Page 21 of Blame It on the Bikini (Ocean Shores #4)

"And my friend Joan is going through chemotherapy, so I'm going to drop her off some brownies this afternoon.

What brings you by? I heard about what happened last night outside of Kaia's apartment.

I ran into Ben this morning, and he apologized for shoving Grayson into the wall when he thought he was a stalker. "

"That was not good," she said. "I came in from the parking lot with Kaia, and we heard shouting. I couldn't believe it when I saw Ben had Grayson pinned against the wall. Every time I think we're convincing Grayson how great we are, something happens to change that picture."

Her aunt gave her a small smile. "Life has a way of surprising us. Ben said Grayson wasn't hurt. But was he angry?"

"He said it was no big deal. But that seems to be his go-to phrase."

"Well, I hope it wasn't a big deal. Is that why you came by?"

"No. I was checking the rents, and I noticed our new tenant still hasn't paid."

"It's not the fifteenth yet," her aunt said with a dismissive wave, as she started moving the cookies from the pan onto a cooling rack.

"Well, it's not a good sign that he's waiting until the last day."

"It's not a sign at all. If he doesn't pay by tomorrow, then we can talk about it."

"No one has seen him around. What's his deal?"

"He's a busy person and also very private. But I'm sure he'll slowly integrate into our community. You just have to give him time. Look at Hunter now. He was once the mystery man everyone was wondering about."

"Yes, but we all knew he'd been injured on duty, and he was healing. We don't know anything about Jax Ridley."

"I know you're curious, Lexie. But I promised him privacy, and I'm going to stick to that."

She frowned at her aunt's words. "I'm not just anybody. I can keep a secret, you know."

"I'm aware of that. It's not personal. It's just a promise I made." Her aunt smiled. "How about some brownies? I know you love them."

She was about to say no when she wondered if she could get in on her aunt's baking and make her own gift offering. "I'm good, but maybe I could take some to Grayson, as an apology for what happened last night."

Her aunt's eyes sparkled. "That sounds like a great idea.

And it will give you another chance to talk to him.

" She paused. "But these need to cool before I take them out of the pan.

Why don't you come back in an hour or so and pick them up?

I'll put the ones for Grayson on the white plate.

And the ones for Joan on the blue plate.

I'm heading out shortly to get my hair colored, which, as you know, is a long process, so just let yourself in. "

"Okay," she said, distracted by the incoming text on her phone. "Oh, man, more problems," she muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm shooting a family portrait this morning, and the baby woke up early, so they want to move up the shoot before the next naptime. I better run."

"I'll see you later."

After leaving Josie, she made a brief stop at her apartment to pack up her equipment and then headed out the door.

She met the Holmquist family in a park by their home and spent the next hour trying to get the perfect shot of the young family, which consisted of Ray and Gretchen Holmquist, and their three kids: a five-year-old boy, a three-year-old girl, and a seven-month-old baby girl, who didn't like the headband on her head, wanted to crawl instead of stay in her mother's arms, and was generally unhappy for most of the time.

With patience and care, she managed to capture a dozen or so shots that they loved, but it was almost noon when she was done, and she ran home to get a quick bite before her afternoon engagement photo shoot at a nearby cove.

She ate a quick lunch while answering emails and then got ready to go again. As she was about to leave, she remembered the brownies and decided to stop by her aunt's apartment and get them since Grayson's car was in the lot and he was probably home.

Her aunt was still at her hair appointment, so she let herself in and walked into the kitchen.

As she was about to grab one of the plates of brownies, she couldn't help noticing a check on the counter from their mysterious tenant.

His name was on the check, and the address was Ocean Shores, so it looked like he'd already had new checks made, but that gave her no further clue as to where he was from before he'd moved in.

Well, her aunt would get to keep her secrets a while longer, and so would this Jax Ridley.

At least he'd paid his rent. That was one less thing to worry about.

She grabbed the plate of brownies and headed out the door.

As she neared Grayson's apartment, a little shiver of anticipation ran down her spine.

It was amazing how she'd gone from dreading his entire visit to feeling excited at the prospect of seeing him.

She really needed to find a way to tamp that excitement down because it had nowhere to actually go. But she couldn't worry about that now.

As the knock came at his door, Grayson's body tightened. He knew it was Lexie. Maybe it was her knock, or maybe it was just that she was the most likely person to show up at his apartment, but he couldn't stop the burst of energy that sent him to the door, eager to see her pretty face.

"Hi," she said, giving him a tentative smile that just about undid him. "You look good. Are you on your way out?"

"Just got back from an early morning meeting in Newport Beach."

"That explains the suit. You look very Wall Street right now."

"What's up?"

She held out the plate in her hand. "Peace offering. For Ben's actions last night. I know you said it was no big deal, but I'm sure it was disturbing to have some stranger shove you up against a wall."

"It was a first," he admitted. "But it seems like Ben should be making this offer, not you."

"Ben can't cook. Trust me. He took over the grill at one of our parties, and it was a disaster. We had to order pizza."

He smiled. "There's really no need for this, Lexie."

"There's never a need for brownies, but they're still delicious. To be completely honest, I didn't make them; Josie did."

"So, Josie made you brownies to give to me on Ben's behalf? Do I have that right?" he teased.

"Well, it wasn't exactly like that," she said, smiling back at him. "Just enjoy. Don't overthink it."

"Okay. Do you want one?"

"I have to run to another shoot, so maybe later. Are you working here today?"

"I am."

"Maybe I'll see you later then."

"Maybe," he said as he shut the door.

For the next few hours, he focused on work because if he didn't, he wouldn’t stop thinking about Lexie and how much he wanted to kiss her again. She'd suggested meeting up later, but that was a bad idea, and he should probably make sure that didn't happen.

Tired of working and dealing with the conflict going on in his head, he got up from the table and moved into the kitchen, his gaze catching on the plate of brownies Lexie had dropped by earlier.

He unwrapped the cellophane, the whiff of chocolate making his stomach rumble.

He grabbed one, then another. They tasted absolutely delicious.

He took one more brownie and sat back down in front of his computer, reading his assistant's latest email.

More problems in Singapore. He told her they'd talk in the morning.

She reacted with surprise a few seconds later, asking if he was sick.

He smiled to himself, telling her he was fine, but he needed a break, and she should take one, too.

As he closed his email program, he had to admit the brownies had made him feel remarkably better about the day. In fact, he wanted to go outside and get some air, feel the sun on his face.

Grabbing his keys, he headed out the door. He met up with Emmalyn at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hello," he said cheerfully. "How are you today?"

She looked a little surprised. "I'm good. How about you?"

"Couldn't be better."

"Where are you off to?" she asked.

"The sand and the sea are calling my name," he said.

"Oh, okay. Enjoy yourself."

He moved through the parking lot as the white sand and sparkling blue-green sea beckoned to him.