he'd be working out on the jet ski, I could go surf by him and he could make sure I didn't kill myself. So, I was kind of keeping my promise. Totally.

"Cream?" The bored barista asked me from behind the counter.

"No, thanks."

"Raw sugar, white, or stevia blend?"

"Um, white?"

"Packet or cube?"

My jaw dropped open for a second there. "Surprise me."

I just couldn't anymore. This line of questioning was reminiscent of my days at trendy little coffee spots in downtown New York. I much preferred the sleepy little beach town vibe. Black coffee with sugar. Shouldn't need twenty follow-up questions.

I sauntered over to the back wall and checked out the pictures hanging haphazardly to the wallpapered surface, like a crazy aunt put them up one at a time over the years with no regard to aesthetics. Spotting a weathered picture that looked a bit like Jax' father, I studied the men in the frame with him, sure they were famous locally for something.

"You a surfer, young lady?"

I spun around and saw an older gentleman sitting at a table near me, coffee in hand, newspaper spread out over the table.

"Yes, actually I am. I'm not very good, but I'm trying." I gave him a broad smile, loving his old cardigan and the newsboy cap on his head. Something about old men made me happy. Not the corporate stiffs my father surrounded himself with. Just the Mr. Rogers types, out for a quiet stroll or a cup of coffee over the morning paper, all while in an old brown sweater.

"Well then Max Stern would have been the perfect guy to teach you. He was a good surfer himself, when he wasn't busy working at The Shack." The old man pointed at the picture I'd been looking at. "He was a pillar of the community for decades. His shop was the place to chat, talk politics, or meet famous people driving through town."

"It was the bee's knees, huh?" I kept smiling, enjoying the stories about Jax' father.

He chuckled, his wrinkled face telling me he'd laughed a lot in his life. "Oh, it was! All the pretty girls would hang out there. Used to drive Sherry crazy. Max never strayed though. He was devoted to Sherry and his son, Jax. They were his whole life, even more so than The Surf Shack. Now that boy, Jax. He's running The Shack now and lifeguarding at the beach. He's a good boy. Works too damn hard though. We rarely see him." The old man frowned, shaking his head. "The town's changing. What worked then doesn't work now. Sometimes it's hard to know what to hold onto and what to let go of."

"Black coffee for Sage," yelled the barista at the pick-up counter.

I nodded to the counter. "That's me. Thanks for telling me about Max and The Surf Shack. I think I'll head there now and rent a board."

He reached over and patted my arm. "Now that's a good girl. Give the local places your business. An old man likes to hear that."

I gave him one last smile before heading out with my coffee. The guilt was sitting like a brick in my stomach, eating away at my confidence. If that old man only knew that I wanted to tear down the town's beloved Surf Shack, he may have felt very differently about me.

Wobbling only the teensiest bit, I had an eight foot board hoisted over my head, staring at the waves north of the pier. I could see how surfing everyday could substitute for indoor gym classes. If I kept this up, my arms would be jacked like Brinley's and my calves wouldn't be jealous of Hessa's.

No sight of Jax out on the jet ski, but I wasn't too worried. The waves looked way smoother than the other day. If I could survive those, I might even be able to pop up today. I set the board down on its side, careful not to get sand on the wax Jonny had carefully spread over the top surface. I'd bought a bright yellow rash guard, mostly because I loved the color yellow, but also figured it would be easy to spot if I got into any trouble. I'd braided my hair back into a tight ponytail, wanting to keep it out of my face, unlike last time. Securing the leash around my ankle, I was as ready as I'd ever be.

I walked the board out to knee height water, then set it down and jumped on top in between waves. I paddled out, having to take a couple rests before I made it all the way past the break. My shoulders were on fire from all the paddling and I cursed my former personal trainer for not preparing me for something so simple. The middle-aged man sitting on his board next to me looked like he was frequent consumer of beer and fried bar food, and yet he'd paddled out no problem. No judgies on his food choices, but damn, that was a little humiliating.

Taking the time to rest before I turned the board around and tried for my first wave, I watched the other surfers' technique, the way they paddled, when they popped up, how they dropped off the board when the wave turned to foam. They made it look so easy when I knew it wasn't. I wasn't afraid to look like an idiot or to do hard work though. I had this.

