Chapter 6
COLT
Istared up at the ceiling, listening to the sound of the waves rolling in and out.
Seagulls screamed at one another, likely fighting over whatever had been washed onto the rocks.
The AC was on, but I had opened my window before going to bed last night.
I wanted to fall asleep with the sound of the ocean in the background.
It should have soothed me, but it was a reminder of the way things had ended.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, rolled my neck, and flexed my leg muscles, which were a little sore after the extended run. But it felt good. I stood, stretched, and forced myself to ignore the window that overlooked the Banks property. Instead, I looked out at the water.
It was cloudy now but it would burn off. The beach was far busier than it had been last evening. There were plenty of beachcombers, joggers, and kids with parents trying to fly kites in the strong breeze.
Quaint. Scenic. The reason my family loved spending our summers here. I hadn’t exactly expected people like Summer and the other locals to welcome my new business with excitement, but I knew they would eventually see the benefits. Once the shock was over, they’d understand.
I pulled on a pair of shorts and went looking for coffee. I could smell it wafting up the stairs. As expected, the housekeeper had already been in and made coffee and what smelled like bacon. I poured a mug and opened the oven, grateful to see a plate with bacon, eggs, and two waffles.
I found Cody on the back terrace. He was already working.
He had blueprints spread across the entire width of the outdoor table, anchored at the corners with his coffee mug, his phone, and his empty plate.
I grabbed the small end table and dragged it over to rest my plate on.
He was bent over the plans with a pencil tucked behind his ear.
“You’re up early,” I said.
“Yep.”
He sipped his coffee before putting it back on the corner and sitting down. “You were out late.”
“Did I have a curfew?”
“I’m going to assume you ran into Summer Banks.”
I pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. “I did. Ran into her on the beach along with a bunch of other locals. They had a fire on the beach, like usual.”
“Yeah? How did that go?”
“Fine.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I can see by the look on your face it was fine. What happened? Is she up in your room? I didn’t hear any moaning. Did you have beach sex? I hate beach sex. The sand gets in all the places it shouldn’t be.”
“There was no sex,” I said with a shake of my head.
“Ah, that explains the pinched expression.”
“I don’t have a pinched expression.” I grabbed a piece of bacon and chewed it.
“But it wasn’t the reunion you were hoping for,” he said.
“I don’t know what I was expecting,” I said.
I told him about the conversation around the fire. The part where I told her about the port and the headquarters. I didn’t mention Bodhi pawing at her like he had to protect her from me. Cody would jump at that and make assumptions.
“She take it well?” he asked.
“She did not.”
“Mm.” Another sip. “That going to be a problem for you?”
I looked at him. “It’s going to be a problem for everyone in Surfside. It’s not personal.”
“Colt, this is Summer. Don’t pretend she’s just some average local. Summer fucking Banks. The woman I’ve heard about for years.”
“That was a long time ago.”
He finished his coffee. “I’m not trying to get into your business.
You know I’ve always kept my mouth shut about what went on between the two of you.
” He paused. “Three summers is a long time to keep something quiet. I get why you did it—her dad would’ve gone sideways, the age gap, all of it.
I’m not arguing with the logic.” He looked at me, making me understand how serious he was.
“I’m just saying. She’s not a random local who’s ticked off about a construction project.
And you know that. So I’ll ask again. Is this going to be a problem for you? ”
I stared at the ocean. The honest answer was something I wasn’t ready to put into words yet, so I went with the practical one.
“What happened between Summer and me stays between Summer and me. Her father still doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way for her sake.
He’s protective. Always has been. Finding out his daughter spent four summers sneaking around with the rich kid next door who was seven years older than her isn’t going to do anyone any good this late in the game. ”
“It’s not like she was underage. You make it sound like she was a kid.”
“I know she wasn’t a kid, but twenty and twenty-seven was a lot back then.”
“And now she’s twenty-seven. Big fucking deal.”
“It’s not just the age,” I said. “It’s more complicated than that.”
Cody leveled his gaze at me. “She’s going to be hard to avoid.”
“I know.”
“Beach house is right next door.”
“I know, Cody.”
“Just making sure we’re both clear on the situation. Am I running interference or letting you chase the woman that’s got a chokehold you?”
I grunted in annoyance. “She doesn’t haven’t a chokehold on me.”
“Colt, that woman has you by the balls.”
“That’s crass and no she doesn’t.”
“Let’s go into town,” he said. “I want to see what’s changed.”
“So we can see what they’re accusing us of destroying?” I retorted.
“Do you think that’s what we’re doing?” he asked.
“No.”
“You better sell it better than that,” he said.
