Jeremiah loved surfing. The sand. The waves. The way Hercules bounded through them like a dog half his age.
But he did not like the sand and how it got into absolutely everything. Every inch of skin seemed coated with it, and he really just wanted a shower. But after he’d texted Shannon about dinner, his mother had called him to say that his dad needed him for an hour and could he possibly come.
Jeremiah could, of course. Jeremiah always had in the past.
Suzie, his sister, was great about helping out too, but she’d landed a new gig in a luau that had her practicing with fire most nights. So Jeremiah had picked up the slack, and he went down Main Street toward the opposite end of town from the Sweet Breeze Resort and Spa.
When he pulled into his childhood driveway, he ran his hand through his crusty hair, hoping his dad just needed help getting a lid off a jar of pickles or something. He climbed the steps, glad he’d taken the afternoon off from work to spend time in the ocean. The waves always rejuvenated him at the same time they took physical energy from him.
“Come on, Herc,” he said to the dog still laboring up the steps. Once Hercules stood beside him, he opened the front door and called, “Mom!” only moments before a chorus of people yelled, “Surprise!”
Jeremiah’s heartbeat bounced in his chest, and he stared around at the familiar faces gathered in his parents’ house. Flo, Janey, Michelle, of course. Kelsie and Tiffany and Sunny too. Several neighbors from up and down this old street, as well as a couple of Jeremiah’s friends from surfing and the gym. Even his trainer, Brandon, was there.
In the middle of them all, his mother stood holding a cake, beaming at him like it was his birthday.
But it wasn’t his birthday.
“What’s going on?” he asked, glancing from person to person, glad they were all here but missing the one beautiful face he wanted to see. “It’s not my birthday.”
“The news that you’re the recipient of the Getaway Bay Professional Dignitary Award was announced today,” his mother said.
“Didn’t you know?” his dad asked. He turned to Cal Gallivan, a neighbor to the north. “How could he not know?”
“Look at him,” Cal practically yelled, setting off a couple of other neighbors. “He looks like he’s been rolled in sand.”
Jeremiah had, in fact, been rolled in sand.
“Yeah, he’s all wet,” someone said, though that wasn’t true.
“Look at that dog. Juliet, that dog is going to ruin your carpet.”
“Did someone say there was cake?”
Jeremiah grinned at the elderly people in the living room, one hand absently reaching for Hercules, who was also a bit sandy.
Suzie came forward and wrapped him in a hug, giggling. “Congratulations, Doctor Yeates. Come eat some cake.” She turned back to the crowd and said, “It’s time for cake!”
If possible, that announcement only made everyone talk louder, and the crowd moved through the small kitchen and into the backyard. Jeremiah was one of the last people out there, and he marveled at the tables and chairs that had been set up in the yard.
“This must’ve taken them hours,” he said.
“Oh, I brought over a couple of divers,” Suzie said. “They had it done in like, ten minutes.” She laughed again and moved away. Jeremiah watched her go, smiling and talking to everyone. She was so positive and so vibrant, and yet she couldn’t find anyone to settle down with either. Suzie at least dated, and Jeremiah once again thought of Shannon.
Of course, he hadn’t told anyone about Shannon yet, savoring the secret of her and the way she’d kissed him that afternoon for himself. He thought about texting her, but he didn’t want to make a big deal out of her presence at the party, and it would certainly be a huge event to have her show up late. There would be introductions that had to be made, and the party would probably be over by then anyway.
So he smiled and accepted everyone’s congratulations. He wished he’d gone home to shower first, but no one seemed to mind that he was crusted with salt and sand—or at least they didn’t say it again.
He consumed cake and talked to his trainer about how they’d work it off in the morning. His father read the announcement of the Dignitary Award off of Suzie’s phone, and everyone clapped.
Jeremiah accepted their kindness with as much grace as he could muster, but after about thirty minutes, he wanted to take his dog and get on home.
By the time that happened, though, the sun was almost dipped completely into the ocean and Hercules could barely move. “Come on, bud,” Jeremiah said as they walked down the steps to the car. “You can do it. Come on.”
He helped the elderly dog into the convertible and drove them both home. Jeremiah usually worked in his office or watched TV, but tonight, he stepped straight into the shower and then collapsed into bed after hefting Hercules onto the mattress next to him.
They both slept like the dead, and Jeremiah woke with visions of coffee and a certain dark-haired beauty in his mind.
He didn’t see Shannon at Roasted on his way into work, and he had a full day of clients ahead of him. Not to mention all that paperwork he’d skipped out on the day before. By the time he got back to his phone, it had blown up with texts.
The news about the Dignitary Award had really hit town, and everyone he’d ever interacted with even a little bit had texted to say congratulations.
Shannon was one of them, and he frowned at the informal text from her. Besides, she already knew about the nomination for the award and had already told him congratulations.
He stared at his device, trying to figure out how he felt and what he should say in return. Before he could do anything, Tiffany knocked, and his next patient walked in.
