“I disagree. Drive down Frederica Road. We’re heading north toward Sea Island Road.”
He nodded. But his words stung her. Something seemed off about him. He’d been relaxed and easy-going at dinner the night before. Had she somehow thrown him off by not kissing him? He had to know what a slippery slope that would be.
“Thank you for dinner last night. I had a wonderful time.”
Landon reached over to her with his right hand and grabbed her left. He brought her hand up to drop a quick kiss on her knuckles. When their hands returned to the armrest between them, he didn’t let go and she made no move to unlace their fingers. Every time he held her hand, her body shuddered in anticipation. She didn’t know she’d had so many nerve endings until he’d come back. Maybe with luck, she’d always have the heart skipping, knees shaking reaction to being near him. With any luck.
“I had a nice time too,” he added.
“Landon, at the risk of upsetting the balance between us, can I be honest for a second?”
“Ohhkay,” he drew out the word. She felt his fingers momentarily tighten their grip on hers before easing back.
“I wanted to kiss you last night. It’s just…”
“What is it?”
“I think we both know what would happen. I wouldn’t want to stop and I hope you wouldn’t either.”
“Of course I wouldn’t stop.”
“We know that that part works between us. I feel like I can’t let myself fall back into that this time.”
From the corner of her eye, she watched his eyes squint in consideration. She hated having this conversation. Dinner and walking had been lovely. But with their history, expectation of more had to be a given. Kim wanted this time to be different. She didn’t want a relationship with Landon to end. She’d decided on a long game and she wouldn’t rush, no matter how much her body begged her.
He brought her hand back up for another kiss.
“I like that you said this time,” he replied.
A shiver coursed through her as he said the words over her knuckles, his hot breath raising all the hairs on her arm. Like a vow had been made. She could only hope. They passed through a traffic light and Kim decided to take note of her surroundings. She was supposed to be the navigator, after all.
“Oh this is it! This is it!” She dropped his hand and sat up straight, pointing to the Spanish style building on their left.
“Park on the side street and we can walk by,” she directed.
Landon did as she bid, turning on the next street and parking the car. In her excitement, Kim unbuckled her seat belt and had her door open before he’d even turned the key. She slid out of the convertible, eager to share an idea that had transformed into a fully developed plan. Thanks, in no small part, to plenty of house design shows on television and a grandma who passed the building every day and commented to her what a unique space it was.
“Whoa, slow down,” Landon called out as she rounded the car.
He reached out and caught her by the elbow, stopping her before she could cross the street. Landon intertwined their fingers and drew her closer. Kim took in a shuddering breath, standing so close to him, she didn’t know if she could trust herself to hold back. She would give herself no other choice.
“Kim, I’m not going to lie. I want you. And you know it.” He gazed at her intently.
She wanted to hide from his direct stare. His eyes dark with desire, as dark as the filling that had spilled out of the chocolate lava cake they’d shared. She fought off a shudder and kept her focus on his.
“But I understand what you’re saying. And I respect it. I don’t know what my plans are, if I’ll be able to stay here or if I’ll be heading back up to Savannah. I’d like a chance with you again.”
Kim opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. She cleared her throat.
“Then let’s see if we can’t figure out a way for you to stay.”
He nodded and let her lead him across the street. They strolled down the sidewalk, keeping to a snail’s pace. Kim wanted to appear casual and not arouse anyone’s suspicions. Poking around an empty building would definitely earn them a visit from the police, if they were too obvious. Too bad Kim struggled to breathe let alone pretend everything was normal at the moment. The electricity in Landon’s grip made walking slow and acting natural difficult. Her pounding heart thundered in her ears. Breathe.
“What is this place?” Landon asked as they reached the center.
The two-story building was built around an interior courtyard. Two halves met in the middle at a gated entrance leading to the tiled courtyard. Entrances to the building were located off the courtyard in the center. Beautiful tile work on the exterior, as well as the columns and tiled-roof, had caught Kim’s eye the first time she’d driven by. The building had occupied her imagination ever since.
“This used to house various interior designers and vendors. But after the housing collapse stopped new construction here and budgets for updating dried up, the various businesses gave up their leases.”
“Have you been inside?”
“No, never. But just glimpsing it from the street, this is a huge property. The building itself is so unique. I see a desirable condominium development.”
“It definitely is interesting. But to do that, to sub-divide these former offices and turn them into homes, you’d have to essentially leave the shell and rip everything else out.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“I’m pretty convinced that they don’t have kitchens in any of those units.”
“No,” Kim agreed. “But the plumbing might already be there. Don’t you think there have to be a ton of restrooms throughout the whole space.”
“I don’t know,” Landon murmured.
“Come on, let’s walk all the way around so you can get a sense of the scale. This building is huge.”
Landon didn’t reply. She gently tugged his hand and they’d veered off the sidewalk. Picking up their pace, Kim stared up at the structure and only saw the flaws in her plan. There wasn’t much of a view. The courtyard had always caught Kim’s eye and she’d forgotten about the gas station next door. But maybe a landscape architect could come up with a better plan. The building did sit just off a major road, but from the second floor probably had unobstructed views to the golf course on the other side.
