Making Waves

by Nicole Leigh Shepherd

“That girl I saw you with. I don’t want to keep you from her. You’re obviously a very busy boy. And to think that you almost had me convinced …” My voice trails off.

  “Had you convinced of what?” Brody raises his left eyebrow.

  “Ugh!” I stamp off, my heart banging inside my chest. I barely get two steps before I turn back around in disgust. “Let me guess, did you offer to train her too? Is that your line, playa?”

  My phone buzzes. I glance down at a text from Zoe. She tells me that she and my friends have gone to Bubba Gump after all and that I should meet them there when I’m done giving Brody a piece of my mind. She also asks if I’m okay. I quickly reply.

  “You mean my sister?” Brody replies, rubbing his chin.

  “Really, Brody? The sister excuse? I might be younger than you, but I’m not stupid.” I lean to the side and examine the girl Brody was waiting in line with. She’s chatting with a group of girls outside Mariasol. Naturally, Lexi is among them. I ignore her—I’ve had enough of Lexi to last a lifetime—and concentrate on the girl. She looks nothing like Brody. “I’m sorry. I’ve been to your house countless times and I’ve never seen a sister hanging around.”

  Brody crosses his arms across his chest. “Then go ahead. Ask her.” He steps to the side, clearing my way to the girl.

  “I don’t need to ask her. I know enough.”

  “Do you?” Brody’s eyes narrow, and for the first time since I’ve known him, he actually looks disappointed with me.

  Before I can say anything, though, a fat seagull swoops down. I duck out of the way as Brody reaches over to cover my head. I catch another whiff of his Drakkar cologne. He doesn’t usually wear it during practice.

  I can feel the heat slowly begin to sear through my chest and I take a few steps backward, away from Brody’s protective form. “I better get back to my friends,” I say. I’m tempted to tell him to forget about our training sessions as well, but my heart won’t let my mouth utter the words. I have to win that scholarship if I’m ever going to have a shot at a four-year school.

  “Look. We’re both here. And my sister—she really is my sister by the way—can hang out with her friends for a while,” he says, placing his hands on my shoulders. “I think we need to talk.”

  “Let’s say I believe you. And I’m not saying that I do.” I take a few more steps back to make my point. “But it’s too public here. Remember what happened with Brooke and Greg?”

  Brody clears his throat, looking over his shoulder at Pacific Park. “Well, what about the Ferris wheel then? It’ll just be the two of us.”

  “I really should go,” I say, taking a deep breath. If the girl was Brody’s sister, wouldn’t Amber have known? Presumably, they all went to Upper Crest together, didn’t they?

  “No one will see us up there,” he continues to plead. “You don’t have to worry about being spotted and we can finally get a chance to talk … in private.”

  I look back at the girl; her straight blonde hair looks nothing like Brody’s tousled brunette tresses. “We talk plenty at training. And I think we should leave it at that.”

  “That’s not really talking though, is it?” He looks so sincere it’s hard to believe he’s lying to me. But my brothers—and Nick—have taught me better.

  “Brody, I’m sorry, but I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “How could one ride on the Ferris wheel be bad?” The light from the fireworks illuminates his green eyes. “You and me being high up in the air, gazing at the scenery?” He pauses and adopts a softer tone. “You? Me?”

  I melt, ignoring the part of my brain that insists—courtesy of Jason—that people like Brody think they deserve to get whatever they want. “Okay. One ride,” I give in. But, I’m pretty sure I’ll come to regret my decision.

  “Orange or yellow?” Brody asks as we wait our turn to board the Ferris wheel.

  “Huh?” I’m looking around frantically, concerned that one of Denise’s moles has already spotted us.

  “Orange or yellow?” he asks again. “What color car do you think we’ll get?”

  “What?” I stammer. I shouldn’t be here. I should have gone with my gut.

  “If you guess the right color, then you’re a free woman. If you guess wrong, then you’ll have to come to the Luau with me.”

