by Violet Paige
Lisa had picked up Grayson for a few hours after school.
I loved this time of day, watching the beachcombers search for treasures, runners getting in the last workout of the day, the sun casting orange beams off the waves. It was beautiful and peaceful.
I left the bowl of dip on the side table on the deck and walked to the fridge to grab two beers. Cole texted that he would be home in five minutes. My stomach was in knots. How was I going to tell him that I had met his supposed uncle today? I decided to grab a third beer. I chugged the first half of the beer, forgetting I usually liked to stick a lime in the top.
“Kaitlyn, you home?” I heard Cole call from the other end of the house. I winced and the knots in my stomach started to flip.
“Out here!” I finished the beer, before placing the empty bottle next to me, out of Cole’s view.
He walked out onto the deck. “It took longer than I thought to get that door in place.” He sank into the open lounge chair. We didn’t have proper patio furniture. I had picked up beach chairs at Lisa’s shop. They worked for now.
I handed him the beer. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He twisted off the cap and took a few chugs. “Damn, it’s a beautiful afternoon.” He surveyed the beach in front of us. “My favorites: chips, dip, beer, and you.” He smiled. “It doesn’t get better than this.”
I could just blurt it out. I could say, “Hey, met this guy today who says he is your uncle.” Or, I could slide him the business card and tell him to call Aiden and find out for himself, or what if I shredded the damn card and threw it in the waves? That plan would come back to bite me in the ass.
He looked happy, relaxed, and I was getting ready to blow that all to hell.
“Cole?”
“Mmm-hmm?” His eyes closed, and I thought he must be taking in the sounds of the waves and gulls.
“I have something I need to talk to you about.” I turned in my chaise so I was lying on my side facing him.
“What’s up, darlin’? Did you find a couch you like?”
I winced. “No, it’s not house-related.”
He opened one eye at a time and looked at me from the side. “Go on. What is it?”
I held my breath. Get it together, Kaitlyn. I coaxed the words from my mouth. “I met someone at the office today.” I pulled the business card from my front pocket. “He introduced himself as Aiden Thomas. He says he’s your uncle.”
Cole sat up, throwing his feet on the wooden deck planks. “What are you talking about?” He snatched the card from my hand.
I lowered my eyes. “He says he has a right to the Dunes, and he wants you to call him. His number is on the back.”
“Not possible.” Cole shook his head. “I don’t have any family. Pops died, and that was the end of any blood relations I had. This guy is just pulling your leg, Kaitlyn.”
I wanted that to be true. I prayed that was true. “Ok. I just thought you should know, and I felt like I had to give you the message.”
If he had been holding it together, he let that strategy go. Cole erupted. “Message? He’s using my girlfriend as a messenger? Who does this guy think he is?” He jumped from the chair. He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m going to take care of this right now.” He stormed into the house, shoving the sliding glass door until I heard the door latch.
I don’t think he intended to lock me out of the house. It was best if I sat and drank my beer anyway. I waited for Cole to return.
The sun sank on the other side of the ocean, leaving the beach cast in shadows. Cole had been on the phone for half an hour. I walked to the door, hoping he would let me in. He was inside pacing from the kitchen to the living room and then back to the kitchen. I couldn’t make out full sentences, but his voice was raised, his cheeks red, and his eyebrows high on his forehead. None of this was good.
He saw me at the door and crossed the room to let me in. He held up a finger. “You better bring proof. You’re not stepping one foot on the Dunes’s land until I see some kind of evidence.” Cole paused. “Really? I will fight you for it.” He ended the call and tossed the phone on the floor.
“What’s happening?” I ran my hand along his arm, trying to calm him.
“The asshole claims he is Pops’s son.” He looked at me, his eyes filled with pain. “He says Pops had an affair twenty-eight years ago and kept him a secret from everyone.”
My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh my God. Are you serious?” The way Cole talked about Pops was as if the man was a saint. The most perfect of grandfathers.
“It can’t be true. He has to have some kind of angle. He wants to sell the Dunes to a developer for $2.5 million. For that kind of money, people will say and do anything.” I wasn’t sure Cole believed the story was fabricated. He looked devastated.
How do you handle the news that the man who raised you had an affair and a secret child? If it was true, it wasn’t something Cole would accept easily.
He rose from the carpet, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and headed to the deck. “I’m going to take a walk.” He closed the door behind him and left me on the floor. I watched as he disappeared down the staircase.
If he wanted me to go with him, he didn’t pause or ask. This was one of those moody Cole times I knew I had to leave him alone, even though it was killing me to do it.
I wasn’t sure what time it was when I drifted to sleep. Cole climbed into bed, and I felt him lift the book from my chest and turn off the light. His arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me against his chest. He smelled like the beach, salty and warm. If he wanted to talk about Aiden, he would.
“I checked on Grayson,” he whispered.
“We had to read the panda book five times,” I answered half-asleep.
Cole stroked my hair. “Sorry I wasn’t here for bedtime.”
“It’s ok. He was easy.”
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t put all that on you all the time.”
“I love doing it,” I whispered.
