It was dark outside. The sun had set over an hour ago. I could still see his eyes. The flecks of blue staring at me, boring into me.
“You were worried, and I completely ignored you.” My voice was soft. I realized what I had done.
“Look, you’re fine. We’re home. I think we should leave this alone. Thanks for riding with me. I enjoyed the company yesterday.”
My heart raced. “I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “I didn’t think about it like that.”
He shifted the car into drive. It didn’t seem to matter what I had to say, he was driving out of this parking lot.
“Good night, Miss Paige.” He rolled up the window, leaving me on the sidewalk.
I listened as the sound from his car faded. It was replaced by the loud music of my downstairs neighbors. I turned for the steps. I climbed the stairs, knowing I couldn’t undo what I had done, and it completely sucked.
13
Mason
I pushed myself harder. The sand crunched under my feet. I dodged to avoid the waves rolling up on the beach. I knew my pace was faster this morning. It needed to be. I didn’t sleep well last night or the night before. Not like I had in San Antonio.
The phone rang, and I groaned when I saw the number.
“Carlos, good morning,” I answered.
“Mason, hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Not at all Commissioner.” I stopped running for a moment.
“Good. Hey, I wanted to give you a heads up.”
“What’s going on?” I turned from the water. The sun was blaring off the ocean.
“Commissioner Rodriguez is holding a press conference at the trailer park this morning. She’s brought in an environmental group. Thought you might want to know about it.”
I wished I had worn a shirt. The sweat was starting to roll toward my eyes. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.
“What time?”
“Ten o’clock. Can’t be sure what she’s got up her sleeve.”
“I’ll check it out. Thanks for the call, Carlos. You have any idea who the group is?”
“No, but she works with about ten different ones. I’m sure it’s on her list.”
“Sure. Not really the time for her to bring in new advocates.”
“You and I both want the same thing. Jobs for the island. A development like yours could make all the difference for the residents here.”
“I’m not worried about Commissioner Rodriguez, but I’ll stop by and see what she has to say.”
“I might poke around too, and if I hear anything else, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks for the call.”
I hung up, anxious to hear the music again. I needed to finish this run. The sun was starting to climb towards the clouds.
A girl in a pink bikini smiled as I hopped over the corner of her beach towel. My first question was why someone on my team hadn’t alerted me to the press conference. I didn’t like unexpected information coming from Carlos. It looked bad. It gave him an upper hand.
I ran past my usual turnaround spot. I needed the extra burn today. It had been almost a week since I had returned from San Antonio. Since we had returned.
My calves started to ache and I made a U-turn at the next boardwalk. The Palm Palace was twenty minutes behind me.
My phone buzzed again.
“Mark, what is it?”
“Good morning, sir.”
“Calling about Commissioner Rodriguez’s press conference?”
“Yes, sir. You already know about that?”
“Damn it, Mark. You are supposed to tell me before anyone else. That’s what I pay you for.” I was irritated.
“We just found out.”
I didn’t need excuses. The team had failed. “Do you at least know who the environmental group is she has partnered with?”
“Yes.”
I smiled. “That’s something. Who are they?”
“Not one we’re really familiar with. The Custodians of the Dunes.”
“Who in the hell are they?” I could see the boardwalk for the Palm in front of me. I ran faster.
“A group out of Galveston. They preserve the seaside dunes.”
“Great. Find out everything you can about them. Send it to me in an hour.” I felt out of breath.
“Yes, sir. We’re on it.”
“Good. I’ll look for your email.”
I jogged up the stairs. I debated whether to stop by the office and chat with Eden, but I already knew how that would go. She would try to convince me to call Sydney. Urge me to try to work things out. Eden didn’t understand a two-day relationship didn’t need fixing. Walking away was the best thing I could have done.
I chugged the rest of the water in my water bottle then turned to the coffee pot to fill a mug, and walked onto the balcony.