She cupped his chin, drawing in the kiss, letting it linger before letting go. “That sounds good. I’ll be right back.”

She went in and showered, then towel-dried her hair and slid into a sundress. When she came back out on the lanai, breakfast had just arrived.

“My timing is good, I see,” she said.

“Perfect.” He held the chair out for her and she sat.

She took a sip of the orange juice in front of her, then took her fork and stabbed a slice of cantaloupe.

They ate and she asked Ben questions about the surfing competition.

“There are three heats, which start this afternoon,” Ben said.

As she enjoyed her oatmeal, she asked, “And what do you think Alex’s chances are?”

“Good. Better than good.”

She looked out over the water, saw several surfers riding the tops of the waves. “Some of those guys are much younger than Alex.”

Ben took a swallow of juice and nodded. “Younger, yes. Not as experienced. Not as good as he is. Trust me, he’s got several years of competition left in him, providing he stays healthy.”

She wondered if Ben thought about still being out there, if he hadn’t gotten hurt. “Do you still surf?”

“Of course. Not the bigger waves, but I surf for fun. I can take you out there or Alex and I can both take you.”

She laughed. “I don’t think I can hang in there with the two of you.”

“Sure you can. We’ll take care of you.”

She pushed her plate to the side and poured another cup of coffee. “So tell me about yourself, Ben. Where are you from?”

“San Diego. That’s where I fell in love with surfing. Been doing it since I was a kid. Started competing when I was young.”

“And obviously you were amazing at it.”

He leaned back in his chair. “I was great at it. Won a lot of competitions, picked up some incredible sponsors and learned a lot about the business side of surfing, which helped after I got hurt and transitioned into the management and promotion aspect.”

She loved talking business with Ben. “You’ve obviously done well for Alex. He seems to have thrived.”

“Thanks. I manage a couple of other younger surfers as well. And it doesn’t hurt that these popular surfers promote my products. So we work well for each other.”

“But you’re not just using them. You actually like them. It shows.”

“I’m glad you see that. There are some unscrupulous promoters and business managers out there who take advantage of young surfers, especially the ones just starting out. I try to advise the kids to steer clear of them, but some of them don’t listen.”

She shrugged. “It’s the same way in my business. Agents just trying to make a quick buck off young and upcoming athletes, but they don’t care about their futures. There’s not much you can do about it. There’s always going to be sharks in any sport.”

“True. Fortunately there are good people like you to steer them in the right direction.”

“And people like you.”

He laughed. “Okay, now that we’ve mutually admired each other, how about we hit the beach?”

“Sounds great.”

She changed and put her swimsuit on under her sundress, slipped on her sandals and sunglasses and grabbed her beach bag. Ben took her hand and they rode the elevator down and walked out onto the sand.

“We can sit under the tented area,” he said. “It’ll be cooler in here.”

“I like that idea.” It was already shaping up to be a warm day. The sun shone bright and though it was still early in the day, she was sweating in the heat.

Ben found her a chair with a great view of the competition. Alex came over and gave her a kiss, his body dripping water on her.

“You look beautiful today. Did you rest well?”

“I did. How’s it going?”

“Great,” he said. “I’m ready to get this thing started.”

She pressed her palm to his chest, wishing she could touch his bare skin instead of the wet suit. But she’d take what she could get. “Best of luck out there.”

“Thanks, but luck has nothing to do with it, babe.”

She loved his confidence. “Then go kick everyone’s ass.”

“I intend to.” He grinned, then went over to have a conversation with Ben before wandering off to the competition area. He gave her a wave before he disappeared.

Ben left the tent for a while, standing outside to have a conversation with some of the other promoters.