Loving Eden

by T. A. Foster

  “All I know is that Mason was extremely quiet the rest of the night. We still had a good time at the hotel.” She winked. “But he was different. Pensive even.”

  I thought about the Renee conversation and wondered if that had anything to do with it. It was so personal, I didn’t think I could share it with Taylor. The Pops situation was layered with such complexity, my gut told me to keep that to myself. I shouldn’t have been so nosey to begin with.

  Taylor reached for the coffee pot to administer refills. “Enough Mason talk. Tell me your favorites here. Pancakes? Waffles?”

  I picked up the menu and grinned. “You can never go wrong with bacon.”

  Monday morning rolled around, and Grey and I both went to work like usual. He hadn’t heard from Mason and I still had guests at the Palm I needed to visit. It was also stock delivery day, and Sam, the driver, liked to unload early so he could hang out and chat about his grandkids for a while.

  I hadn’t asked Grey yet what to do with the pending reservations on the books or the ad I had paid for through the end of the year. I wasn’t completely ready to trust that Mason would drop the suit. When Grey had a signed contract in his hand, I’d believe it. I realized the wedding magic might have gotten to everybody Saturday night. It definitely swept me off my feet.

  Taylor had made it to Chapel Hill with no new date plans from Mason. I assured her again he just had too much on his mind to map out a long-distance relationship. I knew from experience trying to book plane tickets and visits weren’t easy when you lived in two different states. He was clearly a perpetual flirt. I just hoped for Taylor’s sake that he wasn’t a heartbreaker too.

  “Hey, pretty girl.” Grey ducked his head in the door.

  “Hey. What’s going on?” I didn’t plan on seeing him this early.

  “I got a call from Mason. He said he wanted to talk to both of us in a few minutes.” He strolled into the office.

  “Me?”

  He nodded. “Yep. Said it involved you too, but wouldn’t get into it on the phone.”

  “What do you think it is?” My stomach was already twisting in pretzel-sized knots. I would punch him if he backed out of the deal he and Grey had struck at the wedding.

  Grey huffed. “Trying not to jump to conclusions. Never a good idea.”

  I laughed. “You? That’s funny.”

  He shot me a look. “I’m just saying I don’t trust the guy.”

  “I get that. I don’t blame you.” We waited until Mason arrived.

  “Good morning.” He closed the office door and took the only empty seat.

  “Hi, Mason.” I smiled. He was my best friend’s boyfriend, or something like a boyfriend.

  Grey nodded in his direction.

  Mason didn’t waste any time. He launched into the reason he was in the office. “I’ve done some thinking, and I’ve gotten some new information.”

  I leaned forward; the knots tightened. The little shit was going to back out of the deal.

  “Grey, I don’t think I can accept your deal.” Mason sounded completely matter-of-fact.

  I closed my eyes. I should have known this would happen. It was all too good and perfect to be true. Things were coming together too smoothly. Grey had been right about Mason all along.

  “What in the hell are you talking about? We shook on that deal.” Grey stood from his seat. Normally, I would jump up and try to calm him down. Try to protect Mason’s handsome face from Grey’s fist, but not this time. He deserved whatever was headed his direction.

  “I know we did, but that deal’s not right.” Mason showed no remorse.

  “Not right? You get more than fifty percent. How is that not right?” The vein on Grey’s neck was throbbing. Not a good sign.

  “Because I have a better deal for you.”

  I sat up in my chair. “What do you mean? What could possibly be better than what Grey offered you?”

  He looked at both of us. “Like I said, I’ve done some thinking. I think there’s a better business move here that we could all benefit from. I made a few calls yesterday and this morning. I have a new offer for you.”

  Grey stood motionless. “Go on.”

  “What if we go into this as fifty-fifty partners? We could update the motel and turn the rooms into condos, add a second story like mini apartments and sell them to the snowbird demographic Eden has started drawing here. We could make some big money on the real estate end and still keep the land rights for the management side of things.”

