Chapter Seven
Eryn
I stared at the car keys lying on my dresser.
I still couldn't quite believe it. After all this time struggling with my car, Coach Vinson — I mean, Wade — had fixed it with pretty much just one part! And yeah, he had told me that it was going to need a bit more work to get it running perfectly, but he didn’t know how stressed I’d been about the car for months. I couldn't help feeling an overwhelming sense of relief.
Not to mention, that one act of kindness changed the way I saw Wade Vinson. I mean, yes, I still had my suspicions about him. How could I not, considering his reputation and my past experiences with guys like him? After all, good-looking men — especially when they had power, status, and fame — so often acted like total dogs.
Take my ex, Tim, for example. Now it wasn't as if Tim had had power, status, or fame on his side, but he sure wished he did. What he did have going for him was a really great set of genes, and he had used his good looks to charm the pants off…well, God knows how many women.
The whole thing was not only sad, but a little disappointing, not only because I'd been cheated on, but also because it was proof that women, as a whole, were just as shallow as we always accused guys of being. They fell for Tim solely because of his looks. Just like they swooned over Wade Vinson.
And now, I guessed I was feeling a bit guilty about painting Wade with the same brush. It was tough to shake some of the suspicions I had about the type of guy Wade really was, but I couldn't honestly say whether or not it was my gut telling me that or if it was merely the trauma of my old scars. The heart has a way of protecting itself to keep from getting broken again.
I did, however, need to try to be a bit more rational in my jumping to conclusions. Wade had helped me out of the kindness of his heart, seemingly without any expectations of getting anything in return. While I'd felt some tension between us — the good kind — and a little something in the way he looked at me, he certainly hadn't tried to make any moves or suggest spending any time together outside of volleyball practice.
I had to admit, he really had been doing a great job as coach so far. He was focused and professional. It was a hell of a lot more than I could say for our former coach.
I checked the time. Almost noon. I had 15 minutes to get my ass dressed and to Nino's Restaurant where I waitressed part-time. I quickly shimmied into my uniform and said a quick goodbye to Leena, who was chilling and watching Netflix. I imagined she'd be doing just that all day, as she didn't need a part-time job. She got a pretty decent monthly allowance from her parents.
It was only a 10-minute drive from our place. When I arrived, however, I was surprised to find the parking lot empty and the place closed. What was going on here? I got my phone out and called my manager, Phil.
“Hello?” he answered in his annoying, nasal voice.
“Hi Phil, it's Eryn.”
“Uh, yeah? What's up?”
“Um, I arrived for my shift and the place is closed. What’s going on?”
“Oh no, you didn't get my text?”
“Nope. Everything okay?” I asked.
“Last night there was an electrical short in the kitchen. There was a fire and most of the kitchen burned down! The place is gonna be closed for at least a week, maybe more while they clean up and get someone to repair and install new kitchen equipment. I'm real sorry. I could've sworn I'd messaged everyone this morning.”
“Oh, man, okay. Well, at least nobody got hurt in the fire. Let me know when the place is gonna open up again, okay?”
“I will. Absolutely. Have a good weekend, kiddo.”
“Thanks, Phil. Bye.”
I hung up the call and immediately felt my stress headache trying to creep in. Just when I'd thought things were going better, another problem popped up. So I now had the scholarship issue hanging over my head and I was going to be out of work for at least a week, possibly longer. I really needed this job to pay the bills.
I knew that in a situation like this, Leena could cover my half of the rent – her parents were loaded and handed out cash to her like it was nothing – but I really didn't want to do that. I didn't like being in debt to anyone, and I preferred to stand on my own two feet without having to ask others for help.
Still, what choice did I have? It wasn't as if there was anything I could do to make the restaurant reopen any faster.
I sat in my car for a while, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel as I thought about everything. Well, I may as well make use of this free Saturday, I thought – it wasn't exactly as if I got many of these. I took out my phone and called up Leena.
“Hey, Eryn, what's up?”
“Hey, Lee. Guess what. Nino's is closed.”
“What? Why?”
“It seems the kitchen burned down last night. Electrical short or something like that.”
“Oh no! That's crazy!”
“Yeah. Anyway, it means that I don't have to work today.”
“All right.”
“So do you wanna get out of the house, go do something fun? And, obviously, when I say fun, I mean cheap fun, ya know. Outdoorsy stuff. Nothing that's gonna cost me anything because I am temporarily unemployed.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Hmm, well it's a beautiful sunny day. How about we go work on our tans somewhere?”
