Page 34 of Blame It on the Bikini
Jeff was ten years his senior and chasing women far younger than him. It should have seemed enviable—the freedom, the wealth, the endless options, a new beautiful woman every weekend, but it just seemed…lonely.
The waitress brought them another round of drinks, and Jeff raised his glass. "To working together. To our generation making things even bigger and better than they've been."
He clinked his glass, sipped his Scotch, and felt far too eager to end the meeting. And as their conversation moved to golf, Jeff's third favorite topic after business and women, he wished he could find an excuse to leave.
As if on cue, he got a text. It was from Victoria.
The Children's Hospital gala is next Saturday. Should I put you down as my plus-one? It's the social event of the season. Let me know ASAP. The tables are filling up fast.
He stared at the message, feeling a distinct lack of interest in her text, too. What was wrong with him? Golf and society events were as much a part of his life as Jeff's. But right now, that life felt very far away. And Jeff had just reminded him that women like Victoria didn't like casual relationships that weren't going anywhere.
"Problem?" Jeff asked.
"Yes," he said, seeing his opportunity to go. "There's an issue with a deal I'm doing in Singapore. I have to make a call. But this has been good. I'll be in touch."
"I hope to hear from you soon."
He nodded, took another sip of his scotch and then got up and left. Jeff called the waitress over as he walked away, and when he got to the door, he looked back and saw them chatting. Jeff really didn't waste an opportunity when he saw one.
But he was more than happy to go. He was tired and feeling off. He needed a good night's sleep. Then he'd start feeling more like himself again. But as he neared Ocean Shores, he thought about Jeff's plans to turn the complex into a luxury condo building, to create a spa nearby, perhaps with pickleball courts, and other entertainment opportunities. This whole area would look completely different. It wouldn't be a neighborhood for the average person, someone working a blue-collar job like Kaia or Ben, or building their own businesses, like Lexie, Ava, Liam, Madison, and Gabe.
That wasn't his problem, he reminded himself. Change always came. Progress couldn't be stopped.
But it wasn't just thinking about Ocean Shores that had made him feel restless; it was seeing Jeff, hearing him talk about their shared world. Did he want to follow the same path as Jeff? Did he want to be chasing deals and younger women when he was forty-three? He'd never thought much about marriage or family. He hadn't seen a loving marriage between his parents, and it was the excitement of eventually running his father's company that had always gotten him up in the morning.
With a sigh, he pulled into the parking lot just after eight. He could hear the soft murmur of conversation and laughter as soon as he walked into the courtyard. Lexie was sitting on the other side of the pool at a table with Kaia and Emmalyn, a bottle of wine between them, the string lights over the pool casting a warm glow over their faces.
He paused in the shadows, knowing they'd invite him to join them as soon as they saw him. But that would be a mistake. He'd already gotten too close to Lexie. The cave experience and the kisses that had followed had been damned good. Too good. Too memorable. Which was why he was going into his apartment and locking the door, not to keep anyone out, but to keep himself in.
Chapter Nine
Lexie spent most of Sunday going through her photos. They were the best photographs she’d ever taken—leaving her proud but also annoyed it had taken her so long to push herself.
As she looked back at her life since leaving her father's law firm, she saw how one day of busywork had led to the next, how she'd gotten caught up in helping her aunt, then in all the side jobs to bring in money. She'd been memorializing the most important moments of other people's lives, but she hadn't been living her own life.
But yesterday, that had changed. Going into that cave had freed her from all the restrictions she'd placed on herself, and she was never going to be the same woman she was. And she had Grayson to thank for giving her the impetus to change things up, to have a thrilling adventure, to push herself in a way she never had before. It was an experience she would never forget. Nor would she forget the kisses they'd shared. Because she had a feeling that wasn't going to happen again.
Grayson hadn't talked to her since they'd gotten back yesterday morning, and she'd seen him slip up to his apartment last night without coming over to say hello, which meant he hadn't wanted to talk to her, which was a little disappointing.
While she might normally respect his desire for space, she couldn't let him have too much space, because she still had to stop him from selling. She had to keep trying to bring him into the group, even if he didn't really want to. She might need some help to do that. And as she walked out of her apartment around four, she found just the people she was looking for.
Emmalyn and Hunter were sitting at the pool as Olivia and Henry swam nearby. She sat down on the lounger next to Emmalyn. "Are you two babysitting?"
"Yes," Emmalyn replied. "Paige and Bree are getting their nails done. They needed some no-kid time, and neither one of them can join us for girls' night at Maverick's tonight, so I thought this would be fun for them."
"That's nice of you." Emmalyn was one of the kindest women she'd ever met.
"Are you coming tonight?" Emmalyn asked.
"Definitely," she said. "I could use some girl time."
"Isn't it always girls' time?" Hunter drawled. "You two were out here with Kaia last night until almost eleven."
"Did you miss me?" Emmalyn asked Hunter with a sexy smile.
"I always miss you," he said with a laugh. "You know that."
As they exchanged a warm look of love, Lexie cleared her throat. "I need a favor, Hunter."
