Chapter Eleven
TESS
Wind whipped my hair and blocked my view of the choppy sea. My feet dangled over the edge of the pier as I held on to the rail and watched three surfers decide if they wanted to do battle with Mother Nature tonight.
One man, who looked to be in his forties, raced into the water, duck-dove under the whitecaps, and surfaced a few yards from shore. He looked back at the other two, and they waved him off and headed back up toward the parking lot.
He paddled out farther past the break. His movements were smooth and thought out. Once he got to a certain point, he hiked up to a seated position and watched the waves as if he were counting them. Or maybe he was waiting for just the right one. Either way, he seemed calm and fearless.
His sense of serenity seemed to pass over
