Turn Over(77)

It looked like the tide was going out. There was more beach under my feet. I cranked up the volume on my playlist and picked up the pace. The clumps of tourists were thicker on this part of the beach. The hotels were bringing them in faster than the sand castles were washed out by the waves on the beach. This is what we should have done with the Palm. We should have turned it into a hotel or condo rental that reached the sky. There was untapped money potential in that piece of land that I passed up just to try to stay in the good graces of the only bit of family I had—Grey.

I felt the sweat run down my neck and the burn in my calves. Beach running wasn’t easy, but every time I was on the island I had to get it in. People told me I ran into challenges on purpose. I didn’t look at it that way. What was the point of doing something if I couldn’t prove I do it better than anyone else? Tackling challenges was my way of showing I could outmaneuver anyone in a boardroom, outrun anyone on the beach, and out play anyone at life.

My phone beeped as a call interrupted the music.

“Yeah? What is it Mark?”

“Good morning, sir. The financials are in for the Cove project. I sent them to you five minutes ago.”

“All right. Thanks for letting me know.” I stopped next to one of the hotel boardwalks so I could hear him better.

Mark was the newest member of my staff. I hired him straight out of college. He was working on his MBA at night. I thought it showed he had goals. I didn’t want someone complacent on my team.

“Do you want me to tell them you’re going to make an offer?”

“I’d like to look over the report first.” Mark was green. I had hoped he would pick up on the way I ran my business a little quicker. Maybe the grad studies would help.

“Right. That makes sense. Ok, well I’m in the office. Let me know what you want me to do next.”

“Mark—” I started to launch into a rundown on business concepts, but I was wasting my breath. “I’ll call you when I review the file.”

“Sounds good, sir. When do you think you’ll be back in the office?”

That was something else about him. He always wanted to know where I was. “I’m in Padre for a few days. I hope to have my hands full here. What’s up?”

“Nothing, I just—we just were wondering if you would be back in the office soon.”

“You’ll know when I’m back. Anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“Thanks, Mark.” I clicked the call back to my music. I looked up at the sun. It was high enough to start making the beach unbearable. I pivoted in the sand and started running toward the Palm.

I jogged up the Palm’s new boardwalk and along the sidewalk into the office. It was no longer a one-room shack. It was an actual office for the condos. There was a display room and a clubroom where the residents could gather for social events. I insisted the only way they could draw in high-priced buyers was to offer something the rest of the island didn’t have.

I was pleased with the design they came up with. It was professional and elegant, a far cry from the tacky neon sign that used to blink in the window. It was a bonus the air conditioning worked. The old one rattled every time someone opened the door.

“Do you ever wear a shirt?” Eden walked out from her office.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” I never tired of bugging her. I knew I was a dripping, sweaty mess. “Promise I won’t sit on your new furniture.”

She rolled her eyes. “How thoughtful. I didn’t know you were in town.” She walked to the coffee machine and inserted a gourmet packet. There must have been fifty different flavors.

“Got in last night kind of late. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Thanks. I tell Grey all the time you’re capable of being considerate.” She retrieved her cup. “Coffee?”

I shook my head. “Nah. I’m going to grab some water.” I filled a plastic cup by the water cooler.

She settled on one of the couches in the clubroom. Her blond hair fell on either side of her neck. “What deal has you in town this time?” she asked.

“Actually that’s why I stopped by. Could you print a file for me? I need to look it over.”

“Sure. Send it to my email.”

I wouldn’t lie and say I wasn’t attracted to Eden. But she was marrying Grey and from the start she only had feelings for him. He was a lucky guy. She was beautiful and smart. Somehow, she had become part of my family unit. She was like a sister—make that more like a hot stepsister.

I sent the email from my phone and waited while she downloaded it to the printer. She returned from her office a few minutes later with a stack of papers in her hand.