Don’t Go

by Paige, Violet

  I looked at the credit card in my hand as the elevator descended to the lobby and I smiled. If I was going to be forced to spend a day on my own, I was going to make it one hell of a day. One that Aiden Thomas would never forget.

  * * *

  I knew it was late when I got back to the suite. Aiden had sent three texts.

  I wrapped up. Meet me back at the suite, or I can pick you up?

  I ignored that one as I paid for a five-hundred-dollar pair of boots and then walked to a coffee shop. I wouldn’t be able to wear them until a trip home to Virginia in the fall, but they were stunning.

  The second text came thirty minutes later when I was at the makeup counter.

  Are you on your way? Should I send a car to you?

  I rolled my eyes and apologized to the cosmetics girl that I had smudged my mascara. She had worked to perfect cat eyes at the corners of my eyes.

  The last one was the most urgent. The most serious. I didn’t let it affect me. It didn’t touch me. I had already formed a cold wall of ice around my heart. I wouldn’t let Aiden in again.

  Ronnie, it’s time. Where are you? I finished hours ago. I need to know where you are. Call me.

  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,” I answered flippantly. “You knew exactly where I was. I did what I was told.”

  “Told?” he scoffed.

  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.

  Aiden exhaled. “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. His angular jaw was clenched.

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

  Aiden 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 I 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. I wanted it to be memorable.

  “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, stopping only inches from me. I could smell his cologne. I could see the spark in his gaze. “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 Strickland.” 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?” I fired at him. “You’re the one who told me to leave.”

  “The meeting was planned. You knew that.”

  “You think you’ve been wronged, Aiden? Seriously?”

  He stopped, his eyes landing on me. “It was fun, Miss Strickland. 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. I finally recognized the emotion in his eyes. What had I done? Why hadn’t I seen it before? It wasn’t anger that was swirling in those piercing eyes. It was worry. Fear.

  “Wait, Aiden,” I called. My stomach rolled.

  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?”

  He didn’t answer.

  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. And dinner.”

  My heart raced. I had to find a way to bridge our misunderstanding. It was more than a simple case of crossed wires. I had been furious, meanwhile he had been anxious. Concerned. We had hurt each other today.

  “I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “I didn’t think about it like that.” I realized my mistake too late. He thought I was gone. Unreachable. He couldn’t find me. I was unresponsive because I was angry. I needed time to think. Time to blow off steam with a pile of his open shopping credit.

  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. The fun was over, and he was over me. That was it. He had been clear about his dating rules.

  “Wait, Aiden. Just stay for a second.” I tugged on the ends of my hair. “Why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you say you were worried? It could have changed things in San Antonio. A nice text? A nice voicemail? Anything else. Something to show you’re human under your designer suit.”

  “Good night, Miss Strickland.” He rolled up the window. He was determined to use my last name. No Ronnie. No Veronica. He pulled out of the lot, 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.

  Thirteen

  Aiden

  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. Not like I had with Veronica.

&n
bsp; The phone rang, and I groaned when I saw the number.

  “Stefan, good morning,” I answered.

  “Aiden, 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 Costas 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?” I asked.

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

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

  “No, but she works with about ten different organizations that are environmentally based. 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 Costas, 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 Stefan. 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 Dune Scape was twenty minutes behind me.

  My phone buzzed again.

  “Carter, what is it?”

  “Good morning, sir.”

  “Calling about Commissioner Costas’s press conference?”

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

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

  “We just found out,” he whined.

  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 Dunes in front of me. I ran faster.

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

  I rolled my eyes. “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 Kaitlyn, but I already knew how that would go. She would try to convince me to call Veronica. Urge me to try to work things out. Kaitlyn 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. Cole 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 Kaitlyn?”

  “She’s working in the office.”

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

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

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

  He nodded. “Yep. Cal, Sasha, Aaron, Kaitlyn, and me. I’m not sure who else is in town this weekend.”

  “All right. I’ll stop by.”

  “And don’t let Kaitlyn give you a hard time about that girl. She’s just trying to help.”

