Kissing Eden (12 page)

“I think everyone wants to see Grey make this work. If he sells
the Palm, it should be because he wants to, not because he has to.”

Marin’s words resonated with me. All this time I couldn’t understand why Grey was so determined to hold on to the money pit his grandfather had given him. Maybe what it came down to was choices
. He wanted to have them, not be forced into them.

“You ready?”

I smiled at my new friend. “Yep. Let’s get the torches to the Palm.”

CHAPTER NINE

M
arin dropped me off at the Palm Palace office. She still had to finish her shift at the front desk before tonight’s bonfire. During spring break, the local group gathered on the beach as many nights a week as they could.

I had been looking forward to it all day. It was the first time Grey and I were going somewhere public as a couple. I was willing to expand the definition of
a public date to include a private beach party at night. I didn’t let the part about it being a group date bother me. These were my friends too and that made it feel a little more special.

Grey’s truck was gone. He had probably made a
nother supply run. The Palm Palace apparently didn’t accept the memo that he didn’t want to spend any more money on parts. This morning he found a crack in room eighteen’s sliding door. It looked like a seagull had flown smack into the glass. The patio was covered with feathers, but the offender had survived the crash.

The sun was setting on the sound side of the island, the perfect time to hit the beach for a run. I changed into my running shorts and tank top
, and jogged across the boardwalk.

The beach was littered with late afternoon sunbathers. I watched as two toddlers took turns dumping water out of their buckets and squealing every
time the waves lapped their toes. Their parents caught every second of the action with their phones and cameras.

I hadn’t explored the beach toward the south, so I took a right and settled into an even pace. My feet pushed off the sandy surface and I dodged rushing waves, making a game for myself. The farther I ran, the lighter my steps became. I was dancing across the surf like a gazelle in the grassy prairie. As soon as
I crossed the barrier for the first resort, I made a bounding U-turn for the Palm Palace. The MTV cameras were everywhere and the crowd on the beach was huge. I was having too much fun to start wading through the spring break mob.

The boardwalk steps rose from the sand and I took them two at a time. I was completely energized from my run. By
now, the beach was desolate and the sun had sunk almost to the horizon. The funny toddlers and their buckets were gone.

I slipped off my running shoes and stuffed my socks inside. From the perch of the
boardwalk, I inhaled the salt air and closed my eyes. I aligned my feet, before extending my arms and bending into warrior pose. If only my mom could see me now. I slid my feet so that they were touching and carefully brought my hands together over my head. The last rays of the sun pierced my back. Two more deep breaths in tree pose and I released my form, bending to grab my running shoes.

I felt his gaze before I saw him.
Grey was standing on the bottom step.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were there.” I blushed.

“What was that you were doing?” He tilted his head to the side and smiled, sending a jolt of electricity through my body.

I brushed the sand from my feet and wiggled my toes into the socks. “A little warrior pose, a little tree pose.”
Surely, people in Texas did yoga.

“
You looked beautiful.” He walked up the five steps to meet me.

Did he just say beautiful? I repressed an inner sigh.
“It’s just yoga. I do it with my mom all the time. I told you she teaches it, right?”

“I don’t think so. But, seriously
, you looked incredible up here. Did you go for a run too?” He stepped closer.

I looked down at my
tank top. It was stuck to me from perspiration. I was a beachy, sweaty mess. “Yes, it was amazing. I guess I kind of got caught up at the end.”

He leaned down and kissed me on the neck before helping me into a standing position.

“Sorry I missed it. I would have liked to have gone with you.”

“You run?” I couldn’t picture Grey running, but he obviously did something to keep his body looking like he could grace the cover of
GQ
at any second.

“Yeah, I run. I swim
. Maybe lift every now and then.”

Right, he didn’t look like that without a serious workout regimen.

“Ok, how about tomorrow morning we go for a run together?” I wanted to see him in action.

“You’re on
, college girl. But that means you’re going to have to actually wake up and get out of bed—early.”

I shoved him lightly. “Hey, I don’t stay in bed all day.”

His eyes instantly flared. “What about all night?” I knew that look.

Before I could hit him with a witty retort, he slung
me over his shoulder and jogged straight for my room.

“Grey! Put me down. We have the bonfire. I’ve got to take a shower.”
I wiggled in his tight hold.

He used his free shoulder to shove the door open. “Oh,
you need to take a shower? Hmm.” He sounded so serious I thought he might let my feet touch the floor. “Then I better help you out of those running clothes.”

I giggled.
“Grey! You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, you’re getting read
y to see how serious I am, baby.”

