We take the morning off to go surfing. After renting a car, we drive out to Harrison’s condo, the one he refers to as an apartment because someone lives above him, to hit the waves. It’s guy bonding, or whatever you want to call it. We need it. In Beaumont, we’re always doing shit, either together or with the family, and since we’ve been in LA, we go to our separate rooms once we’ve finished working and don’t see each other again until it’s time to leave for the next thing on our agenda.
As soon as we step out, JD is running toward the water, jumping over the small, decorative picket fence. We can hear him hollering until the ocean drowns him out.
“He’s like a wind-up toy,” Harrison says, as he opens his condo. Tess is standing there with open arms to greet her son. It’s as if she hasn’t seen him in years when in fact, it’s only been a few months.
“Hey, Mom,” he says, as he picks her up and twirls her around.
When he puts her down, I’m next. She comes over to me, placing her hands on my cheeks. “I hear a baby is on his way?”
“You heard right. Josie and I are adopting.”
“I’m so proud of you; your grandma would be as well.”
“Thanks, Tess.” I kiss her on the cheek much to her delight.
“And Jimmy is already in the water, I see.”
“He needed a bath,” I say, earning a nice swat across my shoulder.
“You boys go have fun, I’ll have lunch ready,” she tells us before she disappears down the hall.
“I don’t know why we didn’t stay here,” I comment to Harrison, and he looks at me like I’m crazy.
“Could it be the traffic? Or the fact that we’d have to get up at the crack of dawn?”
“Oh, I have a novel idea, why doesn’t Trixie use some of the money that Moreno is funneling through her club to hire people to fix it up instead of using us? Then we could rehearse here at night and surf during the day.” I waggle my eyebrows at Harrison who ignores me by turning his back and heading toward his large glass wall. This is one of my favorite things about this place. The door collapses, opening wide to the outdoors.
Just outside the wall is where Harrison keeps all his surfboards and wetsuits, plus anything else you need for the beach. His kitchen patio is state of the art and puts my newly installed outside kitchen to shame. His condo is south enough from LA that it hardly rains, affording us beautiful weather all the time. This is where I’d like to live if Josie ever agreed to move here. Fat chance of that happening after this whole picture shit with Layla.
When we catch up with JD, he’s body surfing with a few little kids. They’re all laughing and keep asking him to say different words. Little kids are easily fascinated by his accent. As soon as he sees us, he tells them he has to go and maybe he’ll see them around.
“New friends?” I ask, handing him the wetsuit.
“Hilarious. You’re just jealous that I have that universal appeal to everyone, mate.”
“Oh, believe me, I’m not.”
We step into our wetsuits and strap our ankles. The three of us, with our boards under our arms, look out into the ocean. We’ve been here before – same beach, same pose – right before shit started changing for us. Actually, it’s me who initiated the change and sometimes I wonder if I’ve steered them in the wrong direction. I know neither of them would give up Katelyn or Jenna, and the lives their leading, but sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I hadn’t gone home to say goodbye to Mason.
Where would I be right now? Dead? I don’t know why death is my first option, maybe because I felt like I was dying a little each day. Then I saw Josie again for the first time in ten years and everything changed.
“Let’s go,” Harrison says, walking out to the water. JD and I follow, dropping onto our boards and paddling out. I’m not great on the board, but I try my hardest and it’s a lot of fun. Harrison and Quinn, on the other hand, are great and put JD and me to shame.
We ride the waves until Tess hollers for us to come in for lunch. JD runs up to the house, picking Tess up and getting her all wet. She squeals in pure delight and pinches his cheeks when he puts her down.
Tess joins us for grilled chicken, corn on the cob and salad. Apparently Harrison told her we’re not eating very healthy.
“This looks delicious, Tess. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Liam.”
Small talk is made, and it’s mostly about her grandchildren – all five of them. Tess has always doted on Quinn, we all have, but when she met Noah, Peyton and Elle, she immediately took them in as her own. Eden has just been the icing on the cake for her. I know she’s going to be in heaven when the new baby arrives.
“Has Anthony been by?”
JD, Harrison and I all drop our forks at the same time, but Tess keeps eating. It’s like she doesn’t know that she’s asked about the devil himself.
“Sometimes I forget you know the same people as my grandmother,” I say to Tess, who smiles softly. I look at Harrison and ask, “Do you remember that party? The one where Anthony was talking to Ness Cacco?” I’ll do anything to change the subject from Anthony Moreno.
He nods. “Yvie was trying to hit on you.”