Page 8 of Blame It on the Bikini (Ocean Shores #4)

Chapter Five

Grayson woke up early Sunday morning and went for a long run in the cool morning sunshine.

The beach path was one of the most picturesque runs he'd done in a while.

For the past few months, he'd only worked out in a gym, so it felt good to be outside, to be running to the beat of the crashing waves.

It almost made him feel like he was on vacation, but he needed to stop that feeling in its tracks.

He was here to assess the Ocean Shores property and spend the designated amount of time on-site before he sold it.

While he was here, he would not be relaxing, working on cars or having dinner with a pretty woman; he'd be staying on top of his business deals. He didn’t want to miss a detail because he was distracted, and he'd been very distracted since he'd arrived. He would change that today.

When he returned, the courtyard was still empty, and he didn't pass anyone on his way up the stairs, which was a relief.

He didn't have to meet someone new or engage in small talk.

After taking a quick shower, he put on jeans and a T-shirt.

Then he headed into the kitchen and made coffee, happy he'd packed his special coffee blend in his suitcase.

While the coffee was brewing, he made eggs and grabbed a banana for breakfast, then sat down at his computer.

He had three emails from Carrie, his admin, who was also working on a Sunday, despite his instructions to take the weekend off.

But Carrie was as driven as he was. She'd forwarded several reports he'd requested, along with his revised calendar for the month.

A month . Thirty days of his life, sequestered in this apartment building because of his father's inexplicable whim.

He sighed at the thought, waiting for the familiar feeling of anger and frustration to wash over him, but instead his mind drifted to Lexie, to the enjoyable dinner they'd shared last night, to the conversation that had been both prickly at times and entertaining at others. That had been a surprise.

He hadn't expected to spend much time with Lexie.

Their first interaction months ago had been an angry clash, and he knew she was going to fight him with everything she had to stop the sale of the building.

So, he'd planned to stay away from her, but instead, he'd spent hours with her yesterday and had quickly discovered she was much more than just his most vocal opponent at Ocean Shores.

She was beautiful and intriguing, sharp-witted, and oddly easy to talk to.

He'd always been able to categorize people, but Lexie defied classification.

She was smart and a Georgetown-educated lawyer who'd walked away from a prestigious career to take photographs.

Despite that free-spirited move, she hadn't completely left the world of financial obligations, taking on photography jobs to pay the bills, and presumably helping Josie for the same reason.

While she had elements of being a passionate rule breaker, Lexie also had a practical side, which added up to a very tantalizing puzzle, but definitely not one he should try to solve. That would take longer than four weeks, and that was the length of time he would be here.

There was no point in starting a friendship—or anything else—with her. He would be leaving in a month, and, at the end of the day, he would sell Ocean Shores, and she would probably end up hating him with every ounce of energy she had.

Thinking about the bottom line reminded him of her comments at dinner.

He did look at his life, at his work, in terms of how everything added up, but there was nothing wrong with that.

Living like Lexie, deluding herself with grand artistic visions while she did little to actually try to make those visions happen, was not a better way to live.

Sure, she might have a bit more excitement, more freedom, more surprises, but he had stability, he had achievement, and closing deals was exciting, too.

He was on the right track, and he wasn't going to let her assessment of his thinking change his mind.

He sighed again, knowing he needed to get her out of his head.

It was time to work. He spent the next hour going over environmental reports for a building they planned to acquire in Chicago and then moved on to the proposal for a development deal in Singapore, something he'd been working on for several weeks, but negotiations had paused when the CEO of the company they were planning to work with fell ill, which stalled everything.

He was concerned that the company might back out of the deal entirely, which meant he needed to come up with a backup plan.

Despite his best intentions to focus on work and nothing else, he got distracted every time he heard someone walk down the hall. It wasn't as loud as he'd thought it would be, but there was no way to really get away from the soft sounds of conversation or the quiet notes of laughter.

Obviously, the tenants liked that sense of inclusion.

That feeling of not being alone. It was never too quiet.

