The blonde waved at me, and I pushed forward.
Being single suited me. The relationship I had with Taylor was fun. She liked to go out and have a good time, but I could see that look in her eyes. The one that said she wanted a promise from me. A promise we would be together forever. I wasn't sure I was the kind of man who could make that type of commitment to any woman. Once I realized it was all she could think about, I knew I had to end it. I used the long distance as the reason. I didn't need another lecture on my commitment issues. Breakups never ended happily. I learned that a long time ago.
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.
"What is this?" she asked.
"Thanks." I flipped through the sheets of numbers. "This is my next land acquisition."
She threw a hand on her hip. "Tell me. What are you tearing up this time?"
"You know that trailer park at the other end of the island?"
Her eyes widened. "Yes. Beach Combers Cove?"
"That's the one. I'm trying to get a bid in for the land today. It's a private auction."
She sighed. "Why do you insist on building a high-rise here?"
"First of all, I never said it was a high-rise." She could read me like a book. "But more importantly, you keep forgetting I'm a developer. This is what I do. I buy. I build. I sell. I make a ton of money."
"Sometimes I think you're missing all the important things in life, Mason. There is more to Padre than money."
"Just because you drank the Kool-Aid and decided to move here doesn't mean it's for everyone, girl."
"You've never given this place a chance. All you see when you drive over the bridge is dollar signs."
I smiled wickedly. "And a lot of them."
"You're completely impossible, Mason."
I clutched the pages in my hand and walked toward the door. "Tell Grey I'll grab a beer with him before I leave."
She sighed. "Pete's tonight for drinks?"
"Sounds good. Meet you two there."
I shoved the glass door open. Today was going to be a good day. I had a new multi-million dollar project within reach again. That always made me happy.
I punched in Mark's number on my way up the stairs.
"Yes, sir?"
"Go ahead and get the proposal started for the Cove bid. I'll call back in a few minutes with hard numbers. Also, put in a call with our broker and tell them I want Barbara Haskins at the table. She's the best."
"Yes, sir. Anything else?"
"Wait for me to call."
I hung up. I needed to take a shower and get dressed. I had a lunch meeting at noon with one of the commissioners to talk about my high-rise. It was critical to make sure the political climate in Padre was warm enough for the idea. I wasn't about to spend millions if I couldn't produce what I wanted.
I pulled a crisp white shirt from the closet. I had started leaving more clothes here each time I breezed into town. I was waiting for Eden to tell me this condo had sold and I needed to pack my closet full of stuff, but so far the priciest one in the mix hadn't sold. It would happen. There were only five units still on the market.
I rinsed off and grabbed a towel from the rack. I wrapped it around my waist and walked to the kitchen. The Cove numbers were spread across the bar. If I was right about this, it could be my most lucrative beach project to date.
I jotted down a few figures and did some quick math. There was no way I wasn't going to throw my name in the ring for this one. I had been watching the island real estate for months. The timing was right. I pulled out my phone.
"Mark, I'm sending over my instructions. Put the numbers in exactly as I have them. Got it?"
"Yes, sir. I can do that. I'll call you when I get the bid together."
"Did you get in touch with the broker?"
"Yes. Barbara is on her way to South Padre now."
"Sounds good. I'll be waiting."
I typed out my email to Mark and hit send.
A few minutes later I closed the condominium door behind me, spun the combination on the lock, and jogged down the stairs. If it wasn't so damn hot I would pull the top back on my car, but this was an AC day-a scorcher even by Texas standards. I cranked the engine and peeled out of the parking lot. I wanted to run by the trailer park before lunch.
I slammed the car door behind me and stepped onto the gravel. This was one rundown trailer park, but I smiled knowing I was standing on a goldmine.