Page 12 of Blame It on the Bikini (Ocean Shores #4)

Chapter Seven

Wednesday morning, Lexie walked into town, relieved to have some time for herself.

She'd spent the first two days of the week at a series of family and engagement photo shoots, as well as taking several meetings with prospective brides.

She'd also spent several hours yesterday trying to get the perfect shot of Maeve Rian’s poodle—an exhausting test of patience that only reinforced her doubts about the new career path she had created for herself.

She'd never wanted a career shooting brides, families, and pets, but those photo shoots were taking up most of her time, and she had little left to pursue her real goals.

Maybe Grayson had been somewhat right when he'd suggested she'd traded one form of servitude for another, and one that also paid less.

It was time to start changing her priorities.

She'd left her law job more than two years ago, and she hadn't replaced one photo on her dining room wall.

She had to do better, and the first step was talking to the gallery owner to see if she could still set up a show.

Having a deadline might force her to get her act together.

A few minutes later, she stopped in front of an art gallery on Fourth Avenue. Taking a breath to strengthen her resolve, she opened the door, a small brass bell emitting a soft, cheerful chime as she stepped inside, the cool air a welcome break from the rising heat outside.

The Art Nest was quiet at mid-morning, sunlight pouring through tall front windows and spilling across polished hardwood floors.

Framed photographs and paintings covered the walls—seascapes, abstracts, portraits—the best of local talent curated with Sienna Dunne's impeccable eye.

Sienna, a dark-eyed brunette in her early thirties, gave her a smile as she moved from behind the front counter to greet her.

"Lexie. It's good to see you. I hope you're here to tell me you want to take me up on my offer."

"I do." She still felt uncertain about that decision, but the words had already left her mouth. "If you're still interested."

"Of course. I would love to have you show during the art walk on the Fourth of July weekend."

That was almost three months away, which gave her the time she needed. "That would be perfect because I want to work on getting more shots before then."

"Great. Let's put you on the calendar for July first through the end of the month. If things go well, we'll do another show in the fall."

"I hope it goes well. I'm nervous about it."

Sienna gave her a warm smile. "Every artist says exactly the same thing to me, and I understand, but I also know talent when I see it. And I've seen it in some of the photos you showed me a few weeks ago. I'm glad you decided to move forward."

"You're handing me a great opportunity. I don't know why I even hesitated. Thank you, Sienna. I hope I won't let you down."

"You won't." As another customer entered the gallery, she said goodbye and headed outside, feeling both exhilarated and terrified. She’d taken the first step, but there was still a long way to go before she’d be ready for a show. And she needed coffee to think about what to do next.

She’d only gone half a block when she saw Grayson standing in front of the hardware store, phone in hand, his brow furrowed like the screen had personally insulted him.

Wearing dark jeans, a white shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows, and expensive sunglasses, he looked handsome and sophisticated, and a tingle ran down her spine.

When she hadn't been thinking about her business goals, she'd been thinking about him, wondering what he'd been doing, because she hadn't seen him at all.

If she hadn't seen his car in the lot, she might have thought he'd decided to bail on his month at Ocean Shores. But apparently not…

"Grayson?" she said. "Are you lost?"

His head whipped up, a frown crossing his lips. "I'm looking for a print shop. It's supposed to be nearby, but my GPS sent me here."

"I know where the shop is. It's tucked on a side street around the corner, and GPS often doesn't find shops on that street. You're close. I can show you if you want."

"Thanks. What are you up to?" he asked as they walked down the block.

"I just stopped in at the gallery that's interested in giving me a show."

He gave her a questioning look. "And…"

"I told her I'd like to do it. Thankfully, the owner wants to schedule my show for early July, so I have time to get more photos, which I definitely need to do."

"How do you feel?"

"Excited. Scared out of my mind. Afraid I won't be able to come up with work that I'm really proud of. Which is probably more than you wanted to know."

"It sounds like you have time to make it happen the way you want to."

"I have a few months. However, a lot of my time is filled with events I've already committed to. But I'll just have to work harder. Anyway, what have you been doing this week? I haven't seen you since Olivia's birthday party."

