Because of Sydney

by T. A. Foster

  “But where is she?”

  “I don’t know. She called my parents tonight. That was what the phone call was about. My mom wanted to let me know.”

  “Do you ever talk to her?”

  “Sometimes. She uses disposable phones. I don’t get to call her. It’s whenever she wants to check in.”

  I could hear it. The anger in her voice. The resentment. The hurt and confusion all of this had caused.

  “When is the last time you two talked?”

  “Almost three months ago.”

  “I don’t really know what to say.” I was dumbstruck. How was this beautiful, driven girl carrying this secret with her?

  “There isn’t anything you can say. It’s been close to five years. This is how she wants things.”

  “And you? How do you deal with it?”

  Her shoulders relaxed slightly. “I try to focus on my life. I can’t convince her to go home. I can’t promise her she and Gracie will be safe.”

  “So you moved to a different state and threw yourself headfirst into a new career.” It made sense. I doubted the painful memories of her sister were in South Padre. Although I knew how memories could haunt no matter where you were.

  She nodded. Her body relaxed against mine as she slid against my frame. I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her tight. I had this sudden urge to protect her. Shield her from the hurt and the pain. Block it from touching her.

  “I couldn’t stay there any longer. My parents live by their phones. Every time one of them rings, my parents jump, hoping it’s Hailey. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to get away.”

  Her voice sounded tired. Her hand rested against waist, and I laid my hand on top of hers.

  “Until he’s in jail for something stupid he does, she won’t come back.”

  “What did your mom say tonight?”

  Sydney yawned, her body growing heavier next to mine. “That Hailey said to tell me hello. That Gracie is reading now. And then she started crying. All the calls are the same. They never change.” Her shoulders slipped under my grip. “I wish it was different.”

  I reached toward the lamp and flipped the switch.

  “I know you do, baby. I know,” I whispered the words over her head. I would hold her as long as she needed. I didn’t know what else I could do.

  I held her close until we both fell asleep.

  I stretched my arms over my head and sat up. I was still wearing my dress from last night. Mason wasn’t in the room. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on him last night. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen. I spilled everything about Hailey and Gracie. I groaned. Way to keep it light and fun, Sydney.

  I closed the bathroom door behind me and brushed my teeth. Usually after the calls about Hailey I slept restlessly. My dreams filled with frantic scenes of trying to rescue her. I would search the rooms of an empty house. Sometimes the house was on fire. I never found her. I always woke up feeling sick and angry.

  I was angry at Brian for ruining our family. I was angry at the police for not protecting my sister. I was angry at my parents for not finding a way to bring her back. But mostly I was angry at Hailey for choosing him. She was the one who let him into her life. She destroyed our lives. When those thoughts came, I pushed them out, telling myself I was selfish. I felt guilty for even thinking it. Hailey was a victim. I zipped my toothbrush back in my overnight bag and walked into the suite to find Mason.

  He was standing in front of the window. The phone pressed to his ear. The business channel was on mute, and there were spreadsheets scattered on the coffee table.

  I made a cup of coffee while he finished his call.

  He turned and smiled. “Good morning.” He tossed the phone on the table.

  He had obviously showered. His hair looked dry, though. I wondered how long he had been awake.

  “Good morning.” I stirred in a teaspoon of sugar and tasted the coffee.

  “How did you sleep?”

  “I-uh-thank you.” I was utterly embarrassed. My family secrets spilled in a mess at my feet. I realized I didn’t have one of those terrible dreams about my sister last night. Mason’s arms had been around me. I might have dreamed it, but I thought he kept checking on me, running his hands over me gently, drowning out the pain.

  He stood in front of me. I looked puzzled when he pulled out his wallet, fished out a credit card, and pushed it across the counter. “Here. Why don’t you do some shopping while I’m in my meetings?”

  I blinked at the card. “Shopping?”

