"Was the man all right?"
"He seemed confused in the beginning, but he got clearer as we spoke. He eventually got a cab home."
"And Mr. Ridley? Did you talk to him?"
"Briefly. He recognized me, and I might have mentioned that he didn't have to sprint away every time he saw me…"
"You always get right to the point, Kaia. What did he say?"
"Not much. I told him we respect everyone's privacy, and he said it didn't look that way to him, that everyone appeared to be very much in everyone else's business."
"He's not completely wrong. We can be kind of nosy."
"But we draw the line at being too invasive. Anyway, he didn't seem to believe me, nor was he inclined to keep talking. When I got home, I have to admit I looked him up on the internet. I know Josie told us all at the beginning not to go digging, but I couldn't help myself."
"What did you find?"
"Nothing, which makes me wonder if he's using his real name. It's rare not to have a fingerprint online."
"I'm sure his story will come out at some point. But please don't tell my aunt you looked him up. She's oddly protective of him, and I don't even understand how she knows him. But she told me he needs the healing properties of Ocean Shores and to leave him alone. She said specifically to tell you that."
"Oh, come on. I'm not the nosiest person in the building."
Lexie gave her a pointed look.
"Well, maybe I'm a little more curious than some of you now, because you're all too busy being in love…"
Lexie's cheeks warmed, and something darted through her brown eyes. She looked as if she wanted to say something but then thought better of it.
"What?" she asked warily, always one to call out the elephant in the room. "What did I just say?"
"Nothing."
"Was I too sarcastic about you being in love? I didn't mean it that way."
"No." Lexie licked her lips. "It's just…Well, Grayson and I looked at houses the other day."
Her stomach clenched. She'd known this day was coming; she just hadn't expected it to be so soon. But despite having only gotten together about two months ago, Grayson and Lexie were living together and were very much a couple. Grayson was also a rich guy, the owner of the building, in fact. The idea that they would continue sharing a one-bedroom apartment here had never seemed like a long-term plan.
"I figured you would leave at some point." She tried not to show how disappointed she was at the idea of Lexie moving out. Lexie was one of her best friends. So was Emmalyn. And they were both moving on with their lives, while she seemed to be stuck. But that was her problem, not theirs. "Did you find anything you liked?"
"There's a house about two miles from here, up in the hills. It has a pool and a great view. But I don't think I'm ready to move."
"Why not? What's really holding you here?"
"I still help Aunt Josie."
"Not that much. Not since you've been traveling to exotic places like Morocco and Anguilla and the south of France. You've hardly been here the last several weeks. And we're all very happy for you, by the way," she added. "Your photos are amazing, and I can't wait for your show next weekend. Your career has taken off."
"It has, which is why I don't think we need to move. I have more assignments this summer, and Grayson goes back and forth to LA and New York. We should probably just stay here for a while, don't you think?"
"I would love for you to stay here. I can't imagine not seeing you around this place, but I completely understand why you would want more space."
"It's just too fast," Lexie said with a frown. "We don't need to rush. It's not like we're even engaged."
"What does Grayson say?"
"That he wants me to be happy, so whatever I want to do is fine with him."
