Loving Eden

by T. A. Foster

  “I have a proposition for you.” I leaned forward on the desk.

  “And what’s that? Decided my nephew’s not enough for you?” His smile was devilish.

  “No! You’re practically my uncle-in-law or something.” I made a face at him. “Where are you staying while you’re in Padre?”

  For the first time, I saw him hesitate. “The Island Sun Resort.”

  “That’s a nice choice.” I had booked a week there for spring break. It was the island’s most popular resort. I wondered if he had met Marin at the desk. “Ok, how about you cancel your reservation and take one of the rooms here? Room twenty-three is available and has the best ocean view.”

  Mason laughed. “You have got to be kidding. Me? Here?”

  “It’s not that funny. I think it’s important for you to get to know the place your father loved before you try to destroy it.”

  I didn’t think Mason had a legal leg to stand on, but I wasn’t a law student. If there was a way I could at least get him to stop talking to developers and threatening Grey with demolition, that would be one battle won.

  “You’re serious.” His eyes narrowed.

  I nodded. “Dead serious.”

  He looked at me, and then glanced through the window, eyeing the two rows of rooms. I wasn’t feeling confident about my offer. I shifted restlessly.

  “Ok. I’ll stay a few nights. Try out the Palm, but I don’t want you to get your little heart broken when I have to file a list of complaints the first night.”

  I faked a laugh. “I’m not worried one bit. You’re going to see all the things that make this a special place, not one that needs to be forgotten.” I pulled out the reservation book that was now stained with coffee. “I’m going to put you down for room twenty-three. It’s the room I stayed in when I first came to Padre.”

  “In that case, I already like it.”

  I ignored the comment. “Anyway, when do you think you could check out of the Sun Resort?”

  “If you’re so anxious to get this party started, I can do it right now. I’ll go get my bags.”

  “Great!” I closed the book on the desk. “See you soon.”

  He stood to leave. “Can’t wait. Cocktail hour at five?”

  I shook my head. “No, there’s no cocktail hour at the Palm, but if you don’t cause any trouble, I’m sure Mac would be happy to have you at Pete’s. That’s the local hangout where you had lunch. You can walk there from here.”

  “Me? Trouble? Eden, I’m hurt you think I’d start trouble.” He turned toward the door. “Want to join me? I’d love to buy you a drink.”

  I almost had to close my jaw with my hand. Was he actually asking me out even though I told him I was with Grey?

  “Grey’s waiting on me.”

  “Maybe another time.” He threw me a wink as he walked out the door.

  Sure, Grey was overprotective and jealous, but he might have been right this time. I couldn’t think about that now. Changing Mason’s mind about the Palm was more important. I could handle the flirting.

  I rushed to the supply closet and loaded my arms with all the new supplies: shampoo, soap, fluffy towels. I had no idea what kind of shape room twenty-three was in, but I had maybe twenty minutes to get it up to five-star status.

  I climbed the steps to the cottage. I had been gone two hours. Long enough to cause massive trouble. Mason had checked into room twenty-three with his two overnight bags. He wasn’t finished trying to talk me into a drink, but I managed to side step his last offer.

  I opened the door to find Grey leaning on a crutch with his head in the refrigerator.

  “What are you doing? You’re not supposed to be up.” I rushed over to him, ready to coax him back to bed.

  “Looking for a beer,” he reported.

  “Uh-uh. No way. You are still on pain medication.” I took the unopened bottle from his hand and placed it in the fridge. “What about some tea or a water?” I pulled out the ice tea pitcher.

  He groaned. I knew it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

  “What’s happening over at the office?” He nodded in the direction of the Palm while he waited for me to pour him a glass.

  “Nothing major.” I added a few extra ice cubes. “I’m working on an advertising contract for snowbirds.”

  I watched as he chugged the sweet tea.

  “I’m so thirsty.” He placed it on the counter.

  “I’ll pour another for you.” I retrieved the pitcher for a second time and filled up the glass. “You really need to get off your leg. At least give it another day before you try standing around.” He didn’t look steady.

  “So no new guests?” He eyed me over the glass.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “I saw someone pull in about twenty minutes ago. Couldn’t make out who it was though, and I don’t remember having any reservations on the books after the Shapleys checked out.”

  For someone on high-level medication, he was acting sharp as a tack.

  “Let me help you back to bed and I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

  Reluctantly, he slung his free arm around my shoulder and used his crutch to distribute his weight as he hobbled to the bedroom. I restacked his pillows and made sure he was comfortable before I launched into my awkward confession.

  “Someone did check in this afternoon.”

  “Ok.”

  “And it was Mason.” I winced, waiting for the explosion.

  “What the hell?” He slammed the tea on the bedside table. “What is that son of a bitch doing in my motel? You checked him in?”

  I sat on the opposite side of the bed, careful not to jar his leg. “I had a reason.”

  “And what’s that?”

  I inhaled, knowing Grey probably wouldn’t buy this argument. It made sense at the time. “I thought if he spent time there, he would fall in love with it like I did and he’d stop all this crazy talk about tearing it down.” I sighed. “I’m just trying to help.”

  “Dammit, Eden. You think that’s help? He is going to sue me for full ownership. You let that vicious asshole under my roof. He’s going to be hanging around every day, digging into our business. I said it before. He’s after more than just the Palm. Now he’ll get to see you every day.”

  “Not that again.” I stood and walked to the deck door. The sun was still high, and the gleam off the water was bright. “I was trying to figure out a way to convince him the Palm needs to be left alone. I don’t want him to tear it down, and I don’t want him to sue you. I am not interested in Mason and that had nothing to do with my invitation.”

  “He is after you, Eden. Open your damn eyes,” he growled.

  I faced Grey. “Do you need anything else?”

  “What?”

  “Pills? Water? Extra pillows?” I planted my hands on my hips.

  “No, why?”

  I turned the handle on the door. “Because I’m going out for a walk on the beach. I’ll be back later.” I slammed the door behind me, intentionally loud. I wasn’t going to stand there and listen to that jealous crap another second. Mason? Me? Grey was the one who had lost his damn mind.

  I walked and walked until I wasn’t sure how long I had been gone. I liked this end of the island. The wildlife park was quiet and isolated. Only the locals knew about how great this part was.

  I sat near the dunes and watched the seagulls fight over a school of minnows. Survival of the fittest, I thought. The minnows might get away if the gulls got too wrapped up in their territory war to notice their prey was swimming away.

  I wasn’t sure how Grey and I were going to get through this storm we were being tossed around in. First Mason, then the accident, then Mason again. I buried my head in my hands. We were still supposed to be in the honeymoon phase. I thought the hardest part about living together would be figuring out where to put our toothbrushes or arguing over who stole the most covers. This was nothing like the dream I had concocted. I wanted the romance and the dancing in Mexico. I wanted
Grey the way I fell in love with him—one quickstep at a time.

  I couldn’t ignore the silent drift between us was bringing out insecurities I thought I had dealt with. When Grey asked me to live with him, I knew I wasn’t the first girl he had shared an address with. That had been Laura. I knew we were different. I was completely different from her, but I wondered if she felt any of the same things I did. Did they unravel like this? Did his moodiness drive a wedge between them?

  It wasn’t as if I didn’t know Grey had a sullen side. I knew that the instant I met him. I wasn’t naïve enough to assume living together would smooth out all his rough edges. I loved the edges, I did. Only, I didn’t want them to be the reason we were at odds. There was enough crap going on in our lives to take care of that.

  My skin started to turn slightly pink from the afternoon sun. I hopped up and sanded off the back of my shorts before walking toward home. Enough beach for the afternoon. I couldn’t leave Grey stranded, even if he needed a few minutes alone to formulate an apology.

  I trailed the surf, dodging the waves on my sneakers. When I reached our beach access, I turned and cut across the sun’s path. Right smack into Mason.

  “Whoa, Eden. Watch where you’re going.” He laughed as he jogged backward a few paces.

  “I—I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” I stammered. Mason was shirtless, sweaty, and out of breath.

  “No problem, sweetheart.” He shoved his shades on top of his head, making his eyes glisten. I noticed they were trailing my legs.

  “Enjoy your run.” I scooted past him on a mission to reach our beach stairs before he pulled me into a conversation, or I saw his eyes creep up any further.

  He rested a hand on the railing next to my hip. “Want to join me? I’m going to check out that end of the island.” He pointed to the open space of the park. “I still need a tour guide. Trying to get my bearings around here.”

  “The beach is beautiful down there. You’ll like it.” The truth was I had no idea what kinds of things Mason liked. So far, he hadn’t shown much interest in maintaining the integrity of Padre. Why would a natural park appeal to him?

  “You sure? I promise not to run too fast. I bet you can keep up.”

  I shook my head. He had placed a foot on the bottom step and was inching closer. “No, thanks. You have fun.” I turned from him and took two more steps.

  “Will do,” he shouted as he continued to run.

  I trudged ahead. I hoped Grey hadn’t made another rogue attempt to get out of bed. All I needed was for him to see me chatting with his shirtless uncle to stir up the tornado that was about to spin out of this storm.

  I looked up. He was standing at our bedroom door, propped with a crutch. Shit.

  I took the steps faster, but before I made it to the door, he was gone.

  The next day I waded through more emails before checking the rooms for supplies. I had managed to drag the TV from the living room to the bedroom so Grey would have something to do while I was at work. He was on day two of bed rest and he was already completely stir crazy. He gave new meaning to cabin fever. I promised to come home to fix lunch and check on him.

  I marked off the room keys from the lock box as I loaded them on the service cart. I still needed to clean the Shapleys’ room and make an inventory list. With Grey out of service, the room duties fell on me.

  The first four looked fine. They were the ones closest to the street and the least utilized. I moved on to the next block.

  By noon, I had completed one entire side of the motel and I was ready to take a break.

  I pushed the cart into room twenty-four just as Mason was coming out of room twenty-three.

  “In a hurry?” he shouted from across the parking lot.

  “Going home to make lunch.” I smiled as I closed the door, turning the key quickly.

  He held up a piece of paper. I couldn’t make out what was on it from across the parking lot, so I walked a few steps toward him.

  “I was just coming to see you. Where’s that nephew of mine? Shouldn’t he be the one working on the rooms?” Mason stood next to his car. I wasn’t surprised he drove a convertible. Part of him seemed fast and flashy.

  “Grey’s not feeling so well. I’m headed over to check on him.”

  “Too bad. Tell him I said I hope he’s better real soon.” He handed me the piece of paper. “Here are the items in my room that need to be fixed.”

  I stared at the list he had made.

  “CFL bulbs in all fixtures? New sink faucet handles? A new toilet seat? Extra blankets?” I skimmed the rest of the list silently. This was complete bullshit and Mason knew it.

  “If you could get those things done for me, sweetheart, while I’m out, I’d appreciate it. I’ll work on the second half of my list when I get back.”

  “Second half? What are you talking about? Isn’t this enough?” There was no way I could do half the things on his checklist.

  “I haven’t even gotten started on the motel. The icemaker is shotty. The pool gate creaks, but why am I telling you this now? Like I said, I’ll write it all down for you.”

  “How thoughtful.” I twisted my lips from saying something nasty.

  Mason chuckled before pushing the top down on his car. “It’s going to be a beautiful day. I’ll catch you later. Big investor meeting.”

  I watched as he popped a piece of gum in his mouth before speeding off onto the highway.

  I shook my head and folded the paper into a square, then shoved it in my back pocket. I would do what I could, but Mason was only trying to make a statement. The Palm was old and it showed. I huffed as I crossed over the dunes to the cottage.

  Grey was sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of soup in front of him.

  “Hey.” I smiled, ignoring the checklist that was burning a hole in my back pocket. “I thought you were going to let me make lunch for you.” I crossed the empty living room, wrapped my arms around the back of his shoulders, and kissed him on the cheek.

  “I didn’t know how long you would be at work,” he grumbled.

  I checked the clock on the microwave. It was only ten after twelve. “Ok. Can I get you something else?”

  “No. I’ve got it.” He pushed the soup across the table.

  “I have to make lunch anyway. I’m starving. Let me fix something else for you. A sandwich? Salad? Oh, I know. Grilled cheese.” I could definitely go for some comfort food right now.

  “Dammit. I said I can feed myself.”

  I spun on my heels. “Why are you giving me a hard time? I’m trying to help you.”

  He sighed. “Sorry. I’m just tired of this damn thing.” He pointed to the boot on his foot that extended to his knee. “And I don’t think I’m a daytime TV person. Do you know how many shows are women talking about current events? I’m going crazy in here.”

  I sat in the chair across from him. “I know this sucks, but you have your appointment in less than a week. In the scheme of things, that’s nothing. Try to relax so you can heal faster. You’re only going to make things worse if you walk before your body is ready.” I tried to use my steady voice, but I didn’t know how receptive he was to any of my voices at this point. We weren’t exactly connecting.

  “All right. Whatever you say.” He pushed against the table to stand. “I’ll go back to my cell.”

  “Grey, don’t say it like that.”

  He was already on his crutches and out of the room. Damn, this was hard.

  Grey’s week in bed was difficult for him, but I wasn’t sure it wasn’t just as hard on me. His sour mood only worsened. I tried to stay positive. I kept trying to put myself in his position. He wasn’t able to work for the rental company, do upkeep at the Palm, or take me out on my promised night on the town. Then there was that little issue of Mason. It was enough to make anyone a weeklong grump.

  After his orthopedic appointment, he got the green light to resume any activity he could tolerate on the crutches. In another two weeks
, he might be able to go without them. I hoped that meant he would stay off rooftops for a while, but I wasn’t about to lecture him on work safety. We had enough to worry about.

  Today, he was checking on the rental properties, and I hadn’t seen him smile like that since the accident. It was nice to see the gleam in his eye and his pretty white teeth again. I wasn’t sure how much more grumpy Grey I could take.

  I was in full accounting mode. I used the calculator I bought for my first statistics class at Carolina to project the expenses for the month. We needed more income.

  My phone rang. “Taylor, hey.”

  She squealed into the phone. “I did it! I finally did it.”

  “Did what?” I was completely distracted.

  “Last night, I broke up with Jesse.”

  “Oh, wow. How do you feel?” I put the calculator aside.

  “Amazing. Fantastic. Invincible. Why didn’t I do that sooner? And the timing couldn’t be better.”

  “Why’s that?”

  She huffed. “Because I’ll be in South Padre next week! I will be arriving single and one hundred percent a-vail-able.”

  Oh crap. With everything going on, I forgot Taylor would be here soon. “Yes, perfect timing.” I closed my eyes. What kind of friend forgets her best friend’s travel plans?

  “So what are we going to do first? Shopping? Beach? Oh, I know. You can take me to that bar you always talk about…Paul’s.”

  “Pete’s. It’s Pete’s.”

  “Right. It doesn’t matter to me. I can’t wait to see you and be at the beach. It’s already getting cool here. The leaves are changing and everyone’s drinking pumpkin spice lattes.”

  I felt the pang like a cramp in my heart. I loved fall. It was one of my favorite times in Chapel Hill. So far, South Padre felt like perpetual summer.

  “Eden, you there?”

  “Yep. Yep, I’m here.” I was trying to shake the vision of cashmere sweaters, scarves, and falling leaves.

  “I’m headed to class, but had to tell you about Jesse.”

  “I’m glad you did. Call me if you need me. You know, breakup remorse.” The way Taylor sounded that didn’t seem possible.