A waitress came and took their drink orders. Jake got a beer, but Faith had something different in mind. “I’ll have the Castaway Coconut, please.”
The waitress scribbled down the order and went to make their drinks. As she did, Jake located the drink on his menu and read aloud, “Vanilla Rum, Pineapple, OJ, and Coconut…” he read, and then squinted toward the page for a second before looking up at her. “It’s served in a real carved coconut?”
“Yep.” She smiled. “Bet you can’t get one of those at the Tides,” she teased.
He laughed, but sobered quickly, and she worried that she’d hit a nerve. It had just slipped out, but her point wasn’t to draw attention to his choices.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad about what you’ve chosen to build. I’m just trying to show you why I don’t feel comfortable there.”
“My ex-wife hated places like this bar,” he said, the comment coming out of nowhere.
“Oh?”
“She didn’t grow up here like I did, and I had a very hard time making her feel comfortable here. She always seemed unhappy, telling me how things around here could be so much better. I figured there were probably more people like her who would want something different than what we were used to down here. She saw the place as really behind the times. It made me aware of how others might perceive the area. I realized I could make it better, satisfy the people like her and show them that it wasn’t inferior to other beaches.”
The waitress brought their drinks and set them down on the table. “Are you ready to order?”
Jake nodded to Faith, allowing her to order first. “I’ll have the fish tacos,” she said, closing her menu and handing it to the waitress.
“Two, please.” Jake handed his menu over. When the waitress had gone, he cocked his head at her drink and started laughing. “It’s really carved!” he said with a chuckle. “What is that on the front of it? A monkey?”
Faith spun it around to have a look. The drink was enormous, and she had to hold it with both hands because her fingers couldn’t stretch around it. “Yep. I think it is,” she said as she took a sip. It was delicious and fruity, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a drink that good.
“Maybe your ex-wife just needed a drink like this.”
“My ex-wife would never have a drink in a coconut,” he laughed again. Then, he became serious. “I’ve been a property developer my whole adult life. I’ve built developments in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia… I know what I’m doing. Those developments are very successful. When we moved here, I was able to see the Outer Banks through her eyes, and as a developer, I knew what I could do here after she pointed it all out. There are people like her who will come here for the condos and the swimming pools, and the golf clubs. That’s what they want, and they want it just as badly as you want this.”
“But can you have them both here? Is there room for both?” She took a sip off the long, pink straw that jutted out from her coconut.
He chuckled again, that affection in his eyes that she hadn’t seen in a while. “I’m sorry. I can’t take you seriously when you’re drinking from that thing. It’s the size of a football! Good thing you’re not driving.”
He was avoiding the question, but she was happy to see that he hadn’t reacted badly to it. That was a step in the right direction.
“Look,” she said, seeing a sign by the bar. “There’s going to be live music tonight.”
He wasn’t smiling anymore. There were thoughts behind his eyes, but she couldn’t tell what they were.
“Would you come back with me tonight after the boat ride?” she asked, hoping her question would get him talking again.
“Only if you get a different drink,” he teased.
“Absolutely! There’s one in a fishbowl I’d like to try…”
Jake laughed and Faith was glad that she had lightened the moment between them.
“What made you choose Corolla for your developments?” she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. She was really upset about it, but she knew that if she dwelled on that, he’d never open up. She had to tread lightly.
“Well, there have been a few successful developments by others in the area. There’s still so much space there that there’s tons of room to add to what is already a great location, given the wide, clean beaches.”
“Corolla’s known for its small businesses. Will they be okay?”
“They’re not going anywhere. They’ll benefit from the increased tourism, like I said.”
“Aren’t you worried that it’ll get too busy and that will drive people away?”
“Other beaches are busy. There’s still Coquina Beach if you want open space. That’s part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, so no one can touch that. I think it’s just a matter of organizing the space here.”
“I don’t think it’s as easy as that. What about the wild horses? They won’t just magically move themselves. They’ll be squeezed out of their habitats,” she said. “What will it be like for them if, and when, all the land is finally gone? How many will survive?”