  “Have lunch. Maybe try one of the spas. Whatever you want to do. I’m going to be tied up for the next four hours before we can drive back.” He refilled his coffee mug.

  I left the card on the table. “I have money. I can buy my own lunch.” I walked out of the kitchen, back to the bedroom.

  “Wait a minute.” He followed me. “I’d like to do something for you.”

  I spun on my heels. “Why? You feel sorry for me because of last night?” I was wrong when I thought I had felt embarrassed. This was complete humiliation. I couldn’t believe I had revealed all of it.

  “Not at all.” His blue gaze caught me off guard. “You’re going to be stuck here. And after our agreement yesterday, I can’t have you hanging around the suite. I need to keep these meetings confidential. It’s best for both of us.”

  “The meetings are here?”

  He nodded. “I try to keep things private. Remember? I’m not going to meet in the lobby where half of San Antonio can see who is bidding on the deal.”

  “Right.” I sat on the edge of the bed.

  Whatever the connection was I thought we had shared last night must have been my imagination. This man wasn’t acting like we had bonded over emotional family baggage. He was acting like a businessman waiting for a board meeting to start. His white shirt was crisp. I wanted to reach up and see if it was even possible to crease his collar. Nothing seemed to throw him off.

  He looked exactly like the smug, arrogant man I had met on the beach at the trailer park. I balled my fists, angry at myself for ignoring my first instincts.

  He handed the card to me a second time. “Use it. Don’t use it. But you have about thirty minutes before I’m going to kick you out.”

  I looked at him. “You’re serious? You’re making me leave?”

  “Dead serious.”

  I don’t know what I was thinking. I hauled my suitcase in the bathroom with me and slammed the door. I felt stripped and bare. I shared feelings and secrets. I don’t know if that was as upsetting as what we had shared at dinner.

  The Riverwalk was romantic. He was romantic. For a night, I had started to think he wasn’t only interested in the fun. He listened. We talked. He flirted. He kissed me like I was the girl he had been searching for. The courtyard. I closed my eyes. God, what I let him do to me in the courtyard.

  I washed my face roughly and applied a quick coat of makeup. I threw on one of the other sundresses and slipped into a pair of comfortable sandals. Nothing like the heels I wore last night. I scowled at the lingerie in the back of my bag. I realized it wasn’t likely that piece of fabric would see the light of day for a while.

  Because when we got back to South Padre I knew what would happen next. I would never speak to Mason Lachlan again. I would delete his number from my phone. I would try to delete his eyes from my memory.

  I stormed out of the bathroom, grabbing the credit card off the bed on my way out of the suite.

  “Hey, I’ll text you when my last meeting is over.” He tried to follow me to the door, but I closed it behind me, eager to make it to the elevator.

  I didn’t need to be reminded where I ranked in Mason’s priorities.

  I looked at the credit card in my hand as the elevator descended and smiled. If I was going to spend a day on my own, I was going to make it one hell of a day.

  I knew it was late when I got back to the suite. Mason had sent three texts. I had given him enough time to set up five more contractor
meetings if he wanted. My arms were loaded with shopping bags. I admired the new red polish on my toes. Red might be my new color.

  I stepped off the elevator. Before I could use the room key, the door swung open.

  “Where in the hell have you been?” He dragged me over the threshold.

  “Shopping.” I dropped the bags in a nearby chair. “Meetings go well?” I walked into the bedroom, leaving him with my purchases.

  “I called you. I texted. I didn’t know where you were.”

  “You told me to shop. I shopped.”

  He scratched the back of his head. His tie was on the bed with his jacket. He had pushed his sleeves up to his elbows.

  “I also told you we were driving back as soon as my last meeting wrapped up. We should be halfway to South Padre by now.”

  “I guess I lost track of time.” I shrugged.

  “Get your stuff together. The valet is at the door.” His voice was low.

  I didn’t know he could look angry. He always had a smile. A look that made women forget their own names. But right now he looked mad enough to enter a cage fight.

