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being summoned, Colby steps in through
the back patio door. He glances at us but doesn’t say anything
before heading back to the shower. I have to give him credit. He
probably wants this pro surfer gig more than anyone else in
Crescent Cove or Horn Island. That boy trains more than Miles or
Topher even think of training.
    “I’m taking you to Emily’s,” Topher says,
grabbing his keys off the counter. Then he glances at me. “I’ll
pick you up tonight. Six, right?”
    I nod and he shoots me a smile before
rushing out of the house with Miles. Hopefully Emily has enough
food stocked for this weekend. I have a feeling Miles won’t bother
hanging out around his new home.
    I settle in on the couch in the living room.
Colby joins me moments later, hair freshly washed and messy. He
glances around before speaking. “Looks like the new roomies didn’t
want to stick around,” he observes. “I’m guessing it’ll be a quiet
weekend.”
    “Miles is going to Emily’s,” I tell him.
    He sits in the opposite corner of the couch
and nods. “I figured he would. He’s always bitching to Topher about
how I don’t have food here. He thinks I can’t hear him, but he’s
loud,” he says. Then he shrugs. “So you sure about this whole
weekend away with the boyfriend thing?”
    Oh God. Are you serious? Who does he think
he is? Alston and A.J.? Colby’s the one person who hasn’t been
curious my personal choices thus far. I don’t need him joining my
roommates in their conversations about me.
    “It’s a business trip,” I say, even though I
know he won’t buy it. “He has a photo shoot. I’m taking Miles’s
room. It’s not a honeymoon.”
    “Well, I’d hope not…considering,” he says
without elaborating.
    Now the hesitation sets in, though. Maybe
Colby Taylor isn’t the best person to go to for guidance or advice.
Hell, he wasn’t the kind of person I needed to be chasing across
the country. Even when his heart is in the right place, his head
usually isn’t. But I can’t help feeling that maybe he has a point.
Maybe this is all too soon, too sudden. Vin’s only been gone for
about two weeks, and this relationship is super new. Even if we
take it slow, people will talk, and more gossip is the last thing
Drenaline Surf needs.
    “Look, nothing’s going to happen,” I say. “I
can’t afford for anything to happen or to even look like it’s
happening. Drenaline Surf’s reputation depends on me right now. I’m
not going to be the one to drag us down.”
    Colby shakes his head. “I’m not worried
about you,” he says. “It’s just…sometimes, in this industry, people
lose focus. We’re surfers. We’re on the beach all day, hanging out,
getting wrapped up in it all. Just keep a tight grip on the reins
with Topher. I could see the whirlwind catching up to him.”
    I don’t like admitting that he’s right, but
Topher’s career path is going to be vastly different from
Colby’s.
    And I’m not sure if I can manage it.

Chapter
Six
    After watching Topher play professional
surfer all afternoon with Ocean Blast Energy, I rethink Colby’s
worries that Topher may lose his sense of self in this business.
Sure, surfing is their passion and hobby, but it’s still a business
that I think Topher will be able to navigate easily. He’s got the
personality for it, much like his brother, even if he would flip
out if he heard me say that.
    “We’re going out tonight,” he says from
across the kitchen counter at the condo we’re staying in. “There’s
this really awesome beach party celebration thing going on, and
we’re going.”
    “Were you invited?” I ask from the
barstool.
    He shakes his head. “It’s not like a party party,” he explains. “It’s almost like a festival or
something. They have it every summer here, and I think you’ll like
it. Besides, Ocean Blast is paying for us to stay here another
night so we might as well make the most of it. It starts in like an
hour so get ready.”
    A