Page 77 of Blame It on the Bikini
"I've always wanted you to feel like I was a worthy successor, that you would be proud to turn your company over to me."
"I do feel that way, Grayson."
"I'm glad. But I can't run the company the way you did. I'm not you. And there will be changes going forward because I don't want to live a life that isn't authentically mine. I don't want to ever feel trapped in a web of my own making, which is basically the way you've described your life to me."
His father smiled. "That is a good description. I don't want you to get me wrong. I did love your mother. We had a lot in common. We had shared goals. And we wanted the same things."
"But you didn’t have the magic with her that you felt with Josie." He paused. "Did you give Josie a locket?"
"I did. How did you know that?"
"Because Lexie and I found it in the cave, and Josie said she'd lost it a long time ago. You were there with her, weren't you? Did you and Josie scratch your initials into a heart on the wall of that cave, too?"
His father's gaze widened as he gave a nod. "Yes. We were in the cave and scratched our initials into the rocks. I can't believe they're still there."
"They are."
"Amazing." He let out a sigh. "When we got out of the cave, we stood on the rocks and watched the tide come in, and it felt like the water was erasing everything that had happened between us. Our time was up, literally and metaphorically. We kissed goodbye and I never saw her again."
"Did Mom know about Josie?"
"No. She never asked about my four weeks in Oceanside. Once I got back, she just pretended it had never happened, and so did I."
"How could you get married, knowing you cared about someone else?"
"Because Josie was right; she couldn't give me what I needed, and I knew that your mother and I were better suited."
"Were you?" he queried. "You've been separated for the last two decades, maybe not officially, but still…"
"Even if your mother and I weren't the perfect couple, I wouldn't have liked Josie's lifestyle. She wouldn't have been the right person for me, either, because I wanted a much bigger life than she did."
"That's true. I can't see you living at Ocean Shores."
"It would not have suited me, but it suited her, and I cared about her."
That actually made sense. "So you left the woman who filled you with passion for a woman whose ambitions matched your own. But you weren't all that happy with her, either. Why didn't you and Mom get divorced? Why stay together all these years?
"I've never wanted to marry anyone else, and your mother has never wanted a divorce. We live our lives in a way that you don't understand, but it works for us."
"I don't understand it. I wouldn't want to be married to someone I didn't passionately love. But if it works for you and Mom, I guess I have no right to judge."
"I know we didn't provide the best example for a happy marriage. And I probably haven't provided the best example for running a large company, because I've been selfish, single-minded, and ruthlessly ambitious for most of my life."
"Which is why I can't understand why you wanted me to get to know the people I'm going to evict."
"Because I see you turning out like me, and I don't want that for you, Grayson. I can't tell you what to do. You have to live your own life, but I thought if I forced you to spend time in a place that had given me perspective, it might do the same for you." He paused. "You mentioned having had a few adventures while you were in Oceanside. Was there a woman involved in those trips?"
"Yes. Josie's niece, Lexie. She used to be a lawyer, but she gave that up to become a photographer. She's not as free-spirited as her aunt, but she has a creative passion that's inspiring. She looks at the world differently than I do. She's not about making money or having an important career. She's about telling a story, putting a light on something that no one has ever noticed before."
"Sounds like you care about her."
"I do, which is shocking because she has been the most vocal opponent of a possible building sale. She and Josie are the center of that community. And Lexie is a fighter. She is fiercely loyal to her friends, and she is stubborn as hell." He took a breath. "She will hate me forever if I sell the building. She loves it so much. They all do. Everyone who lives there. They welcomed me in even though I'm the enemy. Part of that was to try to charm me, but for the most part, they were genuine in their interactions with me."
"Which will make your decision more difficult."
"That's for sure."
"So, what's it going to be, Grayson?"
