A Tragic Wreck

by T. K. Leigh

  Olivia’s face was blank as she turned her eyes back to him. The emptiness in them was all-consuming. “I’m not ready for that yet, might never be,” she replied dryly.

  Cam grabbed her hand across the table once more. “It’s okay, Libby. If and when you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.” He gently brushed his thumb across her knuckles. “You need someone to listen. You can’t shut everyone out.”

  She eyed him suspiciously. “Who says I’m shutting people out?”

  Cam exhaled loudly, withdrawing his hand. “I don’t know.” He ran his fingers through his hair, reminding her of Alexander. “It seems like you are. I don’t know anything about your past, but I’m certain that’s what you’re running from. Whatever it is, it’s not worth closing up and shutting off. Just know that if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.” His eyes met Olivia’s. She noticed the hint of a spark.

  Olivia was torn. There was something about Cam that she was drawn to. He seemed so patient and understanding with all of her drama, but how long could that really last? Alexander had admitted that all of her pain and drama would destroy him. The same would be true for Cam, and she would end up in the same position again.

  Their server finally returned with their bottle of pinot noir, bringing Olivia back from her thoughts. “I’m glad you ordered a pinot. It’s my favorite,” she remarked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love pretty much any wine, but there’s something about a pinot.”

  Cam smiled, taking a sip of his wine and swirling it in his mouth, savoring the smoky flavor. “I’m right there with you. I hope you like it.” He raised his glass. “To new friends.”

  Olivia mirrored his movements. “New friends,” she smiled, clinking glasses with him.

  “So what made you move to Florida?” she asked several minutes later after the server dropped off their crab cake appetizer.

  “It just kind of happened. I don’t know if it was any one thing. I always loved growing up in the south and, let’s face it, there’s nothing like good ol’ southern cooking.”

  Olivia smiled, remembering her childhood in Charleston, particularly her summers on Folly Beach where the smell of Low Country Boils permeated the neighborhood practically every weekend.

  “I wanted to find somewhere I could see myself settling down. I’m not a fan of huge cities. Then I found this quaint little island, and I was sold.”

  “Did you go to school around here?”

  “No. California, actually. UCLA.”

  Olivia took a sip of her wine. “I lived in Cali for a bit.”

  “Really? Where at?”

  “All over, really. Spent some time in Brentwood and then needed a change of pace from all the L.A. craziness so I ended up living in a cabin in the woods in Big Sur. No cable, no internet. It was wonderful. It was actually when I was living out there that I got more into running. I always loved running, but out in Cali, there were so many races that I couldn’t help but take advantage of it.”

  Cam eyed her. “Races? What do you mean?”

  “Oh, like marathons.”

  “You run marathons?”

  “Yup. Actually, I qualified for Boston a few…” She stopped short, the memory of leaving Alexander just after running the Newport Marathon still fresh in her mind.

  Cam could sense her growing unease with the subject. He grabbed her hand again.

  Olivia looked down at his strong hand clutching onto hers. His touch didn’t send shivers up her spine like Alexander’s did, but she felt a little something. They weren’t huge fireworks. Maybe they were sparklers.

  “Hey, Libby. Relax. It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about anything with me that you don’t want to. I’m not going to pry. Whatever you want to tell me, I’m happy with. Okay?”

  She sat there, staring into his silver eyes, wishing they were green. “Okay. Thank you.” She took another sip of her wine, desperate for the liquid to work its magic.

  “I’ll never hurt you, Olivia. I promise you that,” he said quietly, barely above a whisper.

  She sighed. “That’s a pretty big promise. I don’t think anyone can ever keep that promise.”

  “You can at least let me try to keep it. Don’t shut me out like you want to. I’m okay if you just want to be friends. I just want to know you. If the only way I can get you is by being friends, then I’m happy.” He gave her an encouraging smile just as their entrees arrived.

  “I don’t know if I’m ready…”

  “I get it. I do. So let’s just hang out. No pressure. Okay?”

  Olivia smiled. “Okay.” She grabbed her fork and dug into her ahi tuna salad, eyeing Cam's shrimp and grits. “You’re going to have to run, like, ten miles tomorrow to work that meal off,” she joked.

  “Sounds like a plan. Want to come with me?”

  “I don’t know. Think you can keep up?”

  “Is that a challenge?”

  “Damn straight it is.”

  Cam chuckled as he took another bite of his cheesy grits, exaggerating how delicious the rich dish was.

  Olivia was happy to finally feel some sort of normalcy in her life since fleeing Boston. It was good. It was what she needed to finally move on. As she took a bite of the crème brûlée that she and Cam decided to share for dessert, she wondered if Alexander had moved on, as well.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  EMPTY

  ALEXANDER’S JET TOUCHED DOWN at Jacksonville Airport a little after eight that evening. Within an hour, Martin pulled up in front of the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island. As Alexander sat in his Gulfstream heading south earlier that day, he debated where he should start looking for Olivia. The liquor store was the key. He figured she was probably living on Amelia Island somewhere and not in Jacksonville. Also, doing a bit of research, he found out that shopping on the island was limited mostly to beach-style boutiques. Knowing Olivia as he did, she needed some sort of fashionable store similar to that which she had become accustomed to shopping at in Boston. It made sense that she would find a mall to shop at so he was putting all his money on her living on Amelia Island. He prayed that he was right.

