Keeley bid the man good day and winced when her voice cracked. She had been at The Surf Shack since nine in the morning and it had been non-stop customers. How the store had survived with only one person working before was beyond her. She reached under the counter and grabbed the water bottle she had stored there earlier. Keeley took a long gulp, letting the cool water soothe her scratchy throat.

Her eyes slid over to Van who was standing near the surfboard wax. His face was cheerful and animated as he demonstrated to a customer how to apply the wax to a board. Keeley was fascinated at the transformation. Just minutes before, he had been berating her for not restocking the t-shirt table. How did he go from irate and frustrated one minute, to passionate and happy the next? Keeley continued to study him, trying to figure him out. Was he like that to everyone he worked with or just her?

Van caught her staring and frowned. Probably upset because she was standing around, taking a break. He jerked his head over to the wetsuit rack, indicating she should head over there. Right before his customer had come in, Van had ordered her to re-arrange all the wetsuits according to size and color.

Keeley barely managed to resist the urge to stick out her tongue at him. It was like he was purposely trying to get a reaction out of her, so there would be a reason to fire her. Well, if he thought she would be that easy to get rid of, he had another thing coming. Keeley Anne Brewer was not a quitter! She set him a withering glare before marching over to the racks and began re-arranging them by size.

It took her over half an hour to finally get all the wetsuits organized. She took a step back and admired her handy work. Not bad, for a girl who had a weekly fight with her mother about hanging her up her own clothes.

"Here," Van said as he appeared before her, and thrust a broom into her hands. He pointed to an area by the front door. "Sweep," he brusquely commanded. There was a hard edge to his voice, as if challenging her to disobey.

Keeley squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, letting him see the determination in her eyes. "Happy too," she replied curtly. She brushed past him and began sweeping the floor with short, abrupt strokes.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Van trifling through the wetsuits, double-checking her work. Keeley squeezed the broom handle with all her might, pretending it was Van's neck. He treated her like a servant he didn't trust, not a co-worker. Frustrated and angry, she began singing the first thing that came to mind.

"Cinderelly, Cinderelly. Night and day, it's Cinderell-"

"You know, I can hear you," Van interrupted.

Keeley glanced up and saw him staring at her. His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked infuriated by her song's implication. Keeley gave him a cheeky smile. "So?" she asked innocently.

His eyes narrowed at her statement. "So, that means the customers can hear you too."

She rolled her eyes and made a show of looking around. "What customers Van? The stores empty." It was six pm and starting to get dark. Usually the boardwalk became deserted once the sun set.

"You know what I mean," he said through gritted teeth. "Stop singing before you chase them all away."

"I think it would be your grouchy personality that chases them away before my singing," Keeley countered. She was gripping the handle so hard, she feared it would break in two.

Van looked her up and down before giving her a wry smile. "Well, you obviously haven't listened to yourself then," he remarked.

Keeley's jaw clenched. What the hell was his problem? He seemed to have it out for her since the beginning. "You know what Van? If I give you a nice, big straw, will you go suck the fun out of someone else's day?" she snapped.

His body tensed while his eyes turned cold and hard. "Happily, if it means getting away from you, high schooler," he sneered. Before she could respond, he stalked toward the back room.

She stared at his retreating back in shock. What did he have against high schoolers? Maybe she should talk to Shawn about re-scheduling her to work with someone else. Obviously, this wasn't working out.

Keeley sighed and looked down at the broom in her hands. She might not like Van but she still had a job to do. She started sweeping again and the Cinderella song popped back in her head. She glanced around the store and saw no customers. 'What the hell,' she thought.

"Cinderelly, Cinderelly. Night and day, it's Cinderelly. Make the fire, fix the breakfast! Wash the dishes, do the mopping! And the sweeping and the dusting! They always keep her hoppin-"

A voice behind her chuckled and Keeley jumped at the sound. She whirled around, ready to apologize to the customer, but stopped short when she saw who it was.

"Cory," she said, her surprise evident. What was he doing here?

"Hey Keels," he causally greeted.

Inwardly, she cringed at the nickname. Only Zach was allowed to call her that. Even Nicky, who she's known since she was five, was not allowed to call her Keels.

"Nice singing," Cory remarked. "Really adds to the whole shopping experience." His brown eyes twinkled playfully.

