Good Vibrations (Welcome to Paradise) (11 page)

Chapter 12

Mallory

The blonde leaves their table and sashays toward me with a self-righteous smile plastered on her face. Taking a deep breath, anticipating the worst, my defenses go up. This girl is on a mission and heading straight for me. I
’ve never been in a physical altercation before and I really don’t want to start now, but she looks kind of mean. I’m just hoping she’s not Evan’s girlfriend—at least not this week’s girlfriend.

Stopping right in front of me, hazel eyes narrowed and hands on her hips, she says,
“So, you’re the one that’s got my brother all in a tizzy.”

Sunny races over with a nervous smile on her face as if she’s here to rescue me. Although I’m uncomfortable, I smile at the ridiculously beautiful blonde, tilt my head, and lean forward. “Who’s your brother?”

“This is Kate,
Evan’s
sister,” Sunny replies.

When Kate smiles, it reveals her confidence and is more compassionate than I expected. Looking over her shoulder, I lock eyes with Evan who is standing up for a better view and looking quite worried. There’s no trace of his usual cocky smirk in sight.

“Yeah, so, it’s Mallory, right?”

I turn back to blondie. “Yes.”

She leans closer, lowers her voice, and says, “Any girl that can knock my little brother off his high horse deserves some respect.”

“I didn’t do anything to Ev—”

“Mallory barely knows him,” Sunny adds.

Kate looks at Sunny and furrows her brow then slowly turns back to me. “Is that so?”

By the insinuation in her tone, she knows more about my brief history with Evan than I’m ready to discuss. I decide to remain silent because anything I say might be used against me. I’m also embarrassed that this is playing out in front of Sunny since I haven’t told her about my tryst with Evan yet. Fortunately, I’m saved by the bell—the food’s ready. Sunny leaves to deliver their order.

Both Kate and I watch her stride over to their table, precariously balancing the food on a tray.

Kate crosses her arms over her chest and cocks an eyebrow up at me. “She doesn’t know about you and Evan?”

“No, it hasn’t come up in conversation. Believe it or not, I don’t even think about the time I spent with your brother and I know he doesn’t think about me, so it doesn’t matter anyway.”

She smirks and it’s unsettling in its familiarity. “I think you’re thinking about him more than you’re letting on, new girl.”

Anger burns inside as I feel my embarrassment over falling for Evan’s smooth lines and hard abs. “No offense, Kate, but your brother is an asshole.”

She bursts out laughing. After catching her breath, she says, “Mallory, I think we’re gonna be good friends.”

“I’m confused. Yesterday, he was renting porn with two sluts. Today, you,
his sister
, wants to be my friend. Yeah, so a little confusing, don’t you think?”

“You’re different. I can tell. You’ve got a brain, first of all,” she says with a smile. “You seem cool and if I’m being direct, which I always am, Evan had some nice
and
interesting things to say about you.” She stands up and rests her hand on the bar. “When’s your next day off?”

I’m too stunned to respond. This is the absolute craziest conversation I’ve had in a while and naturally it’s with another Ashford. I’m so fascinated by her that I reply, “Friday.”

“Great.” She looks at Sunny, who has returned. “Are you off on Friday, too? Mallory and I are going to get together.”

Sunny is puzzled, her expression mimicking exactly how I feel. “I can switch shifts with Johnny. I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“Perfect! I’ll make plans.” Kate pulls her phone out and I give her my number.

When she walks back to the table, I see Evan looking at me out of the corner of his eye. Kate sits down, and he immediately leans forward and starts to whisper. He seems angry. Kate laughs and pats him on the shoulder, blowing him off and turning her attention to Murphy.

Evan stands abruptly and stalks straight to me. My breathing stops in stunned anticipation of the inevitable confrontation. Before the movie store run-in, we hadn’t spoken since I told him to leave almost two weeks ago. Acid fills my stomach as the hurt and anger come flooding back, and it pisses me off that even with the incident yesterday fresh on my mind, I’ve actually missed him. His looks didn’t change to me. I thought my anger toward him, the hate I was feeling, would make him uglier to me, but it hasn’t. He’s beautiful, still too beautiful for his own good.

“We need to talk,” he says, placing his hands on the edge of the bar as if he needs the support. “When’s your break?”

Sunny gives me an
‘uh-oh’
look then disappears into the kitchen.

“Evan, you can go—”

“Mallory, are you ready to go?” Noah asks, interrupting. Both Evan and I both turn in his direction, neither of us noticing his arrival.

“Ashford,” Noah says with a nod. His voice is laced with detest, but he’s still polite enough to acknowledge Evan’s presence.