  “Brody, don’t start that again.” I shake my head. “You still haven’t told me about your ‘sister.’” Or much of anything else, I think. But I don’t want to press my luck family-wise. Right now I have the upper hand, but the last thing I want is for my family’s disapproval of all the things he stands for to come out.

  “Deal?”

  “Uh …” I look up at the cars circling around. The Ferris wheel creaks as it makes its way to a stop, the cars above us swaying back and forth like a bunch of individual pendulums. “Yellow,” I finally say, my urge to compete overriding my willpower. As soon as the word is out of my mouth, I turn around and place my hands over my eyes. “I can’t look.”

  Clang. The Ferris wheel squeaks to a halt in front of us.

  “Orange,” Brody shouts. He holds his hands up in victory. “Looks like you’ll be going to the Luau with me.”

  “I didn’t actually agree to that, you know.” I saunter past Brody and the attendant, ignoring their respective attempts to assist me, and slide into the car.

  Brody settles in next to me, looking a little embarrassed that he didn’t have a chance to play the chivalric knight, and the Ferris wheel begins to rotate. I scooch to the other side of the plastic seat and look out at the crowds to my right, giving Brody the silent treatment.

  He quickly fills the conversational void. “It was a tacit agreement. You entered into a contract with me by voting on the color of the car.”

  I turn to face Brody directly. “Whoa there, Mr. Wilson. Slow down with the lawyer talk.”

  Brody’s cheeks redden. “Sorry about that. Bad habit.”

  “Yeah, I bet.” I pause, apprising Brody. “I thought you wanted to be a personal trainer? I had no idea you were thinking about law school.”

  “I’m not. I wasn’t kidding about wanting to work with athletes.”

  “Yeah, we all know that’s why you really wanted to train me.” I jokingly punch Brody in the shoulder, surprising myself with how quickly I’ve managed to get over the possibly fake sister routine.

  “Nah, it’s just an added bonus.”

  “So if you don’t want to be a lawyer, then how do you know all that stuff?”

  “You could pick up that jargon from watching television …” His voice trails off.

  “But you didn’t, I’m guessing?”

  The Ferris wheel jolts to a stop to let another couple on board. Our car rocks back and forth, and I can feel the wind on my face. I shiver and pull my jacket sleeves over my hands.

  Brody looks out at the people below us. They’ve already begun to seem like miniature toys. “No, I didn’t.”

  “So, then, how?”

  “I’ve just been around a lot of lawyers.” The Ferris wheel cranks as it starts up again.

  My stomach drops as we resume our ascension to the top. “Because of your parents’ divorce?”

  “Yeah …” Brody turns back around to face me directly. “So I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you about Mara.”

  “Mara?”

  “My sister—the girl you saw before.”

  I mentally revisit my initial impression—the girl’s coloring looked nothing like Brody’s, but were there other features I ignored?

  “Yeah. She lives with my dad in Brentwood when she’s not at boarding school. Has ever since my parents split up.” He pauses. “The divorce left us all pretty torn up—lots of lawyers, lots of baloney—so we never really used to talk much. She basically has no relationship with my mom.”

  “Oh.” I stare at Brody, really stare, taking apart the features that have become so familiar to me—his firm chin, his defined cheek bones, the way his brows are set—yeah, I ca
n see the resemblance there.

  “We’ve had a lot going on with my family—or what’s left of it.” Brody looks down at his hands. “So, um, Mara and I thought it was as good a time as any to catch up.” He stops talking.

  I wait for him to elaborate—to tell me whether his family problems have anything to do with why he’s not in Michigan—but there’s total silence on his end. Clearly, that particular conversation is over.

  Fireworks sparkle across the sky, sending streams of red, blue, and yellow over the cliffs. On any other night, it’d be the perfect recipe for a make out, but Brody’s moves seem to have suddenly disappeared. He stares into his hands, looking more vulnerable than I’ve ever seen him.

  I feel like a total jerk. I should never have mistrusted him. I reach over and lift his chin up so that he’s facing me. “Brody, I’m so sorry. I should have believed you.”