Keeley groaned and dropped her forehead onto the end of broomstick handle. "You weren't suppose to hear that." She heard a noise in the background and saw Van come out of the back room and head toward the cash register.

Cory grinned, finding the whole situation amusing. "If you're Cinderella, who's the wicked stepmother?"

Keeley's eyes immediately cut to Van. "More like wicked step-worker," she retorted wryly.

Cory followed her line of sight and was taken back. "Van?" he questioned in disbelief.

Keeley nodded, her eyes still glued to him. "He may be your surf god, but he's my surf nightmare." Van started shutting down the register and counting the money inside. Must finally be closing time. Thank god!

"I'm sure you're just exaggerating," Cory said in a superior tone. "Van couldn't be that bad." He turned his attention back to Keeley and studied her for a minute. "So who gets to be your Prince Charming and save you from the endless chores?"

"No one at the moment," Keeley sighed, thinking about Brent.

"Are you taking applications?" he asked coyly.

Keeley's head snapped back to him and she stared at him in astonishment. Was Cory flirting with her? He had never paid much attention to her in the past. She gave him a second look. He was a good-looking guy with black, short hair and brown eyes. His nose was a little crooked like it had been broken one too many times but it was barely noticeable. He was a couple inches taller than her, with broad shoulders and big muscles attesting to his position as the football team's linebacker.

He stared back at her, unabashed by his words. Cory raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer to his question.

Unsure of what to say, Keeley cautiously responded, "I don't know. Depends on who's asking."

The tips of Cory's mouth twitched, like he was holding back a smile. "A potential candidate."

"Uh..." Keeley said. She probably sounded stupid but at the moment she didn't care. What on earth was going on with this guy? For the past three years, they've barely spoken and all of a sudden he's flirting with her like there is no tomorrow?

Cory stepped closer to her so their bodies were almost touching.

Immediately, Keeley took a step back. Whoa Nelly. This guy had no concept of personal space. And she vividly remembered the last time he got too close. It was like a ride on Splash Mountain except without the heart pounding excitement. She needed to change the topic of conversation. Fast. "Shouldn't you be at football practice with my brother?" she asked, trying to divert his attention.

Cory shook his head and took another step toward her, obviously not getting the hint. "Practice ends at five."

Keeley frowned. Zach told her it had ended at seven. That was why she gave him the car today and she took the bus. He had been bugging her all yesterday about it, saying that it was going to be an extra long and rough practice and he really wanted the car. She started to get angry as she realized Zach manipulated her to get his way.

"Zach actually sent me here to pick you up," Cory added. He gestured to the parking lot a few meters away. "Your horse and carriage await."

Her eyebrows raised in surprise at Zach's thoughtfulness. "Does that make Zach my fairy godmother?"

Cory chuckled. "As long as-"

"Keeley!" Van shouted from across the room. "You can leave since you're not doing anything. Don't want to keep your boyfriend waiting," he said in a passive aggressive tone. It was saying something when that was the nicest thing Van had said to her all day.

"He's not my boy-" she began but stopped when the broomstick was ripped away from her hands. She watched as Cory leaned it against a nearby wall and lifted a hand to Van.

"Thanks man," Cory said. "Big fan, by the way. Your ride at the J-Bay competition in South Africa was killer." Cory's eyes were bright with admiration as he stared at Van.

Silently, Van lifted his chin in acknowledgement. He turned away and walked back to the employee room without another word.

Cory whirled around to face her with a big grin on his face. "You think you can put in a good word for me?" he asked eagerly.

"Yah, of course. I'll just mention you when we're having our afternoon heart-to-heart," she remarked sardonically as she grabbed her purse from behind the counter.

"Thanks! That'd be awesome," Cory said, obviously not catching on to her sarcasm. He pushed open the door and walked out, letting it almost hit Keeley in the face.

"Whoever said chivalry is dead, is right," she muttered to herself as she opened the door. She glanced at Cory who was walking ahead of her, not even bothering to turn around. 'I'm thinking his application for Prince Charming is denied,' she thought silently. 'He's more like a frog than a prince.'

The ride home was absolute torture. Cory kept rambling on about Van and his amazing surfing skills, not seeming to notice that Keeley had zoned out. When the car pulled up next to her house, Keeley practically ran to her front door, only pausing to yell a swift "thank you" over her shoulder.

