He grunted thoughtfully. “They wanted you to be a politician?” he asked with a snort.
“Still do,” she grumbled. “Local politics only. They think the bigger stages should be reserved for men.”
“Um.” Kip stopped himself, but she heard the tone in his own word answer.
“Right now, they’re happy they can tell people I’m in the ‘medical field.’” She snorted and twisted her head and blocked the sun from her eyes so she could see him. “I’m a pharma rep. Like, no. Not the same thing.”
He smirked and returned his attention to the paper.
“I like your mission statement at the top. I never considered having a mission statement for life.”
Tessa smiled. She liked that part too.
“To live a life filled with adventure, poetry, and true love. And to be a person worthy of those things,” Kip read out loud.
It was a pretty cool mission statement.
“I see hot yoga has been black lined,” he said with a small chuckle. “Longboarding has a check. Ooh, surfing is on here.” He sent her a chin lift. “I can teach you that too.”
She covered her face with her arms. “Of course you can. You know how to do all the things.”
“Makeout during a thunderstorm, meet Double Blind Study, teach someone something, get a pilot’s license, see the Sydney Opera House at night, go glamping.” He stopped and she felt his eyes on her. “I can help you with a lot of these.”
“What about your list?” she asked, changing the subject. “When do I get to see it?”
“I don’t have it with me.” He folded up the paper before returning it to her bag. “But now that I’ve seen yours I think I need to reevaluate some of the things on mine.”
“Like what?”
He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t have a mission statement for one.”
She rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her.
“I’ve never been out of state,” he confessed softly. “I’ve never been farther than San Diego.”
Tessa dropped her arms away from her face so she could try to read his expression. It was lined with unspoken thoughts and his eyes were unfocused and pointed toward the sea.
When he didn’t offer anymore and several silent minutes had passed, Tessa reached for him. Her fingers grazed the octopus tattoo on his arm, and his eyes dropped to her hand.
“Tell me about this,” she said.
“Did you know,” he started, his tone brighter than before. “That octopus have three hearts?” He adjusted his long frame so he was propped on one elbow again, facing her.
“I did not,” she answered.
“One heart pumps blood throughout the body, and two pump blood to the gills. Also, they have blue blood because it’s primarily composed of copper instead of iron like ours.”
“That’s kind of amazing,” she said slowly and truthfully. What was also amazing was how Kip lit up when talking about the sea creature. “What else?”
“They have arms, not tentacles. Their arms each have their own type of brain, making them capable of doing many things at once without having to check in with the larger brain at its center. And their ink is used to help them get away from predators, like sharks.”
Tessa rolled onto her side, bringing her closer to him. She placed her hands in prayer position and use them as a pillow for her face. Kip brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.
“The male dies shortly after mating and the female stops eating once she lays her eggs and she starves. As such, young octopuses learn nothing from their parents and are completely self-taught.”
Something about the way he said that sparked curiosity in Tessa, but she filed it away for later.
“They’re intelligent, elegant creatures. They live in every ocean and range in size and color.” Kip stopped there, as if realizing he’d been speaking more than he was used to and he blushed, looking away.
“You like them,” she stated.
“I do,” he agreed. “I always… I don’t know…related to them, I guess?”
“You use them in your poetry,” she said.
He held her gaze and nodded.
“I want to kiss you,” she said softly.
His mouth curved into a sweet smile and Tessa sighed.
He was perfect.
***
KIP
“Before I give you this promotion,” Clarke began the conversation, causing Kip’s heart rate to spike.
Promotion?
For what?
Showing up?
That didn’t seem quite right.
Not letting the store burn down while she was out of town?
Again, that seemed like a pretty basic responsibility.
She eased back in her office chair and tapped the eraser end of a pencil on the tip of her nose, the square cut diamond on her fourth finger glittering in the sunlight streaming in from her office window. It was the only piece of jewelry she wore these days. A simple statement, but one that couldn’t be missed.
Her turquoise eyes watched him carefully.
Too carefully, if he was being honest.
He mirrored her casual posture, relaxing into the sofa cushions across from her desk. Her mouth pulled into a smirk and for a moment she looked just like her brother.
Kip pushed down the wave of nostalgia that sprang up.
Parts of his life that would never come back.
“You haven’t ever taken a vacation. Did you know that?” she asked.
Kip shrugged one shoulder and tipped his head towards the window that faced the ocean, the Huntington Beach pier in the distance.
“And where is better than here?”
He wasn’t fooling her.
“Are you happy, Kip?” she asked seriously but also gently.
He swallowed as he thought about all the paths life had taken to get him to this point, and while he’d always strived for grateful, he’d never considered happy as something sustainable.
Happiness moved around for people. For some it was a piece of chocolate cake or a nice glass of wine. Some people defined happiness by their level of success in relationships or their career.