  A firework pops in the distance. “How can I expect you to believe me? I haven’t been totally honest with you since the day we met.”

  “You haven’t?” My stomach drops as our car nears the top. The last thing I want to hear is that my brothers have been right all along.

  “There are just some things going on in my life that I just can’t tell you about. At least not right now.”

  I squirm, sliding back away from Brody. My imagination roams with the possibilities.

  Brody reaches across the distance, placing his hand over mine. “But I want you to know this—training with you this summer—has meant a lot to me.”

  A smile begins to burst at the edges of my lips, but I squash it before it can fully take hold. “That’s sweet of you to say, but …”

  “But what?”

  “But you still haven’t told me what changed,” I squeak. “Why you’re here in California …”

  “Abs, I want to tell you, but I can’t get into it right now.”

  “You can’t give me any clues?” I square my body, placing one hand on the lap bar.

  Brody laughs so hard that it spreads to his eyes. “You really are persistent, aren’t you?”

  I look down at my feet. Strands of hair fall out of my ponytail.

  “No, it’s okay. It’s one of the things I like most about you.” He moves my hair behind my eyes. “Like I said when we were out on the boat, I have my priorities in line now. I didn’t when I first met you.”

  Ka-boom. Another firework explodes, catching us both off guard.

  “Did you see that?” Brody points to the descending remains of a fizzling blue firework.

  I peer out, trying to get a better view just as we arrive at the wheel’s highest point. The car sways and I fall across Brody’s chest. He scoops me up with his arm.

  I shudder—I shouldn’t let him hold me. But then, before I know it, I’ve given in to the safety of his embrace. “So where do we go from here?” I whisper.

  “Well, I’d like to keep training you for one,” he says softly, running his free hand along my cheek.

  “Okay …” I hesitate. “I think that can be arranged.”

  “And I’d like to kiss you ….”

  I freeze up and try to extricate myself from Brody’s grasp. If we were ever going to kiss again, now—with the pier below us and the stars above us—would be the time. But I can’t let myself dive into that particular pool.

  Brody pulls me back in one gentle but firm motion. “It’s okay. I’m not going to try. I know how much your job means to you.”

  I relax against his chest.

  “But promise me this: Forget that little deal we just made with the cars—you know, guessing the colors.” He continues before I can insist that we didn’t actually make a bargain. “How about this instead: if you win the competition, then you’ll go to the Luau with me?”

  “Are you serious? Another deal?” I exclaim. “That’s like the fourth one you’ve tried to make with me in the last month.”

  “I’m desperate.”

  “Clearly. And don’t go telling me again that it’s just because I love games—”

  Brody cuts me off. “Abs, I mean it. Think about what I’m saying.”

  I bite my lip. “That might not be the best idea.”

  “I know. I know. You’re worried about your job—for this year, next year, and knowing you, probably also ten years in the future.”

  I giggle at that one.

  He turns my head so I’m looking deep into his eyes. “But doesn’t all that worrying get exhausting? Don’t you ever just want to say what the heck?”

  The breath sucks out of my lungs. I feel like I’m going to leave a puddle of myself on the car floor. “I can’t,” I say. “I need that scholarship. If I win it—when I win it—I can’t risk the club’s taking it away.” With every ounce of restraint I can muster, I slide to the opposite side of the car, pulling my jacket tighter.

  The car starts moving again.

  Brody stares at me and bites his lip. “It’s going to be one long summer, Abs.”

  I sit on my trembling hands. He has no idea.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  After an early morning workout on the beach a few weeks later, I’m in the tower checking my assignment when Katie steps beside me.

  “Looks like we’re together again.” Katie beams. She’s dressed in full lifeguard gear—a fire engine red bathing suit, tank, and shorts—and gathers her short blonde hair into a small pony.

  “I think it’s safe to say that we’re officially partners.” I grin, thinking about how much I’ve learned from Katie over the last month and a half. I still haven’t made a “real” save, but she’s been pretty amazing about showing me the ropes.

