“It sounds to me like you already know what you want for your future.”
“Maybe. I want to get away from my parents. Not that I don’t love them. I do. But I don’t want to be part of the family business. I need to make my own life.”
“I understand. You want to be independent. I was where you are once, needing to strike out on my own. It’s tough, but doable.”
Whitney shifted position to face Tori. “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a sports agent.”
Whitney’s brows lifted. “Really? That must be an awesome career. Do you love it?”
“I do love it. It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but also the most fun, most rewarding job.”
“Not to mention all those hot and sexy sports players.”
Tori’s lips curved. “Those are the perks, honey.”
Whitney laughed. “I can only imagine. See, that’s the kind of thing I could see myself doing. I love every sport there is, and when I’m not working or studying or catching a wave, I’m glued to the television. The only drawback to living in Hawaii—and believe me, there aren’t many—is no professional sports. So I have to get my fix by watching them on TV.”
“I can’t imagine many drawbacks to living here. I love the islands.”
“Me, too, but I have a yen to go the mainland every now and then. If for nothing more than to catch a football or baseball game. Or hockey. Oh, God, I love hockey.”
“The grass-is-always-greener kind of thing.”
“Exactly.”
“I see you’ve found a friend.”
Tori looked up to see Alex standing at the foot of her chaise. Dripping wet, droplets sliding down his magnificent body, she could already envision him in his wet suit, just like that, gracing the cover of a sports magazine.
“What’s up, Alex,” Whitney said.
“Hey, Whitney. How’s it goin’?”
“Good. Tori and I were chatting about our careers.”
“Yeah?” Alex looked over at Tori, and she got lost in the sexy way he smiled at her. “You finding our girl here a new career?”
Tori laughed. “I think Whitney is doing fine on her own.”
“She is,” Whitney said, standing and brushing sand off her legs and butt. “And speaking of careers, I have an errand to run for the hotel, so I’ll catch you both later.”
Tori pulled her business card out of her bag and jotted down her personal cell number, then handed it to Whitney. “Call me when you have some free time and we’ll have lunch. I’m here for a while.”
Whitney beamed a smile. “Awesome.”
Alex dropped down on the sand next to her. “Whitney’s great. She’s a champion for the surf crowd, and her parents rock. They put up a few of the new guys in their hotel when they couldn’t afford a room last year.”
Tori laughed. “I like her. She’s very smart and fun to talk to.”
“She is. She also likes surfing, so she’s okay.”
“Is that how you judge people? By whether they like surfing or not?”
“Totally.”
He kept a straight face, but Tori knew he was joking. “So if I hated surfing, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“No way. I don’t waste my time with people who dismiss what I do for a living. Would you?”
He had a point. “Of course not. I’ve faced plenty of my own prejudices in my field.”
“Yeah? What kind?”
“Men who think women shouldn’t be managing the multimillion dollar careers of top athletes, or people who, when they find out what I do, want to complain about overpaid, whiny athletes or agents who get paid too much money and think we do nothing to earn our pay. I get plenty, believe me.”
“So what do you do?”
She shrugged. “I walk away. It’s always best not to engage people like that, because you’re never going to change their minds.”
“Yeah, I get a lot of the ‘surfing isn’t a real sport’ kind of people, and folks who ask me when I’m going to get an actual job.”
“I imagine you make a decent enough living.”
“Decent enough to be able to travel the world doing what I love. Of course sponsorship helps with that.”
“I’m sure it does.” She wanted to talk to him about that. She had so many questions about his management team and his advertising opportunities. But she didn’t want to spoil the friendship they’d started. She was attracted to him, plus she was on vacation, and she’d long ago made a vow never to do business while she was on vacation. Opportunities came and went. This was one of those times where she’d just have to let it go.
“So, you want to surf today?”
“Me?” She took a look at those rolling waves that seemed to her as tall and imposing as the high-rise she lived in. “No, thanks.”
“Aww, come on. It’s a challenge.”
“It’s a death trap. I like my waves a little more manageable.”
“I can take you to another part of the island to surf. On the south side the waves are much calmer.”
She hadn’t thought of that. “You need to concentrate on getting ready for the competition. Some other time.”