  I knew I was capable of speaking, but right then, I didn’t know how to make my mouth work. Mason had completely shocked me.

  “Why are you offering this?” Grey questioned him.

  “It’s a better deal. We can make more money in the long term, along with the upfront cash.” He raised his eyebrows. “So, what do you say? Want to go into business together?”

  “You’ve got to have an angle.” Grey’s eyes were boring holes in Mason’s head. The way his knuckles were turning white, I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t still punch him.

  Mason shook his head side to side. “My angle is business. This is the best deal for all of us. No lawsuit. No demolition. No one loses his or her job. You can run the amenity and HOA side of things if you want, and Eden can still be in charge of the marketing. She can get into a whole new realm of condo real estate. I don’t do much with day-to-day operations. I’ll be more like a silent partner.” He stroked the side of his jawline. I noticed the five o’clock shadow was back. “Or, if you want to do something else and want to be silent partners like me, we can hire someone to do the managing part and sit back and watch the money roll in.”

  “This is for real?” Grey stepped back to his chair and sat. I realized I no longer had to worry about him decking him.

  “One hundred percent.” Mason looked nervous.

  “Eden and I need to talk about it.” It was Grey’s first response that wasn’t a question.

  Mason stood to leave. “Understandable. Give me a call soon.” He opened the door and turned to face us. “By the way, I dropped the lawsuit this morning. So, whatever you decide, I want you to know that. I’m not playing an angle.” He adjusted his sunglasses and walked out the door, closing it tightly behind him.

  “Wait!” I jumped from my chair and chased after him, leaving Grey in the office.

  Mason turned in front of his convertible. “What’s up, girl?”

  “Is this for real? You’re not trying to lure us into some kind of trap?”

  He slid his sunglasses off his face and I could see the pain in his eyes, combined with something else. Regret.

  “Eden, I told you why it was so important for me to tear down the Palm, but I’ve decided that might not be the best thing for me. I know it’s not the best thing for you. It’s not a trap. I’m moving in a new direction.”

  “I-I heard what Renee said to you at the reception.” I hadn’t planned on confessing. “I’m sorry, Mason.”

  “What do you have to be sorry about?”

  “I’m sorry all this happened to you. Your parents obviously had a complicated relationship and they let it interfere with you. It’s not fair.” My hands slipped from my hips.

  “Sweetheart, I learned a long time ago that almost nothing in life is fair.” He put the shades back on his face. “Maybe this is my way of balancing some of that out.” He smiled and pulled open the car door.

  “You think the three of us could go into business together? You and Grey actually working together?” It sort of seemed absurd, especially after the way the last two months had played out.

  “I can do business with anyone.” He cranked the engine. “The rest is up to you and Grey. Besides, I’m the silent partner, remember? Think about it, then call me.” He threw the car in reverse and raced onto Gulf Boulevard.

  I walked back into the office, not entirely sure I had more answers than before I chased after Mason. The only sound was the humming of the air conditioner in the window. Lately, it had started this t
hing where it would sputter every five minutes then resume its normal rhythm of blowing cool air into the office. I was waiting for it to give out on me one of these days. It couldn’t last forever.

  I pushed the door until it closed.

  I looked at Grey, wanting him to speak. I wanted him to say something. Anything. He could curse, yell, throw the paperweight. Anything that told me he was processing what had happened with Mason.

  “What happened out there?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing really. I wanted Mason to look me in the eye and tell me this isn’t some kind of scheme.”

  “And did he?”

  “I think so.” I leaned against the door.

  “What do you want to do, darlin’?” His eyes were calm and steady. He drifted toward me.

  “Me? The Palm is yours. And Mason is your—” I didn’t think uncle was the appropriate word right now even if it was the biological truth.

  He walked toward me and took my hands in his. His fingers were warm and rough as he threaded them through mine. I thought I could feel his pulse.

