Crashing Waves Page 13

  Rory drank a long sip of the stiff drink. Austin doesn't need the baggage of a washed up, old sock that's afraid of the water. She deserves so much more.

  ~ ~ ~

  "It's a shame we're leaving today. I was beginning to really enjoy this place," Austin said as she took her seat on the plane. I was getting used to being around you all day, every day. Maybe going home is a good thing. I think I need some time away from you to clear my head.

  "Yeah, it's beautiful here, but personally I'm freezing my ass off and I'm ready to go home." Rory smiled. She was glad Austin hadn't mentioned the events of the night before. She just wanted to get back to California where they would have a lot more distance between them than a paper thin wall and an unlocked door. She still wasn't sure how to talk about what was going on between them and she was glad Austin hadn't brought it up either.

  "What's on your schedule when you get back?"

  "Uh…I believe the Gold Coast Pro in Australia is the next thing on the calendar. It's the first stop on the Championship Tour for this year."

  "Oh wow, so you get to see your family…"

  "I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, I haven't decided if I'm going. This is just the next event on the calendar."

  "I see."

  "When we get back, I want you in the water the next day. I'll try to come watch you once or twice this week if I can."

  "No problem, Lori's already talking about going down to Redondo."

  "Make sure you don't overdo it. I'm sure you'll be tired."

  "Yes ma'am," Austin teased.

  ~ ~ ~

  Rory awoke to her cell phone ringing on her night stand. "Noon! Holy shit!" she screeched, looking at the alarm clock. She was glad she had taken the day off to rest before going back to the office.

  "I'm glad to see you're back on U.S. soil. Want to join me for dinner tonight?" Martie asked when she answered.

  "Nah. Hey, Martie, on second thought, why don't you come here for dinner? You can bring me a six pack."

  "Alright, I'll be by around seven."

  "Is Martina Cruz working late? No way!" Rory teased.

  "Cut the shit, you know someone has to run this place while you're out gallivanting all over the world."

  "Gallivanting for a good cause, mate!"

  "Ha-ha, yeah, I'll be there shortly."

  ~ ~ ~

  Rory sat back in the wooden Adirondack chair on the deck, listening to the waves crashing against the shore. Martie was next to her, doing her best to keep up with Rory, who was already on her fourth bottle of beer.

  "I can't believe you still drink this shit."

  "What shit?"

  "Beer," Martie grimaced.

  "Mate, you know I have liquor. Go look in the bar. I didn't tell you that you had to drink beer. I just figured you could supply it." Rory smiled.

  "You're hopeless." Martie laughed and went inside. She returned a few minutes later with a Margarita.

  "You look much better with that, or a Corona. I always thought you looked sexy drinking Corona when we were younger in La Jolla." I must be drunk. Rory thought.

  Martie laughed. "Yeah and I remember how much you bitched about ruining the beer when we made you put a lime in it."

  "Yeah, well that just doesn't make any sense to me. We wound up drinking Tequila, anyway. Man, those were crazy days." Rory laughed, shaking her head.

  "I might as well get it out while I can. Happy Birthday, Rory."

  "Oh, mate, you know I hate my birthday."

  "We need to celebrate."

  "What's there to celebrate? So I'm another year older, my God can you believe I'm thirty? I'll be forty before you know it and I'm already a washed-up old sock!"

  "Give me a break. I'm only a year younger than you!" Martie walked into the house, returning with two small boxes.

  "What's this?"

  "This one is from the office, and the other one's from me."

  "You guys really shouldn't have done this."

  "Just open the damn boxes, Rory." Martie growled at her best friend.

  Rory opened the box from her staff first. It contained a two inch long Swarovski Crystal snowboard.

  "Wow, this is beautiful." Rory already knew right where she'd put it.

  She opened the other box which was similar in size and found a matching crystal surfboard. She was speechless as a small tear escaped her eye. Martie was the only person who really knew what surfing had meant to her. "I…God, Martie, thank you…this…"

  "I know," Martie said, taking a deep breath and wrapping her arms around her friend. The past four years had been turmoil for her too, watching her best friend almost die, and then watching the agony in Rory's light blue eyes every single day had torn her apart.