I finished my breakfast and headed upstairs to shower and dress in a pair of khakis and a button-up. It was too much for the beachside town, but I wasn’t quite ready to do business in a T-shirt and shorts.
Dad’s old convertible had been sitting in the garage under a canvas cover since the last time the family had been out to Surfside. He had a caretaker that took care of the house and was supposed to start the car and keep it running.
Cody and I pulled back the canvas on the 1963 Porsche 356 convertible. Dad loved driving the car. It was his little summer ride. One of my favorite memories was of him driving us down the Pacific Coast Highway with the top down, wind whipping through my hair.
“I’m driving,” Cody said, flipping the key ring around his finger.
“Whatever,” I said.
We headed down the driveway and into town. It was close enough we could have walked but why walk when we could drive? Cody had one arm hooked over the door and his sunglasses on. People noticed the car the way they always did. Cody loved the attention.
We stopped at a red light. A white Jeep pulled up in the lane beside us, windows down, two women in sundresses with coffee cups and sunglasses, music playing. Cody reached over and turned our stereo down.
I watched him deploy the smile. The one that made girls swoon.
“Morning,” he said.
The women laughed. One of them said something back. Cody settled in like he had all the time in the world, one hand draped over the steering wheel, ready to charm.
I couldn’t resist messing with him. I reached over and slipped the gearshift into neutral.
“It’s green,” I said. “Can we go?”
Cody’s foot hit the gas and the engine roared. The rear tires chirped against the asphalt. He revved it again and we went nowhere. The two women in the Jeep laughed as they pulled away.
Cody slammed it back into first and got us moving. “You son of a bitch.”
“Green means go,” I said.
“I was in the middle of something.”
“You were flirting and holding up traffic.”
“I had a moment going. A real moment. Just because you want to live like a monk while we’re here, doesn’t meant I have to.”
“She was laughing at you.”
He glared at me, shifting into second. “I cannot believe you did that.”
“We’re not teenagers dragging the strip,” I said. “We’re businessmen.”
“I’m going to put your hand in warm water while you sleep tonight.”
He was still muttering under his breath when we turned off the main drag and onto Front Street. The stores along Front Street were mostly the same as I remembered. Lots of hand-painted signs and small-town charm.
“Not bad,” Cody said checking out the building that was being renovated to become our cruise-line headquarters.
We pushed through the main entrance. Judd Mathers was already there, standing at the far end, looking out through the wall of windows that faced the water.
He crossed the floor with his hand extended and shook mine firmly. “Colt. Good to finally be standing in the same zip code as you.”
“Good to be here,” I said.
“When you pitched Surfside, I was skeptical,” Judd said. “But I see the vision.”
Judd Mathers was a slick billionaire who had launched one successful enterprise after another in the travel industry. He had earned his fortune creating excursions that focused on luxury experiences. Now, he wanted to create something more “accessible” to attract more middle-class travelers.
And that’s where we came in. I was an investor because I was confident it would be a good business that was desperately needed. Everyone deserved the chance to enjoy a cruise. At least that’s how we were going to market it.
I hadn’t immediately thought of Surfside when we were first considering the idea.
But after a great deal of research, Surfside was the best option.
And I knew Surfside could benefit from the tourism and money the business would bring in.
Tourists ate, drank, and bought souvenirs.
That was all money in the wallets of the locals.
“It’s a beautiful place,” I said.
“It really is.” Judd nodded. “And the women. Top notch.”
Cody grinned. “Colt thinks so, too.”
“Got a special lady in the area?” Judd asked.
Colt shook his head. “Nah, just some summer flings.”
I knew in my gut it was more than that. People didn’t spend years thinking about a girl if she was just a fling. If anything, she was the most serious relationship I’d ever had.
Judd didn’t push it. I was so going to kick Cody’s ass for bringing Summer up. It was payback for putting the car in neutral. Brothers were awesome.
“Tell me about the plans,” I said.
“Demo starts on the interior first,” Judd said, dragging his finger along the floor plan. “We’re taking it down to the studs. We’re going to completely redo the exterior as well. We’ll probably have to redo the electrical and plumbing. This place is old.”
“What’s the timeline on permits?” I asked.
“Applications are in. Typically with these things, I can make a call. Not here. Things are a little different. I might need to be a little more… assertive.”
I couldn’t explain what it was exactly, but his comment didn’t sit right with me. It felt wrong.
I dismissed the thought. Judd had been doing business for a long time. It wasn’t unheard of for guys like him to have connections. We all did.
But Surfside was different. I felt oddly protective of the place that held a lot of good memories. Or maybe it was the woman that called Surfside home that had me second-guessing what Judd had planned.