  I packed my things, zipped the bag, and walked to the door. The valet had already loaded my shopping bags onto the brass cart.

  Mason tipped him after the car was packed. He revved the engine and peeled out of the drive before my seatbelt was even fastened. He turned the radio up, blasting music through the streets of San Antonio.

  I didn’t bother to look at him. I knew he was mad at me, but I wasn’t sorry. If I kept him off his precious schedule for a couple of hours, he deserved it. He had made me feel like an idiot. Like a weak, emotional, trusting fool. I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  I stared out of the window while he drove us south to the island. Other than when he dropped his phone charger, neither of us spoke a word to the other. The music was loud enough to make speaking impossible.

  The tires kicked up bits of gravel when he spun into the parking lot. He jumped out of the car and raced to the trunk. I grabbed my purse. He was already making his second trip to the top of the stairs with my bags when I stepped out of the car.

  “I think that’s everything.” He slammed the trunk closed.

  “Yeah, that’s everything.” I turned for the staircase, when I felt his hand on my arm.

  “Before you go. You want to tell me what that stunt was you pulled today?” His eyes were fierce, brimming with storm clouds.

  I shook off his hold. My racing heart was about to betray me again. “You told me to shop. I shopped.”

  He chuckled. “That’s how you want this to go?”

  “I don’t want it to go anywhere.” I dug into my bag for my wallet and retrieved the credit card. He’d know soon enough how much I had added to his balance. I handed it to him.

  “Really?” He walked to the driver side. “I guess I was wrong about you.”

  I glared at him across the car. “That would make two of us.”

  I thought he was going to hop in the car and drive off. Drive away and let me wallow in the shitty decision I had made sleeping with him, skipping work to spend a day with him, trusting him with my family secret.

  But he crossed in front of the engine. “I don’t know what I did to you to deserve what you put me through this afternoon.” He hung his head. “But I’m glad you’re all right. Good luck to you, Miss Paige.” He tapped on the hood of the car. “I’m sure you’re going to take the reporting world by storm.”

  “What do you mean put you through?”

  He stopped, his eyes landing on me. “It was fun, Miss Paige. We agreed when it wasn’t fun anymore we wouldn’t drag it out. This afternoon was not fun.”

  I felt tiny prickles of panic sweeping through my chest. What had I done? It wasn’t anger that was swirling in those piercing eyes. It was worry. Fear.

  “Wait, Mason.”

  He closed the car door. “I’m sure I’ll see you on the island some time.”

  “No, wait.” I threw my hands against the door, making it impossible for him to roll up the window. “Were you worried about me?”

  It was dark outside. The sun had set over an hour ago. I could still see his eyes. The flecks of blue staring at me, boring into me.

  “You were worried, and I completely ignored you.” My voice was soft. I realized what I had done.

  “Look, you’re fine. We’re home. I think we should leave this alone. Thanks for riding with me. I enjoyed the company yesterday.”

  My heart raced. “I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “I didn’t think about it like that.”

  He shifted the car into drive. It didn’t seem to matter what I had to say, he was driving out of this parking lot.

  “Good night, Miss Paige.” He rolled up the window, leaving me on the sidewalk.

  I listened as the sound from his car faded. It was replaced by the loud music of my downstairs neighbors. I turned for the steps. I climbed the stairs, knowing I couldn’t undo what I had done, and it completely sucked.

  I pushed myself harder. The sand crunched under my feet. I dodged to avoid the waves rolling up on the beach. I knew my pace was faster this morning. It needed to be. I didn’t sleep well last night or the night before. Not like I had in San Antonio.

  The phone rang, and I groaned when I saw the number.

  “Carlos, good morning,” I answered.

  “Mason, hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “Not at all Commissioner.” I stopped running for a moment.

  “Good. Hey, I wanted to give you a heads up.”