  Rory wiped her face and walked into the house. She put both figurines in the corner curio in her study. She'd started a small crystal collection over the past year and had already had three pieces in the case.

  "Okay, enough birthday drama. So what's going on, Rory? You still haven't told me about Sweden," Martie said as Rory walked back out onto the deck.

  Rory looked at her oddly, knowing damn good and well what she was talking about. "Nothing happened. We watched the games, spent some time with Adler and I signed autographs and went through a hundred interviews."

  "Uh huh…"

  "We went snowboarding."

  "Snowboarding!" Martie practically yelled.

  "Yeah."

  "You, the person who won't go anywhere near any kind of board at all? It's bad enough that after all of this time, three God damn years, Rory, you decide to go back to the ocean, for her, with her, and now you're been snowboarding too! What's gotten into you?"

  "Calm down, Martie. It's not what you think it is."

  "The fucking hell it isn't! What are you doing with her, Rory?"

  "Nothing. That's just it. I swear, Martie. I haven't been surfing and have no desire to ever go back in the water. I go and watch her and give her pointers. Snowboarding was, well…I don't…all I know is, you can't crack your head on a reef or drown in the God damn snow! I was scared, but I felt safe, so I did it! Bloody hell, I wish you'd just let it go and trust me."

  "I'm trying really hard here, Rory. Really fucking hard."

  "I'm sorry," Rory said, pacing the deck.

  "Why are you sorry?"

  "Hell I don't know…what do you want me to say?"

  "Are you in love with her?"

  "What? No! Martie, this has nothing to do with Austin."

  "Well I'm just trying to figure out why you're doing the things you're doing all of a sudden. Something changed in you and it happened when you started hanging around her."

  "I'm friends with her and that is all! She's only twenty one, for God's sake. You know me better than that."

  "I thought I did." Martie said angrily. She was mad at her best friend, but she was angrier at the fact that Rory was slowly letting the barrier down that she'd built around herself after the accident and Martie wasn't the one at her side. Some young, wannabe surfer had slipped in, taking her place and this girl has no idea the kind of power she has over Rory. Martie didn't want to see her best friend get hurt.

  "Martie, come on," Rory replied, sitting back down next to her.

  "What now?"

  "Huh?"

  "What happens now? Where do you go from here?"

  Rory blew out a long breath. "I'm meeting her at Redondo, Tuesday morning."

  "Great." Martie irritably changed the subject. "You know Angel knows your schedule. She's expecting you next week."

  "I'm going to Vermont."

  "Don't you think you need to be at the first event of the surf season?"

  "No."

  "Besides, we're sending the ski reps to Vermont. Coming off our performance at the Olympics, we'll be busy with retail sales. There's no need for you to be there."

  "Well, send the surf reps to Australia then."

  "Damn it, Rory, I'm so tired of being the fence between you and your mothe
r. She knows when the big surfing events are being held in Australia and she also knows you will more than likely be there because your company makes the best damn surfboard in the world. You two need to work out your differences. I can't be the go to anymore. I won't be."

  "I don't have anything to say to her, Martie."

  "Well, she obviously has something to say to you. Did you even answer her call today?"

  "Yeah, Uncle Mick cornered me on the phone and she was with him."

  "Good. You need to hear her out, Rory. You only have one mother."

  "Bloody hell!" Rory spat.

  "Does that mean you're going to Oz?"

  "Fine. Have Alex book it. I'm not promising that I'll even see, Angel. Uncle Mick keeps calling me and threatening to come here and drag me out of the office if he doesn't see me soon."

  "Good for him. At least call her while you're there."

  "No promises."

  "Okay. I guess you going there is good enough."

  "Make it for two." Rory said, opening another beer.

  "What was that?" Martie asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "Two. Tell her to make the arrangements for two people."

  "You're not, no Rory. You don't need to take her home with you."

  "You, dingo. I want you to go with me."

