Chapter 9

A little over an hour later everyone was back at the Zephyr shop and the party was just getting started. Jeff was manning the grill in an open area behind the store while Skip, beer in hand, handed him hamburger patties and hot dogs to throw on. Various surfer and skater guys, many with girlfriends or dates in tow, were milling around mostly talking about the heavy session that had gone down that day at POP. Jess stuck fairly close to Kathy and Deb, who were holding down a prime spot inside the shop along with the other older girls. The younger girls were scattered around inside and outside the shop in groups of twos or threes, mostly scoping out guys and whispering amongst themselves. They had indeed gotten her to talk to Jay after he finished surfing – practically pushed her at him in fact – but he was somewhat more subdued today, exhausted after surfing almost nonstop since 7am in chilly waters. He did work up another mischevious grin and a few more suggestive lines for Jess, but so far he had yet to act on his impulses. At the moment he was in the main salesroom of the shop working on his second Budwieser and talking enthusiastically to Red Dog and Nathan about testing out Jeff's newest board. The conversation was hard to make out over the Foghat cranking out of the shop's stereo system, but Jess was able to conclude from Jay's facial expressions and vocal tone that the new design was a winner. From the other corner Angela gave her a "go for it" look but Jess was a little reluctant to intrude on the conversation. She took another small sip of her beer, trying to work up the courage to approach him. She definitely felt mutual sparks of attraction but wasn't sure if she could handle the rowdy blonde surfer boy. But getting a little buzz would definitely help. She took a bigger swallow of beer.

"Slow Ride" came on the stereo and many of the kids started grooving where they stood, food plates and drinks in hand. Skip and Jeff's voices could be heard clearly over the din. One of the more clean-cut surfers asked Kathy to dance and after the barest hesitation she agreed. Things were definitely picking up a bit.

A minute later Kathy's brother Tony strode in with three beautiful girls and a twentyish guy who was far too well-dressed and prosperous to be a local, but everyone seemed to hail him as a good friend if not a hero. Cries of: "Heyyyy, Bunker!" "S'up dude?" "Alright, it's Bunker!" follwed him as the little group approached Skip and Jeff, who eagerly shook hands with the black leisure-suited man. Jess saw Kathy throw an uncertain glance toward her brother and his buddy but kept on dancing. The other members of the Zephyr team greeted the new arrivals cordially but quickly went back to their own conversations as Tony and Bunker moved into the next room and were lost from view. Jess threw a questioning look at Deb, who briefly elucidated for her: "That guy who came with Tony is named Bunker Spreckles. He's kind of a rich guy-turned surfer type. Heir to a big fortune. And check this out – his mother is married to Clark Gable! Anyway, he met Tony a few months ago surfing at Malibu and they've been good friends ever since."

"Wow, no kidding," Jess said with raised eyebrows. "Kathy didn't look very happy to see her brother with him though, did you notice that?"

"Yeah, I think she's afraid that Bunker will turn Tony on to the harder drugs or something. But I can't see TA doing that. He's above all that crap. I think he's more into Bunker's groupies than anything!" Deb laughed.

"I heard that," Jess agreed. "They looked like models or something, huh?"

"Pssh, plenty more where they came from. You never see Bunker with the same girl twice. Or Tony for that matter," Deb confided. Jess could only shake her head. Good thing she wasn't attracted to the curly-haired Latino Z-boy or she'd be gunning for a heartache for sure. She covertly glanced over at Karen, the Dogtown girl who was gunning to be Tony's girlfriend and saw a mixed look of anger and disappointment on her face. The sight made Jess almost feel bad for her. Almost. Suddenly a guy spoke up from right behind her right shoulder, almost making her spill her beer.

"Hey, hot stuff. Why you being so shy?" Jay, of course. Jess turned to face him as Deb discreetly moved away to give them privacy.

With a little flip of her hair, Jess put her head to one side and pretended to pout. "Didn't think you were going to talk to me, Jay," she said as coquettishly as possible. The beer was definitely kicking in a bit, which helped a lot.

Jay gave a little laugh in response and picked up a lock of her hair where it spilled over her shoulder. "You changed this since yesterday, didn't ya?"

"Yeah, you like it?"

He just shrugged. "Guess so. It's all the same to me, really." His intense gaze met hers. "I mean, it's not really your hair I'm interested in, ya know?"

"Oh, umm…yeah," was the best Jess could do in response. She was pretty sure a blush was starting to rise in her cheeks and hoped the lighting was too dim for Jay to notice.

"So you wanna go talk someplace more quiet?" Jay asked, but took her hand and led her to the back room of the shop before she could even reply. Her heart started to pound frantically – what was he going to do, talk to her? Kiss her? Feel her up? Or…? She willed herself to stay cool. After all, the shop was full of people who would surely come to her rescue if Jay tried anything stupid…wouldn't they?

The back room was clearly a combination of office and workshop, with boards and board-making supplies and equipment scattered all over the place. Jess felt relieved when Jay left the door slightly ajar behind them. Maybe he's not going to try anything stupid, she thought to herself. Although she was no stranger to boys' attentions, she had never let any of the guys back home get too far with her, just a few makeout sessions with some mild touching through clothing.

Jay hopped up on a worktable and motioned for Jess to sit on it next to him. He took a drink from his beer. "So Jess, what do you think of Dogtown so far?"

"It's cool. Everyone here is pretty nice. Mostly," was her diplomatic reply.

"Mostly." Jay chuckled before he took another swig of beer. "Hey, I'm not gonna bullshit you – this place can be a hellhole, but it's our hellhole, ya know? The only other place I'd ever live would be Hawaii," he confessed. "You ever been there?"

Jess shook her head. "This is the farthest west I've ever been."

"You should go there sometime. It's total paradise. Maybe I'll take ya one day," he offered as his face softened and his hand came up to caress a strand of her hair again. Her heartrate began to pick up once more. "I like you, Jess," he whispered as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and brought his boyishly handsome face close to hers, clearly preparing to kiss her.

"Umm-" Jess started to protest, but Jay hushed her. "Hey, it's all cool, baby. I mean it – I really like you. You're different." But how would you even know, Jess started to think, but then Jay's mouth was on hers in a gentle but insistent kiss that lasted for several seconds.

Jay pulled away a bit and looked into her eyes again. "I really like you," he restated as his hand slowly traveled down from her shoulder to her arm and then her hand. "I wanna get with you," he continued. "You an' me, let's make something happen. Y'dig?"

Jess swallowed and nodded. Why did she still have to feel so unsure about everything? She chided herself for her reluctance and took stock of the situation. Jay really was a lot nicer when the other guys weren't around, he was definitely into her and frankly, he was a pretty good kisser, too. She decided to roll with the situation for as long as it felt comfortable but resolved not to let it get too far. She looked into Jay's eyes and gave him her answer, blunt Eastern style: "Ok, but just so long as you know that I don't put out for guys I barely know."

Jay did laugh then, as he brought his face close to hers again, touching his forehead to hers. "Baby, we got all the time in the world to get to know each other," he growled, cupping her chin in one hand. Now c'mon, gimme another kiss like that first one."

------End of Chapter 9------