“Oh, really?” I can’t help smirking. She obviously doesn’t know me, or she wouldn’t be giving me this much attitude. Maybe I like her because she doesn’t mind dishing it out. She’s exciting.
“Yes, really,” she says, smiling and walking up the stairs until she’s one step below me. She gazes up at me with determination. Looking down at her, all I see is blue; blue ocean behind her, blue sky above her, and those mesmerizing blue eyes. I get lost in them.
“Well, are you just going to look at me, or can I get past you to work? I could use a glass of water, too. I’ve gotten hot sitting out here.”
Dammit, how long was I staring at her? I barely move over and hold my arm up toward the house, signaling her to walk past me. There isn’t much room, so I feel her arm brush against my chest as she passes, and I just want to pull her against me.
I follow her into the kitchen and fix her a glass of water. Leaning back against the kitchen counter, I cross my arms and watch her. She quickly drinks her water, staring straight into my eyes the entire time. She’s different today, feistier, and I like it. Where’s this coming from? She sits the glass down.
“Thanks for the water.”
“No problem. You can help yourself anytime. How’s the arm?”
“It’s healing well. I better get to work.”
Her perfect little ass sways as she walks out of my kitchen, and I watch it until she’s out of my sight. She’s wearing black shorts and a snug, white tank top. Those shorts hug her ass just right. I’ve paid to be tortured on a weekly basis. I have to get out of this house before I attack her.
Eric comes out of the water and walks my way as I sit on my patio. “So, is she still here, or did you make her leave?”
“If you’re referring to Skyla, then she’s still here.”
He chuckles. I’m curious as to why this is funny, and I’m sure he’s about to share.
“She won. Interesting.”
“What are you getting at, Eric?”
“All I’m saying is you didn’t get your way.”
“I could’ve, but I didn’t see the point. It’s her job, and she’s easy on the eyes, so why should I?”
“She sure is. She’s gorgeous.”
My jaw tightens before the rest of my body tenses up. “I’m going to go fix some lunch.” I get up from my chair. I don’t want to look at him right now, and I don’t want him anywhere near Skyla.
“Alright, dude. I’m gonna surf, but I’ll be back.”
Rummaging through the fridge, I find everything needed to make a salad. I sauté some chicken strips to add to it and put them in a bowl.
Cut up pineapple goes on the table along with a few different salad dressings. Maybe if I can get Skyla to spend time with me, she’ll stay away from Eric.
Skyla
I clean one of the upstairs bathrooms off of a guest room. It’s been used recently, and I figure it’s a friend who slept over. I’m certain a woman would’ve been in his bed. I feel a tinge of jealousy toward any woman who gets to be pressed against that fine body. I hear someone coming. Determined not to be startled again, I glance toward the door. Mr. Mysterious is looking at me, and he is divine.
“Hi,” he says.
“Hi. I wised up on using the iPod when cleaning the tubs, so I heard you coming.”
“Um … I made some lunch. It’s hard to cook for one, so I always have too much. Would you want to join me?”
I thought Eric’s request was a surprise, but this is over the top shocking. I’m starving, and I can’t bring myself to turn Chase down when he asked so nicely. Spending time with him is what I want, but that scares me. I don’t need anyone to tell me he could break my heart. I’m fully aware.
“OK, if you’re sure,” I say politely. He flashes me a smile. I can’t believe it. I thought I saw the start of one on the steps, but this is a sure thing. I wash my hands in the sink before I follow him downstairs.
Everything’s placed nicely on the table.
“Did you do all of this?”
“Yes.”
“It looks delicious. Thank you.”
I don’t understand how someone this good looking and wealthy can be nervous. One minute he seems confident, and the next minute he acts like a scared boy.
“Sit, help yourself.” He leans against the counter and watches me.
After sitting, I fix my plate. “You’re going to eat with me, right?”
