After Tyler admits he’s feeling anxious, the tension seems to dissipate. We still haven’t talked about whatever is going on between us, but for now, it seems like we can shove it aside. Almost an hour after leaving the pub where we ate lunch, we turn onto the coastal highway that runs right along the edge of Washington State’s rugged coastline. Ocean Shores is a tiny little town perched right on the edge of the continent. We spent many summers out here when I was a kid, but it’s been a while since I’ve been here. I remember standing on these beaches, and my dad or my uncle Bob, Mason and Dylan’s dad, would almost always point out to the horizon and say something like “you know, if you stepped into the water right here and just kept going, the next land you’d hit would be Japan.” Mason and I would always roll our eyes when our dads would start talking like a couple of old sailors, but listening to those two get all philosophical are some of the best memories we have. It’s heartbreaking to think that Tyler never had any of those experiences growing up. It sounds ridiculous, but part of me wants to give him those experiences now. It wouldn’t be that hard. Just build a beach fire and roast some s’mores. It will be cold as fuck, but my chest does a funny, flippy thing when I think about how cool it would feel to show Tyler some of the best parts of my childhood.
I snort with laughter, and he shoots me a puzzled glance. “What?”
I shake my head. “Nothing, just having weird thoughts. It’s been years since I’ve been back here. It’s still pretty much how I remember it. I forgot how amazing this place is.”
Tyler smiles and looks past me out the driver’s-side window, watching the stunning waves lapping against the shore under the low, steely-gray clouds. I’ve always kind of thought of Tyler as a kid since he’s so much younger than me, but looking at him now, I realize that even with our age difference, I’m probably more of a kid than he is. This man has been through some shit in his short life. From the little I know of him, Tyler’s life wasn’t exactly a fairy tale before he joined the army. His family sounds like it was kind of messed up, and coming back from Afghanistan with a life-changing injury hasn’t made his life any easier.
A few minutes up the highway is the turnoff for the old resort. There’s a long, winding drive through a border of thick evergreen trees before it opens up to a clearing. The old hotel buildings cling to the cliffside over the crashing waves below. The main building is long and narrow. It’s a couple of stories tall, with rows of windows facing the water as the churning waves crash against the beach below. Its wood siding is bleached and faded from decades spent facing the harsh winds as violent winter storms roll in off the Pacific.
There are a couple of smaller buildings off to each side of the main one, and they look like they’re in the same condition. Everything is worn and weathered and in need of a serious facelift, but it’s easy to see the enormous potential here. This place could easily become a breathtaking, luxurious resort.
As we step out of the truck, the bitterly cold wind tries to steal the breath from my lungs. The ocean is wild and filled with whitecaps, and the trees have almost no branches on the side facing the water. Many of them are bent and curled in on themselves, so they look like people hunched over, trying to protect against the harsh weather. It’s also loud. The ocean’s roar provides constant background noise, but with the wind whipping past us, everything is heightened. Tyler looks at me and points to his ear. “I had to adjust the volume down because of the wind, so I won’t be able to hear you until we’re inside,” he says.
I nod and take a few steps toward the water, taking in a deep lungful of the salty ocean air. There’s an old wooden stairway zigzagging down the side of the cliff to the sand, and I can’t wait to go down to the beach and explore. I wonder if things will be the way I remember.
I glance at Tyler to find him almost glowing. His eyes sparkle as he gazes out at the ocean, his cheeks already ruddy from the cold wind. He turns to me with a smile bright enough to light up the night sky. And holy fuck, do I ever want to be the one to put that smile on his face, again and again. I give him a grin and then gesture to the biggest building. ”Let’s check out the inside,” I shout.
The inside is in better shape than the outside, but not by much. It has that damp, slightly musty smell that’s impossible to escape when you’re so close to the salt water. It’s bone-chillingly freezing inside the building too, but there’s a big stone fireplace taking up one wall.