***

I loved how his hand felt around mine. It was warm, solid, and strong. Like, as long as he had me, I was safe and free at the same time. Was it possible that I had been holding hands with all the wrong people my entire dating life?

“Look who finally showed up!
” Marin greeted us at the edge of the blazing fire. We were fashionably late.

I shot Grey an I-told-you-so look, but he just winked at me and gave my hand a double-squeeze.

Country music competed with the sound of the waves hitting the shore. It looked like the usual gang was in attendance. Mindy and Tara were dancing, and Pick had saddled up next to Marin. I searched the faces for Connor.

“Is Connor here?” I asked Pick.

“Nah, he took the night off.” I could tell Pick didn’t want to share any details.

“That’s too bad. Tell him I said hey when you see him later
.”

I had a feeling things were going to be awkward with Connor, especially since my embarrassing encounter with his sister.
However, that didn’t stop me from wanting to be his friend. I liked him, and he and Pick had been so sweet my first night on the island.

“Sure, Eden. Don’t you two want something to drink?” Pick motioned to the collection of coolers.

“Yeah, sounds good. Darlin’, I’ll get you something.” Grey kissed me on the neck before shuffling through the sand to the drink stash.

“Babe, will you get me a refill?” Marin batted her eyes once and Pick hustled to the cooler.

“You’ve got him wrapped around your finger.” I smiled.

“Oh
, that? Unfortunately, it’s totally mutual.” She laughed. “I’d do anything for him. So, you two look all hot and heavy tonight.”

Marin loved to talk about Grey. Sometimes I thought maybe more than me. “Yeah, it’s intense. Totally mutual.” I was joking with her of course, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off him as I spoke the words. Deep down
, I had never felt more connected to anyone in my life.

Mindy and Tara ran over to us. “Hey, Eden. Come dance with us.” Tara tugged on my wrist.

I looked over at Grey, who was walking back with my red cup. He shrugged his shoulders and grinned.

“Ok, I’ll dance.”

Mindy started spinning with her arms in the air. She might be the quiet one, but I was starting to see how she ended up being the life of the party in Italy. Halfway through the song, Pick and some of the other guys had circled our dancing ring. Grey sipped on his drink and waved at me. I was trying to hold back my laughter as Pick wiggled down into the sand.

Marin hugged me as the song ended. “I’m so glad you’re here. I think this is my favorite spring break yet.”

“Me too.” I beamed at her.

Then
I walked over to the reason it was. Grey greeted me with a kiss, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

CHAPTER TEN

I
t was Thursday afternoon. We had two days until the luau, and only one until the guests started to arrive. I loaded the cleaning cart with towels, and began the process of checking each room for linens. Grey had given me the towel count. Each room was allowed four bath towels, four hand towels, and four washcloths. I had convinced him that three towels in a double room were not going to cut it.

I pulled a freshly washed stack from the cart and started folding the fabric so that the edges touched and draped over the towel bar in a perfect symmetrical rectangle. I stood back to admire my towel presentation. I might not know how to make fancy towel fans, but these looked quite crisp.

It was only last Friday when I was having daydreams of fluffy white spa robes and pina coladas by the resort pool. Today, I was a full-service motel operator serving fluffy towels to spring breakers who were on their way here.

“Now, if only I could find one of those French maid costumes, this would be perfect.” Grey stood in the doorway.

“Ha-ha, mister funny. I’m only on the third room. How are you doing?”

“Believe it or not
, I only have a few left. This is actually going to happen. The rooms are going to be ready for tomorrow.”

“That’s awesome.”
I folded one of the washcloths and placed it on the shelf.

“So, I had an idea.”
Grey strolled into the room and watched me work.

“Really?” I pulled another towel from the cart. “Something you want to add to the party?”

“No. It’s a thank you.”

“A thank you?”
I abandoned sorting the linens and turned to face him.

“Did you bring your passport?” Grey was smiling.

“I did. Just in case I got to go to Mexico. Wait. Are we going to Mexico?” I couldn’t keep the excitement from my voice.

“Maybe.”
Grey leaned toward me and grazed my lips with his mouth.

I inhaled th
e warmth of the kiss, and pushed against him. “Tell me. What is it?”

“What about a dress? Did Renee set you up with a pretty dress?”

I didn’t know where or when I was going to wear the strapless black dress when I bought it, but I was certain this was what it was meant for.

“Yes. I have a dress.” I smiled.

“Ok. Be ready tonight at six, in your pretty dress.” He walked backward out of the room and threw me a wink before closing the door behind him.

