“I guess I’ll just have to trust you.”
“That’s what this is all about, baby.” He threw a palm on my thigh, as we whipped out of the parking lot.
Neither one of us had traditional beach supplies. Aiden stopped at Sandy’s so we could pick up a few things.
We walked into the store and were greeted by a woman with bright red hair. “Aiden, honey, how have you been?” I couldn’t ignore the red nails or the red lipstick.
“Good, Lisa. How are you?”
She tried to wipe off the smudge of lipstick on his cheek after she kissed him. I stood back and watched the exchange.
“Darlin’, I’m trying to stay inside where it’s cool. What brings you in here? And who is this pretty thing?” She smiled at me.
“This is Veronica Strickland. Maybe you’ve read some of her work. She’s a reporter for the News & Report.”
Her arms were loaded with fluorescent bangle bracelets that rattled when we shook hands. “How did you manage to get Aiden in here?” She winked. “I want to know your secret.”
I blushed. I had no idea who this woman was, but she seemed familiar with Aiden.
“We have a day at the beach planned, Lisa. Could you hook us up? We need it all. Umbrella, cooler, sunscreen.” He eyed me. “And throw in one of those cute bikinis over there.”
“Well, give me a second, sugar. I’ll get everything you need.” She hustled to one of the displays and started dumping bottles and towels in a basket.
I whispered to Aiden, “I have a bathing suit.”
“I know, but I want to get you something new.”
Lisa shuttled me in one of the dressing rooms and pulled a curtain in front of me. “Wait right here, and I’ll pick out a few things for you to try on. Although I think Aiden wants to pick them out.”
I stood behind the curtain wondering how I ended up in a dressing room, while bikinis passed through an opening. Aiden and Lisa talked while I tried on three different suits. I finally settled on the green.
I got dressed and handed the green bikini to Lisa. “Honey, I hope you two have fun at the beach. Don’t know that I’ve ever seen this one out there.” She cast a motherly look at Aiden.
“Is that so?” I teased.
“Hey, I spend plenty of time on the beach running. I’m out there almost every day when I’m in town.”
I smiled when Lisa handed me two of the bags. Aiden lifted the cooler over the counter, and secured the umbrella under his arm.
“Ice is on the deck, Aiden. Grab a few bags. You’re going to need it today.”
“It was nice meeting you, Lisa. Thanks for the help.” I waved goodbye.
“You come in here anytime, honey.”
We walked out into the sun. Aiden stopped by the ice machine and reached for the twenty-pound bags of ice. With the top down he could wedge the cooler in the backseat.
“She seems like a character,” I commented, strapping the seatbelt over my chest.
He laughed. “You have no idea.” He waited for a car to pass before pulling out of the parking lot. “I credit Lisa for everything that happened at the Dunes.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was able to help me see things differently. And she wasn’t afraid to tell me I was being an ass.”
I laughed. “You an ass? No.”
He parked by the boardwalk. “Come on, let’s get changed. We’ll leave all this here.”
I hurried up the stairs after him. I cut the tags from my new bikini and changed into it while Aiden grabbed drinks from the refrigerator.
Within a few minutes we were lugging our bags and cooler onto the beach.
He dug a hole in the sand and wiggled the umbrella post until he was certain it wouldn’t fly off in the wind.
He looked around at our setup. “Pretty good I think.”
I assessed the camp he had made. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you did this every day.”
I spread a blanket under the umbrella. I heard the aluminum crack when Aiden popped the top on a beer. “Here.”
“So, what you said about Lisa back there. What did she do exactly?” I had been waiting for a time I could bring it up.
He propped himself on his elbows after pulling his sunglasses firmly on his nose.
“You really want to hear this story?”
“Of course. I love stories.” I slid a koozie over the can.
“Half the island knows what happened, I guess you should at least know my version of the whole thing.”
A seagull landed a few feet in front of us, nibbled on a piece of dry seaweed, then flapped his wings for takeoff. I didn’t want anything to distract Aiden from talking. I had attempted to bring up his past before, and every time he blocked my questions, walked away, or turned cold. I could feel this part of our relationship was different.
“Go ahead. I’m all ears.”
He sat forward and reached in the beach bag. He pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. “Why don’t you get my back?”
I took the bottle and squirted a few drops in my palm before I started to rub it into his shoulders. It seemed to relax him. I worked lower, taking my time to cover his skin.
“Okay, so I know you’ve heard part of the story. My dad had an affair when he was a much older man. That’s how Cole and I ended up being the same age. My dad is his grandfather. He was actually married to Cole’s grandmother, and had an affair with my much younger mother.”
“I had heard that part.”
“But what you might not have known is that Cole had no idea I existed. The affair didn’t come out until after Dad died. Cole found out when I showed up and sued him for ownership of the Dune Scape.” My hands stopped for a second. I added another dab to my fingertips. I wanted to let him tell me what happened.
He continued. “It wasn’t my finest moment, I admit. Lisa called me out on it.”
“What did she say to you?” I wanted to be gentle with my line of questioning.
