Because of Sydney

by T. A. Foster

We walked in and I headed for the closet. “Make yourself at home.”

  He landed on the bed with a thud. He folded his hands behind his head. “You have a remote?”

  I called from the closet. “Yeah, in the bedside table.” I pulled my overnight bag from the shelf, and started loading it with a few shirts and pairs of shorts. I smiled remembering I still had that lingerie I never wore in San Antonio. I placed it on top.

  I emerged with my suitcase. “Shit.”

  Mason stared at the drawer. He held the remote in one hand. “I think you’ve been holding out on me.”

  I covered my eyes with my hands. “I didn’t mean for you to see that drawer. Shit.” My cheeks were red. I could feel the heat blistering on my skin.

  “We’re packing all of this right?” His eyebrows waggled.

  I rushed over and slammed the drawer. “No, that’s private stuff.”

  “You seem like quite the sexually liberated woman. Why are you embarrassed? I think it’s hot you have your own little toy chest.”

  “I-I just. I’ve been by myself. That’s all. I don’t use them all the time. My roommate used to sell them at parties to make extra money.”

  “Hey, I don’t judge. I think we should pack at least something out of that drawer.”

  “Really?”

  “Hell, yeah. Do I get to choose?” He reached for the handle to pull the drawer open, and I still hadn’t decided if I could deal with him knowing about my supply.

  “This is crazy.” I watched him sort through my collection.

  “I say we pack these.” He laid them out on the bed. A bottle of oil and a small pink vibrator.

  I unzipped my suitcase and tucked them in the side. “I’m not saying yes.” I looked at him.

  “But it’s not a no.” He winked.

  “It’s not a no.” I felt dizzy thinking about what he could with those. “I think I’m ready to go. What are we doing today anyway?”

  He pulled the car keys from his pocket. “I thought we could do something everyone does when they come to South Padre.”

  “What’s that?” I turned the handle on the lock.

  “How about a day at the beach?”

  I stopped at the top step. “You’re going to sit on the beach all day?”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  I followed him to the car. “No laptop or business channel?”

  He laughed as he put the car in drive. “I keep trying to tell you I’m a fun guy. I know how to relax.”

  I wasn’t convinced. From what I knew about Mason he crammed every available second with phone calls, reports, meetings, or emails. It never ended. The only time he didn’t seem interested in the stock market was when we were in bed. A day on the beach might drive him in insane.

  “I guess I’ll just have to trust you.”

  “That’s what this is all about, baby.” He threw a palm on my thigh, as we whipped out of the parking lot.

  Neither one of us had traditional beach supplies. Mason stopped at Sandy’s so we could pick up a few things.

  We walked into the store and were greeted by a woman with bright red hair. “Mason, honey, how have you been?” I couldn’t ignore the red nails or the red lipstick.

  “Good, Renee. How are you?”

  She tried to wipe off the smudge of lipstick on his cheek after she kissed him. I stood back and watched the exchange.

  “Darlin’, I’m trying to stay inside where it’s cool. What brings you in here? And who is this pretty thing?” She smiled at me.

  “This is Sydney Paige. Maybe you’ve read some of her work. She’s a reporter for the News & Record.”

  Her arms were loaded with fluorescent bangle bracelets that rattled when we shook hands. “How did you manage to get Mason in here?” She winked. “I want to know your secret.”

  I blushed. I had no idea who this woman was, but she seemed familiar with Mason.

  “We have a day at the beach planned, Renee. Could you hook us up? We need it all. Umbrella, cooler, sunscreen.” He eyed me. “And throw in one of those cute bikinis over there.”

  “Well, give me a second, sugar. I’ll get everything you need.” She hustled to one of the displays and started dumping bottles and towels in a basket.

  I whispered to Mason, “I have a bathing suit.”

  “I know, but I want to get you something new.”

  Renee shuttled me in one of the dressing rooms and pulled a curtain in front of me. “Wait right here, and I’ll pick out a few things for you to try on. Although I think Mason wants to pick them out.”

  I stood behind the curtain wondering how I ended up in a dressing room, while bikinis passed through an opening. Mason and Renee talked while I tried on three different suits. I finally settled on the green.

  I got dressed and handed the green bikini to Renee. “Honey, I hope you two have fun at the beach. Don’t know that I’ve ever seen this one out there.” She cast a motherly look at Mason.

  “Is that so?” I teased.

  “Hey, I spend plenty of time on the beach running. I’m out there almost every day when I’m in town.”

  I smiled when Renee handed me two of the bags. Mason lifted the cooler over the counter, and secured the umbrella under his arm.

  “Ice is on the deck, Mason. Grab a few bags. You’re going to need it today.”

  “It was nice meeting you, Renee. Thanks for the help.” I waved goodbye.

  “You come in here anytime, honey.”

  We walked out into the sun. Mason stopped by the ice machine and reached for the twenty-pound bags of ice. With the top down he could wedge the cooler in the backseat.

  “She seems like a character,” I commented, strapping the seatbelt over my chest.

  He laughed. “You have no idea.” He waited for a car to pass before pulling out of the parking lot. “I credit Renee for everything that happened at the Palm.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She was able to help me see things differently. And she wasn’t afraid to tell me I was being an ass.”

  I laughed. “You an ass? No.”

  He parked by the boardwalk. “Come on, let’s get changed. We’ll leave all this here.”

  I hurried up the stairs after him. I cut the tags from my new bikini and changed into it while Mason grabbed drinks from the refrigerator.

  Within a few minutes we were lugging our bags and cooler onto the beach.

  He dug a hole in the sand and wiggled the umbrella post until he was certain it wouldn’t fly off in the wind.

  He looked around at our setup. “Pretty good I think.”

  I assessed the camp he had made. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you did this every day.”

  I spread a blanket under the umbrella. I heard the aluminum crack when Mason popped the top on a beer. “Here.”

  “So, what you said about Renee back there. What did she do exactly?” I had been waiting for a time I could bring it up.

  He propped himself on his elbows after pulling his sunglasses firmly on his nose.

  “You really want to hear this story?”

  “Of course. I love stories.” I slid a koozie over the can.

  “Half the island knows what happened, I guess you should at least know my version of the whole thing.”

  A seagull landed a few feet in front of us, nibbled on a piece of dry seaweed, then flapped his wings for takeoff. I didn’t want anything to distract Mason from talking. I had attempted to bring up his past before, and every time he blocked my questions, walked away, or turned cold. I could feel this part of our relationship was different.

  “Go ahead. I’m all ears.”

  He sat forward and reached in the beach bag. He pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. “Why don’t you get my back?”

  I took the bottle and squirted a few drops in my palm before I started to rub it into his shoulders. It seemed to relax him. I worked lower, taking my time to cover his skin.

  “Ok, so I know you’ve heard part of the story. M
y dad had an affair when he was a much older man. That’s how Grey and I ended up being the same age. My dad is his grandfather.”

  “I had heard that part.”

  “But what you might not have known is that Grey had no idea I existed. The affair didn’t come out until after Dad died. Grey found out when I showed up and sued him for ownership of the Palm Palace.” My hands stopped for a second. I added another dab to my fingertips.

  He continued. “It wasn’t my finest moment, I admit. Renee called me out on it.”

  “What did she say to you?”

  He rotated and took the bottle from my hands. “Your turn.”

  I adjusted my position so he could apply the sunscreen.

  “Renee knew my father. She’s not the only one. Everyone here thinks he walked on water. They loved the Palm. They loved that he charged the spring breakers fifty dollars a night when every other hotel charged two hundred. He was a regular at Pete’s. Local island legend. Real salt of the earth kind of guy.”

  “What was so bad about him?” I didn’t know the history, but it didn’t take much to realize Mason’s voice changed every time his father entered the conversation.

  “He raised Grey.”

  I turned around. I thought the story was starting to come together. “And not you?”

  He hung his head. “Not me. When Grey’s parents died, my brother and his wife, Dad had a chance to make things right. He could have told everyone then, but he didn’t. Grey and I could have grown up like brothers. Instead I was hidden in Brees, while he grew up here admiring a man I think was a complete coward.”

  He dropped the bottle in the beach bag.

  “I can’t imagine how that must have made you feel. How you still feel about it.”

  “I took it out on Grey. There’s no doubt. I wanted to plow this place into the ocean. It was the one thing they both loved and I couldn’t stand that it was still here. So, I rolled in here like a wrecking ball, with my team of attorneys behind me and sued the hell out of him.”

  My stomach rolled. I didn’t like thinking about Mason like that. Angry. Ruthless.

  “But, there was Eden, Renee, even Mac.”

  “They convinced you to drop the suit?”

  He shook his head. “No. No one was going to stop me.”

  “Then what did it? Why did you change your mind?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. They tried. I do have to give them some credit, especially Renee. But I realized my hurt wasn’t Grey’s hurt. And I was no better than Dad if I destroyed the Palm. It would have been selfish like him. As much as I wanted a high-rise here, I found a way to compromise. Something I seldom do.” He pulled his sunglasses away from his eyes, and for the first time since he started talking I realized he was trying to lighten the conversation.

  I took his hand, brushing the sand off his skin. “I didn’t know you last year when all of that happened, but I’m glad. I’m glad you didn’t destroy the Palm. And I’m glad you found a way to be friends with Grey.”

  “I am too. He’s a good guy.” He stood, stretching his arms above him. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

  “Never.” I shook my head.

  “Want to swim? It’s hot out here.”

  “I wondered how long it would take you before you were restless.”

  “Me restless? No. I just want to see how that bikini looks wet.”

  I slapped at his chest. “I’ll race you.”

  Before he had a chance to realize I had taken off I started running towards the waves. Mason caught up in seconds, grabbing me around the waist and spinning me in the surf.

  I realized how we must have looked. Like one of those couples. Like Marin and Pick at the bonfire. Like two people at the end of a movie when the credits are about to roll. The couple you know you should stop watching, but you can’t help it. He set me back on my feet. The minnows swam around our ankles, nibbling at our legs.