  "Me? Who would stay here and run the office? Besides, I don't want to be anywhere near Angelina Zane when she finds out you're in Australia and didn't even talk to her. Hell no!" Martie shook her head frantically.

  "You puss! Fine, I'll go alone." Hmm…maybe I could take Austin. She could surf some real waves. Now, there's a thought.

  "What are you thinking?" Martie questioned. She saw the look in Rory's eyes.

  "Nothing. I wasn't thinking anything."

  "Sure, and I'm straight," Martie laughed.

  ~ ~ ~

  Rory sat in the comfortable leather chair behind her large desk, staring at the framed magazine covers and articles about her that covered one wall of her office. Her college degrees hung neatly alongside them in cherry colored wooden frames. Both of those times in her life seemed so long ago, almost like they had happened in another lifetime. She checked the time on her watch and pressed the button on the intercom.

  "Yes, Rory?"

  "Alex, send my calls to Martie. I'm stepping out for awhile. I may not be back today."

  "Yes ma'am."

  Rory dialed another extension on the intercom.

  "Yes?"

  "You're taking my calls for the rest of the day."

  "What? Why? Who are you hiding from…oh no you don't, Rory. Your mother calls me enough as it is!"

  "Huh? I'm not talking about, Angel. I'm going to Redondo with Austin and I don't know what time I'll be finished. I told Alex to send you my calls. I may not be back in today."

  "Gee thanks. I get to run the office while the boss goes to play with her new little 'girl toy'!"

  "Martie, I'm going to pretend I never heard you say that. I thought you understood," she said, ending the call.

  ~ ~ ~

  There's no need to be nervous. Why be nervous? This is absurd! Rory drove home and changed into thin nylon pants and a t-shirt with her company logo on it. She stepped into her flip flops and grabbed a thin jacket on her way out.

  Rory turned into the familiar parking lot and was able to get the last open parking spot. She quickly put the top up on her little sports car and stepped out. She found Austin watching her from the walkway leading down to the beach. She was standing by the steps with the top of her wetsuit hanging down by her waist and a white and purple skin-tight rash guard covering her upper body. She held her board loosely under her left arm.

  "Hi!"

  "Hey. How's it going?" Rory asked.

  Better now, I guess. I don't know, Maybe this isn't a good idea after all. "Fine. I've been watching the lines for about twenty minutes. The sets look nice and tight with a few flat ones here and there."

  "Let's see if you've still got it!" Rory smiled, patting her on the shoulder as she walked past her down to the sand. She kept her eyes on the line, watching every wave as it began, rose, crested, and fell. They stopped walking close to the tidal line and Austin pulled the top of her wetsuit up.

  Rory watched Austin paddle out and sit on her board. Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it…there! "Go! Go!" she shouted. That-a-girl!

  Austin paddled into the perfect wave, popping up quickly and dropping in one fluid motion. She wasted no time ripping back and forth into a tail-slide. The wave flattened before she could get any further.

  "God damn it!" she spat as she paddled back to the line. "Come on, Tinsley. You've got this! Damn flat fucking waves!" Another set of waves came rippling by. Wait, wait, yeah baby! The next wave in the set promised to crest nicely as she paddled into it.

  Austin immediately ripped back and forth a few times to gain speed on the small wave and flew off the top into a nose-grab aerial. Landing perfectly, she moved directly into another amazing trick before her wave flattened again. She climbed back up on the board cursing and spitting saltwater. Rory could see the frustration from her position on the beach.

  She needs more time. She can't get going on these baby waves. Rory waved, calling her back in. That was it. She knew what she had to do. The decision had been made. Austin walked up to her, shrugging the top of her wetsuit down. The wet rash guard clung to her upper body like a second layer of skin, leaving nothing to the imagination. Damn! Don't look, don't look! Have mercy! Catch your breath, stupid, before you pass out.

  Austin threw the towel around her shoulders."I can't believe these shitty waves," she said, raising an eyebrow when she saw the look on Rory's face. "Are you okay?"

