A Discovery of Hope (A Coming Home Again Novel Book 3) (16 page)

I shrug. “Just a broken arm that needed surgery to put it back together.” I change the subject, not wanting to discuss it any further. “Tell me how you learned to surf like that. You’re magnificent.”

“I sold my soul to the devil himself.”

“Seriously.” I nudge against his side. He places his damp arm around me and holds me there before I can lean away. I settle there, enjoying it immensely, not caring that he’s dripping on my shirt.

“Close. The devil did introduce me to the sport, but I like to think I honed my own skills over the years. You should see my sister Savannah on a board. She can ride a gnarly wave, too.”

I look up to see if he’s pulling my leg, but I find his expression to be honest. I want to ask him who he keeps referring to as the devil, but I think that topic is off the table for discussion. Instead I ask, “Did the, umm
,
devil teach Savannah as well?”

“No.” JP takes a deep breath, seemingly trying to shake off something. He opens his eyes and offers me a small smile before gazing out over the ocean. “My sister is a tomboy at heart, but more than that, she’s the most stubborn person I have ever met. That girl can do anything she wants as long as it’s something she wants to do, and don’t ever try talking her into something she doesn’t.” He chuckles. “There’s
no
give with that one.”

“JP?”

He looks down at me where I’m tucked against his chest. “Yeah?”

“Is the devil behind your nightmares?”

“No… I’m behind my nightmares.” He offers another weak smile, but his blue eyes are riddled with hurt. I want nothing more than to take it away. It looks to be haunting him. I rest my head back on his chest and try to think of something comforting to say, but I’m coming up empty-handed.

Before I can say anything else, the rain decides to show up in the form of a relentless downpour. We both jump up, but I’m surprised when JP picks me up and heads to the surf instead of the Jeep. He wades us in until we are about hip-deep and submerges us both. I try to be perturbed but end up giggling instead. JP takes this as encouragement and places me on his back as he goes a bit deeper until we are up to his upper chest. I wrap my legs and arms around him securely. The ocean is quite aggressive today, but he makes me feel so safe.

“Surf with me!” he shouts over the roar of the ocean as he looks back at me. His blue eyes sparkle with elation in the midst of the turbulent greys surrounding us.

“I don’t know how!” I shout back, pushing my wet hair away from my face.

“I’ll be the surfboard. Just hold tight to me!” he instructs as he turns to face the shore. I hold on as he says and the next thing I know, a wave is catapulting us towards the shore. I squeal and holler as JP bodysurfs us over and over. The man seems so free out in the midst of this chaotic weather with the waves beating and the rain pelting us and I’m feeling the same way, oddly.

We stay out in the midst of the raging waves and rain with me clinging to him until the first bolts of lightning cut through the sky. We abruptly hightail it after this.

By the time we make it back to the gallery, the full force of the storm has hit and we lose power. Duke joins us in the main gallery section and we all camp out for the night while we munch on anything we can scrounge up. All of that playing in the ocean worked up a mean appetite. JP has done nothing but eat since we’ve returned. Well, that and stare at me. I’m not minding it either.

The place is illuminated by flashlights and one lantern as we spend the night listening to the tropical storm barrel through. Howling winds and deep rumbling thunder keep us company as the guys tell tall-tales. They are quite a pair when they come together and I laugh until my ribs hurt. JP goes on a long tangent about Duke auditioning for an off-Broadway performance where he would have to dress as a drag queen. The details he weaves into the story are absurdly convincing and I find myself asking Duke repeatedly if it is actually true.

“If the dude’s lips are moving, Willow, he’s lying.” Duke rolls his eyes dramatically.

“I don’t know… I have seen you wear makeup…” I give him a knowing look.

JP barks in laughter and I join in.

“You two think you’re so funny. I think I liked it better when you were bickering and Willow was on my side.” Duke tosses an Oreo and pops JP in the head with it.

It only makes JP laugh harder. He grabs up the cookie and crams it in his mouth. I can’t help but watch him as I eat my own cookie. It’s like he is on some high from the surfing and the storm, like a weight has been alleviated. I can only hope it doesn’t return, but from watching him over the summer, I have my doubts.
Hot and cold
.