  “You’re too cute,” she says, squeezing out a glob of sunscreen onto her palm. She points to the orange sign next to the assignment sheet, the sunscreen bottle still in her hand. “So it says there that the currents are pulling people dangerously close to the cliffs today. We might have our first save of the season.”

  I read over the warning, mentally reviewing everything I’ve learned about rips. “How will I know where the current is?” My heart pounds.

  “I’ll show you how to spot the current once we get out there,” Katie says. “Remember, if a swimmer gets caught, tell them to relax. It only makes it worse if they swim against the current.”

  I nod intensely, trying to absorb everything Katie is saying.

  “Don’t be nervous. I’ll meet you out there in a sec. Okay?”

  Again, I nod.

  “I just want to confirm the rest of this week’s schedule with Denise.” Katie leaves to track down Denise in her office.

  I head to the exit, gnawing on my lip as I silently will Katie’s meeting with Denise to be the fastest in history.

  I descend the ramp to the beach and am met by a little girl with auburn pigtails. She’s wearing a pink bathing suit with metallic embroidered stars. But unfortunately the silver stitching isn’t nearly as noticeable as the tears that glisten in her eyes.

  I squat in front of her so we’re the same height. “Can I help you with something?”

  She vigorously shakes her head no, swinging her pigtails back and forth. “I’m not allowed to talk to strangers.” She sucks in a breath.

  “I’m a lifeguard. I’m here to help you,” I say. “See.” I show her the lifeguard insignia on my bag.

  She hiccups.

  “How old are you?” I ask.

  A fat tear rolls down her cheek.

  “What’s your favorite color?” I hope this will get her to open up.

  “Pink,” she says, whimpering.

  “Oooh, I love pink! Just like your pretty bathing suit.” I pause. “Did you lose your Mommy?”

  The little girl nods.

  “Okay …” I point to my bag again. “This says, ‘lifeguard.’ That means I’m here to help you find your mommy. It’s my job.”

  I hold out my hand to her, standing up.

  The little girl looks up at me and wipes her eyes with the backs of her hands. After a few seconds, s
he grabs my hand. “Okay.”

  I walk her back up the ramp. “We’re going to go in the tower and find out where your mommy is.” I hold the door open for her and discover that Brody has managed to squeeze by me while I was busy with the girl.

  My heart leaps—the tension between us has practically been boiling over lately—but I ignore him for the time being.

  “Here, sweetie.” I point to a chair. “You can have a seat here.” I wonder if Katie is still at the office with Denise or if she made it to the stand yet.

  The girl sits down, holding her legs tight against her chest.

  “Can you tell me your name?” I ask.

  “Victoria,” she whispers.

  “And your last name?”

  “Uh … Victoria Snyder Amy.”

  “Victoria Amy Snyder?” I gently correct her.

  She nods.

  “What’s going on?” Brody murmurs to me.

  “She lost her mom,” I whisper, picking up the walkie-talkie from its holder resting on the wooden ledge.

  “Aw … We’ll find her,” Brody says, pulling up a chair for himself.

  I call the front desk to see if anyone has reported Victoria missing.

  Meanwhile, Brody tries to comfort Victoria in my place. “Guess what?” he says, softening his voice.

  Victoria’s body stiffens like a board.

  “I lost my mommy once …” Brody clears his throat. “I lost my mom when I was little too.”

  Victoria’s eyes widen to the size of quarters. “You did?”

  I look back and forth between Brody and Victoria; he really couldn’t be handling her any better than he is. My heart melts like ice cream left out in the sun. Could he get any cuter?

  “Yup. I lost her for ten really scary minutes. At a beach club. Just like you.”

  He looks up at me when he hears me confirming Victoria’s story with her mom’s at the front desk.

  He mouths, “Is she there?”

  I nod.

  “You did?” Victoria inches closer to Brody.

  Brody winks at me, breaking into a wide smile as he quickly turns back to Victoria. “Uh-huh. And just like you, she found me at the lifeguard tower.”

  “What?!” Victoria screeches just as a woman busts through the door.