Crashing Waves (22 page)

"Yeah, but no matter what, you were both happy."

"That's true, we were about as happy as anyone could be living in a shack and barely making enough money to pay the bills."

"That's not my life."

"I know. I realized after your accident, that you had everything you'd ever wanted in your life. You'd found happiness and become very successful all on your own. I was so proud of you and I didn't know how to tell you that and it was too late. Your world had shattered in an instant, just like mine, but the difference was, you had Martie there to pick up the pieces."

"You left because you thought I'd replaced you in my life with Martie? That's ridiculous. You're my mother. She's my best friend."

"We both know she's more than that and…I'm glad you have her in your life."

"She'll always be there, but only as my best friend," Rory corrected.

"Is that because of the schoolie you brought with you?"

"Austin is just a friend. She has nothing to do with any of this. Martie and I had broken up long before the accident because we're better off as friends. If you'd been an actual mother to me all of these years, you would've known that."

"Fine. There's no need to continue beating a dead horse, Rory."

"I need to get ready to go. The last thing I want to do is miss my flight," Rory said, walking out of the room.

Angel saw Austin coming down the stairs with her suitcase a few minutes later. "Bob would've brought that down for you."

"Thank you, but I've got it."

Angel stepped closer. "I don't know you and I don't know what your intentions are with my daughter, but Rory's an extraordinary person and if she allows you in her life, you must be pretty exceptional yourself. Trust me. I know what it's like firsthand to be on the outside looking in. If you care for her, like I believe you do, hold on tight and never let go."

Chapter Thirteen

Rory had been back from Australia for nearly three weeks. Despite how hard she tried, she couldn't get Austin off her mind. She avoided her on the long flight home and had gone as far as blocking all of her calls. She was scared she'd be tempted to go into the fire smoldering between them again. The flames had burned her once, creating wounds that would probably never heel. She'd lost all self control, allowing the hunger deep inside of her to take over. The only time she'd ever felt like that had been when she was dropping on a double overhead wave. She'd had to let go in order to own the wave, using everything it gave her and riding it like its purpose in the ocean was solely for her use. Treating Austin aggressively and using her like the face of a wave had broken Rory, splitting her at her core.

It was too late to take it all back. The damage had been done. Feeling the same powerful yearning for Austin that she'd once felt for surfing both alarmed and terrified her. She felt paralyzed. She heard the crashing waves again and sensed the calling, but it wasn't the ocean summoning her. It was Austin.

Why do I need you so much?
Rory thought of Austin as she stared at the waves washing ashore under the moonlight. She'd been sitting on the beach behind her house for the past two hours, trying to justify her actions over the last few months. She had been driven by a passion that ran through her like the blood in her veins. Nothing made sense, yet everything circled back around to the young woman who had invaded her mind and her heart.

Regardless of how badly she wanted to turn away from Austin and run in the opposite direction, Rory knew the fighting was over. She was defeated. She'd finally come to terms with knowing that Austin had come into her life for a reason. Austin awakened parts of her that she thought were dead and gone, making her feel alive again. Her soul had risen from the bottom of the ocean floor. Denying it, she would only be lying to herself.

~ ~ ~

Rory had made a promise to Austin and she intended to keep it. The next morning, she dressed in black pants with a light blue blouse that brought out her baby blue eyes, and drove towards the address on the invitation that she'd received two days before.

She arrived at the concert style arena with twenty minutes to spare as she parked in an open space and walked inside. Thousands of friends and family members were seated in the upper and lower level areas and the arena floor was full of graduates sitting in folding chairs. Rory took a seat on the side in the lower level, but was still too far away to make out any of the students' faces.

~ ~ ~

The commencement ceremony had finally begun. Austin was tired from spending the last two days with her mother and father since they'd arrived separately. She wished they'd just get along enough to see her graduate and then go back to their separate lives. She stared up at all of the people in the surrounding seats, wondering where each of them had decided to sit. Her chest ached, knowing the one person that she had wanted to be there more than anything, wasn't. She hadn't heard from Rory since the day they'd said goodbye in the airport. Austin wasn't sure who was happier, Rory or Lori, when she saw that Lori had surprised her, arriving in time to pick her up. She'd left half a dozen messages and had sent her an invitation to the ceremony. All had gone unanswered.

Austin wasn't exactly sure where things had gone wrong in Australia. One minute, she was asking Rory about her family and the next, she was up against a tree with the world spinning off its axis around her. Seeing the raw desire in Rory's eyes and feeling it as she touched her, had been the most incredible experience of her life. She craved Rory like a desert awaiting a thunderstorm. It scared and excited her. Knowing she may never see Rory again, made her feel frozen and numb. She'd been going through the motions for the past few weeks, finishing her final exams, and making sure she had everything in line to graduate, all while working double shifts and surfing every day. She was tired, but sleep had been the farthest thing from her mind each night.

~ ~ ~

Rory watched as the two hour ceremony finally ended. Each graduate stood, tossing their cap into the air and cheering. She smiled, remembering what that day had been like for her. Her mind drifted back to Angel and the heated conversation they'd had just before she'd left, but her eyes locked onto Austin before her thoughts could go any further. She quickly made her way through the crowd, stopping when she noticed Lori and an older woman with blond hair who was rushing up to Austin with her arms spread wide. She watched the mother and daughter exchanging hugs and wiping away tears as they smiled together. She thought of Angel again and the relationship she longed for, but would never have. A man with brown hair and a thin beard walked up to the group, hugging Austin. When she saw Lori wrap her arms around Austin's neck, she turned to walk away.

"Rory?" Austin questioned, staring at the impeccably dressed woman. She grabbed her arm, spinning her around.

"Congratulations," Rory said. "I…uh…I should go."

