Emmy & Oliver - Robin Benway Page 0,22

up.” I pointed at Drew’s wet suit. “Zipper goes in the back. You want it to be tight but not so tight that you can’t move your arms or legs. You don’t want to look like a penguin.”

“I didn’t think the first rule in a surfing lesson would be ‘don’t look like a penguin,’” Oliver said, trying not to fall as he stepped into the legs of the suit.

“Hey.” I shrugged. “You get what you pay for.” I had never taught anyone how to surf, but I remembered my first lesson with Kane like it had just happened a few hours earlier, rather than three years ago. What could go wrong?

Oliver stumbled a little and I moved so he could hold on to my shoulder. I still hadn’t taken off my dress and I realized that I was about to be standing in front of my childhood friend in a bathing suit for the first time in ten years.

Real smart, Emmy. You’re a genius. Definitely apply for that Fulbright scholarship as soon as you get a chance.

I waited until Oliver was busy trying to pull up the zipper on the back of his suit, then turned around and quickly slipped my dress over my head before stepping into the wet suit. I always felt better when I had my wet suit on, like all the feelings and thoughts I had could be contained, like they had a safe place to be. “It’s your second skin,” Caro had once laughed, but she was right. It was. I just wished it fit better. It was secondhand from Craigslist. It sagged in the legs and arms, and I fantasized about buying a brand-new one that fit perfectly, but babysitting money only went so far.

“Okay, lie flat on the board,” I said once we were outfitted and I checked to make sure that the neck closure on Oliver’s suit was Velcroed into place. “Palms on the front of the board. You want to be right in the middle so you don’t lose your balance on the water.”

“Got it,” he said, grunting a little as he got into position. He was squinting against the afternoon sun’s rays reflecting on the water, tiny little diamond glints of light. “Am I surfing now?”

“Not quite.” I laughed and then moved his hands a little bit. They were warmer than mine. “Did you ever see the movie Point Break?”

“About a million times. It was on cable a lot when I was home alone.”

“Well, I’m Patrick Swayze and you’re Keanu Reeves.”

“Righteous,” Oliver said, and we grinned at each other. “When do we rob the banks?”

We practiced popping up for a few minutes. He was pretty good at this part, but everyone is. Surfing is a lot easier when you’re not in the water.

After I thought he was ready (which, it turned out, was a slight miscalculation on my part), we walked down to the water, dragging our boards behind us in the sand, the leashes attached to our ankles. “You ready?” I asked him, wishing I had remembered to wear sunscreen. The sun was hot and it always feels warmer when you’re encased in a rubber suit.

“Quick question,” Oliver said as he scanned the horizon. “What is the shark population like around here?”

I blinked at him. “Are you being serious right now?”

“I don’t know.” He laughed nervously. “No. Yes. Maybe? Sharks?”

I sighed. “There are no sharks here.”

“Do you mean ‘here’ as in the ‘Pacific Ocean’ or . . . ?”

“Okay, yes, there are sharks in the Pacific Ocean somewhere but I don’t think—”

“Could you be a little more specific about the word somewhere?”

“Oliver,” I said. There was the flinch again. “If Patrick Swayze saw a shark, what do you think he would have done?”

“I also didn’t see this surf lesson involving that question.”

“Patrick Swayze would punch that shark in the nose,” I answered for him. “And that’s what I will do for you, okay?”

“For me?” He put his hand to his chest and pretended to be flattered.

“I told you, I’m a loyal friend. Kicking therapists, punching sharks, whatever it takes.”

“Okay,” he finally said. “Let’s do this.”

“Great,” I said. “Now let’s see what you’re made of.”

“I bet that’s what the sharks are saying right now,” Oliver muttered, but he paddled out behind me.

He had strong arms, it turned out, and the waves were flat enough that it wasn’t too hard to get past them and out to a few bigger swells. “What do you do if the waves are big when