When she walked in the house, she noticed right away how quiet it was. Normally, the house would be filled with the sound of the television or pots banging together as someone made dinner. "Mom? Dad?" she called out. "Zach?" Keeley received no response. Even Tucker, who usually greeted her at the door, was noticeably absent. Too exhausted to care, she walked into the kitchen and made herself a sandwich. She grabbed a freshly made brownie off the counter and tromped upstairs to her room.

She was sitting on her bed, about to eat, when Darth Vadar's theme song rang out. "What?" she asked more harshly than she meant to.

"Whoa!" Talon exclaimed. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Is it because you thought I had forgotten about you? Don't worry, baby doll. Your number is on my top ten list of girls to call."

Keeley let out a load, frustrated sigh.

"Okay, okay! Top five. But that's all I'm willing to concede," Talon replied in mock annoyance.

She didn't have enough energy to play battle of wits with him right now. "What do you want Talon?" she asked in a monotone voice. Keeley took a bite of her unappetizing sandwich, wishing the day would end already.

"To talk with my ever feisty, feminist female," he said cheerfully. "Pretty awesome alliteration, don't you think?" Talon joked.

Keeley rolled her eyes. He really was like a dog. He needed constant praise for learning a new trick. "Seriously. What do you want?" she repeated, her voice devoid of all emotion.

There was slight pause on his end. "You okay there, baby doll?" His deep voice sounded curious and slightly concerned.

"I'm fine," Keeley replied gruffly. She glanced at the sandwich, ready to eat more but her stomach growled in protest. Deciding to forego the main course, she picked up the gooey brownie and took a large bite. She sighed happily when the rich chocolate hit her taste buds. Pure nirvana.

Another pause. "You want to," he hesitated, taking a deep breath, "talk about it?" The last couple words came out in a rush. He sounded terrified and frightened at the prospect.

Keeley swallowed and let out an incredulous laugh. Was the apocalypse coming or did Talon just say something considerate? Albeit, he sounded like he would rather face Chinese water torture, but still.

"What's so funny?" Talon demanded to know. He sounded mad and a little hurt that she laughed at his question.

Keeley laughed again, sounding slightly hysterical. All her frustration, all her anger was coming to a head and there was nothing she could do to stop.

"My god, it's finally happened. You've gone over the deep end," Talon commented after a few moments. "I knew my charming personality would drive a girl insane one day," he sighed, as if he had been waiting for this to happen all along.

Keeley laughed even harder at his absurd statement. She should be furious at his arrogance, but instead she found herself grateful. Without knowing it, Talon was making her feel better. It took her a few moments but she finally managed to pull herself together. "Thanks," she said through a few giggles. "You made me feel a lot better."

"Of course I did," Talon replied cockily.

"So humble," Keeley remarked sarcastically even though she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. He maybe arrogant but at least he was predictable.

"Baby doll, it's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am," his husky voice boasted.

Keeley snorted at the idea. "The only thing you are great at is wetting your bed apparently." She took another bite of the brownie and barely managed to hold back a moan of pleasure.

"Oh come on! I was a little kid!" he cried out defensively.

She giggled at the mental image of a nine-year-old boy playing with dolls while his Dolly Parton mother, dressed in pink cowboy boots and a fringe jacket, changed his sheets. If it weren't for the truce, she would be tempted to call his mother and ask for pictures. "I didn't know nine years old was considered little," she replied sweetly.

"Age doesn't matter when you're young at heart," Talon said, trying to save face.

"Uh-huh," Keeley murmured, her tone indicating his excuse was pure bullshit.

He sighed in defeat. "Damn mothers," he muttered under his breath. There was a heavy silence between the two before Talon spoke again. "So, why are you in such a foul mood?"

"You really want to know?" she asked in astonishment.

"Its not about your period or anything right?" he questioned, his voice sounding nervous.

Keeley stifled a giggle that was threatening to escape. What was it about periods that had men so terrified? "It's not about my period," she confirmed. Keeley polished off the last bit of brownie and considered getting more but felt too lazy.

"Thank god," he muttered under his breath, sounding incredibly relieved. "So what is it then? Parents? Friends? Your douche bag of a brother?"

