Coastal Erosion

by Rachelle Paige

  “It’s late. I’d better get going.” Kim stood and her grandma followed her to the back door.

  “Have a good night, honey. Maybe next time I see you we can talk about whatever you’ve managed to avoid discussing me with tonight.”

  Kim winced. Too perceptive as usual. She leaned over and embraced her grandma, kissing her on the cheek.

  “Maybe I will. Good night.”

  Rose held open the door, and Kim slipped back into her sandals. Sliding out the back door and back into the sticky September night, she shut the door and waved off her grandma. Under the full moon, the path was illuminated as bright as a street lamp as she walked back to her car. Maybe talking to grandma about Landon would have helped her sort through her feelings. Feelings. Kim shuddered. Emotions were no part of control, order, or efficiency. Landon Beau certainly challenged her order, and had efficiently destroyed her control. She wondered if she should tell him? If he knew everything would he leave? Did she want him to go?

  Her life had nearly been destroyed once and she’d thought she’d come out stronger. His sudden reappearance threatened the calm she’d worked hard to achieve and told her the truth. She’d never get over Landon. She had to keep her distance to guard her heart.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Landon rubbed a hand along his jaw after pulling his convertible into a parking spot in front of Nathan & Sons Consultants. Despite taking his time to shave, he felt a rogue whisker under his chin. Too late to solve that problem now. A glance at the clock told him he had five minutes before his first meeting. He’d worked with plenty of civil engineers on behalf of his father’s firm; this should be no different. Except that, everything depended on this, both his professional and his personal successes.

  Lowering the sun visor, Landon did a quick survey. He hadn’t spilled coffee or left any toothpaste residue at the corners of his mouth, but the gold chain he wore around his neck had tangled into his collar. He tucked the chain further under his shirt just as he heard the crack of thunder.

  The clear skies overhead confused him until the rumbling increased and an old pick-up truck lumbered down the street. Landon shook his head as he locked up his car and stood on the sidewalk. He would have thought the hunk of junk would have died at some point in the past ten years. But rolling inch by inch into the diagonal parking spot was her beloved baby blue pick-up.

  Hands clasped behind his back, Landon fought to keep his expression calm, serene. Inside he was screaming, but whether for joy or for anger he wasn’t sure. After so many years of trying to track her down, she ended up on the tiny island where his grandmother lived? And if he hadn’t been too busy working for his Dad in Savannah and escorting his mom to her various social functions in her obvious attempts to see him settled down, he would have come across her. What were the chances that she’d end up in the front row of one of his grandmother’s dance troop’s performances? Or that a picture would be the image on the front of the local paper’s lifestyle section? If his grandmother hadn’t been bragging by mailing him the article… If only, what if, the thoughts circled and gave him a headache.

  Landon closed his eyes and put a hand to the pressure point at the center of his face. He’d let pondering and concern and anger and frustration overwhelm him for too long. He was here now. She was here. He could move forward. I will move forward.

  “Hello,” he called out as she exited her truck.

  “Oh, hi,” Kim acknowledged. Her startled wide eyes couldn’t be masked by the forced grin she wore.

  She approached him like a skittish cat. Her eyes darted around him and their surroundings. Planning an escape. Landon fought off the snigger. Nope. He’d give her a chance. He had questions he wanted answered, but if he remembered one thing about her over the years, it had been her high regard for calm. Truth was he remembered a lot of things about her. Like the way her smile tugged up only half of her mouth when he gave her a compliment. Almost as if she didn’t believe him when he said she was beautiful.

  “You weren’t kidding? You really are here to work with me?”

  “Well, I hope so. I’ve heard good things about this firm, and I thought I’d check them out.”

  “Hmm,” Kim crossed her arms and considered him.

  For a moment, he thought she could read the word liar on his forehead. He had heard good things. But only after finding out she worked here, hatching his crazy plan, and setting off for the Golden Isles. He refused to flinch under her scrutiny. Instead, he smiled.

  “I have to admit I’m shocked that you ended up here,” Landon drawled, letting his southern accent linger over every vowel.

  Kim shrugged and continued on the path to the front door. He fell into step at her side.

  “I didn’t want to go back to winter. After four years at Vanderbilt, I think I became a southerner at heart.”

  “It doesn’t get much more southern than the Georgia coast,” he agreed.

  “Actually, I’m going to stop you there. Maybe in Savannah it’s different. But from what I’ve seen over the years, St. Simons is mostly made up of transplants.”

  “You live in St. Simons?”

  He raised an eyebrow, his aim to keep his tone curious quizzical. Frightening her off with the knowledge that he knew exactly where she lived wouldn’t serve his purposes.

  Kim nodded and reached for the doorknob. Landon beat her to it, stepping in front of her to pull open the door and let her proceed. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her golden hair the color of sun-bleached grass on rolling hills and her gray green eyes captivated him. He’d lost hours staring into their depths, watching the color shift from jade to emerald, trying to understand the mystery of to each color. At one point, he’d imagined he had deciphered their meanings. But in the end, she’d shocked him and made him realize no matter how much he felt in his heart that he knew her, his head didn’t know her at all.

