Pieces of Us - Carrie Elks Page 0,45

through the water in long, fast strokes, her board moving parallel to the shore.

“It’s here,” he called out. “Stand and try to ride it.”

She slid her feet forward, hands pressed against the flat of the board, then pushed herself to a wobbly stand. For a long moment she surfed along the crest, but then she lurched to the right as the wave began to peak, her body pushed under by the force. Griff swam toward the spot he’d last seen her, frowning when her board surfaced before she did.

“Autumn?” He pulled at the board. It was too light to be attached to her still. Damn! He dove under the water, moving his head to seek her out. His heart began to beat again when he saw her breaking the surface.

She was coughing and spluttering, shaking her head. He swam toward her, gathering her in his arms, smoothing the wet hair from her face.

“You okay?” he asked, frowning as he scanned her for injuries.

“I swallowed water,” she told him between coughs. “And snorted it, too.”

Relief made him want to laugh, but he managed to bite down the urge.

“Did you see that I caught it for a second?” she asked, tipping her head up to meet his gaze.

He grinned. “More than a second. It was at least three.”

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “It felt good, right until my mouth filled up with salt water.”

“You want to go back to the beach?” he asked her. “Try again another day?”

“No. I want to try again now. I want to stand for at least five seconds.”

He cupped her face, his hot gaze meeting hers. “You’re amazing, do you know that? You never let anything defeat you.”

Her lips curled up. “I have a good teacher.”

“Yeah, well this teacher wants to kiss you.” He watched as she glanced to the side. “It’s okay. I can wait until we’re away from prying eyes.”

“When we’re away from prying eyes, I can guarantee we’ll be doing more than kissing.”

“That’s why you’re my kind of girl.”

15

“Did you ask Dad to talk to Josh about something?” Lydia asked over the Bluetooth speaker as Autumn pulled her car into the parking lot of the Angel Sands Beach Club.

“No. Why would I?” She parked in a space a few cars down from the entrance. “I don’t have anything to say to him.”

“Oh.” It wasn’t like Lydia to stop at one word.

“Why do you ask?” Autumn grabbed her purse and checked her make-up in the mirror. “Has he said something to you?”

“I saw Josh coming out of Dad’s office yesterday,” Lydia told her. “I thought it must be something to do with your divorce.”

“The divorce is final. Everything is done. I never have to see him again.” And neither should her dad. Autumn frowned. Just the thought of him talking to her ex made her stomach contract, especially when she’d asked him not to. “What do you think they were talking about?”

“I’ve no idea.”

“Did they look friendly?”

“I don’t know. I was turning the corner and saw Josh walk out of Dad’s office door and into the hallway. I hid so he couldn’t see me. And when I saw Dad, he didn’t mention anything about it. Should I have asked him?”

Autumn sighed. “No. Don’t worry about it. It was probably nothing.” It had better be nothing. She gritted her teeth.

“Maybe he was asking Dad for a loan.”

“Ugh. I hope not. Listen, I gotta go. I’m about to head into a meeting.”

“Ooh, what kind of meeting? Is it with a guy?”

“There will be about fifty guys there. It’s a Chamber of Commerce meeting. I have to give a presentation about my plans for the charity day on the pier.”

“The one next month?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh! I have the most fantastic idea. I’ll come out to see you. I can help you with whatever you need.” Lydia’s voice rose with excitement. “Hey, and maybe I’ll get to meet that guy you keep pretending you don’t like.”

“I didn’t say I don’t like him.” Autumn shook her head with a smile. It was impossible not to be cheered by Lydia’s enthusiasm. “And it would be great to see you if you can make it. But I need to go before they drag me out of the car, okay?”

Lydia laughed. “Okay. Send me all the details and I’ll book a flight. I can’t wait to see you. It’s been forever.”

“It’s been a few weeks,” she pointed out.

“I know. But it’s usually me who flies off into the sunset while