Read Online Always Summer by Nikki Godwin - Free Book Online

case something happens.
    “It won’t stop the phone calls,” Jace says,
sitting in front of the Drenaline Surf website.
    “But it’ll give you a place to direct them
when they call,” I say. I read over the statement one more time,
just to make sure it would be Vin-approved.
    Drenaline Surf would like to welcome Kale
Nakoa to our roster of sponsored surfers. Kale hails from the North
Shore of Oahu in Hawaii and grew up surfing classic surf spots like
Pipeline and Back Door. His love for the sport and his
surf-immersed spirit is exactly what Drenaline Surf is about and
what Shark McAllister lived for. We’re excited to have him on board
as we move forward in the surf community.
    At Drenaline Surf, we understand following
your passion and chasing your dreams. It’s the essence this company
was founded upon and the ultimate belief of the McAllister family.
We were saddened to see Vin Brooks leave the company last month,
but we understood his desire to follow his passion in mechanics and
take on a new opportunity in a field that he enjoyed. With this
departure, a door has been opened for our new manager, Jace Hudson,
to join the Drenaline Surf family and carry on its legacy.
    We’re excited to grow and evolve in the
upcoming months and will announce all of our future projects
soon.
    – Haley Sullivan, Public Relations
([email protected])
    I submit the statement on our website and
hope that all questions will be directed to me instead of Jace or –
God forbid – Joe’s house.
    “That’s all we can do for now,” I tell him.
“If anyone calls wanting a statement or a comment, tell them that
our official press release is on our website and give them the web
address. Say nothing more, nothing less.”
    Jace nods a few times, like his brain is
still trying to absorb the insanity that is unfolding before us.
“Thank you,” he finally says, his voice somewhat low. “This is a
far cry from the music store.”
    I push the office chair back and stand.
“It’ll get better. We’re in a transitional phase, like Joe said,” I
tell him. “Now that we’ve averted the media crisis, I’m going to
let you resume inventory control.”
    I walk out to the main room, hoping to steal
Topher away for a few minutes to ask him how he knew about Kale’s
sponsorship before anyone else. I know Joe told him, obviously, but
he couldn’t have known for long. Topher couldn’t have kept it from
Miles if he had.
    Logan intercepts me, though, before I reach
the front counter.
    “Hey, I sort of need to talk to you,” he
says, looking around sheepishly. It’s like he doesn’t know his
place here. Actually, he probably doesn’t.
    “Is everything okay?” I ask. I remind myself
to smile, to be warm and friendly. I’ve had a sour taste in my
mouth about his arrival simply because everyone else felt offended
by his entrance to Drenaline Surf. They accepted me. They somewhat
accepted Colby. Logan deserves his chance too.
    He shrugs. “I just…I need to talk to you
about my career or image or whatever it is,” he says. It’s not the
first time I’ve heard that line. “I’m tired of my name being
dragged around like I’m some kind of victim. You’re the damage
control person, so can you fix it?”
    Of course, I can fix it. I can more than fix
it. I don’t think Logan even realizes his own potential. If he’s as
great a surfer as Vin said he is, then he’s the full package. He’s
marketable. He’s someone you want on magazine covers. He just needs
a team to back him, and he’s not getting any of that here. My
loyalty forever lies with Colby, but I’m not going to be one of
those people that article talked about. I won’t give Logan the
short straw.
    “Let’s go for a drive,” I tell him. “We need
to talk some things over.”
     
    “This is a hidden little gem,” Logan says,
dropping his shades over his eyes. He wears Oakleys, just like A.J.
“How did you find it?”
    “Colby brought me here once,” I