Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Love you!” I call out quickly, running across the road to the little sandy access path that leads down onto the beach.
As soon as the sand touches my toes, I let out a sigh of relief. The waves crashing, the salt dancing in the wind. All of it is like gasoline to my soul. I can’t wait to go to Uni next year and start my studies in marine biology. I’ve never wanted to go pro with surfing. I need it as an escape, not to make money.
“You’re late!” Cooper tosses his towel at me, and I catch it in the air, smirking at him.
“I guess it’s a good thing to be the boss then, huh?”
Cooper flips me off, and I lean down to unwrap my board. “How many today?”
“Only three.”
“Good,” I answer, pulling my board out and standing it up in the sand. I look around Cooper’s body to see Dani leaning against one of the lifeguard towers. “She hungover?”
“I don’t know,” Cooper brushes me off, undressing out of his clothes and stepping into his suit. “She disappeared last night and has been ignoring my calls all day. Don’t know what I did.”
I glare at my best friend. They’ve been inseparable since she moved here, but that doesn’t mean Cooper isn’t an idiot at the best of times. “Well, have you asked her what’s wrong?”
“Only a hundred times. More than I should have given her.” He nudges his head at the camera crew walking down with their oversized bags and gear. “We can talk about this later. Hopefully, this series isn’t going to be…weird.”
“It’s about Hades Hollow. Of course it’s going to be weird…” A cool shiver breaks out over my skin as dark clouds move in front of the sun. A deep rumble shakes the back of the cliff where the beach ends, and I lean into Cooper, tilting my head and watching as the three men with pale faces look up at the change of weather.
“Damn,” the first one says as soon as he reaches us. “I could have sworn I read the weather right.” His eyes rest on mine before flying to Cooper. “I’m Trevor, and this is Manny and Rem. We’re who you will be working with during this segment.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, nodding at all of them. I still remember when Cooper pitched this idea to me. They had seen his footage on TikTok, investigated Hades Hollow, and wanted to add a segment to some new Netflix mystery TV show. I wasn’t a fan of it. In fact, it made me uncomfortable. Hades Hollow wasn’t just a tale to us. It was sacred. A town we protected. Cooper was going to do it anyway. I figured I’d make sure it’s done respectfully, and it’s one day of filming, so it doesn’t take us away from our other everyday life.
“We’re glad you both agreed to do this. Wow—look at this place.” It’s obvious Trevor is the leader here, but I like Manny. He’s around my age, with a warmth about his personality that no one in this town really shares. “It’s beautiful.”
I chuckle. “Mmhmm. When she’s not in a mood.”
His eyes come to mine, and it’s the first time I realize they’re green. “You call it ‘her’?”
“I do.” I nod, tucking my chocolate-brown hair behind my ear.
His eyes follow the movement as a shy smile touches his mouth.
“Okay! So!” Cooper claps his hands and finds his way to Trevor. They begin talking about what’s not on the cards and inaccessible. I made sure to outline the parts about this town that I wanted to protect and not talk about. Since the Netflix show has to do with small-town mysteries, I knew I didn’t have to overshare. It’s a forty-minute segment. I’m not spilling all. I lean down to my satchel to take out my GoPro and phone.
Loafers come into view, and I hold my snicker. Who wears loafers to the damn beach?
“Is this all safe here while we go out?”
“This?” I point to all our belongings. “Isn’t going anywhere, but you cannot go near the water in those.” I gesture to Manny’s shoes. “I’m sorry.”
Manny presses his hand over his heart. “That hurts. Truly.” Leaning down, he undoes his laces and kicks off his shoes, removing his socks. “How are we getting out there?”
“Oh, he didn’t tell you?” I gesture to Carli’s hired surfboards behind us. “You’re paddling out.”
Manny’s face pales. He’s got the whole skinny boy thing going. His chin has a little dimple indented in the middle and his hair flops over his forehead slightly. “I can’t!”
“I’m joking…” The corner of my mouth lifts in a smirk before I gesture out to the small jetty. “You’ll be taking the boat. It’s small enough for you all to fit with your equipment.”
Manny shades his eyes to look out to the jetty before going to the equipment on the sand. “And you’ll paddle?”