We pull up outside The Pipe Dream, and I shut off the engine. Quinn was quiet the whole drive over here, and I’m not sure if that’s because she’s nervous about learning to surf or nervous about me teaching her.
“Come on,” I say with a grin as I get out of the car. “Let’s get you kitted out.” Quinn opens the car door, a reluctant look on her face that has me laughing. Grabbing her hand in mine, I pull her toward the shop. “Come on, it’s just a surf shop, not your execution.”
“Yeah, and there are sharks and shit that live out there,” she says, flinging a hand at the ocean.
“Nah, this is Maui,” I tell her. “It’s safe here.”
She hits me with an are you fucking serious look as we walk inside. Nate and Sage are both in the shop, Nate talking to a customer while Sage leans against the counter.
“Hey,” she says when she sees us.
“Hey, Sage,” I say, dropping Quinn’s hand as I head over to the rack of rental boards they stock. “Gonna teach Quinn how to surf. Can I borrow one of these until we get her set up with a board?”
“Of course,” Sage replies.
“Cool, thanks. And can you help her with a swimsuit and a rash guard? Can put it all on our tab.”
“Kai,” Quinn says as Sage comes out from behind the counter, a huge smile on her face.
“It’s totally fine,” I say, waving away what I know she wants to say.
Sage laughs, taking Quinn’s hand as she says to her, “Easier just to say yes and thank you, Kai.”
“Yes, it is,” I call out as Sage leads her over to a rack of swimsuits, and I silently plead for her to pick something sexy, preferably a bikini.
I’ve seen her in a bikini before, but I really want to see it again. I’d like to see her naked too, but I’m not sure we’re even close to that yet. If we’ll ever be. I wasn’t kidding when I said I was okay with us just being friends, even if I’ve never in my life been just friends with a woman I want to fuck.
But I know I can’t keep using my lines on Quinn and hoping it gets me somewhere, especially after she unloaded all that shit about her ex the other day. Quinn has been hurt and hurt badly, and the last thing she needs is a guy hitting on her, thinking she’s only useful for a good time. And so, even though this is totally foreign territory for me, I am going to be the friend she needs right now.
As I’m picking out a board, Nate finishes up with his customer and wanders over, a grin on his face as he watches me.
“Yes?” I ask, even though I know exactly what this is going to be about.
Nate chuckles, glancing over at the girls before turning back to me. “Want to tell me what’s going on here?” he asks.
I look around the shop, as though the answer is obvious. “Gonna teach Quinn to surf. Needed to grab a board,” I tell him.
“Right,” he says. “And you’re teaching her to surf, why exactly?”
I roll my eyes at him as I say, “Um, because she just moved to the island and she doesn’t know how.”
“That’s all, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s all,” I say, pulling a board from the rack. “What’s the big deal, dude? You taught Sage to surf when she first moved here.”
Nate laughs at this, shaking his head at me as he says, “I taught Sage to surf because I was fucking crazy about her and wanted to spend every second with her.”
“Well, yeah, obviously,” I say, knowing this is new—Nate actually talking about how he feels. Not sure who was worse, him or my idiot brother, trying to pretend like they didn’t have feelings for their girls. I lean the board I’ve chosen against the counter and turn to him. “We all knew that, dude.”
“Right, and that’s not what this is?” he asks, waving a hand at Sage and Quinn, who is now holding a handful of swimsuits.
I watch as Sage pulls off a blue bikini and hands it to her before ushering her toward the fitting rooms. I’m tempted to call out, to ask that she come out and show me each thing she tries on, but I’m pretty sure I know what her response to that will be.
“Kai,” Nate prompts.
I turn back to him, shoving a hand through my hair as I say, “Well, we’re friends. That’s all.”
“That’s all,” Nate repeats. “Something tells me you want to be more than just friends.”