Chapter 2
Chapter Two
The pool at Ocean Shores was Kaia's favorite place.
The water was where she let go of everything, all her worries, all her concerns, especially those that came from the job—the people she couldn't save and the ones she helped but couldn't stop worrying about, like Walter Cobb.
He could have been badly hurt last night.
Thank God, Jax had stopped in time. Running into him had certainly been a surprise.
And the fact that he'd spoken to her was even more surprising.
He'd been skulking around in the shadows for months.
But she didn't want to think about him right now.
Ocean Shores on a Saturday morning in late June was a particular kind of paradise, and she just wanted to enjoy it.
The building was a sprawling beachside complex—two stories of sun-bleached stucco arranged around a central courtyard, with a pool at its heart and palm trees that threw long, swaying shadows across the deck.
Bougainvillea climbed the south-facing walls, and the salt air drifted in from the beach across the parking lot.
It wasn't a fancy pool. The tile had been patched more than once, and the lounge chairs were old and somewhat lumpy, but the courtyard and pool were always alive in a way that other apartment buildings weren't. There was a feeling of community, of family, and no matter how many tenants tried to stay away from it all—like Jax Ridley—most eventually came around and became a part of the group.
But she wasn't sure what that would take when it came to him.
She knew nothing about him, and when anyone asked, Josie, who was the manager of the building, just told them that she knew who he was and everyone needed to respect his privacy.
So that's what they'd done, but she couldn't help being curious.
And she wondered if the next time they ran into each other, he would say hello.
She thought the odds were probably less than fifty-fifty.
Stripping off the skimpy cover-up she wore over her light-blue bikini, she stretched out on her usual lounger with a happy sigh.
She'd applied her usual sunscreen to protect her fair skin, but she was lucky that she tanned instead of burned.
It was an odd trait for someone with hair that was a mix of red, brown, and blonde.
Chestnut, her mother had called her particular shades, but that was when she was a child.
Now, she mostly thought of herself as a redhead.
And she was fine with that. She liked being different.
"You look like you could use a drink." Lexie appeared beside her, holding out one of two glasses of iced tea with a sprig of mint. She wore a white bikini top with cutoff shorts, and her dark hair was pulled up in a messy knot. As Lexie sat down on the adjacent lounger, she said, "Damn, it's hot."
"Tell me about it." She took a long swig of the cold tea. "I'm so happy I do not have to put on my uniform again until Monday. Hopefully by then the heat will have broken."
"How was work yesterday?"
"Long."
"You still have a sub for a partner?"
"Yes. I got to spend eight hours with Eric Valero, the most annoying partner I have ever had."
Lexie smiled. "Did he ask you out again?"
"Of course. He does not take a hint. Oh, and he talked about wanting to move in here. I told him there were no openings. Maybe you could mention that to your aunt, in case he contacts Josie."
"I'll let her know. Did you see Emmalyn's text? She's having a crisis about the amount of lace in her wedding dress. She thinks it's too much, and she's made a terrible mistake."
"Emmalyn worries too much about what other people might think. She looks amazing in that dress. It's not my style, but it suits her perfectly."
"I agree. And she grew up in such austerity that she should have the wedding of her dreams and as much lace as she wants."
"Is she coming down to the pool?"
"No. She's going to run some errands before we meet her this afternoon for the final fitting of our bridesmaids' dresses. I can't believe her wedding is less than six weeks away."
"I have a feeling yours won't be too far off."
"Stop. Grayson hasn't proposed."
"He will," she said confidently. "The man is completely mesmerized by you."
"Now, you stop," Lexie said with a laugh. "Let's talk about something other than men."
"Ooh, I don't think I can, because I was just about to tell you that I ran into our mystery man, Jax Ridley, last night."
Lexie's eyes filled with surprise. "Really? Where?"
"Downtown. In the middle of the street. An old man walked right in front of his car. Jax stopped in time, thank goodness. I was right behind him, and I knew the man from a call I had earlier in the day, so I got out to help."
"Was the man all right?"
