by T. K. Leigh
Her heart dropped when she noticed someone on the top floor of the Ritz, standing on a wrap-around balcony, staring down at her. It was too far away for her to make out who it was, but the stature was eerily familiar. Or maybe she just so desperately wanted Alexander to come searching for her, even though she had told him to move on.
“Jesus, you’re fast, Libby,” Cam said, finally catching up to her as she stared at the top floor of the swanky hotel, not responding, a blank look on her face. He wrapped his arm around her waist and gently kissed the top of her forehead. “You okay?” he asked, noticing her lack of reaction to him.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” She squinted, still looking at the man standing on the balcony, knowing there was something so familiar about whomever it was. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her head. She felt as if she was losing her mind. She needed to forget about Alexander. She saw him everywhere and it needed to stop.
Turning to Cam, she placed a gentle kiss on his lips, making him smile. “Ready to go back?”
“No,” he laughed. “But I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“Not really!” she shouted as she took off running, glancing back over her shoulder at the balcony on the top floor of the Ritz, unable to shake the feeling that Alexander was nearby.
CHAPTER SIX
OKAY
THAT BASTARD! ALEXANDER THOUGHT as he watched the tall sandy-haired guy kiss Olivia’s forehead near her scar. It made him furious to think that someone else was touching her. His face flashed red with anger as he watched Olivia kiss him on the lips. Those are my fucking lips!
He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. But mostly, he wanted to kiss her, to feel those soft lips again. He was losing control of everything.
As she started to run away, Alexander saw her look back, her eyes trained on his balcony. She was a long distance away but, in his heart, he knew that she felt the same electricity and turned to find the source. He was certain of it. Pacing back and forth, he needed to figure out what his next step should be. He was lost. She was within his reach. He could have shouted her name. Screamed it. Made her recognize him. Just seeing her made him feel as if he was breaking all over again, if that was even possible.
He faintly heard the door to his suite open and close. “Martin!” Alexander shouted, still shaken up over his first Olivia sighting.
“Yes, sir?” Martin appeared on the balcony as Alexander stood locked in place, watching Olivia run away, now just a tiny speck.
Alexander’s heart raced, thinking about how close she was to him. He very easily could have run out of his suite and caught up with her, but he had no idea what to say. No. Before he approached her, he needed more information.
“She’s here, Martin. I just saw her running on the beach. I don’t know what to do, but she ran north. She must live out there somewhere.” His eyes frantically searched Martin’s, desperate that he had a way of finding her. Alexander couldn’t think at that moment. He normally had an answer to everything, but he was so rattled after seeing Olivia that he was frantic, his mind racing over a thousand different scenarios.
“I’ll look into public records and see if there have been any transfers of real estate or anything else in the last month,” Martin responded calmly.
Alexander sighed, his brain function finally returning. “I highly doubt she would have done that. She didn’t want to be found. That defeats the purpose. No. I think our best bet is just to explore this little island. It’s not that big. It’s maybe three miles wide and ten miles long so let’s not rush this. Let’s not scare her off. I don’t want her to realize I’m here and then run again.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll look into rentals and do some public record checks anyway, see if I come across anything.” Martin disappeared into the suite, leaving Alexander alone with his thoughts, the sun now shining brightly over the Atlantic Ocean.
~~~~~~~~~~
Olivia saw her beach house appear as she rounded the corner and began sprinting, glancing back to see Cam far behind her. She still couldn’t shake the feeling that Alexander was on the island. But how? And why? Would he really track her credit card? Of course he would. She knew that.
Quickly retreating into her house, she grabbed two glasses, filled them with chocolate milk, and brought them outside, sitting down on her front steps. A few minutes later, Cam ran up, panting.
“Fuck, Libby. You’re an animal.” He exhaled loudly. “Remind me to never take you up on another challenge. Jesus…”
“It’s not as easy as it looks, is it?” she smirked.
“Whoever said it looked easy?”
Olivia shrugged, handing Cam a glass of chocolate milk. He eyed it suspiciously. “It’s chocolate milk,” she explained. “It will help your muscles recover. Trust me.”
“Okay,” he said cautiously, taking a sip of his drink. “I take it back. That’s actually really good after a run.”
“Told you,” she replied, bringing her own glass to her lips as Cam watched, sitting down on the front steps next to her.
Olivia looked out over the sand dunes, wondering why she had a feeling that Alexander was on the island. She had seen him everywhere but, this time, there was an electricity in the air, as if he had found her.
“I can tell the wheels are turning in that head of yours. You have that look.”
Olivia whipped her head back toward Cam. “What look?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
“You know. That look. The one that, last night, I said was so fucking cute that I wanted to die. That’s your ‘thinking’ look, and it’s adorable. But I wonder what’s going through that head of yours. I know you’re not thinking about me, and that’s okay.” He grasped Olivia’s chin, bringing her face toward his. “But I really wish you would think about me, and forget about whatever or whoever did all this to you.”
“Did what?” Olivia asked softly, her breathing increasing along with her heart rate.
“This,” he responded quietly. “I know there’s a spirited, energetic, and passionate young woman in there somewhere, desperately screaming to get out. And I’m going to do everything I can to bring that person back.”