I’ll refuse to eat if he doesn’t. He hesitantly takes a seat. I hate feeling like I have a disease around this man. He finally fixes himself a plate of food.
“Have you always lived on Oahu?” I ask.
“Yes.”
One word is all he offers up. I’m not saying another word until he speaks to me. Several minutes pass, and with every minute of silence, I’m becoming more uncomfortable. I feel his eyes on me.
“I’m sorry, I can’t eat with you,” he says before he gets up and drops his plate hard on the counter. He goes out the glass door to his patio, leaving me sitting at his table. I’m once again humiliated.
After rinsing my plate off in the sink, I hurry back to the restroom to finish cleaning. I look in the mirror and see that I’m beet red. The anger from his rejection spreads through me, fueling my energy. I finish up as quickly as possible and go to my purse that’s sitting on the kitchen counter.
The food is put away, and I don’t see or hear Chase. I root for a pen and a piece of paper in my purse. On the back of a grocery receipt, I write a note to Eric, giving him my address and phone number. I also add that I’m looking forward to our date. Folded, I write his name on the front and leave it on the island, so he won’t miss it. Take that Mr. Moody ass.
Chase
I hear the door slam shut. Walking through the huge, empty house, I realize I’ve drove away the most sweet and pleasant voice that’s ever been in this place. She thinks I didn’t want to eat with her when actually, I wanted to more than anything. I just couldn’t stop thinking about how I didn’t deserve to.
I should’ve drowned in that ocean. If it’d been me instead, Bud wouldn’t be wasting his life the way I am. Hearing Eric say his name the other day stunned me. I haven’t heard it in months, and the sting of it took my breath away. I miss my friend. He was one cool dude. We were fucked up idiots, but damn, we were good friends.
I’ll never forget that day. Eric desperately pounding on the door and ringing the doorbell had woke me around noon. I remember sitting up and looking at the naked woman in my bed, the residue of coke still spread across the glass on my nightstand.
Bud hadn’t shown up for work. He was last seen surfing with me the night before until I left him outside while he was higher than a kite. I had gone inside to get even more fucked up and sleep with only God knows who. I sure didn’t know her name.
A search boat actually found his board later that day, and my life was forever changed. Bud was gone, and it was all my fault. I had left him on the beach.
I spot the piece of paper on the counter the second I walk into the kitchen. After seeing Eric’s name on the front and reading it, I slam my fist down hard on the counter. Fuck, I drove her right to him! I leave it there and go outside to sit on the patio. Here comes the asshole himself.
“Hey, dude. What’s up?”
“Nothing.” I continue to stare at the ocean.
“Is Skyla still here?”
I take a deep breath. I don’t want to punch my friend over a chick. Although, Skyla’s not just any woman. “She’s already gone, but she left you a note on the counter.”
“Sweet,” Eric says before he walks into the house. He comes back out and walks past me.
“I told you not to ask her out,” I say angrily.
“And I told you I was going to. I won’t if you want to go out with her. Will you ask her?”
I don’t answer. I can’t ask her out.
“That’s what I thought,” he says, shaking his head as he walks down the stairs. Unless I’m going to ask her
out, I can’t say a damn thing to him, and he knows it.
Friend or Enemy
Skyla
Eric calls me at six to be sure we’re still on for our date. I have no idea where we’re going, and I don’t care. It’s just going to be nice to have some company with someone who acts like they give a shit.
My strapless, hot pink sundress reaches mid-thigh. It’s revealing but not over the top. I hear the doorbell ring right after I slip on my heels.
“Hi.” I give Eric a warm smile.
“Hi, Skyla. Damn, you look great. Your hair down is beautiful.”
“Thank you.” We walk to his car, and he opens the door for me. He mostly asks about my job on the way to dinner, and he seems really nervous. I am, too since I haven’t been on a date in almost a year. He parks at Haleiwa Joe’s, a seafood restaurant.
“Have you eaten here before?” Eric asks.
“No, but I’ve wanted to try it.”