  "Yeah. Great." Rory scratched her head. "Don't let it get to you. It takes a lot of finesse to ride these little waves like they're perfect sets. You need to be ready for them though. You never know what you're going to be faced with in a competition and especially in the qualifiers. You'll see bigger waves in your bathtub sometimes."

  "This sucks." Austin hung her head down, toweling her hair before slinging it back over her shoulders in a gesture that completely derailed Rory's train of thought.

  "Uh…no, it's uh…no." Rory said.

  Austin laughed. "What?"

  "Didn't you ask me something?"

  "No," Austin laughed again, pulling her wetsuit completely off, revealing her tiny black bikini bottoms. "I said these waves suck."

  Good God, she's trying to kill me. Rory walked a few feet away, trying to get her thoughts under control. She couldn’t remember every feeling so aroused just by looking at someone. "This is crazy," she whispered.

  "Huh?" Austin asked, slipping shorts over her bottoms. She peeled her rash guard off, revealing a black string bikini top and reached down into her bag, pulling out a long sleeved t-shirt that she slid over her head.

  "I think I'm going crazy," Rory said, staring out at the waves as she began walking away.

  "Uh…okay?" Austin followed Rory back to the parking lot.

  "How are your grades?" Rory removed her eye glasses to wipe off a smudge.

  "My…oh school…fine, I have an exam tomorrow then nothing major until I have my finals in a few weeks. Why?" Austin replied, putting her bag in her truck.

  "I told you this isn't going to interfere with school. How did you handle your studies while we were in Sweden?"

  "I was fine. I made sure I studied and emailed my quizzes."

  "I know. I saw you."

  "Okay? I met with an academic advisor in student affairs a few days ago and as long as I pass my finals next month, I'll graduate this term."

  "Wow, that's great! I'm going home next week and as crazy as it sounds, I want to take you with me, but not if it will interfere with school. That's more important."

  "What?" Austin was confused.

  "I think it will benefit you to see a pro competition and actually surf pro-style waves. I need to see if you can handle it, and I really want to see what you ca
n do with a real wave. We will only be there a few days so we'll have to work on finesse another time, but at least this will give me somewhere to start with you. I can't tell shit with these Mickey Mouse waves."

  "Rory, I still don't understand what you're talking about." Austin strapped her board to the rack on her SUV.

  "Oh, I'm sorry. I mean Australia."

  "What?" Austin shrieked. Her wet foot slipped on the running board, causing her to fall back into Rory's arms.

  Rory reacted quickly, wrapping her arms around Austin and setting her down on her feet. She hesitated before letting go. "Don't break your neck on my account." Rory smiled. "Anyway, the Gold Coast Pro is there next week and I need to make an appearance since this is the first stop on the tour."

  "Wow!" Austin threw her arms around Rory's neck. Rory moved to back away, but put her arms around Austin's slim waist, holding the smaller woman against her.

  "I'm sorry, I guess I got a little excited," Austin beamed, pulling away from her. "Of course I want to go. Are you kidding me?! Don't worry about school. It'll be fine."

  "Yeah, okay…well, I need to go. We're leaving on Monday night, so I'll pick you up at five p.m." Rory walked around to the driver's side of her car, sliding down into the black leather seat of her Audi. Austin watched her drive away.

  "Australia baby! Yes!" she shouted.

  ~ ~ ~

  Austin almost knocked her roommate over as she stormed into the apartment. "Lori! Lori, where are you?"

  "I'm right here," she said moving the door that had just about knocked her out.

  "Oh hey, guess what, you'll never believe this."

  Lori kicked her flip flops off and sat on the couch. So much for going to the library. "What's up? Let me guess, Surfer Barbie kissed you."

  "She asked me to go home with her."

  "Okay? Did you? Oh my God, you had sex with her!"

  "No, no. Australia. She wants me to go to Australia with her next week."

  "What the hell?"

  "That's what I said. At first, I thought she was going to tell me to forget all of this. Oh my God Redondo totally failed me today. You wouldn't believe it. I couldn't get a ride to save my ass."