Page 38 of The Seascape Between Us (The Men of Saltwater Cove #4)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Daniel

“ S o, what’s the plan then?” Brody asked, flopping next to me on the sofa.

I tensed, not sure how to answer. I should have known the inevitable talk was coming.

After pancakes for breakfast, Jett had made an excuse and taken off from the apartment, leaving me and Brody to clean up on our own.

Neither one of us had said much at the time, which had been a relief.

But the reprieve had been short-lived apparently.

“I won’t stay long,” I told him. I needed time to figure out where I was going.

The truth was, without the hotel, I had nowhere to go.

It was nice that Brody and Jett let me sleep on their couch, but it wasn’t a long-term solution.

Now, without the Seascape and without Grey, I felt weightless, untethered, like I didn’t belong anywhere.

Maybe I should have felt free. After all, this was the first time since I was nineteen that I wasn’t responsible for anyone or anything. Instead, I felt like I was adrift.

“You know you can stay here for as long as you need to,” he told me seriously. “I meant , what were you planning for today? Are you going to talk to Grey?”

Sharp pain flared in my chest just hearing his name. Walking away from him yesterday nearly broke me. I knew it was the right thing to do, but god, I missed him already. It was his touch, the smell of his skin, the sound of his voice that I missed. I squeezed my eyes closed.

“Soon,” I said, but I didn’t think I could handle it today.

“You know you’re being a stubborn ass, right?”

I sighed and shot him a baleful look. “You might have said something once or twice, but this is the best thing for both of us.”

Grey and I didn’t have a future together.

Not really. I thought of all the things that he’d accomplished, his big shiny life that I just didn’t fit into.

He had more money than God— billions. He ran his own company.

Designed buildings. What the hell would I bring to the relationship, me and my high school diploma and failed hotel?

“I would like to remind you of what you told me when I almost let Jett go. You said on more than one occasion that I deserved to be happy. Well, I’m going to return that favor. You deserve to be happy too, and I think Grey can do that for you.”

Of course, Grey could make me happy. That was never in doubt. The real question was, could I be enough to make Grey happy? Maybe for now, but not in the long run. It was better for the both of us to end it before we got any more invested.

“What are you really going to do about the hotel?” Brody leaned closer, resting his elbows on his knees, his expression serious.

“We’re selling it.” My chest squeezed. “The damage is too much to reopen. There’s no point investing more money or time.”

Brody eyed me skeptically, clearly not buying into what I was saying. “What will you do if you sell the hotel?”

The truth was I didn’t have a clue. Without it, there was nothing left for me here. Both my mother and Ramona were long gone, and while I still had Brody, he was starting a new life with Jett.

Besides, I wasn’t sure I could stay here, in The Square, and see the hotel every day, the evidence of my failure, of how badly I’d screwed up. And the possibility of bumping into Grey, maybe even seeing him with someone else, left me hollow.

It would be better if I moved on, started over. I wouldn’t say that to Brody now. He’d just argue with me anyway. But soon, very soon, I would leave The Square behind.

“Before you make any decisions,” Brody said. “You should talk to Grey. You owe him that much at least.”

He was right. I did need to speak to Grey.

There were probably documents I would have to sign to turn the hotel over to him to sell.

I wouldn’t let Grey buy me out. He’d already invested too much time and money into that sinking ship.

I would sign over the hotel and then move on with my life. A clean break.

I’d need to get my truck back first, even if the idea of seeing Grey again felt like pouring salt into an open wound. Just thinking about it sent a sharp zing of pain shooting through my skull like when a tongue probed a rotten tooth.

“I should text him—”

“You should talk to him… in person.” Brody jabbed a finger at me to drive home the point.

“I don’t even know where he is right now.”

“The Seascape.” Brody gripped my elbow and pulled me up off the couch. “Come on. I’ll walk down with you.”

I frowned. “Why are you being so weird? Why do you want me to talk to him so badly?”

“Because I think you’re making a huge mistake, and I’m hoping he can talk some sense into you. If you won’t listen to me, maybe you’ll listen to him.”

This conversation was not going to go the way that Brody hoped, but I appreciated him trying. He was a good friend.

Brody and I left his apartment and walked down to the Seascape. It was another beautiful summer day. The warm air smelled of the sea and the sand, and I felt my resolve waver.

Did I really want to leave this place that had been my home since I was five years old? I didn’t. Not even a little bit. But I had nothing left, no one. There was no future for me here, not anymore.

We drew closer to the hotel, and my pace slowed.

People were milling around the Seascape.

A half dozen residents I recognized from The Square were in the parking lot, brushing the sand out into the road and cleaning up the crap that had come in with the flood waters and high winds.

The front doors were open, and I could hear saws, hammering, and the low hum of appliances running.

What the fuck?

I looked at Brody, who was grinning like he found the whole thing hilarious.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked.

“Talk to Grey and find out.”

“You knew about this?” Whatever this was.

“Everyone but you, pal.” He reached up and gave my shoulder a squeeze, then lightly shoved me towards the door.

