Chapter 1 #2
"Another time. It's too hot." She pulled into the station with relief. "All I want right now is air-conditioning."
Jax Ridley stood outside Manion's a little after nine, the live music drifting through the open door, giving him mixed emotions.
It was the first time in months he felt the urge to go inside, but giving in to it would take him down a road he didn't need to travel.
Instead, he headed down the street to his car.
He'd parked by the pizza parlor, where he'd grabbed a couple of slices before taking a walk in the cool evening air, a pleasant respite from the heat of the day.
He'd needed to get away from his stuffy apartment at Ocean Shores where the air- conditioning barely worked and the hot weather had brought the tenants out to the pool as soon as they got off work.
When he'd left, there had been an impromptu barbecue going on, which seemed to occur at least three times a week.
He'd managed to avoid the social events in the two months he'd been living in the building, but as time went on, he knew it would become more difficult to do that.
When his former agent had hooked him up with the manager of the building, he'd been looking to escape, and he'd thought a beachside apartment in Oceanside was just the ticket.
But he hadn't realized the apartment building would be so community-oriented, which was not the ideal environment for someone who wanted to stay out of sight.
Not that anyone had appeared to recognize him so far. Sometimes, he didn't know whether he should be offended by that or grateful. It reminded him that his fame had never been as bright as his former partner's, and maybe he should be thankful for that, too.
As he got into his car, his phone buzzed with a series of texts.
He glanced down at the screen, catching glimpses of incoming messages from his former agent, Clay Henning.
Seeing Wren's name in those texts made him immediately set the phone down.
He didn't want to talk to Clay about Wren, about his former life, or anything.
He started the engine and pulled out of his spot, his phone buzzing on the console several more times. As he stopped at a light, he glanced at it again, seeing new texts from Wren's manager and her publicist.
Swearing under his breath, he turned off his phone and started across the intersection.
Despite his resolve not to get involved in whatever discussion they were having, his thoughts were taking him back in time to a life that had had so many ups and downs, so many low points and high points, so much drama that he probably should have expected it to combust long before it had.
But that was the past. He was starting over. He had left all that behind him.
As he turned the corner, his headlights suddenly caught a man stepping right into the path of his car.
He slammed on the brakes and swerved to the right, hitting a recycling bin as his car came to a stop on the curb.
He jumped out of his vehicle and saw an older man with gray hair, wearing a wrinkled suit, standing in the middle of the street looking around in confusion.
Before he could take a step, another car pulled up, and a woman jumped out of the vehicle, her red hair catching his attention. He'd seen her before at Ocean Shores. She was one of his neighbors, the one who was always at the pool, the one with the stunning body and shockingly pretty face.
But she wasn't looking at him. She was running toward the man in the middle of the road.
"Mr. Cobb," she said. "It's me, Kaia Mercer. I saw you earlier today. The paramedic, remember? Let's go to the sidewalk." She tried to take his arm.
The old man shook her off. "What are you doing here?" the man asked in confusion.
"I'm getting you out of the street. It's not safe."
"I don't need your help."
"Mr. Cobb, please…"
As another car came down the street, he sprinted forward, not wanting to see another accident right in front of his face. "Let's get you both out of the street," he said.
Kaia turned her head in surprise, recognition flashing through her eyes. But she didn't say anything. She tried to grab the old man's wrist, but he was too quick, and she missed. Still, she pleaded, "Come with me, Mr. Cobb."
"I'm going the other way," the man said. "I have to find the red door. It's on this street somewhere."
Deciding it was better to go along than argue, he said, "Let us help you find the door."
"You know where it is?" the man asked as the approaching car leaned on its horn, making him jump.
"Come this way," he said, urging him toward the sidewalk.
"Oh, okay," the man said, shuffling his feet toward him. "I thought it might be on the other side."
As they escorted the man to the curb, he wondered how he was going to tell the guy that he had no idea where the red door was; he'd just wanted to get him out of the street.
"Are you feeling okay, Mr. Cobb?" Kaia asked the man when they reached the sidewalk. "Have you checked your blood sugar?"
"It's fine," the man said, an irritated look on his face. "Why are you always around anyway? Are you following me?"
"No. I keep getting called to your apartment because you keep falling down."
"Well, I didn't fall now. Leave me alone."
"You live a couple of miles away from here, Mr. Cobb," Kaia said, ignoring the man's request. "How did you get here?"
"I took a cab, and I'll take one back when I'm ready. I just need to find the red door." He turned to Jax. "You said you saw it."
"I'm not sure now that it was red. It might have been orange."
"The one I'm looking for is red," Walter said.
"Wherever you're going, it's probably closed. It's almost ten," he said. "Maybe you should wait until tomorrow. It will be easier to find the door in the light."
"It's that late?" the man asked.
"It is."
"Then I guess I'll call a cab. My granddaughter put the number in for me."
"I can take you home," Kaia offered.
"I don't need a ride from you. I can find my own way. I'm not a child." Walter punched in a number and then started talking with the cab company a moment later.
Kaia's gaze turned to him. "You're Jax—right? My neighbor?"
"I've seen you around the building," he muttered.
"I'm just a few doors away on the first floor. I guess we finally ran into a situation where you couldn't take off without talking to me," she added, a sharp, dry note in her voice.
"I guess we did. How do you know this guy?"
"I'm a paramedic. I've been called to his house several times, including earlier today."
"Not because I called you," Mr. Cobb interrupted as he put his phone into his pocket. "Nosy neighbor is always butting into my business. Cab is coming. You two can go."
"I'm going to wait," Kaia said.
He shrugged. "Suit yourself."
As the man crossed his arms in resignation, Kaia did the same, clearly determined not to leave the man alone until he was in a cab. That was probably a good idea, since he'd been wandering into traffic just a few minutes earlier.
"Who are you?" the older man suddenly asked, his gaze swinging to him.
"Jax Ridley. You walked in front of my car."
"Pedestrians have the right of way."
"You weren't in the crosswalk; you were in the middle of the street."
"I was looking for the red door, and you were probably going too fast."
"I was not speeding. You need to watch where you're going."
"You need to mind your own business," he snapped. "There's my ride."
As the cab pulled up, Mr. Cobb headed toward the curb.
"Check your blood sugar when you get home," Kaia said. "And eat something."
Her only answer was the slam of the car door.
She shook her head in frustration as the cab pulled away. "That is a bad situation that is going to get worse."
"Well, Mr. Cobb didn't seem to want our help."
"He's very difficult," she agreed. "I wonder what that red door was about. Do you know where it is?"
"No idea. I just wanted to get him out of the road."
"I was right behind you when he darted in front of you. I'm so glad you didn't hit him. You had a quick reaction."
"Lucky for him."
"Thanks for staying to help." She paused. "You know, when we see each other at Ocean Shores, you can say hello. I won't ask for your social security number or anything. You don't have to run away every time someone gets close. We're a friendly group, but privacy is also respected."
"Seriously?" he asked doubtfully. "It seems like everyone at Ocean Shores is in everyone's business."
"The people who want to be part of the group are part of it. Those who don't are not. No judgment."
"I think you've been judging a little."
Guilt flittered through her eyes. "Maybe. But you're not the first mysterious stranger to live in the building, and at some point, everyone comes around."
"I'm not being mysterious. I just like my privacy."
"Then I'll say goodnight." At that, she walked back to her car and got inside.
As she drove away, he felt a mix of emotions.
The almost-collision had woken him up in a weird way, and it felt like something had shifted.
He didn't feel numb anymore. His nerves were firing in an almost painful way.
He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Maybe once he got home, back in his apartment, behind a locked door, it would shift back…