  “I know. She wants everyone to be happy,” I answered.

  Cole smiled. “Yeah, she is on a mission. Sorry things didn’t work out for you.”

  “Who said they didn’t work out?”

  He shrugged. “True. I guess we all have different goals.”

  “I had a good time. I’m not looking for anything serious. I’ve been pretty open about that.” I didn’t need interference in my personal life.

  “You don’t have to explain it to me. If I hadn’t met Kaitlyn, I’d be doing the same thing. I wasn’t interested in anything else.” He told me as if I didn’t know his history.

  I thought about it. I wasn’t sure we were the same kind of men when it came to women. Cole was certainly more domesticated than I was. Before Kaitlyn he had lived with a girlfriend. He had a son to raise. Our lives were headed on different courses. Fatherhood had never happened to me. I made sure of it. Marriage? That seemed like the impossible.

  “Hey, man I’m not trying to rush you, but I’ve got to head out soon. I have a big day lined up. I’ve got to run over to the site.”

  Cole stepped back inside, and I closed the sliding door. “See you tonight?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be there. I’ll bring a case or two.”

  “Sounds good.”

  He left and I realized how normal that exchange had been. It was possible we were actually becoming friends. I jumped in the shower.

  * * *

  I adjusted my collar and the sleeves on my jacket. A crowd had already gathered near the picnic tables. I stayed close to the road, out of sight. The sun beat down on the crowd. I noticed Commissioner Costas moving to the front of the group.

  Next to her were two men and two women. Their T-shirts were decorated with pictures of sea dunes. I assumed they were from the activist group. This should be interesting. I folded my arms and waited for the press conference to start.

  The microphone squeaked and the onlookers pressed their hands to their ears. It was already a rocky start.

  Roberta smiled. “I’d like to welcome everyone today. I have a few people I should introduce. If you’re not familiar with the Custodians of the Dunes, a few of their representatives have joined us today. Cecilia, Bailey, Hamp, and Darrel.”

  “You all know this piece of land we’re standing on has been purchased. And some of you are probably thinking this is a good thing for our island. You’re thinking about the jobs it will bring in. But what I want you to think about is what the development of Sailor’s Cove will do to the beach. Do you know how many species of animals live in the dunes that border this tract?”

  This is the part of the speech that always irritated me. Roberta started throwing out statistics about animal endangerment, beach erosion, and tossed in the numbe
r of accidents that occurred on construction sites. That one was unnecessary, but I knew what she was doing. She needed to build citizen unity. The message was clear. The development was dangerous and unsafe for everyone.

  I hung my head and started back for the car. I didn’t need to hear the words from the Custodians of the Dunes to know what the pushback was going to be. They were going to fight the development.

  It wasn’t the first battle I would face against environmentalists.

  I heard the ding on my phone and pulled it from my pocket to check the email. From the corner of my eye I saw her. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was late to the press conference. She didn’t see me. She rushed to the group, her bag slung over her shoulder, her reporter’s pad clutched in one hand.

  The skirt she was wearing showed off her tan legs and the taunt muscles in her calves. I scowled. Not for me. I had my taste. It wasn’t going to happen again.

  I hesitated. I wanted to walk over. But why? I had cut her loose. It was best this way. Within a few seconds she was buried in the crowd. I started the engine and slowly drove away from the trailer park. I tried to forget I was leaving Veronica Strickland behind. I turned up the radio as I picked up speed. Yes, this was best.

  * * *

  The condo was cool the way I liked it. I typed out an email. I needed the preliminary numbers on a warehouse in Fort Worth. I would fly out in a few days. I wanted the information before I was back in Dallas.

  Early on, people told me I grew my business too fast. They said Thomas Corporation wouldn’t be able to sustain the rate of growth I pushed on it. But it didn’t stop me. I kept the pace I wanted. Followed my instincts. Ignored the warnings.

  If the next purchase went through I would be closing in on my thirtieth acquisition. It felt good to know I didn’t let the concerns stop me. I kept going regardless of the resistance.