One Drop of Golden Sun

Ch. 11 Confessions Hurt ... So do Sunburns in Sensitive Places

*Lokela

Half a dozen tourists were wandering around lost and confused in the small shop, bumping into one another and creating a line behind the counter.

"Divide and conquer," whispered Ray, standing on tip-toes at his shoulder. The scent of her hair and warm skin floated by for a second and then she made a bee-line for the counter. "Hi! Thanks for waiting, we had a small issue out back, but everything is in order and I'm ready to listen."

Her first customers, a slightly sunburned couple in their twenties, possibly on their honey-moon immediately asked about booking a mini tour for two. Ray nodded and started explaining romantic possibilities. Which Lokela wasn't sure they actually offered, but they could probably fake it.

He smiled at a mom with two young boys. "Can I help you find something?"

"We need some snorkeling gear for tomorrow..."

Paying attention with one ear, he led her to the youth sizes and pulled out the masks. Ray's voice piped cheerily through the store as she gushed about the beauty of different beaches. The person behind the couple was leaning on the counter, listening, too. She had them transfixed and would probably make a killer sale. Lokela shook his head.

All right. Maybe he wasn't the only person who had noticed her complete and utter charm. He adjusted the strap on one of the kid's heads. Bleach blonde, haole, permanently happy—she was everything that got on his nerves in a girl. And he was sun-struck. Like star-struck, but she was burning bright, so close he was scorched to the bone and blinded.

His chest constricted with the realization. He clamped his teeth together hard to keep from gasping for air. She had smashed her way into every aspect of his life—his home, his work, his school, his head, but worst of all, his best friend's heart.

He couldn't keep his friend and have the girl. Not that it was up to him. Ray wasn't interested, she wanted Zach. She was ready to learn how to surf just to impress him as if there was anything she needed to do to get a guy besides being herself.

There wasn't even anyone he could tell, to complain to about his situation. His brother wouldn't understand, for obvious reasons he couldn't tell his best friend. The guys at the house were out of the question.

Yep. His only recourse would be maudlin poetry and a trip to the beach as soon as he could arrange it. There would be other girls out on the sand. Distractions. He needed distractions.

He finished helping the mom and her boys and sent them to the counter to check-out. Ray flashed him a smile and then asked the family about their plans.

That smile nearly brought him to his knees. He hurried to the back. The fridge had an ice dispenser and he filled a glass.

Ray waltzed to the door and hung on the frame, leaning almost sideways. Her hair brushed the floor. "We make a sick team, if you ask me."

Lokela grunted and turned to face the desk, away from her.

"Are we..." she said, doubt thick in her voice, "still on for the surfing lessons? I thought we handled the customer overload pretty well."

"Yeah. Lessons are still on." His voice was about to break. He couldn't risk chatting. "I'm gonna check the emails."

"Sure. I'm gonna check the counter. For stuff. In case people come in."

He waited for the sounds of her steps in the shop and allowed himself to take a deep breath. He dropped his head in his hands. "I'm screwed. So screwed."

***

*Ray

"We are allowed to surf with sunglasses, right? Because my eyes are super sensitive. My opthamologist once said usually people who have light colored eyes are more sensitive, but I have dark brown eyes, so I guess I'm that unfortunate exception to the rule, you know what I mean?"