  “What’s the plan, sir?” Martin asked as he began setting up various computers in the large suite.

  Alexander sighed. “I’m not sure, yet. She’s got to be somewhere on this island. Maybe we both should get some sleep so we can wake up refreshed.”

  Martin finished booting up all the gear and turned to Alexander, who was sitting on the sofa and drinking an amber liquid. “Yes, sir. I’ll see you in the morning then.”

  “Thank you, Martin.”

  When he heard the door to his suite close, he walked from the couch out onto one of the large balconies overlooking the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Had he made a mistake jumping on the plane and coming down to Florida to find Olivia? Maybe Kiera was right. Maybe she didn’t want to be found.

  He downed his drink and decided to go for a stroll out on the beach. Quickly changing out of his suit and into a pair of jeans and a polo shirt, he left the suite, wandering out of the back of the hotel toward the beach.

  He walked down to where the waves invaded the shoreline wondering if, at that moment, Olivia was looking out over the same exact waves. If she was there, she had picked a perfect location. The island was small and seemed relatively secluded from what he had found out. It was almost Thanksgiving and there were a few tourists walking about, but it was still uncrowded, unlike so many other Florida beaches.

  As he strolled north along the coastline, he thought about everything that had happened over the past several months. He had been so happy with Olivia, but something spooked her and she fled town. It all went to shit in Newport. He should never have let her go run that damn marathon. She started to remember things and it scared her. That Saturday in Newport, she changed. When he stopped to let Olivia run up to Harris House, it was as if the fun, carefree girl he had become so accustomed to during their short relationship had left herself on the s
ide of the road. After that, she was quiet and reserved. He tried to regain control of the situation and he thought he had it. Apparently, he was wrong.

  Alexander lost track of time as he continued walking along the beach. Large hotels and condos transitioned into smaller beach houses. The north end of the island was markedly different from the south end. He wondered whether Olivia lived out on the beach somewhere. Or whether she was really here at all.

  As he walked past a noisy bar, his cell phone rang. “Hey, Carol,” he said, answering the call.

  “Jesus H. Christ, Alex. What the fuck is going on?”

  Alexander laughed. “Oh, not much. Took the jet and I’m in Florida. Just another day at the office.”

  “You’re shitting me, right?”

  He sighed, looking out over the sand dunes. “Nope. I’m in Amelia Island, Florida. I’ve got a good feeling about this place, Carol.”

  “What are you doing there? Did you find out something? This must be about Olivia if you’re there. And if you were able to figure it out…”

  “I KNOW! All right? I get it. If I can find her, so can they. That’s why I need to find her and take her back home with me so I can keep her safe.” His mind began to race. What was he talking about? Could he really keep her safe? Was that what this was all about?

  “Alex,” Carol said, lowering her voice. “What if she doesn’t want to come back? What if she sees you and she takes off again. You can’t really think you can keep this up much longer. There are people back home who need you, who love you. I ran into Chelsea just a little while ago and, well, maybe she’s the type of girl you need to be with. Someone stable from a good family. How much longer can you put up with the drama?”

  “For as long as I need to, Carol. It’s Olivia we’re talking about here. I love that fucking girl, and I will do everything and anything I can to get her back.”

  “Anything?” Carol asked.

  “Yes! Of course!” Alexander shouted, staring at the crashing waves. “Except…”

  “Except telling her who she is,” Carol said quietly, finishing her brother’s sentence.

  “Carol, I want to. But I want her to come back to me because she wants to, not because she thinks I hold the answers to her past. I need to fix this on my own terms. We belong together. And when two people belong together, nothing…not time, not distance, not a misunderstanding…nothing can keep them apart. I will get her back. It may not be tomorrow or next week or next month or even next year. But I know, deep down, that she will come back. And that’s good enough for me. But for now, I want to beg and grovel and, really, just see her. Make sure she’s okay, or as okay as she can be, considering the shit life she’s been handed. I need to do this because I refuse to always wonder ‘what if’. Maybe I’ll get some closure out of this and I can finally move on. Or maybe, just maybe, she’ll tell me how much she’s missed me. I’ve got to find out. Then I’ll come home.”

  Carol sighed on the other end of the phone. “Okay. You do what you have to do, but I swear that if I have to put up with Mom at Thanksgiving and tell her all about what you’re doing in Florida, I will murder you in your sleep and leave no physical evidence whatsoever.”

  Alexander laughed as he rounded the corner to his hotel’s entrance. “Okay. I got it, sis. You have a great night and we’ll talk soon, I promise. Love you.”

  “Love you too, baby brother. And just so you know, I’m totally rooting for you and Olivia.”