He kissed my neck. “I know you do. You’re amazing with him.”
I tried to fight the exhaustion, but I couldn’t. I fell asleep with Cole’s arms around me.
The next morning, the sunlight smacked me in the face. I rolled to the side, reaching for Cole. Last night was a sleepy blur. The covers next to me were flat. He was already gone.
He left a note.
Took Grayson to school. See you soon.
I padded down the hall to the bathroom. The rest of the house was quiet. I was surprised he could get Grayson out of the house without waking me. I realized I didn’t have that mother’s sleep thing. I think I still slept like a non-mother. I wondered if that instinct would kick in with me. What if Grayson woke up with a bad dream? What if he had a fever and needed help? Wasn’t I the one who had to jump into action?
I pushed the train toothbrush out of the way and looked at my reflection. Did I even look like I could pass as his mother? I shook my head. It shouldn’t matter. Cole wanted me in his life. I had to focus on that.
Our last guests were checking out this morning. We didn’t have any upcoming reservations on the books for two weeks. I dried my hair, dabbed on a bit of makeup, grabbed a cup of coffee, and walked to the Dunes office.
My morning ritual always included cranking up the air conditioner in the window. I usually turned it off at night as a way to save a few pennies on the electric bill. I waited for the cool air to blow through the stuffy room. I turned on the lamp and my laptop.
An older couple walked through the door, holding one of the large brass palm tree key tags.
“We’re all packed up.” The white-haired gentleman handed me the key.
“How was your stay at the Dune Scape?” I plastered a smile on my face. They didn’t need to know I was in the midst of a relationship crisis with the motel’s owner.
The woman, who must have dyed her red hair with an over-the-counter bottle, grinned. “It was fine, but you know it would be nice if there were some
amenities.”
“Were you missing something in your room?”
The husband rolled his eyes at the wife as if to say I can’t believe you brought this up.
She continued. “Personally, I don’t stay anywhere that doesn’t have wifi. I didn’t read the details about this place very carefully.”
Wifi was one of the things I had talked to Cole about saving up for. It had become a staple of traveling for most guests. “Is there anything else?” I asked.
The woman shrugged. “It’d be nice to have a cup of coffee or something. The rooms don’t even have those one-cup coffee pots.” She sighed. “Our other snowbird friends stayed at the resorts or camped at the other end of the island, but I guess you get what you pay for.” She turned to leave.
“Excuse me, what do you mean by snowbirds?”
She pointed to her husband’s head of white hair. “You know that’s what they call us seniors. We drive down south for the fall and winter trying to escape the snow for a while.”
“You said you have friends here?”
“We do. Some of them go to Florida or Arizona. Depends on what they’re in the mood for each year. We’re looking for some place we can call a second home. We want a regular spot every year when we need to get out of Michigan.”
The wheels started turning in my head. This couple and all their senior friends were looking for a winter hangout at the beach. My marketing plan just shifted gears. I had the wrong approach all along.
“Thank you for staying at the Dune Scape. If I could promise you wifi, coffee, and a free night on your next trip to South Padre would you make another reservation?”
Cole had turned over the business part to me, so I made an executive decision about the free night. I’d have to work on the wifi before they came back.
She smiled at her husband and nodded. “I think we would do that. It does have the prettiest part of the beach, and we love the small pool.” She held up a bag of shells. “I don’t think I’ve ever had this kind of shell luck before.”
I had never thought of myself as a sales person, but it seemed urgent that I get them to pinpoint a date on the calendar.
“What dates would work for you? I’ll set you up in the closest oceanfront room, and I’ll mark down the free night right now.” I waited while they talked it over. I flipped to room twenty-three’s page just to make sure the availability was wide open.
The woman shook her head. “We’d like to come back, but we need to check with our daughter first. Our grandchildren have a fall festival and we never miss it. Let me get the dates and I’ll call you.”
I tried to keep the smile on my face, but I knew I had lost their return reservation.
“Sounds good. We can’t wait to see you again.” I waved as they walked out the door.
I slumped in the chair. I was a terrible sales person.
“Pretty girl like you shouldn’t look so unhappy.” Aiden strolled into the office.
My mood shifted from bad to worse.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to be here.” I thought about calling Cole, but he was somewhere on top of a roof right now repairing shingles. He wasn’t going to take my call.
I noticed Aiden had shaved his scruffy jawline, and his eyes looked even brighter and bluer than yesterday. I turned my attention to the spreadsheet I had pulled up on my screen, trying to ignore that he had made himself at home in front of the desk.
“So, Kaitlyn. What’s your real position here?”
I didn’t like the way he said it, and I was having a hard time ignoring the sexy tone in his voice.
“I don’t know what you mean. You’ve seen my business card.” I eyed him. Could this guy, who was practically the same age as Cole, be his uncle? It was completely surreal.
He surveyed the room. “I seriously doubt you are getting paid to run the desk here. Girl like you has to have something else invested.”
“Are you asking about my personal relationship with Cole?” It didn’t seem like it was any of his damn business if Cole and I were a couple.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m asking.” He smiled warmly.