  “What’s going on?” I turned from the water. The sun was blaring off the ocean.

  “Commissioner Rodriguez is holding a press conference at the trailer park this morning. She’s brought in an environmental group. Thought you might want to know about it.”

  I wished I had worn a shirt. The sweat was starting to roll toward my eyes. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.

  “What time?”

  “Ten o’clock. Can’t be sure what she’s got up her sleeve.”

  “I’ll check it out. Thanks for the call, Carlos. You have any idea who the group is?”

  “No, but she works with about ten different ones. I’m sure it’s on her list.”

  “Sure. Not really the time for her to bring in new advocates.”

  “You and I both want the same thing. Jobs for the island. A development like yours could make all the difference for the residents here.”

  “I’m not worried about Commissioner Rodriguez, but I’ll stop by and see what she has to say.”

  “I might poke around too, and if I hear anything else, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks for the call.”

  I hung up, anxious to hear the music again. I needed to finish this run. The sun was starting to climb towards the clouds.

  A girl in a pink bikini smiled as I hopped over the corner of her beach towel. My first question was why someone on my team hadn’t alerted me to the press conference. I didn’t like unexpected information coming from Carlos. It looked bad. It gave him an upper hand.

  I ran past my usual turnaround spot. I needed the extra burn today. It had been almost a week since I had returned from San Antonio. Since we had returned.

  My calves started to ache and I made a U-turn at the next boardwalk. The Palm Palace was twenty minutes behind me.

  My phone buzzed again.

  “Mark, what is it?”

  “Good morning, sir.”

  “Calling about Commissioner Rodriguez’s press conference?”

  “Yes, sir. You already know about that?”

  “Damn it, Mark. You are supposed to tell me before anyone else. That’s what I pay you for.” I was irritated.

  “We just found out.”

  I didn’t need excuses. The team had failed. “Do you at least know who the environmental group is she has partnered with?”

  “Yes.”

  I smiled. “That’s something. Who are they?”

  “Not one
we’re really familiar with. The Custodians of the Dunes.”

  “Who in the hell are they?” I could see the boardwalk for the Palm in front of me. I ran faster.

  “A group out of Galveston. They preserve the seaside dunes.”

  “Great. Find out everything you can about them. Send it to me in an hour.” I felt out of breath.

  “Yes, sir. We’re on it.”

  “Good. I’ll look for your email.”

  I jogged up the stairs. I debated whether to stop by the office and chat with Eden, but I already knew how that would go. She would try to convince me to call Sydney. Urge me to try to work things out. Eden didn’t understand a two-day relationship didn’t need fixing. Walking away was the best thing I could have done.

  I chugged the rest of the water in my water bottle then turned to the coffee pot to fill a mug, and walked onto the balcony.

  The beach was starting to come alive with tourists. Striped umbrellas. Plastic buckets filling with sand to build castles. I leaned over the railing, studying the people on vacation.

  I sipped my coffee. My body starting to cool under the shade of the balcony, and the breeze whipping off the ocean.

  I heard a knock on the door and left my mug on the balcony. I opened the door. Grey stood in front of me.

  “What’s going on, man?” I made way for him to enter the condo.

  “Saw you run up from the beach.”

  “Yeah, good run. Have to do it before it’s too hot.”

  “I hear you. I’ve been running the past few nights. It’s the only way I can get it in.”

  He walked inside.

  “Want some coffee?” I offered.

  “That’s all right. I’m good.”

  He followed me onto the balcony, where I picked up the mug again. “How’s Eden?”

  “She’s working in the office.”

  A family set up for a day on the beach in front of us. Grey looked on the horizon.

  “A bunch of us are getting together tonight for a bonfire. Think you want to stop by?” Grey asked.

  “I haven’t been to one of those in a while. Is the usual group going to be there?”

  He nodded. “Yep. Pick, Marin, Connor, Eden, and me. I’m not sure who else is in town this weekend.”