I saw a swell coming up behind me and no one around me seemed to be going for it, so I laid down and started to paddle hard. The swell hit me and I kept paddling, now on top of the wave. When my board felt like it was being propelled in the wave, not because of my paddling, but because of the force of the water, I placed my hands on the rails of the board and hopped up, feet wide underneath me. I stayed crouched till I felt like I had my balance and then I popped up, actually surfing for several feet of pure bliss.

Next thing I knew I was falling and the water smacked the crap out of me and rushed up my nose. I bobbed up to the surface and looked for my board, feeling the tug on my ankle. I swam over and struggled to get my board headed back out to the ocean while the waves kept coming. I finally got on it, paddled out past the break, and stayed down on the board to catch my breath.

Holy shit...I surfed!

I laid on the board, exhausted, eyes and nose stinging from the salt water rinse, and smiled like a loon. Finally sitting up, I tossed my head back and stared up at the expansive blue sky. Euphoria from my surfing success, combined with my love for the great outdoors, bubbled up in my chest and made me feel giddy. I was in love with this place! The history, the laid-back nature of the residents, the lure of the surf, the excitement of budding friendships with genuine people, the ocean breeze that danced across my skin. Not even the thought of another tough call from my father could wipe the smile off my face.

"Nice one, Surf Betty!"

I opened my eyes and swiveled my head to find the owner of that smooth voice. He was sitting on his jet ski about fifteen feet away, forearm resting on one of the handles, his sunglasses shielding his eyes and drawing my gaze to his white smile. The tight t-shirt, the red shorts, and the tanned skin made for a visually pleasing combo that spoke right to my girly parts. The boy was hot.

"Did you see me?" I was laughing for no other reason than I felt damn good. I kicked with my feet under the water to turn my board around so I could see Jax. When there was a man that gorgeous around you should make sure you eye him for as long as you can, you know?

"Hell yes, I saw you. I saw a radass woman surfing by and realized her backside looked familiar. Like I'd seen it before." His grin curved even wider.

"Huh. I'm pretty sure you see all kinds of mooning out here on the water surrounded by surfers all day, but I'm happy mine was so memorable." I knew I shouldn't be flirting with him, but hey, he started it.

"I thought we were going surfing together next time you took a board out." His jet ski was bobbing on the surface, bringing him closer and closer to me, like it knew we wanted to close the space between us.

I tilted my head and looked down at my board. "Yeah, well, I knew you'd be out here, and here you are! So technically, we're together."

Jax

She's looking up at me with those brown eyes, defiant but also a bit sheepish, knowing she'd broken her word. She has no idea that she could literally do anything to me and I'd forgive her the moment she turned those eyes on me. I should dislike her for trying to buy my shop from me when I've told her repeatedly I didn't want to sell. She obviously comes from money, which rubs me the wrong way, but it does nothing to dim this attraction I have for her.

It's like my body and my brain are on completely different pages on what to do with this girl. My brain wants to run for cover and never talk to her again. My body wants to hear her life story, slay dragons for her, and make her wear my t-shirt to bed every night so she wakes up in it every morning after I've had my way with her.

"Since I'm not selling my shop, what are you still doing in HB?" Might as well get right down to it. Maybe I could get her to cut and run before I did something stupid like kiss her for real this time. Somewhere we wouldn't be interrupted for hours.

But again, I didn't get what I expected. Instead of frowning and leaving, a peaceful smile took over her face, she tilted her head back, and she closed her eyes. Her hands drifted out to the side, fingers stroking through the water like she'd never felt the ocean before. It was like she was communing with nature and I was an intruder to her moment.

I had to lean in closer to hear her eventual answer. "I don't know, Jax. All I know is that I love it here. I will literally lose everything by not buying your property and at this moment, I don't seem to give a fuck." She smiled even bigger, still looking up at the sky like she was giving herself up to the sun as an offering.

Shit, this girl was something else. I'd never met anyone like her, which might explain why I was so attracted to her. She was different. I had no idea what was going to come out of her mouth. Or what that lithe, athletic body was going to do. Like dancing in the middle of the street fair last night. She'd been completely lost to what was happening around her. Like she was in her own little world, completely at peace. And that kind of quiet confidence was sexy as hell.