Evan returns an equally distasteful response. “Noah.” When he turns back to me, his expression is pained. Without another word, he turns and walks back to his table.  After yesterday and now this lame interaction, I don’t know how I feel about his mood swings or anything else having to do with him.

Noah says something, but I miss it.

“Um, sorry, what?”

He smiles, and says, “I was just asking if you were ready to go.”

I glance over at Evan one last time. Though he’s scowling, his eyes seem to plead with mine. Taking a deep breath, I reply, “My shift’s over. Sunny, we’re gonna cruise now.”

She hugs me, and whispers, “Are you sure, Mal? This whole situation is heavy, like you’re making a choice right now.”

“I’m positive.” I can be stubborn and mysterious too. I don’t need Evan Ashford, and refuse to give him anymore of myself than he already got.

As I walk out with Noah, I feel a pull at my back. Sneaking one more peek backwards at Evan, I have to stop to catch my breath as my heart races. I quickly remind myself that he just had a threesome yesterday. He’s not interested in me.
Get that through your head, Mallory!
With those thoughts swimming in my head, I catch up with Noah.

We drive Sunny’s bus to his parents’ house where he works on cars out in the back.  The weight of Evan hangs over us, but we remain quiet on the subject. As he works on the car, I resume the spot that I’ve become familiar with over the last two weeks—a tree stump I use as a stool. I’m comfortable here. It’s easy with no expectations, just friends.

He scrubs at the rust. “I have a competition out on the south shore in a few weeks. Maybe you can stop by and I don’t know… cheer me on or something.”

“Those have big waves this time of year, right?”

“
The waves are bigger in the winter. We’re hoping for seven feet, but I bet it’s only about five at best.” He looks up with a wide grin, his dimples deeper than usual, his enthusiasm contagious.
“You think you’ll come out?”

“Of course. I’d like that.” Looking around, I see an old, tropical wreath on the back door of the house. This feminine touch makes me wonder why he never mentions his family. “You never talk about your family.”

“Because I’m surrounded by them all the time. It gets really old. It’s nice to have the break.”

“You live with your cousins, but you work out in this shed?”

“Yeah, my parents set this up for me in high school when I took auto shop. I’ve customized all of their cars.”

“Do you have a large family?”

He laughs hard. “That’s an understatement. Sometimes I wonder who I’m not related to in Hawaii.” He chuckles again. “It’s hard to get away with stuff when everyone knows your family.”

“I’ve wanted to ask you about that—”

“Here it comes, the island gossips have been talking. What’d they say?”

“Confession time. What’d you do to land such a bad boy reputation?”

“Don’t believe everything you hear, Mallory.”

“I don’t. But, usually there’s some truth down deep in the gossip.”

He tells me about his rebellious years and how he started getting into trouble around thirteen and by fifteen he was hanging out with some kids that were wild like him. They would one up each other until his father caught them trying to steal a car. Noah’s jaw tenses as he stares out into the distance.

“What is it?” I ask. “What happened after you were caught?”

“My father said I couldn’t hang with ‘those troublemakers’ anymore. My cousins made up the rest of the gang, and he couldn’t forbid me to see them since our family is always together.”

“So you weren’t allowed to see your friends? What happened to them?”

He stands, pulling me up with him, and states, “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

I notice the immediate change in his demeanor over the topic and decide it’s best not to push.

“I think that’s the last of the rust. Next time I’ll start repainting this beauty. I should get you back. Sunny will be getting off work soon.”

He holds the door open for me to climb into the VW. Before he shuts it, he says, “Monday night, remember?”

“Of course, the bonfire Monday night. I didn’t forget.”

Chapter 13

Mallory

Friday is lunch with the girls. Kate, Sunny, and I sit at one of the most stunning hotels I
’ve ever seen. The restaurant on the deck overlooks the turquoise water and the view is incredible.

“I’m glad I came today. Thanks for the invite.” I smile at Kate though I can’t help the feeling that there’s more to this than just a girls’ day out.

“No worries,” Kate replies, tossing her hair behind her shoulders. She leans forward conspiratorially. “And this is just the first part of our day. We’re going to take a surfing lesson later.”

“Surfing, I’ve always wanted to try it, but it looks hard,” Sunny says, tapping her fingers anxiously on the table. “Is it safe?”

“Isn’t there reef or coral down there that can hurt us if we fall?” I ask.

“Don’t fall off and you’ll be fine. I’m sure the instructors will be happy to help hold you on the board.” Kate is confident in everything she says and does. I like her already.

“
Ladies
, fancy meeting you here.” Zach walks up, smiling. Sunny grabs her soda and starts sucking. I put my hand on her forearm to calm her. He kneels down next to her and asks, “How are you today, Sunny?”

She slurps the dregs of the soda. “I’m good.” Lowering her voice, she says, “How are you?”

