Chapter 1
Lucy was lazily sprawled across her sofa, watching a rerun of The Great British Bake Off and shoving mushy pizza crust on Saturday morning when her phone rang. She reached for it, checked the caller ID before answering.
“Hey boss, what’s up?” She asked, muting the sound of the TV as she straightened her position on her couch.
“Lucy, hi. I’m sorry to bother you during your day off but I need your help.” Jane said. “Alex tore his ACL during practice this morning and we’re on the way to Tripler.”
“Oh crap, I’m sorry Jane. Is he going to be okay?” Lucy had always been impressed by how Jane could manage to stay focused, calm and collected when unexpected situations arose. But to be this focus when her child was hurt and probably on the way to a surgery was truly mesmerizing for the Texan.
“We don’t know yet. But Julie has her first class of surfing in an hour, and I can’t bring her to it. Could you? She’s really excited about it.”
Lucy got up from the sofa, pulled the first denim pants she found on the floor and checked her watch. “Sure, text me the details. Do you want me to bring her over to the hospital once the lesson is finished?”
“That’d be great. Thanks Lucy.”
A mere thirty seconds later, Lucy had received the details of the surfing class by text. She picked up a few things – car keys, a book and a neatly folded orange sheet that would fulfil the duty of a beach towel – before heading towards her car.
*
Lucy hadn’t really thought this through. She hated water, beaches and sand – well, really, anything in correlation with large portions of water – and had overly dressed for such a sunny morning. She wore tight black jeans which were nicely tucked inside short black leather boots, and a grey shirt with some local rock’n’roll group from back home. But seeing Julie so excited at the prospect of having her first surfing lesson made her smile and almost forget the fact that it was happening in water – that dull and awful liquid body that seemed to follow her everywhere. Well, she did live on an island.
They walked along the beach, as far as possible from the small waves of water that made shore, towards a small wooden cabin on which a sign was dangling on the slide with the inscription ‘Surf & Glide’. Why would anyone want to go in the water deliberately was beyond Lucy but get on top of a surfboard to be engulfed by huge waves of water was utterly unimaginable.
As they got closer to the cabin, Julie spotted two friends from school and ran towards them, leaving Lucy to observe from the safety of the land.
Just as the brunette was about to drop her backpack and start to make herself at ease, her eyes caught a sight sore – a gorgeous tall blonde woman, wearing a dark blue two-piece swimming suit, approached the cabin with a surfboard beneath her arm. The woman laid the board against the sand and locked eyes with Lucy.
“Aren’t you hot?” The woman asked, amused.
Lucy quirked an eyebrow. “I’m offended you have to ask. I mean, look at me.” She answered back with a smirk.
“Wha– uh, I meant you are wearing a lot of clothes and it is really hot out here.” The blonde cheeks reddened by embarrassment.
“The beach isn’t really my scene.” Lucy explained.
“Alright. Well, if you need a sweatshirt or a life jacket don’t hesitate.” The tall woman chuckled before extending her right hand. “I’m Kate, by the way.”
The brunette shook her hand. “Lucy. I’m here with Julie for the surfing lesson.” She said as she pointed towards the 10-year-old which was currently invested in a game of cat and mouse with a boy and a girl that were around her age.
Kate nodded. “Great! We are just waiting for two other kids and then we will start. You are welcome to watch from the side lines if you would like to.”
“Thanks. I’m going to stay and watch.” The Texan said.
“Of course.”
“Aren’t you supposed to wear a combi or somethin’?” Lucy asked, her eyes trailing the surf instructor body shamelessly from the bottom to end up fixing her gaze.
“I can, but today we won’t get far in the water with the kids.” Kate’s cheeks blushed furiously but she answered Lucy’s question, nonetheless.
At the mere prospect of approaching the shore, Lucy made a face. “So, what are your qualifications to teach kids about surfing?”
“I have my Level 1 and 2 from the ISA, the International Surfing Association and I have been volunteering at Surf & Glide for the last year on the weekends to teach.”
Lucy nodded, satisfied with the answer. Her investigator reflexes had pushed her to inquire about the trainer’s qualifications. She had to make sure Julie was going to be safe. Plus, it didn’t hurt that she got to know a little more about the gorgeous woman at the same time. “So, what’s your main occupation? A model maybe?”
“Why do you say that?” Kate asked, amused.
“You’re freakishly tall, blonde, pretty and have legs to kill for.”
The trainer’s eyes went wide at the utter honesty of the answer, quickly, another smile splattered her face and Lucy could only think that she could get used to seeing it.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I am not a model.” The blonde answered. “But how about I tell you what I really do over a coffee date?” Her eyes blatantly glanced quickly over the Texan’s lips before returning to her gaze.