When she opened her eyes and looked back at me, the spell was broken and I finally clued into something she'd said. "Wait, you'll lose everything? What does that mean?"

She chuckled. "You know, I've been really stressed about it, but I just kind of realized today that it doesn't matter. I want to be free and this place makes me feel free. So I need to come up with a plan to do what I think is right for this place."

She was speaking in riddles. "I'm glad you've got it all figured out. Maybe you could tell me what the hell you're talking about?"

That really made her laugh. "Sure. There's no harm in me telling you now. The Beach Squad knows so it's only a matter of time before you know too. My father is a big commercial real estate guy back east. He told me that in order to get my trust fund when I turn thirty next year, I needed to buy The Surf Shack, demo it, and build a successful restaurant in its place. If I succeeded, I'd not only get my trust fund, but he'd give me his company when he retired. I know he loves me deep down, but my father is a bit of a hard ass."

My jaw dropped. There were several concerning things about her explanation. However, I finally realized why she was so pushy about buying my place. Her whole future rested on me selling. "Damn, Sage. I had no idea."

She waved a hand in the air like she was shooing away a fly. "Oh, it's not like I would ever take over his company. I have no interest. But I do want that trust fund. That thing could buy my freedom so I could finally do what I wanted without my father pulling the strings. But being my own person matters more to me than the money."

I didn't understand how she could be so blasé about it. "So, that's it? You're just gonna give it up then?" I knew what it was like to be financially strapped, and it sucked. I wasn't sure she knew what she was in for by turning away all that money. She may say the money doesn't matter now, but come months from now when she has nowhere to live and bills are piling up, she may change her mind.

Her board bumped up against my jet ski, the distance between us finally closed. "Oh no, Jax Stern. If there's one thing you need to know about me, it's that I don't give up easy. I've got an idea I'm thinking through and it's risky, but if I can pull it off, we'll both be happy campers. You wanna get risky with me, Jax?"

She was definitely flirting with me now. I was ninety-nine percent sure of it. The grin was back and she was looking up through her eyelashes at me, that confidence like a siren, leading me straight into choppy waters and rocky coastlines.

"Yeah, I'd love to get risky with you." My brain was fried, unable to come up with anything better to respond with. I'd let her lead, and I'd follow. For now.

She winked at me, knocking me over with that simple gesture. If I didn't keep a tighter grip on my heart, I'd be losing it over a girl that was all wrong for me. But my body told my brain to shut up and I enjoyed watching her lay on her board and paddle away from me.

That ass I'd recognized surfing moments ago was now right in front of me, perfect curves that my hands swore they'd get to touch one day. My brain scoffed at the idea, yet my body tightened and hardened, preparing for that day even now.

Before I could yell out a warning or even just some helpful advice, she was paddling hard for the next swell coming in. I turned the engine back on and stood up to get a better view. She had white water all around her and I thought for sure she'd crash and burn when I saw her float back up to the top of the wave. She popped up, in a perfect crouch, those long legs steady beneath her.

Well, what do you know? The girl that was all wrong for me could totally surf.

I waited until I saw her exit the water, the front of the board tucked under her arm, the back dragging in the sand. She turned around and flashed me the 'hang loose' symbol with her thumb and pinkie extended before breaking into laughter. I waived in return, happy she was on solid ground in one piece.

The moment before I turned the jet ski around, she dropped the board and grabbed the sides of her bikini bottoms. My eyes were riveted to the sight, ignoring the rocking of the jet ski as I shifted positions to get a better view. She pulled the bottoms down, exposing that gorgeous ass yet again. In the blink of an eye, the bottoms were back in place and she was back to dragging the board up the sand, laughing the whole way.

The blood roared in my ears and I shook my head, looking around to make sure no one caught her little act. I didn't like the idea of anyone else knowing what she looked like under that suit, but I fucking loved how playful and silly she was. She may have come from money, but she wasn't some stuck up brat. And the girl had a perfectly round booty I wanted to get my hands on.

That perfect, pale ass was now engrained in my brain, finally getting it to shut up.