THE TROUBLE WITH PAPER PLANES(28)

I got out of the truck and waited for her, watching the surf. It was good, even, perfect for boogie boarding. I was really looking forward to this.

“How’s it looking?” she asked, walking over to stand beside me.

I looked over at her, with her sunglasses and her shorts and that white singlet, red straps peeking through from underneath. She’d tied her long brown hair up in a ponytail high on her head, shading her eyes with her hand as she looked out over the beach.

God, she was gorgeous. I’d been so busy trying not to compare her to Em, I’d failed to notice how beautiful she was in her own right. Until now. It felt like the temperature had just risen by about a hundred degrees.

“It’s looking perfect,” I said. “Just perfect.”

She squinted up at me through her sunglasses and I wanted to say something witty, something funny. I wanted to make her smile again, but I was speechless. All I could think about was kissing her. I wondered how those rosebud-red lips would feel on mine. It was only a fantasy – one I knew I’d probably never have the guts to act on – but she looked at me like she could read my mind. It was unnerving. If she knew what I was thinking, what might her answer be?

“Shall we do this?”

It took me a moment to realise she meant boogie-boarding.

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. You ready?”

“As long as you promise you won’t laugh if I mess it up.”

Then she smiled, a small, knowing smile. Shy, but also willing. Or was that just my imagination, too?

“Promise,” I said. “Come on.”

I led the way around to the back of my truck and grabbed the two battered, foam boogie-boards off the deck.

“Here you go,” I said, handing her one while I tried to keep my mind on the job at hand. “So, here’s a crash course, before we go in. Stick close to me, and I’ll let you know which waves and when, okay?”

She nodded earnestly.

“Attach this leash to your wrist so you don’t lose the board. We’ll paddle out, then when I tell you, start paddling back towards the beach as fast as you can. When the wave starts to break, make sure you’re pointing into the beach and hang on tight to the side of the board with your elbows bent – keep your shoulders parallel with your hands, like this. Okay?”

“Got it.” She broke into a grin and her excitement was contagious. “Let’s go!”

“Jesus, you’re keen,” I chuckled. “You can leave your stuff in the truck if you want, it’ll be fine here.”

I went around the truck to the other side, opening the back door as she did the same on her side. She took her sunglasses off, peeled off her shorts and t-shirt and kicked her sandals off, piling them onto the back seat. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t help staring as the rest of the red swimsuit finally came into view. It was a one-piece. Plain, sleek and fire-engine red, with the thin straps I’d already seen. Her figure, slim and delicate when fully clothed, was even more incredible in a swimsuit. She looked like one of those classic beauties you see in the movies. Timeless and elegant, a small, perfectly-formed thoroughbred.

I dragged my gaze away and concentrated on pulling my own t-shirt off, dumping it on the back seat across from her belongings. As I glanced back at her, I caught her staring at my chest, although she quickly averted her gaze. I knew that look. My entire body buzzed with anticipation.

She liked what she saw.

The realisation was both liberating and terrifying. It appeared we were both on the same page.

“You ready?”

She nodded, summoning up a smile. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

We closed the truck doors and headed down to the beach side by side, boards under our arms. The sun had turned the sand into a fire-pit, and at the first touch of it against the soles of our feet, she yelped, breaking into a quick jog across the sand to the water. I chuckled as she high-stepped out into the deeper water until she could dive under. By the time I got there, she was coming up for air, boogie board still in hand, grinning like a loon.

“Oh my God, this was a great idea!” she gasped, wiping the water away from her face with her free hand.

She was right. The water was cool but not freezing, and a great respite from the heat. A small wave broke over us, barely coming up to my waist, and she hopped up, buoyed by the water.

“Hang on a minute,” I said, reaching down for the leash that hung from her board. I pulled it up, taking her wrist and slipping it over. “There. Now you won’t lose it.”