I pushed the butterflies down and sat on the edge of the bed. We were going on a real date—perhaps something we should have done before sleeping together. It didn’t really matter now
. Grey was taking me out in my new black dress.

***

I shouldn’t be nervous. I had been on other dates, but looking at my reflection, I realized it had been a long time. Brett never took me anywhere when it could be just the two of us. He definitely didn’t ask me to get dressed up unless it was one of his fraternity’s functions. That didn’t seem to count since there were hundreds of other people there with us. I was probably a sophomore the last time I dressed up to go out with a boy on a real date.

It was almost six o’clock.
The corners of my eyes were lined with a smoky charcoal eyeliner I picked up at Sandy’s Surf Shop. I puckered my lips a bit to smooth on a pale lip gloss. I hadn’t spent as much time as I thought I would in the sun, but it didn’t take much on South Padre to pick up a tan. My shoulders were already sun-kissed. I tossed my new makeup in a bag and straightened my lotion bottles around the sink. Tomorrow I’d move all of my things over to Grey’s room. True, it was only for two nights, but it felt like a big deal.

Once the spring breakers
arrived, our time alone at the Palm Palace would be over. Tonight, I wanted to make the most of every second we had together.

I grabbed the clutch Marin convinced me to buy and walked out of my room. Grey was standing in the corridor holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Wow. I don’t even know how to tell you how pretty you look.” Grey looked awestruck.

“Thanks. I think you just did.” I took the flowers. “I thought you weren’t the wine and roses guy.”

“Technically, these aren’t roses, so I’m still good.” He laughed. “You look so hot in that dress, I’m having second thoughts about taking you anywhere.” He leaned down to kiss my neck.

“You look pretty amazing too.” He was wearing dark jeans,
and a white fitted button-up shirt. The sleeves were rolled to his elbows. I looked at the ground and noticed his boots.

“Ah-ha! You are a cowboy! I knew it.”

“Everybody in Texas has boots. True fact.”

“Really or are you trying to cover up your cowboy side?” I teased.

He slid his hand into mine and led me to his truck. I loved that he opened the door for me. I was raised to take care of myself, but the gesture was sweet and nothing about it made me feel helpless. Grey pushed the buttons on the radio until it landed on a song that he seemed to like.

As he steered the truck over the bridge and toward the
sunset, it felt strange I hadn’t left the island all week. Everything I needed and wanted was on that one little stretch of beach.

Grey drove through flat dry stretches of land for almost an hour before we reached the Mexican border. I noticed the line of cars into the foreign country wasn’t nearly as long as the line of cars on the other side trying to gain entry into the United States. My palms were sweaty at the sight of so many armed guards and search dogs.

“Is this safe?” I wanted to sound confident, but this was my first trip to a border town and I wasn’t prepared for the guns or angry-looking men eyeing the fence line.

“I wouldn’t take you somewhere if I thought we wouldn’t be ok. I come here all the time with my buddies. The key is to stick with me
. You’ll be fine, darlin’.”

My chest still felt tight as one of the border patrol officers waved us through the gate and into Mexico. I hadn’t meant to grab Grey’s hand, but I needed some extra reassurance.

“Eden, it’s going to be fine, but we don’t have to have dinner here. I can turn around and we can find another restaurant.” He eyed me across the truck.

My comfort level was being tested
, and I was considering admitting that I had wimped out and needed the security of American soil under my cute black heels.

“But—if I turn around, you won’t get to see the surprise I have for you.” Grey smiled.

“What’s the surprise?” I was beyond curious to see what the no-wine-and-roses guy had planned.

“You are just going to have to trust me. I promise I’ll take care of you. Besides, with your right hook and drink-throwing skills you’re a one-woman combat machine.”

I giggled. The self-defense classes my father had bought for me last year paid off over spring break three-fold. Although, I doubted I would ever tell my dad exactly how the protection skills had come into play on my vacation.

I saw a group of girls my age linked arm in arm, laughing and walking in the same direction we were driving. Just ahead of them was a young couple strolling
with an infant.

“I want my surprise.” I settled into the seat.

“You sure?”

“Positive.”
I knew I was safe with Grey.

“All right, then. We’re already here.” Grey parked the truck behind a ruddy red brick building.

The sun had dipped behind the buildings of the border town, but not before throwing an orange hue on everything around us. I waited while Grey jogged around the front of the truck to get my door. I had learned a trick to see if a guy was going to open my door or not. I would pretend to touch up my lip gloss, and if he hadn’t stepped toward the hood of the vehicle in a few seconds, he probably wasn’t on his way to open my door. I knew, with Grey, I didn’t need this trick; he was all gentleman tonight.