He rotated and took the bottle from my hands. “Your turn.”
I adjusted my position so he could apply the sunscreen.
“Lisa knew my father. She’s not the only one. Everyone on the island knew him. Everyone here thinks he walked on water. They loved the Dunes. They loved that he charged the spring breakers fifty dollars a night when every other hotel charged two hundred. He was a regular at Hank’s. Local island legend. Real salt of the earth kind of guy.”
“What was so bad about him?” I didn’t know the history, but it didn’t take much to realize Aiden’s voice changed every time his father entered the conversation.
“He raised Cole.”
I turned around. I thought the story was starting to come together. “And not you?”
He hung his head. “Not me. When Cole’s parents died, my biological brother and his wife, Dad had a chance to make things right. He could have told everyone then, but he didn’t. Cole and I could have grown up like brothers. Instead I was hidden in Austin, while Cole grew up here admiring a man I think was a complete coward.”
He dropped the bottle in the beach bag.
“I can’t imagine how that must have made you feel. How you still feel about it.”
“I took it out on Cole. There’s no doubt. I wanted to plow this place into the ocean. It was the one thing they both loved and I couldn’t stand that it was still here. So, I rolled in here like a wrecking ball, with my team of attorneys behind me and sued the hell out of him.”
My stomach rolled. I didn’t like thinking about Aiden like that. Angry. Ruthless.
“But, there was Kaitlyn, Lisa, even Hank.”
“They convinced you to drop the suit?”
He shook his head. “No. No one was going to stop me.”
“Then what did it? Why did you change your mind?” I questioned.
“Don’t get me wrong. They tried. I do have to give them some credit, especially Lisa. But I realized my hurt wasn’t Cole’s hurt. He wasn’t angry and bitter like I was. It
took me a while to realize it wasn’t his fault he had been lied to. He wasn’t the one who kept the secret. And I was no better than Dad if I destroyed the Dunes. It would have been selfish like him. As much as I wanted a high-rise here, I found a way to compromise. Something I seldom do.” He pulled his sunglasses away from his eyes, and for the first time since he started talking I realized he was trying to lighten the conversation.
I took his hand, brushing the sand off his skin. “I didn’t know you last year when all of that happened, but I’m glad. I’m glad you didn’t destroy the Dunes. And I’m glad you found a way to be friends with Cole.”
“I am too. He’s a good guy.” He stood, stretching his arms above him. “Don’t tell him I said that.”
“Never.” I shook my head. “So all the uncle and niece jokes?” I teased.
He laughed. “Yeah, just a way to cope with how fucked up our situation is. Even if it is true, it’s more fun to deal with it that way. And it drives Cole fucking nuts.”
I smiled. “I get it. At least I think I’m starting to. It’s confusing. You and your brother were more than twenty years apart in age. That’s crazy.”
“Tell me about it.” He smirked. “Want to swim? It’s hot out here.”
“I wondered how long it would take you before you were restless.”
“Me restless? No. I just want to see how that bikini looks wet.”
I slapped at his chest. “I’ll race you.”
Before he had a chance to realize I had taken off I started running towards the waves. Aiden caught up in seconds, grabbing me around the waist and spinning me in the surf.
I realized how we must have looked. Like one of those couples. Like Sasha and Cal at the bonfire. Like two people at the end of a movie when the credits are about to roll. The couple you know you should stop watching, but you can’t help it. He set me back on my feet. The minnows swam around our ankles, nibbling at our legs.
I threw my arms around his neck. I didn’t care if every single person saw what happened next. I pulled Aiden’s mouth toward me and kissed him. I kissed him with saltwater on our skin, and the sun melting into our shoulders. I kissed him with every breath I had. I couldn’t change what had happened to him—I couldn’t make the things right that his father had done, but I could be here now. As long as he would let now last.
Seventeen
Aiden
Veronica had a way of making me forget I had other priorities. I had a multi-million dollar business to run. Saturdays weren’t days off. They were days other people took off. Me? I worked seven days a week.
I watched her lying in the sun next to me. The sun glistening off her wet skin. The straps of her bikini tossed on either side of neck. I thought she might have fallen asleep.
But here I was. Skipping work. Playing on the beach. Acting like my time was free.
I pulled my chair toward the shade under the umbrella. It had moved since we set up camp this morning. I tossed a chip at the same seagull who had been stalking us all day.
“Get out of here!”
He gobbled the chip and flapped his wings until he was only a dot in the sky. He flew behind us over the Dunes.
I had expected Veronica to grill me about the lawsuit and about Dad, but she had only listened. Maybe it was because she had her own share of family pain.
There were things I still hadn’t told her. But I didn’t want to rush it. It felt like there was time. We would talk more. I’d ask about Cassie. And she’d ask about my parents. I dug my heels deep in the sand.
I closed my eyes, ignoring the urge to check my phone. Emails could wait. Thomas Corporation could make it a day if I took a nap on the beach with a pretty girl.
* * *
The next day we sat on the balcony.
“When was the last time you took an entire weekend off?” Veronica asked.