Jeremiah put his phone in his top drawer and locked it. After all, Jake had a bit of a tendency to steal things that didn’t belong to him. The teenager was improving though, and Jeremiah simply held out his hand, and Jake put his phone in Jeremiah’s palm without argument. That in itself was a huge win that had taken months to accomplish.
“So you’re in the surfing competition,” Jeremiah said.
“How’d you know that?”
“I read the local news,” he said. “And I’ve been known to catch a wave or two.”
Jake looked aghast, like someone Jeremiah’s age would surely be unable to get up on a surfboard. He blinked and said, “It’s in a couple of months. I’ll probably lose.”
“Tell me why you think that,” Jeremiah said, another session underway.
When he finally left the office that night, the sun was once again nearly down. It was still light enough that he could see the woman sitting on the hood of his car, and Hercules lowered his head and gave a low growl in the back of his throat.
“It’s Shannon,” Jeremiah said to the dog, and wow, his heart suddenly tap-danced through his chest.
“Hey,” she said when he was several paces away. “Busy day?”
“Yeah,” he said, not quite sure where they stood. Her text from earlier had felt so…odd, and he’d never responded to it. “Six clients, and all this paperwork.” He sighed. “Sometimes I question my life choices, you know?”
She shook her head, a smile on her face. “I don’t believe that.”
“No?” He didn’t move any closer to her, though almost everything in his body wanted him to.
“You wouldn’t be getting this big island award if you weren’t really good at what you do.”
“Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you love it,” he said.
Shannon slid off the front of his car. “What’s going on?”
Jeremiah shrugged, half of him rejoicing as she moved closer and the other half wanting to step back. Give himself more room. Keep breathing air that wasn’t filled with the sweet scent of her skin.
He was so confused, and he finally blurted, “I’m just going to be honest. I’m getting some mixed signals.”
Her hand, which she’d started to reach toward him, fell back to her side. “Yeah, I suppose you are.”
“So, it’s not just me?” he asked. “I mean, you’re flinching away when I touch you, and then holding my hand, and then kissing me….” His voice died, and he watched her, wishing there was more than the orange streetlight to illuminate her face.
“I feel a little all over the place,” she said. “I’m not trying to, you know, lead you on, or send you mixed signals.”
Jeremiah nodded. “I know that.” But he still felt like he wasn’t sure how he felt, or how she did. She didn’t know how she felt.
“Have you eaten?” she asked.
“No.”
“Maybe we can just grab some dinner, and I don’t know. Talk.”
“You want to go out?” Jeremiah hoped she’d say no.
“If you want.”
“I don’t want to,” he said, deciding to be honest. “I’d love to get some food and find somewhere quiet to eat. A park. My place. Somewhere away from the crowds.” He thought of his phone and how many texts he’d gotten that day. He’d seen his picture online, and he didn’t feel much like being a celebrity that night.
Hercules laid down, leaning into Jeremiah’s leg. He leaned down and gave the dog a couple of good pats on the side of his chest. “Hercules likes this park out by the lava fields. It’ll be dark, but it’ll be quiet.”
“Sounds great.”
“Where do you want to eat?” he asked, taking a step closer. Since she’d told him about the assault with her ex-boyfriend, Jeremiah hadn’t initiated much touching between them. He wasn’t sure when it was okay to touch her and when it wasn’t. He’d tucked her hair earlier and she’d barely blinked.
His eyes dropped to her mouth, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew it was much too early to kiss her, and instead, he reached for her hand. “Chinese food?”
“Easy to eat without a table,” she said.
“Let’s hit Kimmy Sim’s,” he said. “They have the best wontons on the island.”
“I can safely say I’ve never eaten there.”
“You’re really missing out then,” Jeremiah said, squeezing her hand. “You want me to drive?”
“Yes,” she said, and he felt a measure of vulnerability from her.
“All right. Come on, Herc.”
The dog was able to get into the car himself, and he seemed as equally obsessed with Shannon as Jeremiah was, because he kept sticking his head between them like he’d try to climb into her lap.
“Lay down,” Jeremiah finally said, glad when the yellow lab obeyed. They got their Chinese food and he drove ten under the speed limit out of the downtown area and around the island toward the lava fields.
A weak streetlight lit the park’s entrance, and he turned off the main road and continued a little further.
“We used to come here as kids,” Shannon said. “My dad loved to go fishing, and my mom would get so bored. So she’d walk up here and explore on the black rocks.”
“They’ve redone the parking lot,” he said. “Put in some benches and bathrooms.” He pulled up to the only building, where the bathrooms were. Though it was dark, the ground out here held plenty of heat, and he got off the asphalt as quickly as he could. A small patch of grass surrounded the bathrooms, and Hercules settled at the end of the bench, knowing he’d get something from one of the bags of food eventually.
He passed out the food, asking Shannon what she wanted and giving her the plastic utensils.
“Are you happy about the award?” she asked, forking up a bite of food and putting it in her mouth.
“Yeah, of course,” Jeremiah said. “I just don’t like all of the attention.”
She nudged him with her elbow. “Even from me?”
Jeremiah smiled into the darkness and picked up another wonton. “Yeah, well, I like the attention from you. Happy now?”