  “So am I, sis. So am I.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  The following morning, Alexander was up at dawn as he took in the beautiful sunrise over the ocean. He grabbed a cup of coffee and, as he sat on the balcony enjoying the gentle breeze, he reminisced about all the mornings he shared coffee in bed with Olivia. This is paradise, he thought.

  Several stories below his suite, people started to wander about on the beach. Tourists and locals seemed to be out getting their morning exercise. His thoughts returned to Olivia, wondering if she was out for a run. He grabbed his laptop and decided to continue doing a bit of research on the island to see if he could figure out where she lived.

  Until the previous day, none of her credit cards had been used since she left Boston in October. The day she fled, there was a hefty cash withdrawal from one of her bank accounts. That was the last activity he could find. She clearly didn’t want to leave a paper trail. So why now? Alexander was thrilled that there finally was a clue as to where she was. Now he could at least try to find her. He secretly wished he had Carol go with him. He couldn’t think clearly when it came to Olivia, and he needed someone to remain level-headed.

  His cell phone rang, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Good morning, Alex,” Chelsea crooned.

  “Hi.” He was a little nervous speaking with her after her revelation to him the day before. He never thought that she was interested in a relationship with him. He didn’t have to worry about her only wanting to be with him for his money. She also came from money, but he thought all she was interested in was the occasional hook-up. Granted, recently, it had become more than just an occasional thing.

  “I just wanted to call and say that I was thinking about you…”

  “Chelsea…” Alexander interrupted.

  “Alex, please,” she said, her voice strong. “Let me finish. I have no problem telling you my feelings. If you don’t return them, I’m okay with that. I was just thinking about you and I want you to be able to do whatever you feel you need to do. Just know that, no matter what your decision is, I will always be here for you. I won’t run. I will never push you away. The thing is, over the past several years, I’ve come to care for you during our occasional encounters. I should have said something sooner, but I didn’t want you to think I was some clingy girl who went from just wanting a once-in-a-while hook-up to suddenly wanting more.”

  The line was quiet for several long moments while Alexander processed her words, thinking that maybe he could start to feel something for Chelsea. He didn’t feel the fireworks like he did with Olivia, but there was something there. “So, you do want something more?” he finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.

  Chelsea exhaled loudly. “I do. And I know that, right now, you’re not ready to make that decision. But know that when you come back, I’ll be here. And if, at that point, you’re ready for something more, then I am, too. Until then, know that I’m thinking about you and missing your touch. Good-bye, Alex.”

  “Good-bye, Chelsea,” he whispered softly, placing his cell phone on the lounge table next to him, thinking about Chelsea. And Olivia.

  As he grabbed his laptop and powered it up, he heard the familiar sound of a woman’s laugh. God, I love that sound, he thought as his body came alive with electricity. It had been over a month since he had felt that sensation. Looking out over the horizon, his heart raced as he searched for the source of that laughter. He heard that sound in his dreams every night. Only one person had a laugh that beautiful. He was certain his Olivia was near. Grabbing his coffee, he walked over to the edge of his balcony, taking in several people running on the beach.

  That’s when his heart almost stopped.

  There she was, running up the shoreline toward his hotel. He stilled, watching as she placed one leg in front of the other in rapid succession, her hips moving in perfect rhythm. She made running look so easy.

  His brain tried to tell his body to move, to run out of his suite and onto the beach. But he remained completely frozen, shock etched across his strong face. He stared as Olivia stopped running, looking in the direction that she had just come from. He could almost feel her smile as she stood gazing up the beach, laughing at something. Alexander followed her eyes to see a relatively tall man running toward her, obviously having trouble keeping up. He kept watching as she took a deep breath, the smile gone from her face. She slowly turned and looked out over the ocean.

  And that’s when Alexander saw it. The sadness. The hurt. The loss. He knew that look all too well.

  Be
cause it was the same way he felt.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  Olivia looked toward the shore, waiting for Cam. As she watched a few small children run out from the back of the Ritz and into the ocean, their parents trying to catch up, she felt that familiar tingling sensation. Her eyes began searching the beach as if certain that he was there. But how could that be? She hadn’t told anyone where she was, and she had made it quite clear that it was time to move on. But there was an electricity in the air that Olivia hadn’t felt since the day she left Boston.

  She scanned the beach, half expecting to see Alexander running up to her. She secretly wanted to see him, to run into his arms, have him swing her around and declare his undying love to her. But that only happened in the movies, not real life. And her life was as real as it got.

  She looked out over the ocean waves, and the sadness took over. Her smile disappeared and that’s when she felt it…the emptiness. She thought she had felt empty before, but this was a new kind of emptiness. She realized how big of a mistake she made when she left Alexander, and she began to regret that decision. But there was no way he would take her back, knowing that the risk of her doing the same thing all over again was so high.

  No. Olivia had made her decision and she would have to live with it. Those five little words still played over and over in her head… It will destroy me, too.

  Hearing a child scream in excitement, she turned. People strolled along the white sand beach behind her. Tourists sat on their balconies of the Ritz, most likely enjoying their morning coffee. She wanted to cry when she thought about all those mornings she drank her coffee in bed with Alexander.