I laughed. “Amen to that. But she does bring in the surfers,” I teased. “She has quite the fan club here.”
Chase smirked. “I doubt they come just for her, Breezy Baby.” I blushed, then changed the subject.
“You’re right,” I said with a smile. “My dad is a legend around here. They come for him too.” Chase shook his head with a casual roll of his eyes, and I continued. “She’s probably with Kai. You know how those two are. He took me home last night. Maybe he went back for her? They were arguing at the party and probably wanted to make up properly.”
Chase cringed. “TMI, Breezy. Fucking Kai. I’m convinced she’s dating him to piss me off. Yeah. You’re probably right. I’m just worried. Last I saw her, she said she would check on you. How’d you get out, anyway?”
“I was about to go through the woods by your house to avoid the main road. Ran into Kai, and he offered me a ride.”
“Fuck,” Chase grumbled. “I’m glad you’re okay. I’m sorry you had to go with that asshole. I would have driven you if I wasn’t breaking up that fight. Fucking football players. These parties are getting way out of hand. Last night was insane.” Chase challenged me with his stare, as if prompting me to comment on just how insane things had gotten.
“Look,” I said before gulping in air. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about things, but the awkwardness between us wouldn’t go away until I did. “About last night.”
Chase broke out into a sly grin. “What about it?”
I didn’t want to go into detail about what I’d seen, but I felt I at least owed him an apology. “I’m sorry. I was just…”
“Curious?” he offered. “Curiosity isn’t a bad thing, Breeze.” He leaned over the countertop, his face just inches from mine. I bashfully tucked some hair behind my ear and gnawed on my lip.
“It was…”
“Hot?” he answered for me. “You can say it. Did you enjoy watching us? Did you like how I fucked her mouth?”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. I wasn’t expecting his filthy mouth to say that. Now was not the time for that. “It was inappropriate of me. I’m sorry,” I replied, ruining the mood. Chase let out a slow exhale, staring at me with his playful eyes for a moment longer before pulling away.
“No worries, Breezy Baby. I’m happy to give you a show any time.” I averted my eyes and fought a blush. “I’m going to go back to our house and see if she showed up,” Chase added with a grumble. “If you hear from Violet, please let me know? I’m sure you’re right, but I’m still worried. She’s probably just fucking with me since I brought Celeste last night. It was my birthday, too, ya know?”
“Let me know if you find her,” I replied.
Chase left me alone to worry about Violet. Even though I was trying to convince him she was fine, I was really trying to convince myself. I didn’t believe my own lame words as they were coming out of my mouth. Violet always called or texted me at night. Especially after a big party that got shut down by the cops. She would have been dying to tell me what happened.
I scrolled back through all the social media channels that Violet was most active on, trying to pinpoint the last time she posted anything. It looked like she posted a selfie on Instagram during the fight that broke out. Her face, perfectly framed by lustrous curls, was the primary focus of the picture, but in the background, it was easy to see the chaos. It impressed me that she stopped to take a selfie, which was actually fifteen selfies trying to get the Insta worthy shot, and then uploaded it while everything was complete pandemonium behind her. Her eye makeup was still smeared, but she smoothed it for the shot. Her eyes were playful and endearing.
I tried calling Violet, but it went straight to voicemail. She probably didn’t charge it. That girl lived on seven percent battery life.
I triple checked my texts and phone log to make sure I didn’t miss something. I didn’t, but I was willing a missed call to magically appear on the screen. The bells on the door chimed again, breaking me out of the spell of searching for any trace of Violet.
“Hi, peanut,” my dad greeted me cheerfully as he strolled in.
“Hey, Dad. Have you heard from Violet?”
“No. You were the one to tell me she wasn’t coming in today, remember?” he joked with a light chuckle.
“I’m getting worried. Chase came in looking for Violet, and I haven’t heard from her since the party. It’s just not like her.”
My dad’s smile faded, the concern on his face visible. “Are you sure she’s not just sleeping it off? From the way you described it, it sounded like last night was a doozy.”
Leave it to my dad to say the word doozy.
“Yeah,” I said, lacking any enthusiasm. “I’m sure you’re right. Chase went to look for her.”
“Well, then let’s try not to worry about it too much until you hear from Chase? How does catching a quick wave sound to distract you until he calls?”
I stared longingly at my board. “I’d love to, Dad, but I would feel better knowing where Violet is. Would you mind taking over at the shop so I can go look for her? I bet she’s passed out at Kai’s, but I want to make sure.”
Dad frowned. “I don’t like you spending time with Kai, Breeze. He’s trouble.” I rolled my eyes. My father has had an issue with Kai ever since Violet invited him to a cookout. I couldn’t blame him. Kai had danger practically seeping from his pores.
“I’m not going to spend time with him, I’m just going to look for Violet. Please?”
“Fine,” Dad grumbled before pressing his lips into a fine line and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Thank you! Can I take the Jeep?” Kai lived a few miles outside of the main city, and I didn’t want to ride my bike on the winding uphill road.
“Sure. Bring it back in an hour, though.”
I circled the counter and kissed my dad on the cheek with a grin. He fished the keys out of his pocket and handed them to me. “Thanks, Dad. Be right back.” I then jogged out the door and slid into the front seat of the car, hoping Violet was just up to her usual antics and cashing in on some waves and orgasms.
Kai lived in a converted school bus on the beach. He bought it after graduation last year and refurbished it into a tiny house he could park wherever he wanted. I remember Violet going on and on about how good he was with his hands, winking while discussing the flooring she helped him pick out or the leather couch they found at a thrift store that fit just right. Kai parked wherever the surf was and drove his truck to his job as a cook at one of the local tourist trap restaurants. He lived a simple life. I think it was why Violet loved him so much. She came from dinner parties and designer clothes. Her parents permanently moved to the island because every day was paradise when you didn’t have to work.
As I drove up to where I knew he was parked, I looked around for Violet’s Mercedes and frowned when I didn’t see it. Kai’s bus was painted a teal blue and almost blended into the crystal clear water. He parked it on an elevated piece of grass overlooking the horizon. I hopped out of the Jeep and strolled over to the door, knocking. I tapped my foot while waiting for an answer, then frowned when no one did.