"He seemed confused in the beginning, but he got clearer as we spoke. He eventually got a cab home."
"And Mr. Ridley? Did you talk to him?"
"Briefly. He recognized me, and I might have mentioned that he didn't have to sprint away every time he saw me…"
"You always get right to the point, Kaia. What did he say?"
"Not much. I told him we respect everyone's privacy, and he said it didn't look that way to him, that everyone appeared to be very much in everyone else's business."
"He's not completely wrong. We can be kind of nosy."
"But we draw the line at being too invasive. Anyway, he didn't seem to believe me, nor was he inclined to keep talking. When I got home, I have to admit I looked him up on the internet. I know Josie told us all at the beginning not to go digging, but I couldn't help myself."
"What did you find?"
"Nothing, which makes me wonder if he's using his real name. It's rare not to have a fingerprint online."
"I'm sure his story will come out at some point.
But please don't tell my aunt you looked him up.
She's oddly protective of him, and I don't even understand how she knows him.
But she told me he needs the healing properties of Ocean Shores and to leave him alone.
She said specifically to tell you that."
"Oh, come on. I'm not the nosiest person in the building."
Lexie gave her a pointed look.
"Well, maybe I'm a little more curious than some of you now, because you're all too busy being in love…"
Lexie's cheeks warmed, and something darted through her brown eyes. She looked as if she wanted to say something but then thought better of it.
"What?" she asked warily, always one to call out the elephant in the room. "What did I just say?"
"Nothing."
"Was I too sarcastic about you being in love? I didn't mean it that way."
"No." Lexie licked her lips. "It's just…Well, Grayson and I looked at houses the other day."
Her stomach clenched. She'd known this day was coming; she just hadn't expected it to be so soon.
But despite having only gotten together about two months ago, Grayson and Lexie were living together and were very much a couple.
Grayson was also a rich guy, the owner of the building, in fact.
The idea that they would continue sharing a one-bedroom apartment here had never seemed like a long-term plan.
"I figured you would leave at some point.
" She tried not to show how disappointed she was at the idea of Lexie moving out.
Lexie was one of her best friends. So was Emmalyn.
And they were both moving on with their lives, while she seemed to be stuck.
But that was her problem, not theirs. "Did you find anything you liked? "
"There's a house about two miles from here, up in the hills. It has a pool and a great view. But I don't think I'm ready to move."
"Why not? What's really holding you here?"
"I still help Aunt Josie."
"Not that much. Not since you've been traveling to exotic places like Morocco and Anguilla and the south of France.
You've hardly been here the last several weeks.
And we're all very happy for you, by the way," she added.
"Your photos are amazing, and I can't wait for your show next weekend. Your career has taken off."
"It has, which is why I don't think we need to move. I have more assignments this summer, and Grayson goes back and forth to LA and New York. We should probably just stay here for a while, don't you think?"
"I would love for you to stay here. I can't imagine not seeing you around this place, but I completely understand why you would want more space."
"It's just too fast," Lexie said with a frown. "We don't need to rush. It's not like we're even engaged."
"What does Grayson say?"
"That he wants me to be happy, so whatever I want to do is fine with him."
"Well, there you go."
"Anyway, don't say anything to anyone. I shouldn't have even mentioned it."
"You can always talk to me, Lexie. I hope you know that."
"I know that, and I love you and Em, Madison, Ava, Paige, everyone… I can't really imagine moving away. You're all my family."
She could see the conflict in Lexie's eyes.
"Moving in with Grayson doesn't mean you're leaving the family.
And we wouldn't have this family if it weren't for you and Josie fighting to keep the building the way it is.
You don't have to sacrifice your happiness for us.
Nobody wants that. Things change. Look at all the new couples we have around here. "
Lexie frowned again. "That's the second time you've mentioned all the couples, all the love…is that bothering you?"
"Well, I am starting to feel like one of the last single women standing."
"There are more single women than just you in the building."
"I know. I'm fine," she said. "Really. I like my life. It's all good."
"Have you gone out with anyone interesting lately?"