God, Love & All Things Surf

Chapter 20: The Best of Us

"So what was it like T?! Getting back in the water?" Her three younger siblings crowded her as she and Max walked up the Tyler's lawn at around lunch time.

"Whoa, easy little groms. Why don't we tell you all about it over lunch?" Max enthusiastically replied. Thea smiled at him gratefully and took his surfboard, walking over to put it along with hers in the side shed.

They had been surfing a good three and a half hours and not only had it been physically exhausting, it had been an emotionally tiring day for Thea. She hadn't needed to say much to Max in the water or on their walk back to the house. She made a mental note to thank him for that later. She was so enjoying the sense of peace that had surrounded her since being in the water. He must have known that the last thing she felt like doing was being debriefed by everyone.

The group entered the house and slipped off their flip-flops before walking through to the Tyler's kitchen. (Friends often smiled and commented at this supposedly Canadian etiquette of taking your shoes off as you enter a house. To Thea it was something she'd always done and it just seemed logical... why not do it?)

Max and Thea each took a seat on a bar stool in front of the island counter, which had a vast array of sandwich bread, meat and veggies opened on it. The kids settled down at the table, pouring themselves plentiful servings of orange juice to go with their previously made sandwiches.

"So are you scared anymore T? Of big water?" The littlest Tyler asked innocently from his seat at the table.

Thea couldn't help smiling at his concern. "Well, I dunno if I'll ever be totally over it Jer, but ya, today God showed me how not to fear."

Her brother thought about her answer for a moment, taking a gulp of juice before replying, "Maybe you can try really hard to remember how he showed you, so that you won't be scared when we go out tomorrow!"

Max chuckled along with her this time. When Thea glanced over at him he gave her an equally questioning look, as if he was actually wondering the same thing. She returned her attention back to her brother. "Hmm that is a good idea, isn't it? Ok Jer, I'll do my best." She promised.

"And we all know what her best is, don't we?" Mrs. Tyler walked into the kitchen, grinning.

"Hey Mom." Thea smirked at her mom's subtle entrance.

"Hi honey." She turned to Thea's boyfriend. "Hi Max, how are you?"

"I'm great, thanks Mrs. Tyler." Max answered with one of his hundred dollar smiles. Thea felt her heart skip a beat. The fact that those were his genuine, normal smiles just wasn't fair. How could anyone be that-

"So how'd it go?" Her mom inquired, casually leaning over and resting her elbows on the counter. As she switched her attention from Max to her daughter she gave Thea a knowing smile, almost a smirk. Parents shouldn't be allowed to smirk... its almost scary. One can only guess what schemes they're thinking up.

Thea dipped her head hoping she wasn't blushing too much in front of her own mom. "Well, at first it was terrifying, having to swim out to the line up." She looked over to Max and met his gaze. "And then, I decided I didn't want to be terrified, and I told God." She turned back to her mom. "And suddenly I wasn't."

Her mom had a look of amused suspicion as her gaze flickered between the couple. "You make that sound too easy. If it were that simple I feel like you would have done it weeks ago. Did you help her, Max?"

"Actually, no. She decided she would meet us at the line up, so by the time we met up she seemed to have it all figured out... but you're right, it wasn't as simple as that." Max had now turned in his seat to face Thea, a faint smile on his face and one eyebrow raised. He asked straight, "What really happened?"

Thea could hear giggling from her siblings as they watched a few feet away, sitting at the table. It seemed to have turned into a full out interrogation. But, rightly so.

And so she spilled. After all, she had conquered her beast. She had nothing to hold back.

"Did you kids find enough to eat?"

A series of "Yea" and "thanks mom!" 's from around the kitchen followed.

"Good." She ruffled Simo's hair as she headed out of the room, but abruptly turned and said, "Oh, honey I forgot to mention, Daniel called this morning!" Thea sat up straighter hearing her older brother's name. "Since you weren't here, he wanted me to pass along that he'd give you a call over Skype at about one o'clock."

Thea couldn't contain her excitement as she grinned and thanked her mom through a mouthful of ham, lettuce and tomato sandwich. It was almost 1:00 pm!

Max turned to her as her mom exited the room. "Last I heard he was on a cattle driving trip. Does this mean he's back at your Uncle's ranch?"

After finishing university the Tyler's eldest child, Daniel, had moved to his Uncle and Aunt's ranch in beautiful Saskatchewan. At least, from what he told them it was beautiful. Thea had never been there herself but she has always heard how flat it was, and that sometimes it felt as if the sky was crushing the earth. Not exactly a place she had been eager to go to, especially while she was afraid of wide open spaces.

Thea swallowed her last mouthful and replied, "I guess so!" She suddenly reached for his hand as he rested it on the table. "Hey do you want to join me? Its been a while since we've been able to Skype him, what with the awful internet connection they have at the ranch. I know he'd like to see you again and talk."

He looked a bit surprised at her offer. "Are you sure? That's really kind of you Thea, but like you said, you don't get to Skype him much. I don't want to take away from your sibling time."

She squeezed his hand and smiled. "I don't mind, I enjoy having you join us." She stood up and began clearing the counter top. "Anyway, I don't think he's been able to give you the whole 'you're dating my sister' talk yet. And I know how much he's been looking forward to that." She gave him a quick glance before turning her back to him and faking a cough to cover her laugh. He looked like he wasn't sure if he should join after all.

"Where do you wanna go, Thea?" Max called from the kitchen.

"Uh, let me grab the laptop and we Skype in the living room." She hollered down the stairs leading up to her room. She made it back down in record time and set the laptop on the coffee table to charge. Max sat on the couch beside her, a bowl of popcorn in his lap.

She did a double take on the popcorn and raised an eyebrow. "Where..?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "It's safe to say that your mom likes me."

Thea rolled her eyes and smiled as she clicked the Skype icon on her desktop. Her desktop picture was an epic shot of Kelly Slater shooting through a massive barrel in Tahiti. It could have been a photo of John Florence pulling off an awesome air maneuver but then Max would have laughed and made some smart comment about her having a 'thing' for blond haired, blue eyed surfers... wasn't he just bias.

A moment later she clicked the icon again, multiple times, impatient to sign in.

Max chuckled beside her. "Take a chill pill, T. We won't miss him, it's barely 2 minutes past one o'clock."

Thea flopped back on the couch in a huff and Max offered her the bowl of popcorn. She shook her head and instead leaned against his shoulder as she watched Skype sign her in automatically.

"You're sure it's cool if I join you?" Max confirmed again with her. "Cause I don't mind—"

"Max." She grinned up at him, still resting against him. "There is no one else I'd rather talk, laugh and eat popcorn with."

"Awee, would you just look at the cute couple!"

Both Max and Thea's attention was immediately directed to the laptop screen, where a rather pixilated but accurate image of Daniel Tyler was projected.