They crossed the final corner and returned to the front of the building. Kim stopped and waited for him to speak. With a hand in his hair, staring up at the building, it didn’t seem like he had anything to say. She remembered how he could brood. Kim hated dealing with a problem if she didn’t have the time or the means to implement a solution. She suddenly remembered how Landon could get in a mood and tread water instead of attempting to swim to shore. He could talk or think over a problem for hours, almost content to never solve it.
“Okay, come on, penny for your thoughts.” She dropped his hand and crossed her arms.
“I’m thinking there’s a lot to consider here. It’s an interesting idea. But we don’t know any specifics.”
“Is this something you might consider?”
“I’d consider going to lunch.”
Kim wanted to sigh and roll her eyes. She didn’t. Instead, she nodded and smiled. He hadn’t given her a solid no this won’t work. Neither had he agreed to this plan. He’d given her hope. And she wanted to go out to lunch with him. She wanted to spend time with him. As much as they had. She wouldn’t waste another second.
“Then let’s go to lunch,” Kim agreed.
Landon reached for her hand and she gave it gladly. She’d give him everything she had and more. After she knew he was in this for the long term too. Maybe this time, she wouldn’t get her heart broken.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
St. Simons must be the perfect location for driving a convertible, Landon had decided. With its bright blue skies, warm weather, and the low speed limit on most of the roads, he couldn’t imagine wasting any sunshine t
rapped inside a sedan. The short distance between the building they’d visited and the Red Fern Village meant he didn’t have enough time to think over everything.
He didn’t grab her hand this time. He kept his grip tight on the steering wheel to keep from tapping his fingers or otherwise fidgeting. But he wanted to fidget. He needed to pace or go for a run or otherwise exhaust the pent-up energy from the ideas swirling in his head.
Dinner the night before had been pleasant and easy. Exactly how he’d remembered the time they shared together. His confidence had slowly built up and the stroll through the park encouraged him to make a move. When she’d pulled back at the end of the date, he’d been caught off guard. He’d gone home and stayed up late worrying about what that meant.
This morning, however, restored his hope. They’d only been together for a short time. Compared with how long they’d been apart, he should have moved on and forgotten about her long ago. Something wouldn’t let him. Some instinct made him cherish those memories and keep them private. He’d never shared with anyone how much she meant. How important she was. And he’d tried to erase her influence from his life by giving up on the dream they’d hatched together.
But here they were, back again, and from the ashes of his project, she offered him an idea. A tempting one. A solution that could solve all of his problems. If only life were that simple.
Landon parked the car and rushed to beat Kim to opening up her door. She made it hard to be a gentleman. He had to keep trying. He pulled the door open, her hand on the handle inside. When she stood, he placed a hand on her lower back and guided her to the restaurant to eat outside. His hand burned where it touched her, the warmth making his palm itch to run his hand up her body to find a cool spot. He knew the heat would only grow if he did so. But he liked what she said, so he’d take things slow. He wanted forever.
“I hope I never take eating outside for granted,” Kim announced as he helped push her chair in and take the seat opposite.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Just that the longer someone lives here the more they complain about a slight breeze in sixty degree weather being too chilly. I tried to eat outside at a café once in November, and they hustled me back indoors.”
Landon chuckled, a deep belly laugh that made him put a hand to his side. He could picture Kim fighting with someone over something so ridiculous. He’d admit he was probably as guilty as the acclimated locals. Growing up in the south, he took good weather for granted. He’d never had a chance to visit where she grew up in Wisconsin. But from the stories she’d shared, he could only imagine the bone-freezing cold.
The waitress came by and took their orders. He had no plans to get back to and wanted to enjoy a lazy Sunday. Kim had protested that she wanted to catch up on a few projects. Maybe he’d convince her to take a day off from her responsibilities.
The waitress dropped off two Arnold Palmer’s in a flash and disappeared. The restaurant had a nice crowd for an early Sunday afternoon.
“Okay, so tell me honestly, what did you think?” She leaned forward on her elbows, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
He loved watching her eyes glow as brilliantly as polished jade. In his experience, that meant good things. Unfortunately, he couldn’t share her unbridled enthusiasm. He didn’t love all the uncertainties of her plan. After his well-thought out development had fallen apart, hesitation crept into his decisions.
“It’s a unique idea.” He took a sip of his drink.
His shoulders tensed and he reached up to massage the back of his neck. He couldn’t shake feeling like a failure. He knew she was hoping to encourage him and help him on another path. He couldn’t quite figure out how to make that happen. He wanted to be as excited as she was. The waitress saved him from a response with the quickest lunch delivery he’d ever seen.
“They move fast here. It’s my go to spot for lunch,” Kim replied.