“Oh, Cam,” she exhaled, looking to the sky for her answer as she watched the seagulls swoop into the ocean, searching for their next meal. “I wish it was that easy. I think that girl stayed in Boston.”
“AHA!” he exclaimed. “Boston.” A huge grin crept across his face.
“What?” Olivia looked at him skeptically.
“Nothing. I’m just hungry for information about you, but I’m not going to press you. At least now I know where you came from, beautiful.” He winked.
“Yeah. Boston…”
“Do you miss it?” he asked.
Olivia thought about it. Did she miss Boston? Or was it something more? She shrugged as a truck pulled up along Ocean Avenue, a bunch of surfers getting out to catch some morning waves. Cam nodded a greeting. Of course he knew them.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, Libby,” he said, turning his attention back to her.
“No. It’s okay. I mean, it’s hard to say if I miss it or not. When I got in my car with the few possessions I chose to bring, a strange feeling overtook me. I wasn’t just leaving my friends, but I was also leaving behind the girl that I was at that time in my life. Leaving Boston was so much more than saying good-bye to the city that I had grown to love over the last ten years or so of my life. It was also saying good-bye to the person the city turned me into.” A tear escaped as she thought about the girl she was back then.
When Olivia first moved to Boston right after she finished high school, she was shy and scared, her only outlet being music. She still remembered the day she met Kiera like it was yesterday. She had just gotten back from a run around the Charles River late one evening and there were quite a few people hanging outside the small three-story apartment building in the Allston section of the city.
Olivia lowered her head, trying to avoid eye contact
as she made her way up the steps. “Hey!” she heard as she unlocked the front door to the building. “You’re the girl that just moved in, aren’t you? The new tenant in 1B?”
She turned around to see a petite girl with soft red hair, tons of freckles, and fiery green eyes. She looked far more sophisticated than Olivia. She guessed the girl had to be in her mid-twenties. Her smile was contagious and Olivia knew immediately that she could trust her. There was something about her that was so open and honest and she felt, for lack of a better word, comfortable.
“Yes. That’s me. I’m Libby,” she said, extending her hand to the redhead.
“Libby! So happy to finally meet you.” She wrapped her arms around Olivia, obviously not caring that she was drenched in sweat from a long run around the river during the humid August heat. “I’m Kiera!” she exclaimed after releasing her.
“Hi, Kiera. Nice to meet you.” Olivia retreated into the building, heading toward her apartment.
“Hey, Libby!” Kiera shouted, running down the short hallway to Olivia’s left rear apartment. “I’m having people over tonight, as you can tell. You should come, too. My boss sent a shit ton of liquor over, and I need someone to help drink it!”
“I don’t know,” Olivia responded, facing Kiera, noticing the hordes of people in the apartment across the hall.
“Oh, come on. Go shower, then come over. It’ll be fun. Plus, if your butt isn’t out of your apartment within an hour, I know where you live. I will come drag you out.”
Olivia rolled her eyes, turning to go into her apartment. “Okay. I’ll see you in a little bit then.”
“Goody!” Kiera said, jumping up and down as she rushed back out front to where a few people were smoking. “You know that shit will kill you dead!” she scolded her friends. Olivia laughed at her new acquaintance.
That night, she and Kiera had become friends. Over the next month, they had become inseparable. She even got Olivia a job at the bar on Boylston Street where she worked. It was Kiera who broke her out of her shell to begin with, but it was Alexander who opened her heart again.
“Hey, Libby. Come back to me, sweetheart.”
Olivia snapped out of her memory when she heard Cam's voice. She looked up to see him standing in front of her.
“There’s my girl,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. “Listen, I need to get back home. Can I call you later?”
Olivia looked down at her feet.
He noticed her apprehension. “What is it?”
“You’re going to laugh,” she said, meeting his eyes.
“Try me.”
Olivia shrugged. “I don’t have a phone. I left Boston and didn’t want anyone to be able to find me so my phone is still sitting in the kitchen of my old house, along with the rest of my possessions.”
Cam stared, curious as to what happened in Boston to make her want to leave everything behind. “Okay. Well…can I see you later? We’ll go up to the Ritz. They have a great bar. We can talk or just do absolutely nothing.”
She thought about it. Over the last several minutes as they sat on the steps to her deck, she hadn’t thought about Alexander as much as she expected she would. Maybe Cam was just what she needed to forget about him. Turning and kissing him gently on the lips, she smiled. “I’d like that.”
He beamed at her as he picked her up, playfully swinging her around. “Good because I’d be in a terrible mood if you turned me down.” He kissed her neck and placed her feet back on the sandy road. “Even after a long run, you still smell divine.” He jumped into his Jeep and started the engine, rolling down the window. “I’ll see you later, gorgeous.” He blew her a kiss and drove away, leaving Olivia feeling surprisingly content. For the first time in over a month, she felt okay. Not happy, but okay. And, for now, that was, well…okay.
But she still wondered why she felt that Alexander was on the island.
