be hectic out on the waves.”
She gasped. “Don’t even think of that!”
He grinned. “I’m kidding. Sort of. I’m not stupid. Well, sometimes a little reckless. But no, I’m not going surfing today.”
“I guess not.” She sipped her coffee, looking a little more bright-eyed. “What are we going to do today?”
“Good question. I thought you might want to see some of the sights, but I guess we’re not going anywhere today.”
She pouted a little. “I get one day in a tropical paradise and a freakin’ cyclone hits. That is so not fair.”
“True.” He sent her a sympathetic smile. “But you’ll probably get more than one day now.”
“Damn. I need to get home. I have work to do. I left Tim with a whole list of things to work on to get in place for you when we get back.”
He curled his lip. “Oh yeah. Okay, tell me what you’ve got in mind for polishing up my image.” As if there was anything wrong with his image. People loved him. Didn’t they?
“I contacted an organization in San Diego that deals with kids in disadvantaged neighborhoods. We’re planning to bus a group of kids in so you can teach them how to surf. We think we can make it a regular thing. Of course you won’t always be there, but maybe we can find someone else to keep it going.”
He sat back in his chair. “Huh. Okay. I like kids.”
“Good. That’s good. How do you feel about the environment?”
He gazed at her blankly. “I’m in favor of it.”
She laughed. “Also good. There are a lot of environmental groups who work to preserve oceans. I thought that might be something important to you, seeing as you spend so much time in the ocean.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah. True. I guess I’m not that up on the problems there are.”
She leaned forward. “I found a group called Oceans Alive that’s implementing programs to reduce urban runoff and preserve the environmental integrity of southern California’s beaches and coastal waters. They’re really keen to hook up with you and use your star power to further their cause.”
“I don’t know anything about urban runoff. But I do despise fudge tunnels.”
She gave him a blank stare.
“When you’re in a tunnel that’s all brown and yellow because of the pollution. That’s sick.”
“Fudge tunnel. Um, yeah. So, good. In the next few weeks you’ll be learning all about runoff and pollution, as well as learning about the challenges those kids face. You’ll be talking to people about the importance of preserving the ocean and coastline around San Amaro and all of southern California.”
He rubbed his face. “You make it sound like I’m going back to school.” Bleh.
“Well, we’ll try to make it as fun and interactive as possible, but you’ll have some reading to do. In fact, I brought some materials with me, thinking that the long plane ride home might be an opportunity to get started. Maybe we could do that today.”
“Sounds like fun.” Not . Although he was kind of intrigued by her ideas. Last summer when he’d been back in San Amaro he’d hooked up with a couple of sisters who ran a surfing school that taught mostly kids how to surf. He hadn’t been in the water with them because of his broken foot, but he’d spent some time with them and it had been kind of fun.
“There are a whole range of things we could do,” she continued, her voice warming and her hands moving as she talked. “There are a lot of environmental groups, there are skin cancer foundations—”
“Skin cancer!”
“Yes. Because you spend so much time outdoors and in the sun, it’s something you should be aware of for yourself, and promoting sun safety would be a good link.”
“Uh huh.”
“But we thought it’s probably best to pick a couple of key things and focus on those, rather than spread yourself too thin.”
He shoved a hand through his hair as their waitress appeared with their meals. They waited as she set plates in front of them then refilled their
She gasped. “Don’t even think of that!”
He grinned. “I’m kidding. Sort of. I’m not stupid. Well, sometimes a little reckless. But no, I’m not going surfing today.”
“I guess not.” She sipped her coffee, looking a little more bright-eyed. “What are we going to do today?”
“Good question. I thought you might want to see some of the sights, but I guess we’re not going anywhere today.”
She pouted a little. “I get one day in a tropical paradise and a freakin’ cyclone hits. That is so not fair.”
“True.” He sent her a sympathetic smile. “But you’ll probably get more than one day now.”
“Damn. I need to get home. I have work to do. I left Tim with a whole list of things to work on to get in place for you when we get back.”
He curled his lip. “Oh yeah. Okay, tell me what you’ve got in mind for polishing up my image.” As if there was anything wrong with his image. People loved him. Didn’t they?
“I contacted an organization in San Diego that deals with kids in disadvantaged neighborhoods. We’re planning to bus a group of kids in so you can teach them how to surf. We think we can make it a regular thing. Of course you won’t always be there, but maybe we can find someone else to keep it going.”
He sat back in his chair. “Huh. Okay. I like kids.”
“Good. That’s good. How do you feel about the environment?”
He gazed at her blankly. “I’m in favor of it.”
She laughed. “Also good. There are a lot of environmental groups who work to preserve oceans. I thought that might be something important to you, seeing as you spend so much time in the ocean.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah. True. I guess I’m not that up on the problems there are.”
She leaned forward. “I found a group called Oceans Alive that’s implementing programs to reduce urban runoff and preserve the environmental integrity of southern California’s beaches and coastal waters. They’re really keen to hook up with you and use your star power to further their cause.”
“I don’t know anything about urban runoff. But I do despise fudge tunnels.”
She gave him a blank stare.
“When you’re in a tunnel that’s all brown and yellow because of the pollution. That’s sick.”
“Fudge tunnel. Um, yeah. So, good. In the next few weeks you’ll be learning all about runoff and pollution, as well as learning about the challenges those kids face. You’ll be talking to people about the importance of preserving the ocean and coastline around San Amaro and all of southern California.”
He rubbed his face. “You make it sound like I’m going back to school.” Bleh.
“Well, we’ll try to make it as fun and interactive as possible, but you’ll have some reading to do. In fact, I brought some materials with me, thinking that the long plane ride home might be an opportunity to get started. Maybe we could do that today.”
“Sounds like fun.” Not . Although he was kind of intrigued by her ideas. Last summer when he’d been back in San Amaro he’d hooked up with a couple of sisters who ran a surfing school that taught mostly kids how to surf. He hadn’t been in the water with them because of his broken foot, but he’d spent some time with them and it had been kind of fun.
“There are a whole range of things we could do,” she continued, her voice warming and her hands moving as she talked. “There are a lot of environmental groups, there are skin cancer foundations—”
“Skin cancer!”
“Yes. Because you spend so much time outdoors and in the sun, it’s something you should be aware of for yourself, and promoting sun safety would be a good link.”
“Uh huh.”
“But we thought it’s probably best to pick a couple of key things and focus on those, rather than spread yourself too thin.”
He shoved a hand through his hair as their waitress appeared with their meals. They waited as she set plates in front of them then refilled their
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