I caught a hint of his cologne as he helped me step down from the truck. My stomach was instantly in butterfly knots when he smiled.

“Ready?” He offered his arm.

I nodded and tucked my hand through the crook of his arm.

Grey led me to a towering wooden fence. He knocked several times before an older woman cracked the gate enough to see us standing there. I kicked myself for not taking Spanish in high school or college. She and Grey were having an extensive conversation, and other than the words table and water, I couldn’t pick up much of the exchange. Why did I insist on learning German?

We walked into a courtyard. In the center was a bistro table, draped with a colorful floral tablecloth. Grey walked over and pulled out a chair.

“Is this for us?” I looked around at the mini-courtyard flanked with green tropical plants.

“It is.” He stood by the chair
, waiting for me to sit.

I looked up and saw sky blue lights strung across the table
, forming an X overhead. The petite woman who had let us in returned to the table with a pitcher of a deep red liquid dotted with orange slices.

“Are you going to sit?”
Grey asked, and nodded at the chair.

“Oh yeah, sorry.” I eased myself into the chair
, and Grey walked to the other side of the table. “Everything is so beautiful. I feel like I’m in a movie.”

He filled the empty glasses on the table from the pitcher and handed one to me. “This is the best Sangria you’ll ever have in Mexico.”

I sipped the fruity wine. “Wow. It’s good.”

Minutes later, our hostess walked in with a platter of nachos loaded with fresh avocados. I was used to mashed-up guacamole, but the slices were perfect. She nodded to Grey before exiting through the slatted swinging doors. I could tell by the sounds coming from the building’s entrance that beyond those doors there were other customers. It sounded like a restaurant.

“Ok, how did you pull all of this off?” I twirled an orange around in my glass. “We have our own private patio?”

“I wanted to do something special for you to say thank you. I never would have had
the Palm ready for tomorrow if you didn’t offer to help.”

“Thank you for the thank you, but you
know I wanted to help. I didn’t expect anything in return.”

“I know you didn’t
, but I wanted to do this. Besides, seeing you in that dress is worth it.”

I blushed. How could he do that to me so easily?

“You’re all booked up through the end of spring break. I think the Palm is going to do great once the word gets out that it’s open again and it has running water.” I laughed. “Plus, throwing an awesome party isn’t going to hurt your reputation with the spring breakers. Everyone is going to love it.”

“I think Pops would be proud I pulled this off.”

“I wish I could have met your grandfather.”

“He was a character, but he gave me everything he had. The man never met a stranger, or at least he didn’t let people be strangers.” Grey paused. “I miss him.”

I reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “He would definitely be proud of what you’ve done with the Palm. Most people would have given up or sold it at the first offer that came along.”

“I guess I’m stubborn.”
He sipped the sangria.

“Stubborn and loyal—those aren’t bad things. Do you know what you’re going to do next? Will you finish your engineering program?”

“How do you know about that?” Grey withdrew his hand.

I wasn’t sure if I had touched on a nerve that was better left alone, but I wanted to know what his plans were for life after spring break.
“Lots of little birds on the island told me you were in grad school. I want to hear more about it. What were you studying to be when you grow up?”

He laughed. “When I grow up? I’m still trying to figure that out. If I go into all the engineering stuff
, I think I’ll bore you to death.”

“Try me. I’m a good listener.” I wanted to know the kinds of things that appealed to Grey. He was naturally gifted in fixing things, but I could tell he didn’t like it.

He leaned across the table. “Ok, my concentration is in composite material development.”

He might have well just started speaking in Spanish again.
However, I prodded him to continue.

“I was in a design class and one of the professors sort of took me under his wing and introduced me to composite material design. Basically, we try to find ways to use the best materials that create the most energy, cost the least, and work.”

“Wow. That sounds complicated.” I was impressed.

“It can be. But it’s kind of like a puzzle. I like trying new materials together to see what happens.”

“Like what kind of things?” I asked, liking the way his eyes lit up when he talked about engineering.

“I’ve been focusing on the composite of wind turbines. There are some grants in the works to start a wind power program for the island.
I thought I could stay in South Padre and work for the company who lands the grant. It would be the perfect fit.”

“
It does sound perfect for you.” I tried to imagine Grey concentrating on blueprints and windmill specs instead of busted shower parts. “It had to be hard to put something on hold that you’re so interested in to take care of your grandfather. That couldn’t have been easy.”