Turn Over

“Just tell us what’s going on,” I suggested.

She looked over her shoulder. I could see from where we stood there was someone down by the waves. I thought it might be a girl. What the hell? I started to lay into Eden, but she was already scrambling.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.” Her eyes darted in my direction. “And she’s leaving anyway. I didn’t want you not to come, and she didn’t want you to have to leave.”

“Darlin’, darlin’.” Grey put his hands on her shoulders. “You are talking a mile a minute. Who is here?”

But I knew. She didn’t need to say her name or explain how it happened. I took off for the water.

“Mason, wait.” Eden tried to follow me, but Grey pulled her back in the circle.

“Let him go,” he instructed.

I didn’t know what I was going to do. I only knew I had to see her.

The music died down the closer I got to the surf. The fire bounced shadows off the water. Her silhouette was still. I stopped before I was close enough to touch her. She was staring ahead. Maybe at one of the ships sailing by. The wind kicked up and my body seized involuntarily when I smelled her shampoo. Her long hair danced all around her.

“Syd?” I called her name.

She turned around as if she had been expecting me to call her name. “I’m leaving. I swear I didn’t come here to crash your party. Eden didn’t know you would be here.”

“I know. She stopped me at the top of the beach.” I paused. “Second time today this has happened.”

“Second?” Even in the dark I knew the confused look on her face.

“I saw you earlier at the press conference.”

&n

bsp; “You were there and you didn’t say anything?”

“You were working. I was working.” I wasn’t going to tell her what seeing her did to me.

“Right. Because uncomfortable isn’t fun, is it?” She started to walk up the beach away from me.

“Hey, I thought we were talking.” I jogged to catch up to her.

“I’m going to tell Eden goodbye and head home. I don’t know what to say to you, Mason.”

“How about something that doesn’t make my head spin?” I glared at her harder than I intended to. She had me switching emotions faster than the waves rolled in.

“Your head? Are you saying I’m throwing mixed signals?” She sounded incredulous.

“Just tell me what in the hell happened in San Antonio, Syd. Can you do that?” I stopped huffing for a second to calm my voice. “Let’s not argue about it. Let’s not get mad. I want the straight, honest truth.”

“Which part? The part when I confided in you and told you things I’ve never told anyone, and then you kicked me out with a fucking credit card the next morning. Because that’s the part that really sticks out to me.”

I scratched my head. “I told you I had a business meeting. Two to be exact. How could you be mad at me for that? I made sure you were taken care of.” Was she seriously mad about that?

She stormed farther down the beach. “I can’t do this. I’m angry. I can’t talk about it without getting angry. I can’t look at you without wanting to claw your eyes out.”

“That sounds a little harsh, sweetheart.” She had walked past the bonfire party. This part of the beach was completely dark. I had to step closer to try to see her face.

“I’m serious.” She spun to face me. “I’ll leave. You can go back to the party. We don’t have to do this.”

“We need to do this. I don’t play games. If this is some kind of game to you, which I’m starting to get that feeling, I’m out. When I saw you this morning and then down by the beach again tonight, I thought I needed to say something. Try to apologize for something. Although I don’t know what had you so pissed.”

“You. You had me pissed,” She seethed.