Inside, there were more people I recognized from The Square, people who had businesses or lived here or both, cleaning, building, moving or hauling furniture away.

Finn had a table saw set up in the middle of the dining room, cutting strips of wood.

The high-pitched zing of the saw filled my ears.

Someone had tarped the broken windows to protect what was left of the restaurant from the elements.

The sand had all been swept up from the floors, the tables and chairs stacked on the far side of the room.

In just twenty-four hours, it looked completely different.

Alistair walked past me with a rolling case that stored canvasses.

“Hey,” he said when he saw me. “Are you feeling better?”

“Um…” I wasn’t really sure how to respond. Had someone told him I was sick? “I’m… good.”

“I’m glad.” He patted the case with the canvases. “I brought these for the rooms downstairs. Go through and decide which ones you want and what doesn’t work.”

“That’s great, Alistair. I appreciate that. Did you work out a payment with Grey?” I had no idea how much Alistair charged for his art, but I’d find the money somehow.

“I’m not going to charge you,” Alistair said, looking as confused as I felt. “I mean, I told Grey if your guests bought one or something, that would be cool, but you guys aren’t going to pay me.”

“Alistair,” I said. “This is how you make your living. I can’t take these for nothing.”

He chuckled. “Let’s face it. Right now I make my living working in your restaurant. One day, people will buy my art, but for now, it will hang in your hotel.”

What was happening? Was Grey getting all this work done to sell? He must want out of this as quickly as I did. The realization caught me like a hit to the stomach, stealing my breath.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Alistair asked. “You look a little pale.”

“I’m okay. Do you know where Grey is?”

“The last time I saw him, he was with June in your office.”

Grey and June together? June wasn’t his biggest fan, and Grey went out of his way to avoid her. It was like I had walked into an alternate universe.

“Thanks,” I said to Alistair before crossing the lobby. As I passed the door that led to the walkway in front of the rooms, I caught sight of Lana and Bailey with Greer and Sawyer dragging the sopping, wet mattresses from the rooms. Was the entire Square here?

I opened the door to my office to find June sitting behind my desk on the phone while Grey paced back and forth, tapping his thumbs over his phone’s screen. They both looked up at me when I walked in.

“What the hell is going on?”

“We’re not selling,” Grey said. “What happened with the storm was a setback, but we’re getting back on track. Also, I’m not going back to Portland, and tonight you’re coming back to the house with me. That’s it. No more arguments, and I don’t want to hear anymore about wrecking my life .”

June let out a dry chuckle and stood while she hung up the phone. “I think I’ll let you lovebirds sort this out yourselves.”

She made her way to the door but patted my cheek as she passed me.

“Don’t be stubborn,” she said. “You listen to him.”

She didn’t wait for me to respond, leaving the office and closing the door behind her, so Grey and I were alone.

“Why do people keep calling me stubborn?” I muttered.

Grey snorted. “If the shoe fits… ”

“What’s happening?” I asked. “And did you tell Alistair I was sick?”

“People kept asking me where you were, and I didn’t tell him you were sick. I just told him you were taking some time away.”

“Are you getting The Seascape ready to put on the market?” I still couldn’t figure out why everyone was here, and nobody seemed willing to explain.

He leveled his uncharacteristically serious gaze on me. “I already told you, we’re not selling.”

“Grey—”

“Nope,” he cut me off. “You need to listen. June and I have been on the phone for most of yesterday and all of today, rescheduling for a Grand Re-opening, which I had to push back a month. There’s just no way I can get that window in the restaurant replaced until the end of July.”

“That’s half the season,” I pointed out.

“I’ve been rescheduling guests all the way into September. We’ll make up for the financial loss. I can make sure of that, after all.”

“Grey, I don’t want you putting more money into this—”

Again, he held up his hand, cutting me off.

“This hotel is half mine. It’s my investment as much as it is yours.

Besides, when I told people in The Square what happened to the hotel, everyone stepped up to help.

People have been clearing out rooms, lifting the floors—which are all going to need to be replaced—donating supplies, helping raise money.

The whole community has stepped up to help us. ”

I couldn’t speak. It was as if my throat had shrunk to the size of a pin prick, and I could barely draw in air, let alone push words out.

I’d spent the last twenty-four hours believing I was alone, that I had no one. But I’d never been on my own. I had friends, an entire community behind me, and the man I loved who stood by me… even after I walked away.

Guilt gave my insides a sharp twist. “Grey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

“I know,” he said, taking my hands and pulling me into him. “I know you are, but you can’t run anymore when things get hard.” My eyes burned, turning glassy. “You have to talk to me. We’re in this together now. We have to have each other’s backs.”

I nodded, and his lips found mine. He kissed me, and I knew everything would be okay.

He’d stood by me. Even after I told him to leave, to go back to Portland, he stayed and fought even after I gave up. I would never let that happen again. Whatever Grey and I faced, we’d do it together. Whatever the future held, whatever the risk, I would stand by Grey the way he’d stood by me.

“I want this,” I said. “I want you. I want the future we should have had. I want to start again.”

Grey flashed a watery smile. “And I want to give you everything you want.”