I hesitated. I remembered what Cole said last night about Aiden having an angle. I wish I knew what it was. Right now, the only thing he seemed interested in was making sure I knew he was flirting with me.
“Come on, Kaitlyn. What’s your story?” He winked.
The truth was bound to come out. It wasn’t like Cole and I kept our relationship a secret. I couldn’t think of a way he could use it against Cole, and I needed him to stop the flirting.
“We’re together.”
He chuckled. “I thought so. You’d have to be in love to stay in a dump like this.”
“It’s not a dump.” I had always been defensive about the Dunes.
“Sweetheart, have you seen the place? I know love is blind, but that’s pure crazy.”
“I love the Dunes. And, yes, I’ve seen it. I’ve stayed in it. I hosted one of the biggest island parties here. It has history. It has charm. It—” My voice was rising and I knew my cheeks were turning red. Aiden had me fired up.
“It what?” He seemed to enjoy challenging me.
I leaned against the desk. “It belongs to Cole.” My enthusiasm became a little too animated and I tipped my coffee over, spilling the beverage all over the desk and the reservation book.
I scrambled to pick up my laptop before the liquid spread under it.
“Let me help you.” Aiden tried to shake out the reservation book.
I held the laptop up and watched with horror as the coffee dripped from the corner. It had seeped farther along the desk than I realized.
“Can you grab some towels in the back supply closet?” I nodded in the direction of the shelves. I didn’t want to risk moving the laptop before I could sop up some of the coffee.
He jogged to the back and returned with an armful of towels. “Do you think this is enough?”
If ten towels couldn’t soak up one cup of coffee, we had the wrong kind of towels in stock.
I nodded as he started wiping up the spill.
“Can you get the bottom of the computer first?” I held it forward.
Aiden wedged himself between the desk and me, giving him a better angle to clean my most prized office possession.
I could smell his cologne over the vanilla creamer I used. I was acutely aware he was in my space, but I focused on the cleanup.
“I have to admit this is a first.” He laughed.
“What’s that?” I watched as he ran a clean towel over the keyboard. It didn’t appear any of the keys were wet.
“A girl spilling something just to get out of a conversation.” He winked then turned his attention to the drip that had started running down my thigh. He patted my knee, and then worked up toward the hem of my shorts.
Before I could tell him I could handle that part of the spill, the door opened and in walked Cole. I looked up and recognized the look on his face. I saw the same one the night at Bottoms Up when he was ready to slug that asshole. Shit.
I wiggled two steps back as fast as I could, as if suddenly Aiden was holding matches trying to light me on fire.
“What in the hell is going on?” Cole demanded.
“I spilled my coffee.” I raised the computer. “But the computer is fine.” I looked for a place I could set it safely.
“That’s not what I meant.”
The office suddenly seemed small with the two broad-shouldered men standing side by side. Seeing them next to each other, the family resemblance was uncanny.
“You must be Cole, my nephew.” Aiden extended his hand. “Uncle Aiden.”
The absurdity level had just risen to an all-time high. They should be cousins or brothers.
Cole’s eyes squinted, and I thought he would punch Aiden on the spot. “I told you not to step foot on this property.” He reached for his phone. “I’m calling the police and having you removed.”
“Wait, wait, wait.”
Aiden laid the wet towels on the desk and held up his hands in innocence. “You told me you wanted proof. I’m just here doing what you asked. I brought proof that I’m your uncle. Don’t you want to see it?” he asked.
I wanted to see it, but I knew this wasn’t the time to pipe in. I held my breath, waiting for Cole to respond in some way other than using his fists.
“What do you have?” He stepped away from Aiden, and I finally exhaled.
Aiden reached into his back pocket, withdrew a manila envelope, and shoved it into Cole’s hands.
“Call me after you’ve had a chance to look at it.” He walked out of the office.
Cole stared at the envelope and I studied his face. What in the hell was in there?
8
Cole
I stared at the envelope in my hand.
“I’m going to get some air.” I turned for the door.
“No.” Kaitlyn ran from behind the desk. “Can’t we open it together? Maybe I can help you with whatever is in that thing.”
My eyes narrowed. “Like letting that asshole paw all over you.”
Her hands shot to her hips. “Don’t turn this around on me. I spilled my coffee. I was in the middle of telling him to get out of the office when I knocked my cup over, and then he just started helping me.”
I wasn’t convinced. “I saw where his hands were, Kaitlyn.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. It wasn’t like I asked him to do that. I didn’t invite him here. He showed up.”
“Like he did yesterday.” I was fucking furious.
“Are you implying something?”
“It’s just obvious he has a thing for you.”
“Thing for me? What’s that supposed to mean? I told him you and I are together. There is no way he got the wrong idea.”
I shook my head before sliding into the empty seat. “And you think that would stop a guy like that?”
She kneeled next to me. “Cole, I would never even consider someone else. You and me. We’re together. I just moved all the way from North Carolina to live with you. You think I would throw that away?”
The envelope was still mangled in my fist. “God no, I’m not worried about you. It’s him. He thinks he can swoop in here and steal the Dunes, and if he wants you, what’s going to stop him from trying to make a move?”