He smiles before his hand goes to the small of my back as we walk inside. “Good. I think you’ll like it.”
“How long have you lived here?” he asks after we place our orders.
“I moved here three months ago to be near my brother, Lee, but he was deployed right after I arrived. I’d already given my notice at my place in California, and my airline tickets were already purchased, so I decided to go ahead and come.”
I sure as hell didn’t know it was going to be this hard to live here alone. I try to hide my sadness as I recall all the loss I’ve experienced in my life. Having no family around sucks.
“How about you?”
“I grew up here. My dad took a corporate job in Waikiki when I was a baby and moved us here from Nevada. I run a real estate firm. I have a lot of flexibility with my job, so I get to surf a lot.” A cheesy smile spreads across his handsome face. Surfing is obviously his first love.
“How did you meet Chase?” I’m determined to get some answers whether Chase is the one to give them to me or not.
“Our dads did business together when we were young, so we were around each other a lot. Once we could drive, we became really close. He’d either stay in Waikiki with me, or I’d stay up here, depending on where the surf was good.
I finally just moved to the North Shore a few years ago and started my real estate business. We’re both twenty-five, so we’ve been friends for like twenty years. Wow, I didn’t realize we’ve been friends that long. Chase owns a lot of property on the island going many generations back. That’s where his wealth comes from. Why do you ask?”
“He’s not very friendly. He acts like he wants to speak to me one minute and not the next. He did something today that really hurt my feelings.”
“He has some issues. He’s been through some shit this year, and I’m sure he’d prefer it if I didn’t share.”
I sit quiet, twirling my fork on my plate. I think of all the different things it could be. Maybe someone died, or he got a divorce and had his heart broken, so he hates women. Eric chuckles, so I look up at him and see he’s shaking his head.
“You already like him.”
“No I don’t,” I snap back. “That’s a bold thing to say when you don’t really know me, don’t you think?”
“Sorry. I told you about my honesty. It’s good or bad depending on the topic. I guess this time it’s bad.”
“Chase’s silence is annoying and intriguing is all. He saved my ass at the beach the other night. Some guys cornered me. I think one of their names was Troy. I was terrified. He ran them off and walked me home. He barely spoke, other than when he scolded me like a child for walking on the beach alone in the dark.” I frown, recalling his rejection again.
“Chase did that, huh? I know Troy and his friends. I’m not sure what would’ve happened there. I think Troy’s more talk than anything.”
Eric is quiet the rest of our meal. I’m quickly seeing that asking about Chase on a date was a bad idea. He’s his friend, so I don’t see what the big deal is, but I’m regretting it.
Happy go lucky Eric wasn’t around on the ride home, either. He parks in front of my house and looks over at me.
“Look, Skyla. I think you’re attractive and sweet, but I think I need to bow out.”
“Bow out of what?” This is the strangest date I’ve ever been on.
“I won’t compete with Chase for a woman, and I can see that he’s gotten under your skin. I actually hope he shows you that he likes you. He told me not to take you out. I should’ve realized then how much he liked you.”
“He said that?” I ask, sounding surprised.
“Yes. He seemed rather angry at me, actually. I’ve already seen him more alive in the last few days than I have in months.
“I need him to be happy again, so if there’s a chance you could make that happen, then I’m not about to interfere. He’s too good a friend. Not to mention, he’d be miserable to be around if we dated when he likes you.”
I tap my fingertips on my knee. I’m not quite sure how to respond. Hearing that Chase told him not to take me out is having an effect on me. I can’t deny it.
“You’re an awesome friend to him. I really do think you’re great, and I wanted to see what would happen if we went out, but hearing what Chase said did stir up some feelings. You’re sweet, funny and good looking. I wanted our date to go good.”
“Chase is those things. They’re just buried right now. Well, he’s a dude, so I’m not going to say he’s good looking, but women seem to think so.” Eric gives me a really cute chuckle and smile. “Please be patient and give him a chance. He’s a great guy.”