Keeley frowned at his antagonism towards Zach but chose not to comment on it. "It's about my job or more accurately it's about my co-worker at my job."

"What happened?" he asked sincerely.

Keeley paused and ran a hand through her hair. Was she really going to do this? Was she really going to confide in Talon?

"You there, baby doll?" Talon prompted.

She took a deep breath. Guess she was. "He didn't do anything specifically. It's just that he seems to hate me and I don't know why. Van orders me around like I'm an indentured servant. I-"

"Van?" Talon interrupted. "You work with Van? At The Surf Shack?"

"Yah," Keeley confirmed.

"Holy crap! That guy is the shit!" Talon exclaimed.

Keeley rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you drank the Van Kool-Aid too." God, what was it about this guy that made everyone love him?

"Hey. You think you can get me an autograph?" he asked, the excitement in his voice evident.

"Seriously? Did you not just hear the part where I said he hates me?" she asked indignantly.Keeley closed her eyes and started rubbing her temples. She could feel a massive headache coming on.

"Aw baby doll, I don't believe that," Talon cooed. "No one could hate you."

"Don't patronize me, Talon," she said sharply.

"I'm not," his voice sounding puzzled by her words. "You may be incredibly uptight and annoying but I doubt anyone could hate you."

"I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult," Keeley huffed. She put her plate on the floor next to her bed and snuggled under the covers, getting more comfortable.

"Its neither. It's the truth," Talon said simply, not apologizing for being honest.

Keeley paused, thinking about the other times they talked. "Are you always like this?" she asked curiously.

"Like what?"

"So blunt and straight-forward?" Keeley remembered his mother had been the same way.

"I don't sugarcoat things if that's what you mean," he replied. "I don't see the point."

Keeley admired his frank attitude. She didn't know if she had the courage to be so honest with people. Keeley's body tensed after realizing what she just admitted. She admired Talon. The world really was coming to an end. That or there was something magically delicious in those brownies.

"I mean why beat around the bush?" he added. "It's not doing the person any favors."

"You seem a lot like your mother in that regard," Keeley commented. She switched to speakerphone and laid it down on the pillow next to her.

"Oh god," he gasped in horror. "Don't say that. You might jinx me."

Keeley giggled and rolled on her side so she was facing the phone. "Be respectful," she playfully rebuked. "Your mom seems really nice."

"She is," Talon sighed. "It's just that she's a little..." he trailed off, trying to find the right word to describe her.

"Over the top?" Keeley kindly suggested. She suppressed the urge to yawn and tugged her comforter higher so it covered everything except her head.

"Exactly. Do you know that she still insists on making me school lunches? She puts little notes inside with a Capri-Sun and a PB&J sandwich cut out in the shape of a dinosaur," Talon said in an exasperated tone. "Do you know how embarrassing that is?"

Keeley chuckled. "What do you do with the lunch? I can't imagine you eating that in front of your football buddies." Keeley silently yawned and struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Hell no!" he exclaimed. "I eat it on my way to school in the morning and I hide her note in my glove compartment. It gets pretty full by the end of the year," Talon confessed.

Keeley melted a little at his words. It was sort of sweet that he ate his mother's lunch instead of throwing it away. "Speaking of your mother, is she from the south? I picked up on a slight southern accent," she said, remembering Darlene's twang.

"Yup. Texas. Born and raised," he proudly stated. "We moved here when I was fourteen."

The weight of her eyelids became too much and they fluttered shut. "Texas huh? I've never been. But I heard the cattle are huge." She thought back to her Mr. Tibbs days and remembered the research she had done on the Texas Cattle Company.

"Of course, baby doll. Don't you know that everything is bigger and better in Texas?" he boasted. "And I do mean everything."

Ignoring his sexual innuendo, she scoffed lightly. "It's certainly true about your ego," she muttered. Her body started to go lax as she grew more comfortable.

Talon's deep voice washed over her. "Don't hate the player, baby doll. Hate the game."

"Hey Talon?" Keeley called out, her voice lethargic.

"Yah?" he responded expectantly.

"The 90s called." She yawned again. "They want their..," Keeley paused, struggling to stay awake, "...insult...back." She whispered the last couple words as she drifted off to sleep, unaware of his response.