“That sounds like a great idea. Got anywhere in mind?”
“The beach would be fantastic, don’t ya think?”
“Good thinking, Lee. Which one?”
“St. George Island is so chill and gorgeous, and that white sand is really calling out to me at the moment. What do you think? I know it's a bit of a drive, but we'll take my car, and I'll pay for gas.”
“Ahhh, Lee, come on, you gotta at least let me chip in for gas if you're driving.”
“No way. Seriously, Eryn, you know my dad gives me like a full tank of gas every week. I've hardly driven anywhere this month. It's his company's money, anyhow, so look at this way – if we don't go, I'm throwing all that free gas away!”
I chuckled. “All right, all right. I'll be back there in five. Get your bikini and some sunblock ready!”
“Are you kidding me? I’m already changing.”
I cut off the call and smiled. Despite the worry about the temporary loss of work, I was going to enjoy my day off. I didn’t get too many days to just chill out and hang with my friends. I put the car into gear and drove off, thinking about the white sand and gentle blue waves of St. George Island.
*****
A few hours later, we arrived at the main beach on St. George Island. The drive itself had been fun, with lots of laughing and joking and plenty of good music. Granted, we had to agree to an equal split because our tastes in music were pretty different. While I liked the older stuff, especially music from the ‘90s, she was all about the latest, chart-topping hits. We both liked a bit of each other's music, though, so it worked out.
The beach itself was as beautiful and tranquil as I’d remembered. There was a group of people our age playing beach volleyball, and some other people sitting and chilling, with a few swimming in the water.
“Do you think we should go join the people playing volleyball?” Leena asked.
I loved volleyball, but I trained so hard and practiced so much that I needed a break from it.
“Nah, not right now,” I replied. “Let's just relax for a while. Besides, maybe they don't want any extra players.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, come on, let's pick a spot and set our towels down.”
We found an open area to claim. I stared out at the waves rolling in. It was a calm day, perfect for swimming.
“You know what? I think I'm gonna take a dip,” I announced. “You wanna join me?”
“Not right now,” Leena replied. “I think I'll just soak up some sun for a while.”
“Okay.”
“Watch out for sharks,” she joked as I started toward the water.
I turned back over my shoulder and smiled. “I’ll do my best.”
I was already plotting my swim path down toward the small pier about a half a mile away when I noticed the people in the water — two guys and two girls. As I started getting closer to them, I noticed that the features of the two girls were pretty familiar. Actually, they were really familiar.
When I was close enough to make out who it was, I couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise. It was Tammy, Kelly, and…Wade?
I was fairly certain they hadn’t seen me, so I simply turned around and walked stiffly back to Leena, a clamor of emotions churning through my head.
What the hell was going on here? Why were Tammy and Kelly with Wade…here…swimming together? I sat down next to Leena, who had already settled down on her towel.
“Gee, that was quick,” she remarked. “And you didn't even get in the water. Why'd you change your mind? You saw a shark, didn’t you?”
“Umm. I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”
She popped her head up and glared at me over the top of her sunglasses. “Lee, I want you to take a very careful look at who is in the water right now,” I said.
She peered at the figures, but couldn't quite make out who it was. “Someone we know?”
“Uh, yeah. Totally someone we know.”
She studied the figures for a few more moments. “You know I’m half blind. Are you gonna tell me, or just keep me guessing here? C'mon.”
“It's Tammy and Kelly.”
“Seriously? Those two! Way to ruin a great day.”
“Ohhh, that's not all. Wade is out there, too.”
“Wade?”
“Coach Vinson!”
Her eyes widened with surprise. “Oh my God, are you serious?” she sat more upright on her elbows.
“I promise you, it's him. There's no doubt about it, it's totally him.”
“And, they're swimming together?”
“You can see that they are, Lee, come on.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Jeez, that's crazy! Do you think that...that something is going on with them?”
“I don't know! But it's crazy, right?”
“We've established that, Eryn.”
It was weird. My heart was pounding fast, and my face felt hot. If anyone had asked what was going through my head, I wouldn’t have been able to tell them. I had no idea how to describe what I was feeling. Anger? Resentment? Jealousy? Betrayal? But...why?
“Shit. They're getting out of the water,” Lee announced.