Lucy, yet again, quirked a brow. “A date?” She asked, as if she had never heard this word before.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume. I thought with the flirting and the staring you might be interested. But that was pretentious of me and if you are here with your daughter there is surely another parent in the picture.” Kate rambled, the entire base of her neck and the tip of her ears were now a crimson red. “I’m really sorry.” She finally breathed out and shut her eyes.
“Kate, breathe.” Lucy said, gently putting one hand on the woman’s forearm to get her to focus and calm down. “You didn’t assume wrong. I was – am flirting. And Julie’s not mine. Her mother had an emergency and asked me to bring her over.” She explained. “And I am very much single and interested in going on a date with you.”
“Good. I mean, great – That’s cool.” Kate said enthusiastically. “I’m a mess when it comes to flirting, I’m sorry.”
“It’s cute. Don’t worry.” Lucy was amused, this woman was indeed a mess, but such a cute one. The brunette noticed that a few other kids had joined Julie and the group. “I think your students are all here, Kate.”
The blonde turned away from Lucy. “Oh, right! My class!” She scratched the back of her head and locked eyes once more with the Texan. “Well, I better go. Catch you after class? You know, to give you my number or something.”
“Absolutely. I’ll be here.”
Kate gave her one last smile before she headed towards the group of kids.
Lucy took out the sheet from her backpack and laid it out on the sand near a palm tree. Then, she sat down and grabbed her phone. She snapped a picture of Julie standing on a short surfboard which was placed on the sand, not too far from the water. Kate was correcting her position.
Lucy [10:07]: Julie’s class is going well. How is Alex?
Lucy [10:07]:sent a picture.
Jane [10:08]: Thank you for the picture, Lucy. We are waiting for him to go have scans.
The brunette texted back a ‘Keep me updated.’ before she tossed her phone aside and pulled out a book, she had bought a few years back and never feigned to open it. She glanced at the blonde trainer who was still very much focused on teaching the kids and started reading.
*
The class had come to an end. Kate directed the kids to store the surfboards in the cabin, helped them clean out the sand from their bodies and returned them to satisfied parents. Once she was free, Julie ran towards Lucy excitedly and threw herself in her arms.
The brunette grimaced as the soaked swimming suit of the little girl encountered her own clothing but hugged her back even so.
“Thank you so much for bringing me!”
“Whenever you want, Julie. You were great on that board.”
Kate watched from afar the exchange, not wanting to infringe on the intimate moment. Lucy turned her head to face her. “It was great watching you teach, Kate. Almost made me curious about surfing.” She complimented the blonde who took a few steps towards her.
“Feel free to come next week to assist the class then. By the end of the month maybe you will accompany me catch a few waves.” The surfing trainer said with a wink, then she crouched down to Julie and said: “You were a natural, Julie. I am looking forward for next session.”
Lucy smiled fondly. She knew it meant the world to Julie who was grinning like she had won the lottery. “Yeah… I’d rather stay on land though for now. But maybe I will come hang out again.”
“Speaking of which, will you do me the honour of giving me your number?” Kate asked bashfully, her cheeks softly coloured in a red flush. She handed her phone towards the Texan who obliged gracefully.
After exchanging a few more words and smiles. Kate excused herself and left. Julie and Lucy debriefed the surfing lesson on the way to the car, and a bit more on the way to Tripler to join Jane and Alex.
The two girls went into the waiting room of the hospital. Lucy would have spent a big part of the day off in places she didn’t feel comfortable in. She really hit the jackpot. Quickly, she spotted Jane, who was sat down and had her head in her hands.
“Hey boss, how are you holding up?” Lucy asked tentatively. If a few hours ago she had been baffled at the woman’s tenure, she could see the worry in her eyes as she lifted her head and smiled at the sight of them.
Julie jumped in her mother’s arms and kissed her cheek. “Mom, how is Alex?” She asked with a small pout, not entirely grasping the reality of how hurt he was and what that could possibly mean for his future.
“I’m doing okay, thanks for asking. He finished his scans, and we are waiting on the surgeon’s advice for the next steps. Daniel is stuck at practice with the team he will swing by later and Alex is resting.”
The brunette sat next to her boss and rested a supportive hand on her shoulder.
“You don’t have to wait with me, Lucy. You’ve already helped me a lot for which I am very grateful.”
“Tss, none of that boss.” Lucy dismissed her, waving a hand. “Julie, how about you tell your mom about the surfing class?”