“Actually.” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out on a date… with me… some time?”

I feel like I’m eavesdropping, but this is happening at the table. Keeping my attention on the ocean, I try to give them as much privacy as I can while attempting to hide my smile. Kate doesn’t bother with a charade and just stares at them.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Sunny blushes and looks down.

“Great! I’ll call you and we can set something up.”

They are so cute that I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. Sunny deserves a good guy and one who looks as good as Zach with his chiseled features and abs is just the cherry on top.

Kate taps the table, directly all eyes on her. “Sooo, what exactly went down between you and Evan at the porn shop?”

Shocked at her bold question, I say, “We weren’t at a porn shop.” My stomach twists at the mention of him, but I don’t have anything to be embarrassed about, so I tell her how I ran into Evan and those skanks at the video store. I also add my own editorial analysis for emphasis. “Just like everything else with him, it’s only about the mindless sex.”

“Listen, Mallory,” Kate says, her voice is calm and her expression thoughtful. “I may not know you very well, but I know my brother. He can be difficult and confusing sometimes.” She laughs lightly to herself. “But he can also be kind, and loving, and he’s really fucking loyal. I don’t know what the story is between you two, and I can’t say I’m not more than a little curious. But, I need you to know that what you saw the other day, those girls, he didn’t do anything with them. He was with me at home.”

“I saw him with the videos…and
those girls
, Kate. He most definitely had plans with them.” I grab my stomach at the memory as a pain shoots through my chest.

Kate sits back. “I wasn’t there when you saw him, but I was right after and he dropped them off. I’m only telling you this because I know you’re not going to believe him. I can already see you shutting him out, but please believe me when I say this, he’s a better guy than you’re giving him credit for.”

“This is exactly what I don’t understand. Why am I having this conversation with you and not him? Why won’t
he
talk to me? He won’t open up and just talk to me. It’s all games with him and I don’t want to play. I can admit that I was stupid. I did things that I thought I could handle and got burned when I couldn’t. I don’t blame him for that. But all the hurt, the emotions, those girls. I just can’t. I won’t put myself through that pain anymore.”

“He’s been hurt in the past too and he’s now hurting over you. I know the past is not your problem, but it haunts him.”

“Well this is news to me because I didn’t even know he liked me.”

“Of course, he likes you.”

“You make it sound so obvious and yet Evan seems to have gone out of his way to make sure I didn’t like him.” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest while staring out into the blue water. It seems everyone else is so willing to talk to me except the one person I wanted. I shake my head irritated even more than I was a few days ago. A few days earlier, I was angry and humiliated, but most of all hurt. I cried myself to sleep the entire past week and I’m tired of crying. “We’ve all been hurt!” I snap.

The three of them look at me, surprised by my outburst. I close my eyes and try to rid myself of the strong emotions that seem to engulf me when it comes to Evan. When I open my eyes again, Zach is shaking his head at Kate and whispering something about me knowing, but I didn’t catch it. She uses her eyes to answer him silently which makes me feel I’m definitely missing out on something.

“Is there something I should know?” I demand.

Zach looks at Kate one last time before turning toward me. “No, we were talking about someone else.”

As much as I want to delve into whatever they are secretly discussing, emotionally I’ve lost the energy, so I let it go.

When we finish our drinks, we follow Kate down to the surf shack located on the beach for our lesson. Zach and Sunny lag behind, chatting to each other and holding hands. It warms my battered little heart to see them together like that.

After catching up with Kate at the shack, I look up from my sandy toes and see Evan’s sea-blue eyes gazing right at me. “Mallory.”

“What are you doing here?” My tone is too harsh as my heart races because of the confusion of seeing him here.

Kate’s phone rings interrupting us. “Hey…
Oh!
I’m on my way.” Frantic, she says, “Mallory, I have to go. My friend…
cousin
…I just have to go.” She dashes off across the sand to the path.

“The lesson is already paid for,” Evan says. “I hope you’ll still take it. I’m not allowed to give refunds and I could get in trouble if you deny me. Well, deny the lesson that is.” He comes out from behind the counter, stopping in front of me with his hands on his hips… or should I say, right at the top of the sexy V his muscles form that leads to a dangerous and delightful place. I sigh out loud, missing those hands on me and missing that V.

“She’s staying,” Sunny says, her voice firm. “Zach said he can show me the basics. Evan, you can give Mallory a private lesson.”

Trying to set her on fire with just a look, I give her the evil eye, but she doesn’t back down. Zach reappears holding a board and takes Sunny down closer to the water. Looking back to Evan, I bow my head, and concede. “Sure. This should be interesting.”

