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 brid
ge is dollar signs.”