Page 62 of Rival Hearts

He looked at me, his eyes the same color as the sky, a pale blue with patches of gray, as if he was having an overcast, cloudy day, too.

“I really don’t want to talk business,” I said. “I’m sorry that you came all this way, but—”

“Then we won’t talk business.”

I frowned. “I thought you wanted to brainstorm.”

“Not everything has to be about work.”

I nodded slowly.

“Do you have another bag?”

I took the roll from my backpack and handed him one.

“I don’t have more gloves.”

“It’s okay,” Alex said.

We moved along the beach, picking up trash in silence. Having Alex by my side was comforting. It was nice just not to be alone. I thought he would try to make conversation, but no.

After an hour or two on the beach, my back hurt, and we’d filled two bags.

“I think that’s about it for the day,” I said.

Alex nodded. “Come on, there’s a bin.”

He took my bag from me and headed toward a swing bin close to the dunes, and he put both bags into it.

When he came back, he glanced up. “It looks like the weather is starting to settle down.”

I glanced up, too. The clouds had given way to a bright blue sky. We looked back the way we’d come—the sandy shores were picturesque.

“So much better when they’re clean,” I breathed.

“Yeah,” Alex agreed; there wasn’t a joking tone in his voice. He really thought so.

The sounds of the waves on the shore and the seagulls in the distance was soothing, and the sun cast a warm glow over the coastline.

“Do you want to go out?” Alex asked.

“What?”

“The marina isn’t far from here, and I have a small boat there. We can head out to sea, get away a bit.”

I hesitated. It sounded amazing to just escape and be on the water.

“Are you sure?”

Alex nodded and gestured with his head for me to follow. I turned and fell into step next to him.

We walked along the beach, chatting idly about nothing important.

Slowly, the sinking sand fell away as we approached the bustling marina. The beach changed from the natural landscape to the structured environment of the marina, and we passed by rows and rows of neatly parked boats.

The air filled with the smell of saltwater and the faint smell of paint and varnish.

All around us, the marina was alive with activity, with people washing down decks or unloading supplies after coming back from a day on the water.