There was an open bottle of wine between us. I looked over at her on the chaise. The colors of the Sunday sunset reflected shades of pink off the glass door behind us.
I pretended to search my memory bank. “Uhh. Does my Italy trip count?”
“No, since you told me you went there to scout an olive farm. It was a business trip.”
“Did I say that?”
She nodded. “You did. I think you were trying to convince me you traveled for fun.”
I laughed. “Now why would I try to do that?”
She reached to refill her glass. “You weren’t very forthcoming for the feature I wrote.”
“Maybe I should let you interview me again.”
“I can’t do that.” Her head moved back and forth.
“Why not? I’ll widen the circle of questions. An intimate portrayal.” I waggled my eyebrows.
She crossed one foot over the other. “I think we have officially crossed into unethical territory. If I write a feature about you I wouldn’t be able to be very objective.”
“It’s business. You don’t think you could separate the two?”
“If people know we are—” she paused. “Whatever we are. If they knew, then it would look bad for my journalistic integrity.”
“And your integrity is important to you?”
“Of course.” Her lips pinched together.
“Even if I could give you a story that would impress your boss, you wouldn’t take it because of your ethics?” I pitched the question to her.
Her eyes darted to me. “Why? Do you know something?”
I laughed. “See? Curious, aren’t you?”
“Of course I’m curious. Doesn’t mean I was going to use the information.” She took a sip of wine. “But what is it?”
“I just wondered what you would say.”
She exhaled loudly. “I’m going to have to talk to Janet tomorrow about this.”
“Why?”
“You proved the point I was trying to make. I can’t separate us from work. I can’t cover stories about the resort, or about you. It’s not right.”
“Wait a minute. Didn’t you tell me she was willing to move you up if you could give her more exclusives?”
“Yes, but I’ll have to do it another way.”
The sky was getting darker. The pink hues had turned amber. I could feel the weekend sinking behind the clouds with the sun. I hadn’t felt the Sunday blues since I was in high school.
I turned so my feet were on the deck. “Tell me what you’re going to say to her.”
“I haven’t figured it out yet.”
“You are being way too calm about this. If you’re going to have a meeting with your boss, you need a plan. You need to be able to go in there and negotiate with her.”
“Negotiate? I have nothing to offer. I have to tell her my personal relationship with you compromises my ability to report unbiased information. There’s nothing else I can say. That is the truth.”
I took the wine glass from her hand and placed it next to her. “This is serious. You have to have a strategy.”
“All right.” Her painted toes landed on the floor facing mine. “What do you advise?”
“You can’t ever go into a meeting without something to offer, but most importantly you need to know what you want to get out of it. Stand firm. Stay strong.”
“I want to keep my job.”
I shook my head. “Think bigger than that. You’re taking information to her. You’re giving her something. What can you get in return?”
Her face twisted in a frown. “I don’t have any information. What are you talking about?”
I had debated how to let this play out, but this would be win-win for both of us.
“I have a story for the News & Report. That’s going to be the card you play.”
“You do? What is it?” She was on the edge of the seat. I could see the fire in her eyes.
“We’ll get to that.”
“Aiden, if you have a story for me, I need it.”
“I thought you said you couldn’t separate me from work. This story is very specific to one of my latest acqu
isitions.”
The darker it got, the more I realized the weekend was almost over. Tomorrow was already a beast of a day. I would be on conference calls from seven until seven.
“You didn’t mention you had acquired anything new.” Her eyes narrowed. “What is it?”
“I buy and sell every day. You know that. But you could tell your editor you have a scoop on a South Padre land deal that has a direct impact on the resort. Trade her the story for a chance to focus on the features you really want to write.”
“A trade? But you aren’t going to tell me what it is?”
My hand squeezed her knee. “Remember the mother and daughter from the Cove?”
“Quinn and Harper? Of course.” She lowered her eyes. “They remind me of—”
“Your sister. I know. I thought the same thing when I met her.”
“You met Quinn? When?”
“I didn’t have much choice after that article you wrote. You basically crucified me in that story.”
“They are going to be homeless, Aiden. It wasn’t as if I could put a happy spin on it.”
She was unapologetic. I took a second to pour another glass of wine for myself. Veronica was still working on hers. The bottle was almost empty.
“No. You’re right. There’s no way to make people losing their homes a happy ending, but I have good news.”
She stared at me, the expectation circling her eyes. “What is it?”
“I am the proud owner of a new campground on the sound side of the island. Quinn and Harper will be moving in two weeks.” I grinned.
“Are you serious?”
I nodded. The wine was dry and crisp. “It was a good business move. I can relocate ten residents. The mother doesn’t get kicked out on the street. I built in a cushion for the demolition budget, so I’ll use that to make the abandoned lot livable. In a few years when all of this blows over I’ll sell it.”
“But then what will Quinn do?”
“Hopefully by then she’s not still living in a camping trailer.”
“So you did this for the press? To kill the story I wrote?” Her brow was starting to furrow and the lips I loved to kiss so much weren’t smiling.
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