  “We are in this together now. Should I take the deal?” His crystal blue eyes darted back and forth. “Do you trust him enough to go into business with him?”

  Everything was happening so fast. I knew the deal was a good one, if Mason could be trusted. Although, in the last few days, I felt like the tide was really turning with him. Taylor was convinced he wasn’t a bad guy. She was ready to commit to a relationship with him one hundred percent. We couldn’t ignore he had dropped the lawsuit this morning. That was a huge olive branch. Something about his demeanor outside was different. He was softer and more relaxed. I liked this side of Mason.

  I took a deep breath. “I think you should do it.”

  “All right.”

  “That’s it?” I asked. Surely, there had to be more to this discussion. I knew Grey wasn’t a man of many words, but there was a lot to sort through. Such as our role at the Palm, and those grad school plans we had just started discussing. Was he really going to answer all these questions with an ‘all right’?

  I searched his eyes for doubts, but I didn’t see any. He was staring at me with the kind of certainty that rocked me to the core. For a moment, I couldn’t find my breath.

  “I told you this the other night. As long as you are happy and you’re here, I’m happy. I can’t do any of it without you. I don’t want to. We are in this together. I love you, Eden.” My name rolled off his tongue and I threw my arms around his neck.

  “Together.” I smiled before he kissed me. His lips moved across mine with sweet pressure, lingering as I breathed in. “I love you too, Grey.”

  “If it’s too much, you tell me. You don’t have to do any of it. I’m not asking you to work with Mason.”

  “I know you aren’t, but I don’t know how I feel about letting someone else run the office. I kind of love it.” The thought of handing over all of the books to someone else was nauseating. I didn’t know the first thing about running a condo association, but I could learn. I would learn.

  He laughed. “I know what you mean. It’s a pain in the ass, but it’s home.”

  “Exactly.”

  He had said the words that I had been defining ever since I drove that truck over the Padre bridge. “Grey?” I looked into his piercing eyes.

  “Yeah, baby.” He tugged me closer, his thumbs hooking through my belt loops.

  “This is home. I want you to know I’m never leaving here.”

  He lifted me around his waist, and I wrapped myself around him, letting my ankles lock against his lower back. His lips met mine and I kissed him soft and slowly, reveling in how we were meant to fit this way. This is what together meant. We had moved past spring break, past the awkward adjustments, past injuries, past the jealousies, past the doubts, past the questions. All I knew as Grey’s kisses took me under with heat and passion was that all my tomorrows were going to be his tomorrows. Grey was home.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  (On Safe Sex)

  The author would like to note that the characters in this book are extremely responsible and practice safe sex measures: condoms, birth control, and annual physicals. In the interest of maintaining the appropriate pace of the storyline, some of these details are left to the assumption of the reader. All characters would like you to know they are responsible and promote the safest of sex ;-)

  Power. Money. Control. Love.

  He has all but one.

  When movie star, Evan Carlson, discovers his girlfriend’s picture with another man splashed on the cover of gossip magazines, he decides he’s had enough of his fishbowl life and attempts to outrun the media frenzy his relationships have become. Driving until the road stops, he ends up on the remote and quaint Perry Island, where a heartthrob can blend in like the locals and be a beach bum as long as he wants. All that changes when Evan meets Haven Owen, aspiring songwriter and the girl he just can’t get enough of. A summer romance turns into something much deeper and Evan gets tangled in his own web of lies to keep Haven in his life. But when his ex tracks him down, Evan learns there are some things you just can’t outrun.

  Is the cost of love, losing all control?

  Sullen’s Grove. It was only one exit ahead. The burning sensation had crept to both eyes. Eight hours of driving had that effect. There had only been one stop since Evan set off this morning, and he had made that as quickly as possible—enough time to stretch his legs and convince himself heading north was the right direction.

  Evan rubbed his tired eyes before reaching for his cell phone.