She speared a few pieces of lettuce from her salad and popped the fork in her mouth. Occupied by eating, he followed her lead. He knew what she wanted him to do. She wanted him to start small and build something on his own. That had been the plan in college. He’d been in a rush to do more. When he saw her picture in the newspaper clipping, he’d been eager to prove himself. To show up as a man who had everything figured out. In truth, he hadn’t figured out anything. Their time apart had almost been stasis for him. If his family didn’t own a company and keep him gainfully employed, he didn’t know where he would have ended up.
He’d been directionless. Seeing her had renewed his purpose in making his own name without his father’s help. He’d been eager to do that on a grand scale. Build a development on his own and make a splash on his first project. She wanted him to scale back. He got it. But he couldn’t shake feeling like a failure.
He hadn’t swooped in and swept her off her feet like he’d wanted. He hadn’t come back to her and their child and had the joyous reunion. He’d been thoroughly caught off-guard by the truth and even more so by the hiccups in his professional plan. He was no longer in charge of his destiny, and now she proposed something different. She’d always talked about a partnership between them. But would she respect a man who just followed along with her ideas without having any of his own? The project she proposed, while enticing, seemed to be entirely hers without any room for his input and expertise.
And besides, even small projects needed capital and all of his had dried up. He doubted any of his father’s friends would be interested in funding something on a modest scale. Could he find a way to make this work for both of them? He needed another opinion, a more experienced pair of eyes. He needed to talk to father.
He finished the last bite of his sandwich, shocked at how fast he’d eaten. He hadn’t been hungry when they sat down. He devoured a half-pound burger in no time flat.
“Is the building in foreclosure?” he asked and then took a sip of his drink to wash down the rest of his last bite. “Do you know the specifics? What if the owner wants to hold on and lease the property again?”
Kim wiped her mouth with a napkin, dabbing delicately at the corners before her tongue darted out to remove the last smudge of dressing on her lips. He fisted his hand in the napkin in his lap. He needed to focus and stop letting his gaze drift. If he didn’t, he’d have her back at her little cottage in minutes, and then this plan to play for keeps would be destroyed.
“It’s been empty for five years,” she replied. “I’m sure the owner is ready to move on.”
“But things are picking up.”
“So you don’t want to do this?”
He didn’t know. He wanted to stay. He wanted to see her smile. But he couldn’t commit with so many unknowns. There were that many if not more when he proposed. He’d grown up since then. He couldn’t just leap without knowing where he’d land.”
“I don’t have any money, Kim. My investors are gone.”
“We’ll find you more. There are locals who would support you. You could build your company with local investors, people who are tied into your success.”
“That doesn’t sound so appealing. I’d have a lot of people in my business.”
Landon shuddered. He could imagine older people like his grandmother demanding constant access to the construction site. He pictured incessant emails and phone calls and meetings micromanaging every aspect. He didn’t want to worry about people without any experience in the field nagging him over miniscule, unimportant details.
“Yes, you would,” she agreed, nodding her head. “But they’d also be your best chance for success. They’d spread the word far and wide about your development. They’d tell their friends.”
“I’m not convinced.”
“Okay. Why not approach your family?”
He shook his head rapidly from side to side. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I would end up working for my dad. This project would become an off-shot of his company, and I’d never get off the ground. M
y one shot to start my own business would be snatched away from me.”
She furrowed her brow and crossed her arms, leaning away.
“Look, Kim. He wasn’t interested in my first idea. It was too small of a project for him. He wouldn’t be interested in investing in something even smaller. And even if he did, I’d only end up as a project manager.”
“But maybe managing the building rehab could get you time to find the capital to buy up another property on your own.”
“I have to get out from under my father’s company.” His voice rose and he clenched his hand into a fist.
The constant hum of other conversations melted away. From the corner of his eye, he caught a few heads swiveling in their direction. Clearing his throat, he rolled his neck from side to side. He needed to stay calm. He needed her calm too.
“Kim, please, don’t get upset about this.”
“I’m sorry, Landon, but I am. I just feel like you’re shooting down every idea I have. Do you want to stay? If you’re so sure you can’t do this on your own, why not get your father’s help?”
“I do want to stay.” He reached across the table to take her hands in his.
She narrowed her eyes so he offered her his hands, palms up. Rolling her eyes, he knew she’d relented even before she uncrossed her arms. She put her hands in his and he stroked her palms in reassurance. He wasn’t about to give up on them again. He just couldn’t figure out a way forward sitting at lunch.
“My father doesn’t understand why I want to do this on my own.”
“Right now, neither do I,” she admitted.
“Come on, let’s get going. I know you want me to make a solid commitment right now. I can’t. I need some more time.”
“Okay, fine, let’s go.” She pulled her hands from his and pushed back from her chair.
Landon signaled the waitress for the check, paid in cash, and hustled to catch up with her. His frustrations had spilled onto her and dampened her enthusiasm. He hated that but he couldn’t get her hopes up. He wanted to know everything before he committed this time.
Coastal Erosion Page 17