  I threw my arms around his neck. I didn’t care if every single person saw what happened next. I pulled Mason’s mouth toward me and kissed him. I kissed him with saltwater on our skin, and the sun melting into our shoulders. I kissed him with every breath I had. I couldn’t change what had happened to him—I couldn’t make the things right that his father had done, but I could be here now. As long as he would let now last.

  Sydney had a way of making me forget I had other priorities. I had a multi-million dollar business to run. Saturdays weren’t days off. They were days other people took off. Me? I worked seven days a week.

  I watched her lying in the sun next to me. The sun glistening off her wet skin. The straps of her bikini tossed on either side of neck. I thought she might have fallen asleep.

  But here I was. Skipping work. Playing on the beach. Acting like my time was free.

  I pulled my chair toward the shade under the umbrella. It had moved since we set up camp this morning. I tossed a chip at the same seagull who had been stalking us all day.

  “Get out of here!”

  He gobbled the chip and flapped his wings until he was only a dot in the sky. He flew behind us over the Palm.

  I had expected Sydney to grill me about the lawsuit and about Dad, but she had only listened. Maybe it was because she had her own share of family pain.

  There were things I still hadn’t told her. But I didn’t want to rush it. It felt like there was time. We would talk more. I’d ask about Hailey. And she’d ask about my parents. I dug my heels deep in the sand.

  I closed my eyes, ignoring the urge to check my phone. Emails could wait. Lachlan Corporation could make it a day if I took a nap on the beach with a pretty girl.

  The next day we sat on the balcony.

  “When was the last time you took an entire weekend off?” Sydney asked.

  There was an open bottle of wine between us. I looked over at her on the chaise. The colors of the Sunday sunset reflected shades of pink off the glass door behind us.

  I pretended to search my memory bank. “Uhh. Does my Italy trip count?”

  “No, since you told me you went there to scout an olive farm.”

  “Did I say that?”

  She nodded. “You did. I think you were trying to convince me you traveled for fun.”

  I laughed. “Now why would I try to do that?”

  She reached to refill her glass. “You weren’t very forthcoming for the feature I wrote.”

  “Maybe I should let you interview me again.”

  “I can’t do that.” Her head moved back and forth.

  “Why not? I’ll widen the circle of questions.”

  She crossed one foot over the other. “I think we have officially crossed into unethical territory. If I write a feature about you I wouldn’t be able to be very objective.”

  “It’s business. You don’t think you could separate the two?”

  “If people know we are—” she paused. “Whatever we are. If they knew, then it would look bad for my journalistic integrity.”

  “And your integrity is important to you?”

  “Of course.” Her lips pinched together.

  “Even if I could give you a story that would impress your boss, you wouldn’t take it because of your ethics?” I pitched the question to her.

  Her eyes darted to me. “Why? Do you know something?”

  I laughed. “See? Curious aren’t you?”

  “Of course I’m curious. Doesn’t mean I was going to use the information.” She took a sip of wine. “But what is it?”

  “I just wondered what you would say.”

  She exhaled loudly. “I’m going to have to talk to Alice tomorrow about this.”

  “Why?”

  “You proved the point I was trying to make. I can’t separate us from work. I can’t cover stories about the resort, or about you. It’s not right.”

  “Wait a minute. Didn’t you tell me she was willing to move you up if you could give her more exclusives?”

  “Yes, but I’ll have to do it another way.”

  The
sky was getting darker. The pink hues had turned amber. I could feel the weekend sinking behind the clouds with the sun. I hadn’t felt the Sunday blues since I was in high school.

  I turned so my feet were on the deck. “Tell me what you’re going to say to her.”

  “I haven’t figured it out yet.”

  “You are being way too calm about this. If you’re going to have a meeting with your boss, you need a plan. You need to be able to go in there and negotiate with her.”

  “Negotiate? I have nothing to offer. I have to tell her our personal relationship compromises my ability to report unbiased information. There’s nothing else I can say.”

  I took the wine glass from her hand and placed it next to her. “This is serious. You have to have a strategy.”

  “All right.” Her painted toes landed on the floor facing mine. “What do you advise?”

  “You can’t ever go into a meeting without something to offer, but most importantly you need to know what you want to get out of it. Stand firm. Stay strong.”

  “I want to keep my job.”

  I shook my head. “Think bigger than that. You’re taking information to her. You’re giving her something. What can you get?”

  Her face twisted in a frown. “I don’t have any information. What are you talking about?”

  I had debated how to let this play out, but this would be win-win for both of us.

  “I have a story for the News & Record. That’s going to be the card you play.”

  “You do? What is it?” She was on the edge of the seat. I could see the fire in her eyes.

  “We’ll get to that.”

  “Mason, if you have a story for me, I need it.”

  “I thought you said you couldn’t separate me from work. This story is very specific to one of my latest acquisitions.”

  The darker it got, the more I realized the weekend was almost over. Tomorrow was already a beast of a day. I would be on conference calls from seven until seven.

  “You didn’t mention you had acquired anything new.” Her eyes narrowed. “What is it?”

  “I buy and sell every day. You know that. But you could tell your editor you have a scoop on a South Padre land deal that has a direct impact on the resort. Trade her the story for a chance to focus on the features you really want to write.”