Page 3 of Blame It on the Bikini
"But you don't care about feelings," she said with annoyance.
"Look, I'm not trying to hurt anyone. If we decide to sell, there will be generous relocation packages for the tenants."
"Because money fixes everything, right?"
"Not everything, but it can fix a lot."
"From my experience, it can also ruin people. But, clearly, I'm not going to change your mind tonight." She paused. "We're having a barbecue in the courtyard. Why don't you join us after you dry off and get settled in?"
"I have work to do, and I had a late lunch. I'm going to be here for a month. There will be plenty of time for me to meet people."
"Fine," she said with exasperation. "But since half the building is in the courtyard, you're missing a great opportunity."
As she left the apartment, he let out a sigh, feeling completely off his game. He'd wanted to arrive as the professional business owner he was, not some idiot who fell into the swimming pool. That incident had changed the power dynamic, and he needed to get it back. But first, he needed to get his suitcases out of his car and take a shower.
Heading down the stairs, he was once again greeted by the sound of conversation and laughter. He tried not to make eye contact with anyone, moving quickly into the parking lot. Once at the car, he grabbed his suitcases and headed back inside. The little boy who'd hit him with the ball and his mother, Paige, were standing by the stairs, clearly waiting for him.
The little boy held a piece of paper in his hand. "This is for you."
"Henry wrote you a note," Paige added.
"That wasn't necessary," he said as he looked down at the note where Henry had written I'm sorry in big colorful, uneven letters. "Thank you for this. I accept your apology."
"I hate that your first impression of us was getting hit in the head by a ball," Paige said. "I know you're here to assess the building and our community."
He frowned at the worry in her expression. "Like I said, it was not a big deal. But I would like to change. So, if you'll excuse me…"
"Of course. I hope you'll join us for dinner or a drink later, once you get settled in."
"I'll see," he said, not wanting to get into a longer conversation.
As Paige and Henry left, he saw Lexie and several other people watching him, their expressions a mix of suspicion and worry. He quickly turned and jogged up the stairs. He needed to get himself together before he had any further discussions with the tenants. Once he changed, he hoped he'd start feeling more like himself.
Lexie gave Paige and Henry a smile as they returned to the pool area. "That was nice of you to give him a note."
"I'm not sure it helped," Paige replied. "I don't think he's coming to the barbecue. I'm so sorry this happened, Lexie."
"It's fine," she assured her. "We have plenty of time to make Grayson Holt see how great this place is and how amazing we are." She tried to infuse confidence into her voice, not wanting to let anyone get discouraged too early.
"Can I play with Olivia?" Henry asked.
"Sure," Paige said, following her son to the other side of the pool, where Olivia was playing with a boat on the steps of the pool, her mother, Bree, watching over her.
"I'm not sure forever would be enough time for that man to see how great this place is," Kaia said with a pragmatic shrug of her shoulders.
Kaia Mercer, a pretty redheaded paramedic who dealt with life and death situations, was also the most cynical person in their group of friends and tenants. And she always spoke the truth as she saw it, with little to no sugarcoating. Before she could reply, her aunt, Josie, joined them.
"It's enough time," Josie said with a bright smile.
At sixty-five, her aunt had an optimistic vibrancy that made her seem years younger. She'd been the manager at Ocean Shores for thirty-five years and had become a second mom to the younger residents and a good friend to the older tenants.
Lexie couldn't imagine what her aunt would do if the building was sold. It was her home, her career—her everything—which made her aunt's cheerful attitude even more inexplicable. Josie never seemed to be that worried about losing the building. She didn't know if that was just because her aunt had decided not to think about things that bothered her or just didn't understand the gravity of their current situation.
Giving her aunt a doubtful look, she said, "I don't get it, Aunt Josie. Why are you so hopeful?"
"Because we have him for a month. We just need to show Grayson how charming, supportive, and caring our community is. Make him feel like family."
"I don't think he wants to be a part of our family," she said. "And his stay certainly didn't start out well with his fall into the pool and the destruction of his very expensive phone."