I snapped out of my trance. “All right, all right, don't panic. Quick, take out the magazines. We can hide our faces and just watch what happens.”
We snatched out the magazines we had brought along from the bag between us and used them to cover our faces as we pretended to read. I peered out over the top of my magazine and watched as the scene unfolded.
“Oh my God, Lee, look at that bikini!” I half whispered. “I mean, can you even call it a bikini? It looks like three postage stamps joined by a few pieces of dental floss! It's ridiculous! Is that even legal?”
I was staring, yes, but I had really only glanced at how ridiculous Tammy's bikini was. For the moment, all I could see was Wade's gloriously toned and muscular body. Despite everything about the current circumstances, it was hard not to get lost in how gorgeous he was. Like, Greek god gorgeous. I shook my head to snap myself out of my ogling.
Gorgeous or not, he was hanging out with Tammy and Kelly. Already. Maybe my first assessment of Wade Vinson had been spot on. Maybe he was just a shallow narcissist chasing after girls just to add notches to his bedpost…much like my ex.
“Yeah, her bikini is pretty ridiculous,” I repeated, masking what I had really been looking at. Studying, even.
“She's naked. Seriously, she's pretty much naked,” Leena commented.
I watched them, feeling a strange sense of jealousy. Kelly and Tammy waved a quick goodbye to Wade and the guy with him before they parted ways. At least they hadn't hugged or kissed or anything; that would have made me feel even more awkward about the situation.
“Wade and that dude are coming this way!” Leena exclaimed in a hushed tone.
I glanced to our left and saw some towels a few yards away from us. It must have been their stuff.
“Crap. I think they're going to be right next to us,” I said.
“Put your magazine up! Cover your face!” she commanded.
I did as Leena instructed, not knowing what else to do. I felt trapped, almost like a small animal watching a hunter slowly moving in.
Moments later, Wade and his friend were close enough for us to hear their conversation. I tried to position my head at just the right angle to hear them, but hide my face. I felt like I should be in an episode of I Love Lucy.
“Good God, bro, those are two smoking hot chicks! Damn, Florida State volleyball girls seem to have gotten so much hotter since our days there!” the other guy chimed.
I waited with bated breath to hear what Wade's response would be, certain he was going to confirm his status as the douchebag I had made him out to be in my mind.
“Yeah. They're good-looking,” he agreed. I was about to begin my internal condemnation when he continued, “But, ya know, John, I've had more than my fill of girls like that.”
That was certainly not what I'd expected him to say.
“Are you serious, man? You wouldn't bang those two, like right now? ‘Cause I sure as hell would! At the same time, if that’s what they wanted.”
I shook my head and glared over at Leena, making sure she was hearing what I was hearing. This John guy wasn’t scoring any morality points at the moment.
“No, man, actually I wouldn't,” Wade heard him respond.
“What are you grinning at?” Leena whispered, peering over her magazine.
“I’m not grinning,” I denied the accusation until I realized she was right. She just gave me a knowing look. I made a face at her and focused back in on the conversation going on next to us.
“I went for a swim with them because they're on my team and I just wanted to be polite. But seriously, J, they're not the kind of women I want to be around anymore. And besides – I'm their coach! There are professional boundaries I have to think about. But even without that, like I said, they're not my type,” Wade added.
“They sure are my type, though, dude!”
“Yeah, well…if she has a pulse, she’s your type,” Wade joked.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, a strange sense of relief washed over me. Wade Vinson did have some morals, after all.
But it seemed those morals extended to every member of our volleyball team. He was making it quite clear that he would not have anything to do with any of his players outside of the volleyball court, and I was as much a part of that group as Tammy and Kelly were. It was weird. Maybe I would have felt better if he had just said he didn’t want anything to do with Kelly and Tammy.
Not that I had a right to feel any way about it. Wade was, above everything, my coach, and volleyball was the top priority in my life. It had to be. Without that scholarship, I'd be out of college.
Wade and John settled into their spot next to us, and I flipped a page on my magazine to really sell the façade that I was reading it.
“Hey,” I heard John say to Wade in a quieter tone, “looks like we've got some new neighbors.”
“It appears we do,” Wade replied before turning his attention to us. “Good afternoon, ladies. I hope you're having as good an afternoon as we are.”
Leena and I both dropped the magazines to our towels and turned to look in their direction. I watched Wade's eyes grow wide with surprise.
“Oh, hi, Wade,” I said with as much false surprise as I could manage.