“I can pay you for dinner. It doesn’t seem very fair.”
“Stop. I’d like us to be friends, and there’s nothing wrong with treating a friend to dinner,” Eric says, squeezing my knee lightly.
“I’d really like us to be friends, too. Mahalo, Eric.”
His eyes light up. “You’re welcome. See, you’re quickly becoming an islander.”
I give him a kiss on the cheek and get out of the car.
Chase
Screw this! I get out of bed at six in the morning after tossing and turning all night from the jealousy coursing through my veins. All I can think about is Eric and Skyla laughing and smiling. I should’ve stopped him. I’ll hurt him if he kissed her. Needing to release some anger, I decide to go for a run along the beach.
Skyla comes to this stretch of beach at least four times a week. I’ve watched her from my back steps for three months and worry every time about her safety. She sits and gazes at the water before she plays in the sand like a child. I often see her toned thighs as her sundress blows in the wind. Her beauty makes me crazy!
She always stops as she walks, digging her toes into the sand, looking at it as if she’s having a deep, unspoken conversation with it. Screw a damn penny for her thoughts. I’d give her a thousand bucks to know what she thinks about that damn sand. She intrigued me before I met her, and now, I can’t get enough of her. Fuck, what is she doing to me?
After I walk home and make some coffee, I go back out onto the patio and take a seat. I spot Eric coming around the side of my house. He always parks in my drive when he comes to surf. I’m sure he wants to rub it in about his date.
“Hey, bro,” Eric says as he climbs the steps.
“I just made coffee if you want some.” I can’t look at him.
“Thanks, I’ll be back.” He props his board against the stairs. He comes back out with his coffee and sits in the chair next to me. “I wanted to get a surf in and talk to you before I head home. I have some properties to show later. Um, I took Skyla out last night.”
Bastard. He’s not wasting any time, but I try to stay cool since he’s a good friend. “How’d that work out?”
“Not so good. She’s interested in someone else.”
Dammit. A situation I can’t control whatsoever.
“She actually told you this? Seems like she would’ve turned you down on the date and not wasted your time.” I
can see out of the corner of my eye that Eric’s staring at me. I finally look over at him.
“She likes you, man,” he says.
I turn my head away from him. I don’t want him to see the effect his words have on me. That’s not what I was expecting to hear.
“What are you talking about?”
“She kept asking about you during dinner. She’s irritated at your behavior toward her, but she definitely likes you, so I’m not going to ask her out again. She’s awesome, so I’m going to be pissed if you don’t act on it. I know you like her, or you wouldn’t have told me not to go out with her.”
“I don’t deserve to be with her. She’s better than any woman I’ve been around.”
“You’re being a chicken shit, Chase. You’re just afraid to live. You don’t have experience doing it without numbing yourself with drugs and alcohol first.”
“You’re right. I don’t, so I need to leave this alone. I’m sure I’d somehow hurt her.”
“Stop making excuses. All of your friends are really sick of it, and you’re not going to have any left if you don’t stop wallowing in self-pity. Bud wouldn’t want this, and you know it. He’d smack you upside the head right now, letting a fine piece of ass like her walk away.”
I glare at him. I’ve thought about her that way, but I don’t like hearing it out of his mouth.
“I’m just playing, dude. She’s a sweet girl. I wanted to see if I got a reaction out of you, and I did. Ask her out. She told me you rescued her. That speaks volumes of how you’ve changed because you would’ve been too strung out to even notice her before.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Think about getting your ass back on that board, too. I miss having you out there. Enough of this girly talk. I’m going to catch some waves.”
Anyone who’s willing to walk away from a woman that amazing just so my pathetic ass can have a shot with her is a good friend. Little did Eric know, if he hadn’t voluntarily given up Skyla, I was going to offer him a hundred thousand dollars to walk away from her.
The Mermaid and her King Page 3