Chapter 1

As Leah sat at a table in the cafe that ran along the edge of the beach she couldn't help but close her eyes and enjoy the cool sea breeze that swirled around her. This was where she loved to be. After the torment she dealt with in her past this was the only place she truly felt safe. She loved to surf and that was what had brought her to Hawaii today so she could compete in the competition in 2 days time - it was never her intention to win but over the years she had gained the reputation as one of the greatest women surfers in the world and she had sponsors who had high expectations of her. Leah never done it for the money or the popularity though, she loved the freedom that came with the sea and the way it made her feel - she could almost forget about her past when she was near the ocean. This was where she always wanted to be, where she felt peaceful, that was the main reason for her taking a change in direction with her work in the past couple of years, sick of the lack of free time she received with the previous company she worked with she turned to her artistic skills and became a designer. Her work wasn't pleased at her decision as she was responsible for the majority of contracts the company took on but grudgingly they let her go. Her new job as a designer suited her as she could travel all over the world and work with all sorts of creative people - some were extremely hard to work with while others were open to any ideas that was what she loved although it was just as hard work as her previous job she felt that she had accomplished something at the end of it all.

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A buzz from her phone startled Leah, she had almost fallen asleep it had been so peaceful by the beach. She gave a small laugh at herself for jumping then looked around quickly to make sure no-one had seen her before answering her phone. Josh watched her from the side of the building, she was as beautiful as ever with her long brunette hair blowing in the wind over her tanned skin but it was her eyes and smile that really drew his attention - she had a smile that made men and women weak at the knees and stunning bright blue eyes with a hint of green in the middle that dazzled. She was a man magnet - every man noticed her but she never seemed to notice or play off it like some women would in the career world - she wanted success in her own right and that's what Josh loved about her.

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He decided he'd better put her out of her misery as whoever was on the other side of the phone seemed to be sending her to sleep so he made his way towards her through the almost empty cafe. He chose to go round behind her to surprise her however it was Josh that got the surprise after shouting "BOO!" in her ear her arm hit the table and the tip of the fork which took on a life of its own and seemed to fly with some amount of power straight for Josh's stomach. Seeing the look on Josh's face Leah burst into laughter and apologised to the person on the phone agreeing to call them back later. She was doubled over laughing when Josh said "well its fucking nice seeing you too! Would you like me to stab you in the belly the next time a see you? Aye well next time you better watch out!" Josh always kept his strong Irish accent even though he had lived in England since the age of 10 then moved out to Hawaii 12 years ago when he was 21. Leah had known him since he first arrived in London all they years ago and they grew up together since then. Finally holding in the laugh she threw her arms around him and gave him a big cuddle. He gave her a bear hug back all while making a big fuss out of his holey belly.

"You're looking great Josh - the weather out here's definitely working for you" Leah commented. As they picked up all of Leah's things they headed towards Josh's pub where she was staying while she was here. She couldn't help but notice how different Josh looked from the last time she had seen him - he was perfectly toned, his blond hair was longer than usual but it suited his face shape and brought out his eyes - the divorce seemed to have been good for him.

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"Wow, what the hell happened in here?" asked Leah with a somewhat confused yet amused expression that made Josh laugh. "Well me and the guys had a bit of a night last night ended up getting a bit drunk and it turned out the lassies we brought back here were perhaps better called burglars. Can you believe that? Burgled by birds!" Seeing the same look still on Leahs face he continued "well they only got the t.v. some sheets and the curtains before big John woke up and caught them and watching him jump up and down trying to put a shoe on and shout at the same time before crashing to a heap on the floor kinda made up for the stuff that they took." Hearing this Leah just fell on the couch and laughed so hard she started finding it hard to breathe then hearing her contagious laugh Josh doubled over and joined her. Through her laughing Leah eventually managed to speak "That could only ever happen to you Josh." Hearing her speak he panted out "Aye, just like old times, eh?" And he wasn't wrong Josh was the most unlucky person Leah had ever met, she thought back to when they were kids they went to a safari park where they were on a boat to see the monkeys on an island and Josh threw a banana for them to eat never expecting what happened in return would be the monkeys starting to throw giant bricks back at the boat - that boat now has a metal cage at each side, "see I prevented loads of other people from getting wacked by the crazy monkeys" was Josh's response to the news. He also married a gold digger who left him with nothing but his pub that was now his pride and joy.

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After finally getting unpacked and quickly cooking up a bite to eat Josh and Leah headed down to the pub that he owned since he was working there tonight. This was the way Leah liked it a nice calm and friendly atmosphere where she could relax. She spent the whole night sitting next to the bar being served by Josh and catching up with what each other had been up to over the past couple of years. She thought it would be better to get any drinking out of the way tonight as she had to be ready for the competition on Saturday and she also had a business meeting the next day. She was to meet the woman whom she will be working with for the next few months and right now all she knew about this job was that she will be travelling alot with this woman over the course of the job and that her name was Dorothea. So she decided to call it a night around 2am leaving Josh to deal with the closing of the pub while she crashed out in bed.