  There were ten missed calls and too many texts to count. He gripped the phone in his fist. The tightening in his chest wrapped under his ribs and pressed against his sternum, forcing the clamped breath he was holding to escape through his mouth.

  When he saw the city’s name splayed across the sign in front of him, his hand relaxed its hold on the phone. Ivy wouldn’t expect his call much less expect him to be only miles from her hometown. She always talked about Sullen’s Grove as if it was the most idyllic place in the world to grow up and live. There were oak-lined streets, artsy shops, even a downtown waterfront where you could buy ice cream and stroll along the boardwalk. The whole time they dated, he had never visited. Maybe that was part of the problem. She had tried; she had invited him. So why, after all these months, was Sullen’s Grove the one place he thought he could find safe harbor?

  Pausing before making the call, he debated again whether dragging Ivy into this was such a good idea. She would help, she would want to help, but she didn’t deserve this mess. He tossed the phone into the open passenger’s seat, and twisted the knob on the radio. Ivy would forgive him. Hell, she might not ever know he had driven by without stopping.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see her; she was the reason he was headed north and east from Atlanta. She might be the only person who could understand why he had to make a run for it. Let’s be honest, that’s what this was—an escape plan—a full-blown sprint to find freedom. Later. He would call her later. With the Sullen’s Grove exit two miles behind him, Evan eased into the next convenient store he spotted on the side of the road. His legs could use another stretch.

  A woman selling peaches at a makeshift produce stand smiled at him as he pulled the brim of his baseball cap firmly over his eyes and popped the cover on the gas tank. He didn’t think she recognized him. At least, she hadn’t reached for a cell phone. Her attention was on restacking a basket of peaches that had fallen too far forward.

  He felt the tension ease out of his shoulders. He leaned against the blue Jeep that had become his travel companion only ten hours ago. It didn’t matter that he had paid too much for it. Fifteen thousand dollars cash in exchange for freedom was a bargain. Hopefully, the extra money would be enough to keep the seller from sharing the exchange to the tabloids.

  The lever clicked on the gas hose handle. Evan retrieved the nozzle and slid it back into place on the pump. By now, the peaches w
ere perfectly stacked. He sauntered over to the stand.

  “What can I get you?” The older woman had shifted her task from stacking peaches to separating a sack of snap beans.

  He eyed the rows of blueberries, peaches, and a carton of okra. “What do you recommend?”

  The white-haired woman adjusted her visor. “You don’t sound like you’re from here.” She cocked her head.

  “No, ma’am, I’m not.” He swallowed hard, waiting for the inevitable—an autograph and a selfie shot request. He would have to work on camouflaging his accent. It wouldn’t be the first time he had disguised his deep Texas drawl.

  She leaned over the table separating her from Evan, and placed the side of her hand against her cheek to shield the words from any eavesdroppers. “If you won’t say anything, I won’t say anything.” Her forehead furrowed. “These peaches are from South Carolina. We say everything’s local, but it’s not.”

  Evan feigned shock and winked at the lady. “Your secret is safe with me.” He reached for one and tossed it in the air. “So, I guess I’ll take some of those illegal South Carolina peaches.”

  “Good choice.” She placed a basket on the scale and scribbled the weight and price on a receipt. “That will be six dollars.” She picked up each peach and placed it inside a paper bag.

  His wallet was halfway around his hip when he remembered all he had was one hundred dollar bills. “I—uh—do you take hundreds?” He pulled one of the crisp bills from his wallet. The plan was to use only cash, that way no one would see his name on his credit card or ask for his ID. Total anonymity was the game.

  “For a basket of peaches?” The woman looked at the currency as if he had tried to pay with yen.

  Evan smiled, realizing the predicament they were both in. He hadn’t bothered to bring anything with him other than a duffle bag and his phone. The longer he stood there, the more he wanted to try one of those infamous peaches. Sure, he was only twenty yards from the convenient store, but he wasn’t about to undo all of the hard work that had gone into perfecting his sculpted form for a bag of greasy chips.