Duke gets a wicked glint in his eye before bringing up a sore subject. “We had a good time at Case’s that night, didn’t we, Willow?” He raises the pierced eyebrow towards me in a challenge.

I cut my eyes sharply at him. “It was all right.”

“Tell JP who you met?”

I shrug and glance over at JP, who seems all kinds of interested in my answer. “Some guy named Liam. Duke and Case tattooed him.” I shrug again.

JP looks away from me and punches Duke in the arm. “You little punk! You were supposed to bring me when you tattooed Liam Hayes!” Well, it’s obvious JP is into professional fighting. Relief washes through me when I figure out this is between the two of them and not me this time.

“It’s what you get for leaving me and Willow to man the gallery all by ourselves at the last minute.” He’s laughing, so JP leans over and punches him again. Next thing I know, the two of them are rolling around wrestling like two kids. It’s hilarious.

“I ort to yank that thing off your lip. Maybe that’ll shut your smart mouth,” JP threatens as he pretends to grab ahold of Duke’s lip ring. I’m laughing so hard, tears escape.

I know we are in the midst of a tropical storm, but this has to be my favorite day of this unexpected summer. The farm day is a close second, though. I hunker down in my sleeping bag close to the guys and listen to the howling wind until I doze off.

Chapter Nineteen

Well, today is my twenty-first birthday. I’m officially a grownup by the world’s standards. Although I feel like I have already reached the adult milestone a while back. Dad had plans on taking me to Savannah for the weekend. I love going there and exploring all of the town’s rich history, but he was called up and invited to take part in a special experimental procedure at the last minute. It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and I encouraged him to go. He reluctantly went. Mom, on the other hand, is on her honeymoon with none other than the
plumber
. Yes. He has a name and I’ll call him by it when I have to.

So my mom is on her honeymoon during my birthday. Well, I don’t have anything I care to say about that. As already acknowledged, I’m an official adult now, so I think I can handle a birthday without my parents holding my hand. Sure, I’ve had to repeat this a few times to myself and I’m sure I will believe it soon.

I think out of guilt for leaving me, Dad agreed to let me have some friends over to the island. We are just going to hang out on the beach and have a bonfire. Nothing extravagant. Tonight I want to see how my childhood friends and my new friends mesh. Both are important to me, so fingers crossed, they will get along great. How can they not? Sure, they have different backgrounds but they are all absolutely wonderful people.

My mind wanders away from the hopes of tonight and back to JP’s workroom. I try to look like I’m paying attention as he goes over all of the functions on my new camera Dad surprised me with before he left for Seattle yesterday.

This camera is beyond magnificent, too. It’s a Canon EOS-10. Dad got all the bells and whistles to go with it. The hefty camera bag holds a 250mm telephoto zoom lens, a 50mm standard lens, and an ultra-wide zoom lens. I honestly don’t know what to do with it all. More than that, I don’t know how to work up enough nerve to ask JP to go to the party tonight for fear he’ll turn me down.

“This baby is sweet. It’s nicer than mine.” JP says this reverently as he studies it. “Your old man did you right and then some.”

I shrug and look at the camera apprehensively. “I think it’s too much camera for me. All of those buttons are overwhelming.”

“You’ll get the hang of it,” JP says as he sets the camera on the worktable and starts flipping through the camera manual.

“I’m not so sure about that,” I mumble as I hop up on the table and work on freeing the memory card from the impossible plastic package.

“What did you do? Ace your summer class or something to earn this baby?”

I hand him the card and he places it in the designated spot on the camera. “Birthday gift,” I mumble as I watch him.

He looks over at me. “Birthday?”

“Twenty-first. Today.”

He leans over casually until he’s directly in my face and gives me a stern look. “And I’m just hearing about this
now
?”

I pick up the zoom lens and look through it at him. “I should have run around shouting it at the top of my lungs all day,” I sass.

“You should be celebrated,” he says matter-of-factly before leaning away from me.

“I’m having some friends over to my dad’s house tonight. I would really like for you to be there.”

He considers this for a few moments, but shakes his head. “A bunch of drunk college kids… Not my scene.”

“Mine neither.”

“The big twenty-one and no drinking. Ain’t that the rite of passage?”

“Not for me. I have enough trouble keeping my mind straight sober. I have no desire to try it drunk.”

