Page 26 of Blame It on the Bikini (Ocean Shores #4)

Chapter Fourteen

As he drove away from the lodge, he turned to Lexie. "Are you hungry? Do you want to stop for lunch?"

"I am hungry, but I'm eager to get to Joshua Tree. It's a very large park, from what I've read. Maybe we could pick up some sandwiches on the way."

"That sounds good."

She pulled out her phone. "I'll see what I can find."

As she researched food options, he turned onto the highway, impressed by the jagged brown ridges of the mountains surrounding them. They looked both desolate and majestic. He hadn't spent a lot of time in the desert, but he did like the landscape.

"I found a gourmet deli," Lexie said a few minutes later. "It's right outside the entrance to the Joshua Tree National Park. We can eat and then explore."

"Perfect." He turned on some music as she settled back in her seat, her gaze also on the horizon.

There was so much emptiness around them, but also a lot to look at.

Or maybe it was just that he had time to look, and he hadn't taken the time for a road trip in…he couldn’t remember when.

His travels were always from point A to point B with a purposeful goal for every stop and usually a tight timetable.

Although they had a schedule today, it felt different. His business was done. This next stop was purely for Lexie, and he was looking forward to every minute of it. It wasn't just because of the interesting sights she'd already told him about wanting to see; it was because of her.

She'd asked him earlier if he'd thought about marriage and what kind of woman he would want in his life, and he'd said he hadn't been focusing on relationships but on business.

But it was also because he'd never met anyone who made him think about a long-term relationship.

But the free-spirited photographer sitting next to him was making him reconsider a lot of things about his life.

She was on her own journey to a new identity but seeing her struggle with whether she'd taken a big enough leap forward, had made him think more about his own journey.

He'd always known he would go to work for his father and had started in the company with a summer job in high school.

Through college, grad school, and then in his twenties, his father had made sure he spent time in every department.

After he'd turned thirty, more responsibility had come his way.

Now, three years later, his father was talking about making him the CEO while he became chairman of the board and stepped away from the day-to-day business operations.

That title and that job had been his goal for years, which was why he had put in so many hours, why he kept trying to bring in new business to prove to his father he wasn't just taking what he was given, but he was also growing the company.

That intense business focus had made his life narrow, his stress level high, and his ability to relax and enjoy a moment almost impossible.

It wasn't until his father had sent him to Ocean Shores that he'd taken time to breathe, to look around, to see something else… someone else.

He couldn't stop himself from looking over at Lexie.

She met his gaze and gave him a happy smile, and he felt that same warm feeling of joy run through his body.

They'd started out as enemies, but she didn't feel like his enemy.

Nor did she feel exactly like his friend, not after the way they'd kissed each other. But what did that make them?

Her smile faded, and she gave him a questioning look. "Are you okay? Are you tired of driving? I'm happy to take over."

"No, I'm good. I was just thinking about something else."

"Something that put a frown on your face. What was it?"

He definitely could not tell her, so he settled on a half-truth and told her what he'd been thinking before he'd looked at her. "I've been so busy the last few years I haven't taken time to do things like this."

"Well, it's good that you're going now. But for me, it's also a job, not just a look around."

"I know. I didn't mean it that way. I don't want you to think I'm not taking your work seriously."

"I don't think that. You're actually surprisingly supportive."

"Why surprisingly?"

"I don't know. Because you thrive on business and dealmaking and love the kind of corporate world I left."

"It might not have been right for you, but that doesn't mean it's not right for me."

"Do you love what you do?" she asked curiously.

"For the most part."

"And the other part?"

"Well, it is work," he said. "Does anyone love everything about their job?"

"You're right. Work has its ups and downs. But you do seem particularly driven, and you've admitted as much to me. Is it about proving something to your dad? To yourself? Or is it just about making the most money you could possibly make?"

"It's all of that. I don't want anyone to think I'm running the company because I was born into it. I want to have the same respect my father had and perhaps even more. I want to grow the company. I want it to be even better than it has been."

"Why does it have to be better?" she challenged.

His frown returned. "I don't know. Because it does. Everyone wants to make their mark. I'm sure you're not aiming to take less-than-amazing photographs. You want yours to be better than everyone else's."

"I don't think of it that way. I want the pictures to be good, but mostly I want them to be a representation of how I see the world. I want to expose people to places they've never seen. But I don't think about being the best photographer in the world. I just want to be really good at what I do."

"So do I."

"But you also want to be better than your dad.

" She gave him a smile of understanding.

"I actually understand that, Grayson, because I had that feeling when I worked with my father.

I felt a pressure to prove to him that I was worthy of following in his footsteps.

But the truth is, I wasn't as good as him, because I didn't love it as much as he did.

I know it's different for you, because you enjoy what you do.

But maybe…" She paused for a moment, then said, "Maybe what's most important is that you make the company yours when you take it over.

That could mean bigger and better, or maybe it means you take a turn in direction.

You do what you want to do. That's really what you've been working for.

The opportunity to call your own shots. When your father retires and you're fully in charge, you should be running a company that you're proud of, whether it's one your father would have wanted to run or not. "

He gave her a thoughtful look before turning his gaze back to the road. Her words echoed around in his head for a long minute. "You're right. I wasn't looking at it that way, but I should because my father and I are different people."

"If he respects you enough to hand over his company to you, he'll respect whatever you do after that."

"I'm not completely sure that's true. He has trouble giving up control. He tells me another year, and he'll be done. But I don't know if that year will turn into two or three."

"Would you ever think about starting your own company?"

"I would," he admitted. "It has crossed my mind, especially when my father annoys me with odd requests."

"Like living at Ocean Shores for a month?"

"Exactly." He gave her another quick look. "But I'm not mad about that anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm actually starting to have a good time."

She smiled. "Let's try to keep that going."

Lexie was happy to hear that Grayson was having a good time and loved that he'd confided in her about his job, his aspirations.

She liked knowing what made him tick, and she was also happy that they still had some fun times ahead.

Being away from Ocean Shores felt like an escape from the dark cloud hanging over the future, something she refused to think about now.

She just wanted to stay in the moment, because it was a damn good moment.

A short time later, they reached the small town of Joshua Tree, which boasted a Main Street filled with touristy shops, cafés, art galleries, and even an old-time saloon.

The gourmet deli was at the end of the street.

The heat was even more oppressive, but the inside of the deli was cool and clean.

She ordered a tuna salad while Grayson opted for a triple-decker club sandwich, and when their food came, she couldn't help but steal a few of his fries.

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked.

"What's mine is yours," he said with a smile. "But I had you pegged for a woman who boldly ordered her own fries, even if she was opting for a salad."

"I usually do, but I was thinking I was hot, and a salad would be less heavy. However, these are delicious."

"Take as many as you want. They were generous with the fries."

"You know, I had you pegged for a man who was more comfortable in restaurants with linens and crystal glasses and more than one fork in the place setting.

Friday night, I saw you eat chili fries with onions and cheese and thought that was just because you were high, but now I'm thinking you actually like French fries. "

"I love them. And I don't care about linen tablecloths and crystal glasses. What I care most about is if the food is good."

"But you wouldn't entertain your clients at Chuck's Chili or this place, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't. Because our clients expect me to treat them like they're important and deserving of only the best."