CHAPTER SEVEN
FOUND
ALEXANDER DECIDED THAT THE best thing to do was to spend some time exploring the island and try to get a feel for the place Olivia now called home. At least until he knew where she lived.
After breakfast, he grabbed a rented Mercedes convertible and drove out of the hotel complex, passing by a golf course on his way toward the western part of the small island. He soon found himself driving in the downtown Fernandina Beach district. Large Victorian homes dotted the area, giving way to a marina that housed several shrimping boats.
He parked under an old moss tree and decided to get out to do a bit of exploring. As he strolled down the tree-lined street, he knew why Olivia came there to escape. It really was cute and quaint. The downtown district was just six short blocks. It almost reminded him of his boyhood home in Mystic.
And Olivia’s childhood home.
In the back of his mind, he wondered whether that had something to do with her decision to come there.
There were tourist shops lining the boulevard, as well as some beach boutique stores. And, of course, the one building that had a line out the door – an ice cream parlor. After walking around for a few hours, he made his way down one of the side streets and found a Mexican restaurant, thinking that maybe a few shots of tequila, some beer, and a little food would help him with the next step of his mission…finding Olivia.
Martin had a bunch of feelers out around the island, asking about a girl who had arrived in mid-October. On an island this small, he was confident someone knew her. It would only be a matter of time before Alexander found her. When he did, he was unsure of what to do, especially after seeing her running on the beach that morning. His face flashed red with anger when he remembered seeing some guy kiss her gently on the forehead. It made him raging mad to think that someone else was near her, touching her, enjoying her essence.
But, then again, he hadn’t remained faithful, either. Did he really expect that she wouldn’t meet someone else, as well? Maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much if he knew she hadn’t moved on. That was what hurt the most.
After ordering a shot of tequila and a beer, his cell phone rang. “Martin. What is it?”
“Are you ready for this?” Martin asked.
Alexander exhaled. “Shoot. I can handle it.”
“Okay, sir,” he said, then paused. “I have an address.”
Alexander’s heart began to race, knowing that he possibly could be seeing Olivia that day.
“It’s a cottage in Fernandina Beach on Ocean Avenue on the north end of the island. She’s been renting it for the past few weeks. Paid for six months up front. Owner is a Terry Robinson. Lives a mile or so inland from where the beach cottage is. He took cash in exchange for no paperwork being filed regarding the rental. You’re right that she had no intention of being found, sir.”
Alexander signaled the bartender for another shot after downing the one in front of him. “How did you find this out?” He was floored at Martin’s efficiency. He made a mental note to give him a raise and a bonus.
“When the search through property records turned up nothing, I started contacting beach rentals, mostly ones that were booked solid. I found one online that was booked through April with no availability whatsoever. Not even one day. So I made a phone call. Mr. Robinson was rather helpful. But I’m not sure you’re ready for that conversation yet, sir. With all due respect,” he said, not wanting to get into Mr. Robinson’s description of the empty woman who rolled up out of nowhere to rent his beach cottage.
Alexander downed his second shot of tequila. “You’re probably right about that. I’m having trouble processing the fact that we’ve actually found her. And I don’t need you to remind me that if we can find her, so can anyone else.”
“Yes, sir,” Martin replied. “So, how would you like me to proceed?”
Alexander thought for a moment. He wasn’t sure. He desperately wanted to see Olivia. To hold her in his arms. To convince her that she didn’t need to run, that he would never leave her. But then he recalled his sister’s words from the night before. What if
she got scared and ran again? No. He needed to have a plan. He couldn’t risk her fleeing. Not when he was so close.
“Give me some time to process this. I’ll go over there soon.” He hung up and signaled the bartender to pour him another shot.
CHAPTER EIGHT
NEW LEAF
“EVENING, BEAUTIFUL,” CAM SAID sweetly as Olivia opened the door. He nearly took her breath away with his smile and overall good looks. Stepping toward her, he kissed her softly on the cheek, lingering just a few seconds longer, shifting the kiss from friendly to affectionate.
Olivia closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of Cam's lips on her skin as she inhaled his delicious scent. It wasn’t the same as Alexander’s, but she reminded herself to stop comparing everything about Cam to Alexander. Cam was a breath of fresh air. He was easy-going and affectionate. He had a sense of humor. And, most of all, he didn’t pressure her into talking about anything that she didn’t want to.
He pulled back, beaming at her as he stood on her front deck, the ocean air blowing through his wayward sandy hair. His white linen shirt rippled as the wind picked up. “Ready to go?” he asked, extending his arm out to her.
“Yes. Thank you,” she responded, grabbing her clutch and slipping on her beige pumps.
“You look amazing, as always,” Cam said softly, gazing at her red halter dress. His eyes shifted to her chest and he hoped she didn’t notice.
Olivia blushed, taking his arm, and he led her out to his Lexus. A few short minutes later, they pulled up to the Ritz Carlton. “Where are we going?” she asked as they walked through the impressive lobby.
“Just a bar I really like. They have this fantastic five-diamond restaurant here, and the bar is killer. A nice change of pace from the normal ‘beachy’ southern bars that dot the rest of this little island,” he replied, leading her into a classy dimly lit lounge.