JP doesn’t respond to this. Instead, he goes back to the camera, checking the battery and setting up the back screen information. I lean towards him until he has no choice but to look at me. “Will you please go?”

“I’ll try to swing by. Text the address to my phone.” He looks away and goes back to work on the camera.

I pull my phone out and punch the address and send it to his phone that is sitting beside me on the table. I try not to grin too big when his phone lights up with my message and see he has set the peony picture of me for my profile.

Dad’s house practically sits on the beach and so the bonfire is technically in the backyard. Duke has the small fire pit crackling away as the late day is turning to night. He also has his phone set on a speaker dock with massive sound. The guy has great taste in music. We’ve been jamming away to American Authors, Imagine Dragons, One Republic, Bleu Streak and several others. His gift to me was the exact playlist downloaded on a new iPod. I thought the gift was a bit much, but love it so I ended up only giving him minimal lip about it. Yes, these guys are tearing me away from my country music bit by bit. I think it’s very intentional since they are both adamant about me never having the reign over the radio.

I’ve been quite entertained with the mix of friends trying to mingle together tonight. One group, my childhood friends, look to be from a Tommy Hilfiger ad. While the other group, my new friends, look to be straight from a bikes and tattoos ad. It’s definitely a motley crew, but they seem to really like each other. Trina, who could be Miss America with her long silky blonde hair and fresh as a peach complexion, is completely charmed by my purple-haired Duke. Those two have danced almost nonstop since the music got cranked up earlier. He is one charmer, though. I can see any girl falling for him. He has such a presence, and it has nothing to do with the piercings and hairdo.

Jace just got here and this is a great birthday gift. He and his dad stroll up to the beach carrying pizza boxes. He insisted he provide pizza for the party. Mr. Wiles hands over the pizza and says he will be on the back patio when Jace is ready to go. I thank him for bringing Jace. He smiles proudly over to his son before disappearing so that Jace can get the whole college party experience. I see now how I would strive for the same for my child if they had special needs. So many things I take for granted…

We’ve eaten pizza and Jace has allowed me a few dances, but only with me, which makes me feel right special. This little messy-headed happy guy has found an exceptional place in my heart, for sure.

More of the night fades away, and I’m getting pretty bummed with JP being a no-show. Trina keeps asking if I want her to grab the cake, but I keep putting her off. The crowd ends up polishing off all of the pizza with the exception of Jace’s peculiar one.

I’m sitting with Jace around the fire pit as he tells me all about the summer blockbuster he has seen five times already. It’s some robot/alien invasion movie. Totally nothing I would care to watch, but I enjoy listening to his enthusiasm over it. It’s not until I turn my attention back towards the fire that I realize someone has joined me on the low custom-built driftwood bench. I look over and find a ruggedly handsome man stretched out beside me, wearing a nice pair of jeans that reveal naturally tanned skin through a tear on the right knee—no shoes on his feet and I think that is so sexy. Those long legs are casually crossed at the ankles in front of him. I look up from those legs and see he is also wearing a light button-down shirt with the neck open a few buttons. My eyes continue on until they rest on his and I let out a breath I feel like I have been holding all night while waiting for him.

“It’s about time you showed up,” I tease.

He smiles at me with smoldering eyes as he playfully tugs at the hem of my sundress. “Nice dress,” he says before directing his attention to Jace. “Dude, you left me any pizza?”

Jace lets out one of his quirky giggles. “There’s some of my specialty pizza left, but all of the boring pizza is gone.”

“All right then. Lay it on me. What’s the specialty this time?”

Jace gets all excited and starts ticking off the long list of unusual toppings. I know this conversation will take a while so I go find Trina so we can get the cake. My sweet friend has gotten me a cake all the way from the famous Nate’s Cakes. It turns out to be a mocha cream cake and it practically melts in my mouth. Everyone sings a silly rendition of “Happy Birthday” before Jace leaves us for the night.

At this point Duke cranks the music up and Milky Chance’s “Stolen Dance” spills from the speaker in a celebratory rhythm.

“Dude, you owe the birthday girl a dance,” Duke says to JP.

“You’re absolutely right,” JP agrees as he grabs hold of my hand and starts twirling me around the fire pit. “This song’s too good not to dance to it,” he declares as he begins to dance. And just let me say for the record, the man knows how to dance. Good gracious. He has just enough confident natural rhythm mixed with whimsy. He knows how to dance without taking himself too seriously, and it’s downright fun to dance with him.