“This will come in handy, especially early in the mornings or late in the evenings,” I say over my shoulder, but Tyler’s not facing me, and I don’t think he’s turned his hearing aids back on yet. He’s standing by the huge picture window facing the water. His face is full of awe, and for a second, I just stare at him. The afternoon sunlight shines directly into the room, giving him a kind of ethereal glow, and a warm, soft feeling expands throughout my chest as I watch him experience this special place for the first time.
A few minutes later, he turns toward me, and when he realizes I’ve been staring at him, his ivory skin turns pink, and he fumbles with his hearing aids.
“Shit, I’m sorry, I forgot to turn them back on when we came inside. Were you talking to me?” he stammers.
“No, you’re fine.” I smile, trying to put him at ease. “You looked beautiful.” Realizing what just came out of my mouth, it’s my turn to start stammering awkwardly. “Um, uh—I mean, you looked like you were really appreciating the view. It’s so beautiful,” I say lamely, and he gives me a shy smile.
“It’s really something,” Tyler says and then turns to take in the rest of the big room. Mason said there have been a couple of attempts to renovate this place over the last decade, but for one reason or another, none of them got completed, so a lot of upgrades are started but not finished.
“I think this room is going to have a check-in desk up toward the front, but most of the space will be a gathering area for guests,” I say before turning to head down the hallway.
“This place will be incredible once we’re done with it, as long as the guy can afford to do it right,” Tyler says, looking around.
I nod in agreement. “Yeah. From what Mason told me, the guy has pretty deep pockets. He’s some big Hollywood producer or something. Sounds like he’s back and forth to LA still, but he wants to retire here and run this place when he leaves California.”
Reaching the end of the hallway, we climb the stairs to the second floor, which is lined on both sides with rooms. “We’ll be taking down walls and combining them, so there will only be five or six luxury suites on this floor. I guess the owner wants every suite to have its own unique style.”
Tyler’s eyes grow wide. “Wow, Mason wasn’t kidding when he said this would be a big job.”
“Yeah, it’s gonna be a fuck-ton of hard work, but I bet it’s going to be sick when it’s finished. And just think, Ty, one day, you’ll be able to point to this fabulous, luxurious nest for the rich and famous and say you built that.”
He grins, but I catch a glimpse of something sad flashing across his face before he can hide it. “Yea. Too bad I’ll never be able to afford even a broom closet in a place like this.”
I grin at him. “Neither will I, but it’s sometimes about who you know, not how much money you have.” I give him a wicked grin. “I’ve gotten to tag along on some amazing trips with Mason and Jax, because Jax has all these crazy connections to the ultra-rich and famous. You can never tell what might happen, you know? And I gotta tell you, I’m totally okay with being the ‘poor relative’ who sometimes gets to tag along on the private jet for vacations. I’ll take those benefits without the stress of the high-pressure job!”
Tyler looks thoughtful. “Yeah, that’s a good way to look at it,” he says.
“Okay, then.” I rub my hands together, trying to warm them up. “Let’s head over to the guesthouse. Mason didn’t get a chance to check it out while he was here, since it’s apparently already updated. The owner told him it’s in good shape and should be fine to keep us warm and dry for the rest of the winter.”
“Sure, let’s go,” Tyler responds, and we lock up the main building and head in the direction of the guest cabin.
CHAPTER 12
TYLER
I’d been kind of embarrassed when Sam caught me staring out the window, but I’ve never seen a view like that in real life. I’m dying to grab my sketchbook and charcoals, my hands itching to try to capture some of the wild, untamed beauty here. But I’ll wait until we’re finished with our tour of the property.
Weekends should be a good opportunity to do some drawing. It will be cold, but I’ll be able to do some sketching and maybe try to get some good photos as well. I don’t normally work in color, but I think I might try it with this landscape. I have to remind myself that I’m here to work, not play, and Sam gives me a friendly grin as we head back outside.