  “Maybe you’re right,” Landon agreed, joining her inside the large, open plan office space. “My Grandmother is a transplant.”

  “She is? I thought you said your family name was firmly rooted in the south.”

  A slight blush crept up her cheeks. Landon kept his expression neutral but his lips wanted to tilt up into a smile. Despite the awkward reunion the night before and her cold, almost standoffish perusal that morning, she’d dropped her guard. Sharing memories, even for something so trivial, made him want to share more.

  “My father’s family is southern through and through, but my mother moved south from New York City.”

  “And your Grandmother is a New Yorker?”

  “Born and raised. She moved south when I was in fourth grade.”

  “I’m shocked. I guess we still have a lot we don’t know about each other.”

  You could say that. Landon inclined his head to acknowledge her statement. She took a step back as a harried, middle age man approached.

  “Mr. Beau,” the man said, extending his right hand, using his left to push his wire-frame spectacles further on his nose. “I’m Paul Nathan.”

  Landon extended a hand. One of the sons? He could relate.

  “I can’t tell you how thrilled we are to get the opportunity to work on this development with you,” Paul continued. “Your father’s company is, of course, highly regarded.”

  Landon sucked in a quick breath. He wasn’t his father’s company. He’d never intended to work for daddy. He’d never wanted to be in the great man’s shadow. He didn’t even want to run a major corporation like his father did. None of that held any appeal. But he’d been laughed out of the house when he’d first mentioned his idea during his undergrad years to work for himself one project at a time. And after everything fell apart, he’d ended up exactly where he hadn’t wanted to be.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” Kim interrupted his thoughts.

  “No, no, Kim, stay. Come on, let’s all go into the conference room,” Paul walked to the glass door on the adjacent wall. He held it open and they filed in.

  The
stark white of the main open office space continued into the meeting room. Landon liked color and vibrancy, but he appreciated the understated décor here too. Every wall held several windows flooding the space with natural light and the green of the palms outside filtered inside.

  Landon pulled out a chair, intending for Kim to be seated. But she’d beaten him to the punch, sinking into a chair across the polished cherry conference table. He watched her pull a notebook and pen out of her purse. Reading upside down, he stifled a chuckle as she wrote the date and time. He’d forgotten her habit of time stamping her life.

  “Kim, I’m pulling you off your civic work for the time being.”

  “What? All of my projects?”

  Paul nodded, his full head of gray hair bobbing up and down. Landon watched her posture grow more rigid with each second. She’s gonna run. He couldn’t let her.

  “I requested this,” Landon interrupted, keeping his hands flat on the surface of the table, not letting any outward sign betray him. “Kim, this is a big deal for me. I have an opportunity here to start something for myself. To make a company of my own the way I want to, the way I used to talk about.”

  Landon saw the flutter at the base of her throat and the tightening of her grip on her pen. She remembered. Good. He’d been up all night haunted by her lack of a reaction to seeing him at the meeting. True, he’d admit, he hadn’t had much of a reaction either. But he’d been the one doing the surprising, not the other way around.

  “Come on, Kim, we’ve always been a great team.”

  “Landon, I’m flattered. But I haven’t worked development for nearly seven years. After the market crash, I requested to be moved to handling local concerns for the islands and Brunswick. I don’t even know if I remember all of the codes and permits anymore.”

  “That’s easily solved,” Paul interjected.

  Landon watched Kim stare the man down. He stifled a chuckle. Good. She still had her spirit, fire, and passion, hidden under the layers maybe he’d find his Kim again.

  “Kim, please. You’ve always been so focused on details. That’s what you’re good at. I like to look at the big picture. I like to look ahead.” Landon implored, his hands gripping the armrests tight.

  “Not this argument again. How can you worry about a future if you can’t manage the present?” Her words were short, but her eyes twinkled and the corner of her mouth almost perked up.

  He crossed his legs at the ankles underneath him to steady himself. The quick jump back to their playful banter had him anxious to leap across the table and pull her into his arms. He wanted to press her against him, to cut through the politeness and formality of the moment and get back to where they’d left off.

  “That’s why I need you,” he cleared his throat. “I’ve given Paul all the details on the project but I need your help.”

  “I have to admit, I’m hesitant for…a variety of reasons,” Kim cleared her throat and dropped the smile. All business. She tapped her pen against the corner of her notebook, and Landon saw across from him a woman who could be a formidable ally or opponent. He desperately wanted the former.

  “The biggest hesitation for me is that I know the infrastructure of the island. A development of the land that you’ve bought would greatly stretch the resources. I don’t think the sewer system is up to speed for more people, let alone the roads. You want to develop land off a two-lane road with the highest speed limit on the island. You’ll have to work to get a traffic light in, and you’ll have to expand the road to add in at least a right turn lane.”

  “But we can do it and I’m passionate about this project. I have to move forward. I want to move forward with you.”