"No, please don’t go." Austin reached out, interlacing her fingers with Rory's and pulling her along. "These are my parents, Janice and Derrick."

Rory stuck her hand out, smiling briefly at Lori, who was standing between the man and woman. "Rory Eden," she said.

Janice eyed her suspiciously. Rory watched her eyes, letting go when they landed on her and Austin's joined hands.

"I need to get to the office, but I wanted to say congratulations."

Austin walked a few feet away from her family with Rory. "I'm glad you came…I…"

"We need to talk, but that can wait. Today is your big day. Go celebrate with your family and call me in a day or two." Rory patted her arm and walked away.

~ ~ ~

Rory walked from her office into the conference room down the hall. She opened the file she'd been carrying, displaying its contents on the table in front of her.

"I'm glad everyone was able to make this meeting on short notice. I've been going over our P&L statements for each department. We obviously know the prime of snow season has passed and we're coming up on the backbone of surf season. I wanted to let you know that we finished the snow season with record numbers. Our winter apparel line has taken off. We surpassed our budget and there are still a few months left for that category. We took on a fairly new department and a brand new category this year for snow and they have both produced unbelievable numbers. At the rate we're growing in this department, we could easily surpass Burton to be the leader in the snowboarding industry by this time next year." She paused, changing the page in front of her to another spreadsheet.

"With surf season coming to a head, we have a lot of work to do. This is our bread and butter, ladies and gentlemen. This is where we shine. We are the leader in the surfing industry and I intend to keep it that way. For the past two years, the surfing industry has driven this company and I expect this season to greatly exceed the budgeted numbers. We also have the new additions to the summer apparel line that are starting to pick up dramatically. I expect this category to exceed its budget as well. Does anyone have anything to add on the categories or departments?"

Martie spoke first. "I think the numbers that we're producing are amazing so far and if the surf department continues in the same direction that it's heading in, then we should definitely exceed all of our expectations."

"I agree, the sky is the limit," Lisa chimed in.

"Wonderful, Lisa, you'll need to make sure the April events are covered by all of our reps. I will not be attending any of the tour events for the next two months. I will however, be in France for the Roxy Jam at the end of May. I have some personal business to attend to and I'll be out of the office for about three or four weeks. I'll have my phone and laptop with me and I'll be checking in daily. Please rely on Martie with any pending or time sensitive issues. I know this isn't the best time of year for me to take some time off, but I'm confident that everyone knows how to do their jobs. Starting with the Roxy Jam, I plan to be at the rest of the events this year. Are there any questions?" She paused. "None? Wow, speechless, I love it," she said, grinning as she closed the file and stood up.

Outside of the room Martie caught up to Rory. "Don't start. Meet me in my office." Rory cut her off before she could say anything.

A few minutes later, Martie slammed the door to Rory's office. "What the hell is going on?"

"You're making an ass out of yourself. Calm down."

"Rory, I don't get you? Where are you going now?"

"I'm going back to Oahu for a little while."

"Your beach house in Pupukea? Why? You haven't been back to Hawaii since the…oh, Rory, are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, I need to go back. It's time."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No. You're needed here…besides—"

"You're taking her? You've barely spoken to me about your trip to Australia and you haven't mentioned her once. What happened while you were there?"

"Martie, she needs consistent training on unpredictable waves if she plans to go pro. You know how that works. Hell, that's why I bought that house anyway, for my own training."

"I can't believe you're doing this, Rory."

"It's not your—"

"Are you surfing again?" Martie wanted to choke the life out of her best friend.

Rory looked deep into Martie's green eyes. "Martina, I'm going to forget you had to even ask me that."

"I'm sorry," Martie sighed.

"Let it go. I made a promise to Austin and I'm going to follow through. I'm giving myself a few weeks to teach her how to make her style consistent and competition worthy. There's a small amateur competition at Chun's Reef, in three weeks. If she's good enough to enter that, then I'll let her. Whatever happens there will be the clincher. She'll either do really well and be able to enter the next Pro Am qualifier, or she'll fall back on the college degree she just earned. I guess we'll see."

"So you have this all worked out do you?"

"Martie, you're my best mate, back me up just this once, please. Bloody hell, you're as cross as a frog in a sock!"

"English, Rory!" Martie shook her head.

"Oh, piss off," Rory grinned.

Martie laughed. "Alright. You want to do this, then fine, but don't say I didn't tell you otherwise. I'm not…I can't be there to pick up the pieces of your life this time, Rory. I just can't do it."

"I know. I'm not asking you to and my life's not falling apart. My company is on top and my life is finally going in some kind of direction. There's nothing you need to worry about."

"Going back to Hawaii for the first time since the accident is going to be the hardest thing you will ever do. I…I wish I was going with you."

"I know, mate. I'll be okay."

"I can't believe you're taking her there with you. There's something going on that you're not telling me."

"I can't explain it, Martie. I feel like I can give something back to the sport if what I see in her is real. It scares me to death. I don't want her to get hurt. I couldn't…I don't know what I'd do, but I made her a promise and I don't break promises."

"That's definitely the truth. Why does it have to be
her
? That's what doesn't make sense to me."

"I don't even understand it myself. She…there's something about her. She makes me enjoy surfing again. I don't know what that means."

"Are you in love with her?" Martie asked.

Rory looked across her desk and into her best friend's golden eyes. "I don't know," she sighed. "You're the only person I've ever loved, but this…this is something completely different."

"If she breaks your heart I'll beat her to death with a surfboard," Martie said, seriously.

Rory raised her eyebrows, believing without a doubt that the woman sitting across from her wasn't lying.

"When are you leaving?" Martie asked.

"As soon as I tell her and…"

"What! You haven't even talked to her about this?"

"No." Rory looked away shyly.