He supposed that could be a good thing. But not if you wanted to study or work or just think about your own life and not anyone else's.

He'd grown up in big, almost silent houses, with multiple floors and far too many bedrooms for their small three-person family.

He was more used to the echo of empty rooms than to the sound of people talking or laughing.

Knowing he wasn't getting much done, he got up from his computer and walked to the window.

There was a palm tree that blocked most of his view of the courtyard, and while that was probably a good thing, it was also a little annoying that he couldn't see who was around.

Not that it mattered who was around. He wasn't here to make friends, and it would make his life easier if he didn't get to know anyone too well, because then this whole deal would become personal.

Which made him wonder again why his father wanted him to see the building's tenants as people, as a community. His father had bought and sold plenty of buildings without giving the tenants a second thought, so why did he care so much about these people, about this place?

Maybe it was time to try to find an answer to that question.

He hadn't had a chance to talk to the manager since he'd arrived.

While Lexie had a lot to say on all subjects involving the building, her aunt was the official manager, and, ultimately, she was the one he'd be working with when it came time to sell.

Grabbing his keys, he left the apartment. As he came down the stairs, he saw an older woman sitting at a table working on the Sunday crossword. She gave him a smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Holt. I'm Margaret. Frank told me how you helped him with his car yesterday."

"I did. It's nice to meet you, Margaret."

"You, too. And fair warning, I think Frank is hoping to enlist your help today, too. I don't know if he told you, but he's planning to take that Mustang to a car show in a couple of weeks, and it's a long way from being ready."

"He mentioned that, and I'm happy to help, but maybe a little later. I need to talk to Josie."

"She should be home," Margaret said. "We're going to play bridge in an hour. Do you play?"

"No. Never have."

"Well, it's very easy to learn, and we're always looking for players."

"Uh, I'm not much of a card player."

"I'm sure a smart man like you would pick it up quickly. We also play poker. Of course, Josie and I aren't very good at it, but it's fun, and we even play for money," she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Don't let her hustle you," Kaia said as she moved toward them, wearing her paramedic's uniform. "Josie and Margaret took my brother, Ben, for almost fifty dollars the first week he moved in. They're sharks."

"Oh, now, that's not true," Margaret said with a laugh. "And I think Ben was just being a good sport. Letting two old ladies win a little money."

Kaia rolled her eyes as she smiled at him. "You've been warned, Mr. Holt."

"Thanks," he said. "Although I'm surprised you'd give me a warning."

"Well, Lexie wants you to enjoy your time here, which does not include getting sucked into a card game where you might lose money. Not that fifty bucks would put a dent in your wallet."

"We don't always win," Margaret interjected. "And we never cheat, Mr. Holt."

"I believe you. Maybe we'll play some cards before I go." He paused, turning back to Kaia. "Are you working today?"

"Yes, unfortunately. I'm filling in for someone who got sick last night." She checked her watch. "I better run. Have a nice day."

As Kaia left, he walked around the pool and knocked on Josie's door.

"Mr. Holt," Josie said, her eyebrows rising in surprise when she saw him. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Do you have a few minutes to talk?"

"Of course. Come in." She stepped back, gesturing him inside.

Josie's apartment was larger than the unit he'd been assigned, configured differently to accommodate a small office area.

But what caught his attention was the décor—vibrant colors everywhere, eclectic furniture pieces that somehow worked together, and walls covered with framed photographs and movie posters.

As his gaze swept the room, it caught on something gold and shiny, and when he moved closer to the shelf, he realized it was a very prestigious award.

"Is that an Oscar?" he asked.

"Yes, it is. I won Best Supporting Actress for the movie, Heart of the Wolf . I played a young single mother whose son befriends a wolf. It was thirty-eight years ago now. I'm sure you've never heard of the movie, and I doubt you've ever heard of me."

Grayson blinked in bemusement. "I had no idea you were an actress, or that you'd been in a movie and won an Oscar."

"I quit acting shortly after I got that award. I left Hollywood and moved here, and I've been here ever since. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks."