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especially a young one, was a subject of fascination. Justin must have thought she’d still be deflated on one side. “You expected me to be lopsided?”
    He nodded, his gaze locked on the surf.
    “Reconstructive surgery.” Had he thought she’d be flat forever?
    He blew out a noisy breath, grabbed both the boogie boards, and stood. The smile that spread across his face didn’t reach his eyes. “Still remember how to use these?”
    Thankful for the change of subject, she jumped to her feet. “It’s been a while, but I think I can manage.” She took a board from Justin, surprised by its light weight given the size. Had it really been so long that she’d forgotten how a bodyboard felt in her arms? Good thing she was getting back in the saddle before she forgot how to swim altogether.
    “The last time I surfed, I was with you,” she said.
    “You were a fast learner.”
    “I’ve probably forgotten everything you taught me.”
    His smile came with the crinkles around his eyes that marked it as genuine. “Then, I’ll teach you again.”
    Justin had been so patient with her back then, she had no doubt she’d be an expert by the time she left for home. After she fastened the Velcro bracelet to her wrist, she scanned the water. “I don’t think the waves are big enough.” They seemed no more than a foot or two, not exactly high enough for a riveting ride.
    He winked. “They’ll get bigger.” With that, he dashed into the sea. Water sprayed around his legs and body as he plunged into the surf. Sure enough, the waves seemed to follow him, cresting higher and ebbing lower. Was a storm moving in, kicking up larger swells? She glanced at the sky. Fluffy white clouds floated lazily toward the east, and the blue surrounding them was endless. She shrugged, then hurried after him.
    The sand and sea tickled her legs as she waded into the surf. The warm ocean tugged her deeper, inviting her to play. God, how she’d missed the sensations of the ocean. She dipped her hands into a cresting wave and, feeling the water swirling around her fingertips, vowed never to stay away again, even if she was on her deathbed.
    With a smile stretching her lips taut, she waded deeper, the water splashing higher and higher on her body. When the waves reached her ribcage, she turned her back to the sea, pushed the board under her torso, and waited for a swell to pick her up and drive her forward. The roaring water behind her was a sure sign she was on her way. She braced for the ride.
    The wave rushed below, collecting and pushing her toward the beach. Her heart pounded excitedly, anticipating the rush.
    And then a wall of water crashed over her head.
    The swell buried her under its crest, driving her to the sandy bottom. She flailed about furiously as salt water burned her nostrils. When she finally oriented herself, she pushed off the sea bottom with a thrust of her legs and surfaced, clearing her nose as soon as the cool breeze brushed her cheeks.
    Justin chuckled behind her.
    “I need help,” she whimpered.
    He waded toward her. “They come in sets of three or four. All we gotta do is wait for a big set to head in. Then, when you feel the ebb of the wave, get on your board and start paddling like mad.”
    “You make it sound easy.”
    Justin dove under the water and popped up next to her. “It is.”
    He wrapped an arm around her waist and pushed her into deeper water. At six foot two, Justin had half a foot on her, and suddenly, her toes didn’t touch the sandy bottom anymore.
    A wave slapped her in the face. She swallowed a mouthful of briny water and coughed it up. “Can’t breathe,” she protested, treading water.
    He turned to face the open ocean, his back to her. “Wrap your arms around my neck, shorty.”
    With a wave swelling underneath them, she grabbed his shoulders first, to keep from swallowing more ocean, then clung to his neck.
    Pressing her chest against his warm back sent a tingle sprinting up her spine as it