Ten minutes later, I’m in a bulky life jacket, boobs squeezed tightly together—I think he tightened it like that on purpose. “Why am I in this life jacket? Sunny isn’t wearing one.” He chuckles and looks down. I’m pissed. “I don’t need this do I?”

“Technically, no, but I feel better that you’re wearing it if that makes a difference.”

I unsnap the clasps and pull the jacket off, tossing it into the sand. “It doesn’t.” Although it kind of does make me feel all better that he seems to care, warm inside too, but he doesn’t need to know that. “We should get back to the lesson.”

The next thirty minutes pass as I practice pop-ups on a large foam board set on top of the sand. Evan is analyzing my action, I mean my pop-ups, and smiles. “You look good. You ready to get in the water with me?”

Um, no… I would rather stay here on the beach feeling this awkward for the rest of the day.
I just think that, but don’t bother saying it. I know Evan will get all analytical on me saying that I’m just defensive.
Damn right, I‘m defensive.
Why am I having pretend arguments in my head?
I’ll tell you why. Because the pretty boy next to me has my soul and emotions all twisted and I don’t like it, not one bit. I roll my eyes, a little because of him and a lot because of me. “Let’s do this.”

He takes the board and carries it waist deep before setting it on top of the water. I follow, jumping as the waves hit against my chest. “Hop on,” he says, smiling. His voice is light and playful and I can tell he’s in his element.

I roll onto the board like some fat seal that has flippers instead of arms. “Are you sure you’re ready for the task at hand?” I ask, referring to my obviously not ready for surfing skills.

“Getting on is one of the hardest parts. You’ll get better at it.” He starts swimming next to me and dragging the board with him. He’s strong and I watch his muscles working beautifully together across his shoulders and back, but I scold myself for still finding him so damn attractive.

We go out quite a distance from the beach, when he says, “Let’s try once from here.”

Sunny and Zach have already caught a wave riding tandem. They make it look so easy.

Without warning, Evan says, “I’ve missed you.”

“You have?” I ask, surprised by his revelation.

“I’ve been thinking about you a lot.” I quickly remind myself that he’s a paradigm, he’s setting the mold. He’s not changing for me which helps keep my guard up. “Can we talk about that?” he asks, floating next to me.

“Talk about what? How you acted after our night together, those girls at the store? I don’t think we have much to talk about.” I look ahead and see Sunny and Zach on the beach waving at us. I sit up on the board to get a better look. “They’re waving
‘hello’
, right?” I ask concerned, and wave back.

I start paddling and look back at the wave coming up behind us. But Evan’s holding me steady in the water.

Then I see Zach grab Sunny’s bag off the sand and they walk away. “Are they leaving?” I’m nervous she’s gonna leave me with Evan all alone. “Get on. She’s my ride.”

He slides onto the board, bumping against my back then onto his knees looking over my head. “I think they are leaving.”

I lift my legs up onto the board and paddle with my hands even faster. “Harder, faster, Evan!”

He chuckles behind me. He’s got such a dirty mind and I like that. It makes me smile.

By the time we reach the shore, they are long gone. “I’m starting to think we’ve been set up,” I say, more to myself than to Evan.

He smirks like he always does and my knees weaken just as they always do when he does that.
Why does my body have to react like this to the bad boy? Why not the good guy, like Noah?
“I can drive you home.”

“No. That’s fine. I’ll call Sunny to pick me up.” I look around the shack for my stuff, but it’s all gone. “She took it, didn’t she? Ugh!”

Evan goes into the shack and tosses me a shirt. “I only have the one shirt, but you’re welcome to wear it, but I have to say you’re looking really hot in that bikini.”

I catch it. “Thanks, I guess.”
Don’t fall for his charms. Don’t fall for him again.

“Let me change into some dry shorts and I’ll take you home.”

I don’t have much of a choice, so I wait. He starts stripping his swim trunks off and although I should be polite and give him some privacy, it’s Evan, and he’s hot.

“
Mallory?
Mallory, you’ve got a little drool right there on the side of your mouth,” he says, mocking me. I have no response because I was busted and deserve the sarcasm. “You can change here or up at the hotel, wherever you feel more comfortable.” He walks out swinging his arm out to allow me entrance into the shack.

I look around and can tell that no one can see in there, so I walk in and duck down. After untying my bikini top, I set it on the counter and slip on the t-shirt. It’s large on me, but does the trick. I’ve actually seen dresses shorter than this, so I decide to take off my wet bottoms and place them on the counter. But one big gust of wind will definitely expose my hoo-ha to the world, so I tug at the bottom of the shirt to hold it in place, standing there—shoeless, braless, panty-less—with no money, phone, or dignity.

Evan tilts his head, slightly amused by my situation, and makes me an offer I can’t refuse. “Would you like to wear my briefs?”

“Very much,” I answer without hesitation.