Or sushi on the beach with a girl who made his heart smile.
Was he happy?
“I am happy,” he declared easily, taking himself by surprise.
Clarke’s soft smile belied the spark in her eyes. “Are you happy in your job?”
What had started as helping out his friends in a seaside surf shop a few days a week had turned into a fulltime job. Unexpected, but not unwelcome.
“You mentioned a promotion?” he asked slyly as his answer.
Clarke sighed and a touch of sadness graced her smile. “Mike asked me to take the year off and go with him. And I said yes.”
“You’re leaving us?” Kip asked in surprise.
Clarke had worked on the Mothership since its inception.
She used to intern at a competing surf company and Shane had poached her. She ran the West Coast operations, became VP of Operations, and grew Soaring Bird to sizes no one expected.
Well, Shane probably expected it. But the rest of them? Notsomuch.
When Kip thought about Huntington Beach, he pictured Clarke. She’d been the face of his hometown for as long as he could remember. She embodied the energy and soul of Surf City.
“Love makes you do the whacky,” she said with a light laugh. “I miss him. Being apart used to be easy since the both of us were used to being on our own. But when he asked if I’d come with him for a year, I didn’t even have to think about it. I know he’d do the same for me. I think that’s what makes it right.”
Kip imagined being married to a rock star couldn’t be easy. Clarke made it look effortless and even glamorous as she flew in and out of SoCal to join him on tour, while successfully running Soaring Bird. It made sense that eventually she’d tire of the back and forth.
“When?” he asked.
“In a few months.” Her eyes slid to the cal
endar on the wall. “I want to make sure the fall launch goes smoothly.” She returned her gaze to him. “I want you to take over for me.”
“What’s that now?” Kip asked, thinking he’d misheard.
“Unless you don’t want it,” she added. “You were sort of forced into the job and I never expected any of you to stick around. But here we are. You’re a natural leader with excellent instincts. Your colleagues respect you and more than that, they’re inspired by you.”
Kip’s head swam with the unexpected compliments. While being a leader hadn’t felt natural to him, he’d also never backed away from the role.
Vice President of operations. Him. The dude who hadn’t even worn real shoes in a week.
That was a title that held more career in it than he had ever planned for. If he didn’t know anything about the company, it would be a flat no. But seeing as he knew both it and the creator in all ways except biblically, it wasn’t such an easy choice.
“Think about it.” Clarke eyed him. “Don’t make a decision for a few days. Maybe take some time off and really consider if this is something that you want.”
Her words repeated in his head again and again throughout the day.
Could he work at Soaring Bird the rest of his life?
Yeah, easily.
He loved his job—the people, the customers, location, perks—there really was no down side.
“I need a favor.”
Kip looked up to see Adam leaning into his face like he’d been trying to get his attention. Kip hadn’t even noticed he’d arrive.
“What kind of favor?” Kip asked, sliding the last pair of sunglasses into the case and locking it.
“The kind where I will owe you big.”
Kip blinked at him.
Hm.
Adam didn’t ask for favors. But his nervous energy made Kip suspect this wasn’t a normal favor.
“I need details before I agree to anything.”
Adam followed Kip to the back of the store and into the warehouse section.
“I would usually ask Steve for this, but he’s out of town or something.”
“Yeah, surfing adventure around the world. It was in his last newsletter.”
“Whatever,” Adam waved it off. “I’m supposed to be taking Jessica to the family cabin to celebrate our one year anniversary next weekend and I need you to come with.”
Kip stopped moving boxes off the loading pallet and stuck his hands on his hips.
“You want me,” he paused and Adam nodded, “to join you on an anniversary trip with your girlfriend.”
“Well, I’m thinking about breaking up with her.”
“Yeah,” Kip nodded, his eyebrows raised. “That sounds like the best idea you’ve ever had.”
Adam rolled his eyes at Kip’s sarcasm.
“We’ve just been fighting a lot and I realized it’s not working out. But she’s been looking forward to this trip, so I want to wait to end it until after—like a week or so. But I’m afraid that if it’s just the two of us, I’ll do something stupid and ruin the whole trip for her.”
“And having me there is your least stupid idea?” Kip asked.
Adam gesticulated in exasperation. “You’d bring a date, obviously.”
“Obviously,” Kip repeated, incredulous.
“I just think that if there’s another couple there, we won’t, you know…”
“Talk about your issues?”
“Exactly!” Adam nodded enthusiastically. “You get it!”
“Not even a little.” Kip shook his head, both disappointed and confused by his friend. “Where are you taking her?”
“Yosemite. The family cabin near Wowona.”
Huh.
Well that was interesting.
He hadn’t revisited the idea of going on a road trip with Tessa since the night all the secrets had come out. To tell the truth, he was kind of afraid to bring it up again. What if she had changed her mind now that she knew more about him.