We’ve been dancing awhile before I notice the song is on repeat. I look up and find Duke grinning at us. I shake my head at him and he winks in return.

I turn my attention back to JP. “You and Duke do much dancing?” I ask as I watch the guy move his hips along with my own.

“I take the punk on most of the international shoots when I can.” He pauses to twirl me out and back again. “Seems like he always scopes out some place with lively music and dancing.” He smiles fondly at this.

I continue to dance along with him, but step a little closer. “You think a lot of him,” I state.

“Yeah. He’s the kid brother I always wanted.” A shadow passes along JP’s expression and his eyes begin to glisten.

I run my hands up and entwine them behind his neck. With this, his hands hold securer to my hips and drag me firmly against him as he slows our dance.

“You okay?” I whisper as I nestle my face into the side his neck. He smells of the ocean and alluring male.

JP clears his throat several times, but ends up just nodding. He hurts and I wish he would share it with me. I know we don’t know each other well, but oddly, it doesn’t feel that way. We dance a few more rounds with this song before he can speak. “I would love for you to start traveling with me.”

I look up at him, a bit taken back by this. “Really?”

“Yeah. You would learn so much on the shoots. This world is an amazing photo just waiting to be captured.” He’s smiling now, but his eyes still look damp. “We’ve got to figure out how to hone those skills of yours before I let your work on my walls.” He’s teasing now so I pop him lightly on his shoulder.

“I must already be good enough, sir. I do believe that barn shot you just hung up this week is mine.” I glare playfully at him.

“After hours of editing,” he grumbles but then smiles again. “That photo was what held me up tonight, I’ll have you know.” He grabs my hand and starts pulling me away from the beach.

“Where are we going and what are you talking about?” I ask, holding tightly to his hand.

“Your gift is in my Jeep,” JP says as he walks us in that direction. Once we reach it, I watch as he slides on a pair of flip flops he had obviously abandoned before heading to the beach earlier. He opens the door and pulls out a magazine and hands it over.

I take it and find it’s the recent Southern Living magazine. The cover is the barn shot JP captured that day. It’s has such a rustic feel and is just completely exquisite. I glance over at him and smirk. “I see no smudges.”

JP chuckles as he pulls the magazine out of my hand and starts flipping the pages. Once he finds what he’s looking for, he hands it back to me. I’m instantly in shock at finding my night shot of the barn with the stars and fireflies sparkling about. He taps his finger on the byline and I discover my name is listed as the photographer. I look up even more shocked. “JP—”

“You’re the one who captured it, you should get the credit.”

“I think it was a team effort. Really. You’re the one who took it. I simply held the camera.” I shake my head.

He ignores my comment as though I didn’t even speak. “The editor delivered me a few copies this evening. Once he spotted your photo on the wall, he snagged it up,” JP says as he hands me an envelope. “The dude is the reason why I’m late.”

I open it and can hardly believe someone would pay such a hefty price for an unknown’s work. “Wow. What a birthday gift.”

“That’s business.” JP grabs a scrapbook from the Jeep and hands it to me. “This is your gift.”

I flip it open and find photos I’ve been taking all summer filling the pages. JP has also included several of my favorites of his own. “This is hands-down my favorite gift. Thank you.” I reach up on my tiptoes and hug him.

“Happy birthday, Willow,” he murmurs in my ear before easing back enough to brush a faint kiss on my lips, and I can hardly believe it. He skims several kisses along my cheek before asking, “You heading back to the gallery tonight?”

JP kissing me seems to have short-circuited my brain and it takes several attempts to answer him. “Dad is flying in early in the morning. I promised him I would stay so we could hang out. I’ll be back Monday. That should give you a little break from me.”

He stops skimming his lips over my cheek and pulls back to look at me. “I like you there with me,” he whispers before placing another soft kiss on my lips. He starts to ease away, but seems to think better of it and pulls me back tenderly against his body and deepens the kiss.

I was wrong. This kiss is my favorite gift of the night. This tough man, loving me so gently with this kiss, makes me melt. I thread my hands through his soft hair and just enjoy the moment.