To the Sea (Follow your Bliss) by Deirdre Riordan Hall Page B

aware of his steadying hand
resting on her shoulder as he pulled it up, realizing she could have done it
herself. 
    “Thanks.”
    “Surfer
girl,” Ian said, his cheeks dimpling with a smile.
    “That
we have yet to see,” Kira said. 
    She
left her clothing with his in a small locker even further into the packed back
room. Kira dodged boxes, boards, and cases of lemonade and iced tea.
    “The
owner, Andy, keeps talking about expanding, but it’s hard with zoning laws here
by the ocean,” he said by way of excusing the jumble.
    Without
thinking Kira said, “What they could really use is a good organizational
system. It would create more usable space and—” She paused realizing this might
sound rude. Clutter made her claustrophobic. Like she wanted to throw open the
windows, tuck her hair behind her ears, and make a home for each item. “I mean,
that might just be helpful,” she said to excuse her blunder.
    Ian
just shrugged. “Shelving,” he said added.
    “Exactly,”
Kira said a little too enthusiastically.
    Back
in the shop, Jamie whistled. “Lookin’ good.”
    Kira
caught Ian grimace. Meanwhile, her cheeks flushed pink again. Ian kept walking
so she followed. Once back outside, he selected a surfboard that would have
easily stood up in the nine-foot ceilings in Kira’s house.
    “We
won’t start you out on that charger on top of your Mercedes. I’m guessing it
isn’t yours. Where’d you get it anyway? Did it belong to your brother or an old
boyfriend?”
    Sadness
cracked its way through her foundation.
    “I’m
sorry, did I say something—” He lightly touched Kira’s arm.
    She
wanted his fingers to wrap around her, his strong arms to pull her into him,
just to feel his firmness, his strength, and solidity. She imagined the gusts
of wind ruffling her hair would never be able to knock him around, but she let
it brush away the trembling in her jaw, along with the fire in her throat that
rose up at the thought of Jeremy. However, she allowed the warmth in her chest,
the result of Ian, so close, to remain.
    “No.
I, um, I noticed the shop buys used boards. I was thinking I’d sell it,” Kira
said quickly.
    “Brand
new beauty like that, un-waxed, you’ll get a fair price. You can talk to Jamie
when we get back in. I guess Andy is away for the week with his girlfriend.” He
shrugged. “I suppose they’re surfing down in Mexico and got Jamie to cover for
him,” Ian said with an irritated sigh. He shook it off as they neared the
water.
    With
his long arms, he easily carried the board along the beach, and then he plunked
it down in the sand. “So, have to ask, what brings you here to surf?”
    The
honest answer appeared on Kira’s tongue. She wanted to tell him the truth, as
strange as she knew it sounded.
    “I
was at a yoga class and afterward, there’s the resting pose.”
    “Savasana?”
Ian asked.
    “That
one. Settled deeply into it, I felt like I imagine what riding a wave is like.
It’s hard to describe, but it happened repeatedly over a week. It was like I
was floating and moving, and just had this, lightness.” Kira looked to the
rising and falling waves for a better way to explain, but all she saw there was
a vast openness that drained her jumbled mind. “So I decided, why not. Why not
try riding a wave in real life?
    “Sounds
like the best kind of reason.” Ian said nodding. “Ready to get started?”
    Kira
nodded.
    “First,
we’ll orient you with the board, then the ocean, and then take a ride.” Kira
observed that he was completely at ease down by the water, like he was home.
“This is a longboard. It’s best to begin on because it’s buoyant, more stable,
and nice in the gentle surf closer to the shore.”
    It
was like he spoke a foreign language, but the sound of his voice told her
everything she needed to know. She blinked a few times with surprise at her
thoughts and at the unfamiliar way he made her feel.
    “Good
so far?” Ian pointed toward the front of the