The 10-year-old happily obliged and began telling them about every minute of the surfing class. Though Lucy had literally been there during the session and gotten a debrief at the end of the class, it was a welcome distraction as they waited for news. At some point, a nurse called out for the family of ‘Alex Tennant’ and brought them to his bed in the emergency aisle.
Alex was laid back on a bed beneath a slim white sheet. Two curtains surrounded the hospital bed to offer him as much privacy as he could. He didn’t seem in pain, in fact, he seemed a little overjoyed considering everything.
“Heyyy, guys.” He said, his eyes struggling to remain open.
“Hit him with the good stuff already?” Lucy laughed a little as the nurse nodded curtly and told them the surgeon was coming shortly to update them before leaving.
“Julie? Lucy? Everything okay?” A soft voice startled the three women – Alex being completely unphased due to the drugs the doctors had given him. The brunette turned around to face Kate who had changed out of her bikini. She was now wearing a black pencil skirt in which was tucked a soft pink blouse. She was wearing a long white coat on which was sewn in black “Dr Whistler” and had a medical chart in one of her hands.
“Kate – hi!” Lucy managed to say. “So, you’re a doctor, uh.” She said with a smirk, oblivious to Jane who had a quirked brow and was waiting to be filled in. Jane cleared her throat and that seemed to do the trick. The brunette regained her posture and introduced Jane as Julie and Alex’s mother to Kate.
Kate straightened her position and extended a hand to Jane. “Hi, I’m Kate Whistler, your son’s doctor – and Julie’s surfing trainer. I apologize for the wait, I had to finish teaching my morning surfing class before heading in to work.”
“Jane Tennant.” She took the blonde’s hand and shook it.
“Miss Tennant, as you know, your son suffered a partial tear of his ACL in the right knee. I would recommend we go in surgically to reconstruct the tendon. It is a minimally invasive routine surgery, and it would give him the most chances to be able to play again – as I understand he plays football and wishes to keep playing. We cannot operate today as your son’s knee is quite swollen. We would advise two weeks of rest and a little physical therapy to put him in shape for the surgery. After the operation, he would need to attend twice a week progressive physical therapy for 6 to 8 weeks.”
Jane took in all the information and nodded. “Can I call my ex-husband – Alex’s father – to keep him in the loop before we make a decision, please?”
“Of course, take your time.”
Jane glanced at Lucy who told her to go as she kept an eye on Alex and Julie.
“I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.” Lucy said, as Kate’s eyes were focus on the chart she had in her eyes. She locked eyes with the Texan and addressed her a shy smile.
“Me either. I’m sorry it’s under those circumstances.” The blonde tilted her head towards the young boy who was injured. “But now that you know what I do, it’s only fair that I know about your profession also, don’t you think?”
“I work in law enforcement. For NCIS, to be more precise. It’s a naval criminal investigative service.”
The doctor nodded. “I look forward from hearing more about it, although I imagine you won’t be able to tell me much which isn’t classified.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right. Kind of like you with doctor-patient confidentiality.” Lucy winked. She was glad it wouldn’t be an issue with Kate as she seemed to understand, former dates hadn’t been so comprehensive and often bugged her because of how little she was able to talk about work.
Tennant walked back towards them with a decisive pace. “Doctor Whistler, we will follow your recommendations. Thank you very much.”
“Great, I’ll go notify nurse Guldrick. She will go over the details with you shortly and provide a wheelchair for your son.” Kate said before nodding curtly and exiting the room after giving Lucy one last smile.
After settling physical therapy appointments for Alex and his surgery, Jane pushed her son to her car and got him in with the help of the small brunette.
“So, Dr Whistler seems nice.” Jane said as she was strapping Alex in the car while Lucy was folding the wheelchair.
The Texan closed the trunk of the car and scratched the back of her head. “I guess.”
“Don’t play coy about it, Lucy. I saw you ogling her.”
The brunette rolled her eyes and put her arms in the air, surrendering to her boss’s inquisitive stare. “Okay, you caught me. I mean, she is beautiful.”
Before Lucy could say anything more, Julie exclaimed excitedly: “Aunt Lucy gave her number to her!”
“Julie! Way to cover for me!” Lucy blushed, avoiding Jane’s amused gaze at all costs.
Jane high fived her daughter and climbed in the driver’s seat of her car. She rolled down the window and said: “Does that mean I can count on you to bring Julie to her surfing lesson for the next few months?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“She must be really nice if you’re accepting to go and spend one hour every week on the beach.” Jane winked. “But thank you, Lucy. I mean it. For everything. See you Monday?”
“Yep! If you need help with Alex for anything hit me up.”