"I've been working on a development deal in Singapore."

"Singapore, wow. That's interesting."

"It is, but it's also complicated. I'm picking up some blueprints now."

"Have you been to Singapore?"

"Several times. It's a beautiful country. And this building will be a work of art. We have an incredible architect lined up. Unfortunately, we're running into unexpected obstacles, so it's still not a done deal."

"Are you tearing something else down to build this work of art?"

"Yes, that's usually how it works. But the building has been abandoned. It's not in good shape."

"So, no one lives there?"

"No."

She nodded, although she suspected her building wasn't the first one to be bought and sold by his company, with people displaced, lives shattered. She couldn't imagine doing a job like that.

"You shouldn't judge what you don't know," Grayson said, giving her a pointed look.

She met his gaze. "How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Because you have a very expressive face, and you show your emotions."

"I just don't see how it could possibly feel good to kick people out of their homes."

"You're making it too personal."

"What you're doing at Ocean Shores is personal to me."

"We don't kick people out into the cold. We give them relocation packages, which is more than a lot of companies do. When you're a renter, your home is always going to be dependent on what the owner wants. If you really want security, you have to own your own place."

"I know that, but not everyone can afford to own."

"I understand, but that's not on me or my company."

"Let's not talk about this," she said. "I was in a good mood, and I'd like to stay that way a while longer."

"Fine with me," he said as they turned the corner.

They walked halfway down the block to the print shop. "Here it is," she said.

"Thanks." He paused. "This should only take a moment. Do you want to get coffee or something to celebrate your gallery decision?"

She hesitated, knowing that spending more time with this frustrating man was probably a bad idea, but she still didn’t want to say no. "I was planning to get some coffee."

"Do you mind if I join you?"

She was surprised he wanted to join her after the little argument they'd just had, but she needed to keep talking to him. It was the only way to fight. "Of course not. I'd love the company."

She followed Grayson into the print shop, and within minutes, he'd picked up a cardboard tube that contained blueprints, and then they headed out of the building.

The coffee shop was just around the corner.

Since it was late for breakfast and early for lunch, the café was fairly empty.

They picked up coffees at the counter and then found a table by the window, sunlight spilling across the worn wood, the hum of conversation from three older ladies blending with the hiss of the espresso machine.

"What else is on your agenda today?" Grayson asked as they settled into their seats.

"Planning out the photographs I need to make my collection sing."

"What's at the top of the list?"

"I heard about some caves about five miles south of here that are only accessible during very low tides, which happens a half dozen times a year. Apparently, someone once died when they stayed too long and didn't get out before the water rushed back in.

"Sounds dangerous."

"But doesn't it sound like I could get some great pictures?"

"Yes," he admitted. "Will there be any low tides coming up?"

"There's actually one on Saturday morning. The tide will be at its lowest point in the past three months at seven a.m. I'd probably have an hour to get in and out."

"I don't think you should go alone. What if you run into problems?"

"If I run into problems, I wouldn't want to risk anyone else's life."

"This is sounding less and less like a good idea," he said with a frown.

"I don't think it's that dangerous as long as I move quickly.

And this is what I wanted to do when I quit my law job.

I wanted to take chances and explore and show the world to people who don't have the time or money to see it for themselves.

" She paused. "I'm going to do it. I'm going to finally stop making excuses and just go.

And I can't die—I have a wedding to shoot at three thirty on Saturday afternoon. "

Concern filled his gaze. "I don't know, Lexie. It sounds risky."

"Isn't everything worth doing a little risky? It's rumored that the caves were once used for smuggling. Who knows what I might find inside? Maybe some old gold coins."

"Or maybe some bones," he said darkly.

She shivered at that. "Stop trying to scare me, Grayson."

"I think you should be scared."

"I am a little," she admitted. "But I shouldn't let fear stop me, right?"

"I'm coming with you."

Surprise ran through her at his declaration. "No way you're coming with me."

"Why not?"

"Well…I don't know. Why would you want to?"

"I don't think you should go alone, and if you don't want to ask your friends, then I'll go."