Turn Over

“Yes, sir. We’re on it.”

“Good. I’ll look for your email.”

I jogged up the stairs. I debated whether to stop by the office and chat with Eden, but I already knew how that would go. She would try to convince me to call Sydney. Urge me to try to work things out. Eden didn’t understand a two-day relationship didn’t need fixing. Walking away was the best thing I could have done.

I chugged the rest of the water in my water bottle then turned to the coffee pot to fill a mug, and walked onto the balcony.

The beach was starting to come alive with tourists. Striped umbrellas. Plastic buckets filling with sand to build castles. I leaned over the railing, studying the people on vacation.

I sipped my coffee. My body starting to cool under the shade of the balcony, and the breeze whipping off the ocean.

I heard a knock on the door and left my mug on the balcony. I opened the door. Grey stood in front of me.

“What’s going on, man?” I made way for him to enter the condo.

“Saw you run up from the beach.”

“Yeah, good run. Have to do it before it’s too hot.”

“I hear you. I’ve been running the past few nights. It’s the only way I can get it in.”

He walked inside.

“Want some coffee?” I offered.

“That’s all right. I’m good.”

He followed me onto the balcony, where I picked up the mug again. “How’s Eden?”

“She’s working in the office.”

A family set up for a day on the beach in front of us. Grey looked on the horizon.

“A bunch of us are getting together tonight for a bonfire. Think you want to stop by?” Grey asked.

“I haven’t been to one of those in a while. Is the usual group going to be there?”

He nodded. “Yep. Pick, Marin, Connor, Eden, and me. I’m not sure who else is in town this weekend.”

“All right. I’ll stop by.”

“And don’t let Eden give you a hard time about that girl. She’s just trying to help.”

“I know. She wants everyone to be happy.”

Grey smiled. “Yeah, she is on a mission. Sorry things didn’t work out for you.”

“Who said they didn’t work out?”

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He shrugged. “True. I guess we all have different goals.”

“I had a good time. I’m not looking for anything serious. I’ve been pretty open about that.”

“You don’t have to explain it to me. If I hadn’t met Eden, I’d be doing the same thing. I wasn’t interested in anything else.”

I thought about it. I wasn’t sure we were the same kind of men when it came to women. Grey was certainly more domesticated than I was. Before Eden he had lived with a girlfriend. That had never happened to me. I made sure of it.