  His eyes pleaded with her. She opened her mouth as if she would offer another obstacle. He’d let her and then he’d clear that out of the way too. He continued to hold her gaze and watched as suddenly her tongue darted across her lower lip like a scared rabbit. That small act had Landon tightening his grip on the table to keep from lunging across the polished surface to take back what was his.

  Paul cleared his throat. He hadn’t been oblivious to the charge suddenly electrifying the space between Landon and Kim. Even if she’s trying to ignore the subtext. She shifted in her chair, breaking eye contact. He’d affected her, made her drop her guard. Good.

  “We will definitely be able to help, and I know Kim is up to this challenge,” Paul began. “She does know the island best, so she will be in the unique spot of being able to help position what we need to ask for to get this project moving.”

  Kim’s head snapped to Paul and she glared at him. For his part, Paul seemed unmoved but slightly inclined his head. Whatever the look meant, Paul understood and shot something right back at her.

  Landon pulled his hands off the table to fist them in his lap. He hated seeing some kind of subtext between the two of them. Did they have a past together? No that was ridiculous. The older man with the softening middle seemed more like a father or mentor than past lover. But something was going on that Landon didn’t have the first clue about and he hated that. He hated not knowing everything about her.

  “Did you bring your plans?” Paul asked.

  “I did. I can go and get them out of the trunk.”

  “Do we need to? Isn’t one condominium development pretty much the same as the next?” Kim scoffed.

  “I suppose they are. But this is a planned community of tiny houses,” Landon countered.

  “What? You mean like a hipster trailer park?” Her mouth hung open. “I’m sorry, excuse me. But I don’t think St. Simons is the right market for that.”

  Landon crossed his arms and considered. He’d expected to meet resistance to his idea. Her reaction, however, shook him. He didn’t want her to work for him. He needed her input and passion. He wanted her by his side, excited about this project.

  “Actually, I think it’s the perfect market, and so did the researchers who scouted out the area for me.”

  “Kim, let him show you the plans. The development is actually quite charming.”

  Kim shut her mouth and dropped her pen. No longer interested in fighting or note taking wasn’t a good sign. He’d learn to fear her calm demeanor after a disagreement. He knew ideas were whirring, and when she did speak again, he’d be at a loss against her cool reason and logic. Not this time. On this project, he’d win her over. And he’d win her back no matter what.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Leaning against the edge of the sink in the ladies restroom, Kim puckered her lips as she reapplied her lip-gloss. The age-old excuse could only give her a temporary break from the strained meeting. Landon might be unaffected by sitting so near one another, but she wasn’t. Every breath she took shuddered as she waited for him to make a move. Their polite words and professional behavior established rules for their interaction. But for how long? She should either demand the truth or walk away. Too bad running away from her problems hadn’t been as successful as she’d hoped.

  She pressed her lips together, the sticky gloss adding a hint of color on her pale face.

  Taking in a deep breath, the slightly sour smell of industrial chemical cleaners had her scrunching her nose. She couldn’t spend all day in the bathroom. She smoothed her jacket over the silky top underneath. With its higher neckline, the article of clothing could hardly be described as inappropriate for the workplace. But the sleeveless lavender shell slid over her skin like lingerie.

  Don’t go there.

  Maybe if she’d moved on from Landon in the ten years since she’d left, she wouldn’t be feeling quite so overwhelmed at seeing him. She hadn’t been interested in any one else. He thrilled and terrified her at the same moment. Seeing him again stirred up the same contradictory reactions. She hadn’t ever met anyone who made her feel beautiful or smart or interesting or special like he had. But what was he doing here? Why did he decide to develop that plot of land? Why did she feel like crying and laughing and running up to him every time she saw him?

  Better g
et back out there. She drew in a breath, pulled back her shoulders, and strode out of the bathroom door across the office. He’d set up shop in the conference room, and Paul had disappeared to work on another project. Separated from the main space by a wall of glass windows and one glass door, the room provided enough privacy for a conversation but nothing else. She gave herself a shake. She didn’t need to worry about being alone with him.

  After everything that happened, she couldn’t imagine he wanted her the same way he had. In the real world, women didn’t fall back in love with former fiancés. Especially not when that man suddenly decided to come back into their lives and stir up trouble exactly where they didn’t need any. She nibbled her bottom lip and considered him as she slowed her approach to the conference room.

  With his suit jacket draped over a chair and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he leaned over the plans he’d spread on the conference table. He was every bit the master of his domain. Just like he was always supposed to be. He’s better off without me. Wish I could say the same. She had a hard time thinking of him as the enemy on this project. Any time his image flashed before her mind’s eye, she saw her memory of him. The perfect hair she’d mussed and tousled at every opportunity, the quick smile, the ready charm, and the eager enthusiasm for building a life on his terms. He came from money but didn’t want a hand out. She’d spent hours listening to him talk about making his own way and been so surprised at the fervor from someone whose life had been relatively easy.

  She pulled open the door and shut it quietly behind her. She must have moved too silently because he didn’t turn around. He gave her his back. She saw blueprints and elevation surveys spread under his hand. Curious she approached and stood next to him.