Except that seemed silly. And it didn’t fit with what he knew about her as a person.
But now they weren’t just friends spending time together and getting to know each other. They were dancing on the edge of love and a real relationship, and asking her to go away with him for a weekend might be pushing things too fast.
For both of them.
Yosemite was on his list of places he wanted to go. And Clarke’s earlier urging that he take a vacation echoed in his mind.
Was it too soon to ask Tessa to go away for a weekend?
That was a huge step in any relationship, but it seemed especially huge for them.
“Let me see if I can get the time off, okay?” Kip turned around to return to his task. He’d text Tessa on his break and see what she thought about it.
Two arms wrapped around him from behind as Adam tackle-hugged him.
“You’re the best.”
“Don’t make this weird, dude.”
“Right.” Adam let him go and started walking backwards. “Let me know as soon as you can.”
***
TESSA
The email notification pinged and Tessa rolled her eyes from the other side of her office. It was reflexive more than anything else.
The email could have been totally benign and insignificant.
But her gut told her otherwise.
She sat down in her fabulous chair—her butt instantly comforted—and slid the cursor over the email app.
“How about you just do your job for once, Wendy,” she muttered under her breath.
All day long she and Wendy had been fighting via email. It was getting obnoxious and Tessa was over it.
In the past, she probably would have just done the shit Wendy had asked her to do and been bitter about it later. But she was done staying late to catch up on Wendy’s paperwork so Wendy could go home and take her “mental health” bubble bath.
Yes, Tessa was paid hourly. But she didn’t get to collect on the extra commission involved in the accounts she was filing on Wendy’s behalf.
Ugh.
Wendy.
Tessa’s phone lit up on her desk with a new text message. She was already smiling before she even opened it, that’s how dopey Kip made her feel.
She read the text a few times to make sure it said what she thought it said.
Kip wanted to go away with her for a weekend?
Well, with a group it sounded like. But still, a weekend trip.
Did that mean sexy times?
Because that was a conversation they hadn’t had.
Yet.
Sexy times with Kip sounded…
Tessa jumped when her phone rang in her hand.
Mom.
Cool.
“Hey, mom.”
“I only have a moment, I’m just walking into my hair appointment.”
Then why call, Tessa thought wryly.
“I was hoping you’d be able to make it for dinner next weekend. We’re having some new members of the club over and I’d love for you to meet them. Also, if you could wear that black Julien MacDonald?”
Tessa cleared her throat. “Actually, I have plans with Kip that weekend.” And thank God for that, she added silently.
Her mother made a strangled sound on the other end of the line. “Kip?”
Oh crap.
Before she could respond, her mom kept going.
“John and Marsha Carter’s son? I had no idea you two were dating! How exciting! Let’s do dinner tomorrow then. Bring Kip.”
“Um, okay.” Tessa found herself winded and confused. Agreeing seemed the easiest way out of this perplexing moment.
It worked because her mom spit out some more instructions before hanging up.
Tessa sent a reply to Kip in the affirmative. As long as he agreed to dinner at her parents tomorrow.
She set the phone aside and answered Wendy’s last passive- aggressive email with a flat-out refusal to do any more work for her.
She was worth more than t
hat.
CHAPTER 15
all at once
my words mean more
they have a life
outside of me
they grow and bloom in you
tying our hearts into knots
-Cristoforo Luca
KIP
He gripped the inside handle of Tessa’s car as she slid it into park. He fought back the swallow he knew would be audible if he gave in to it.
Part of him knew all of this.
He and Tessa had grown up in the same zip code. Money, luxury, extravagance—all par for the course.
But the Tessa he’d gotten to know—this remarkable, hilarious, smart woman he’d fallen for—she didn’t fit in this neighborhood. He was having difficulty reconciling the woman by his side with the mansion in front of him
One glance to his left and more unease filtered through his skin and settled in the pit of his stomach.
Tessa wore a black bodycon dress with black strappy Jimmy Choos.
The only reason he had been able to identify them as Jimmy Choos was because his mother had the same pair.
Tessa always looked fantastic. No matter what she was in—work clothes, skinny jeans and Vans, bikini and sarong. Tessa always belonged.
But there was something different about tonight’s attire. Something that harkened back to the girl he’d wanted to get to know better in high school.
Something… practiced.
Kip focused on his steps as he joined her on the walkway leading up to the house.
“You okay?” she asked, bumping the back of his hand with her own, as if to remind him she was there.
“Yeah,” he lied. Which only made him feel worse.
But what could he say? Not the truth. Not when the truth was still undefined and too complicated to line up words in a coherent sentence that might make sense.
When they reached the door, Tessa didn’t knock, she just let herself in.
The house wasn’t really any different than any other he’d seen in the zip code. Somewhere between a mansion and an estate, with an open foyer layout, stone floors and high ceilings.
Sushi and Sun Salutations Page 15