Sunny sits at her computer with her herbal tea and checks on the swell.
Not that she needs a sophisticated computer program to tell her that the big swell is coming like Christmas, tomorrow morning. She can feel it burgeoning out there. A heavy, pregnant sea. She can feel her heartbeat matching the intensity of the coming waves-a heavy bass drumbeat in her chest.
Sunny goes back to the computer, checking for wind and current to see where the best spot will be to grab the wave, her wave. She checks the surf cams, but it's still too dark to really see anything. But the imagery on the computer-the current, the wind-it's unmistakable: Her wave is headed right for Pacific Beach Point.
Restless, she gets up again, goes to the window, and looks out at the actual ocean. It's dark and foggy, but the sun is starting to penetrate the marine layer and it feels odd to her, unhappy and strange, not to be out on the water with The Dawn Patrol. It's the first morning in years that she hasn't shown up.
She thought about going but just couldn't make herself do it. It seemed impossible to be there with Boone. It's ridiculous, she thinks now. Silly. She knows Boone has been with other women since they split up. She's been with other men. But there was something about seeing it-seeing that woman in her clothes, looking so comfortable and at home-that felt like a terrible betrayal. And Boone letting me think that he'd been killed, when he was doing her…
So she'd skipped The Dawn Patrol.
Maybe it's a good thing, she thinks. Time to move on. Catch my wave tomorrow and ride it into my new life.
She goes to get dressed. It will be busy at The Sundowner with all the surfers coming in, and Chuck could probably use the extra help.
So she decides to go in early.