I liked my condo well enough. It was big, luxurious, and right on the river. Even so, it had never felt like home.
Come to think of it, no place had felt like home – or at least not in a long while. But there was something about this place that made me think otherwise. Maybe it was the full package – the beach, the view, the architecture, and yeah, maybe Arden Weathers, too.
So, why was I being such a dick about it?
I didn't want to be. Not now.
"Listen," I said, "the truth is, I don't know, just like I said."
"But don’t you already have a condo? I mean, right here in Bayside?"
"Yeah, on the river."
She frowned, but said nothing.
I asked, "Is that a problem?"
"No," she said. "It's just that, well, if you already have a place that you like, why would you want another? Especially another place on the water. And in the same town." Her voice picked up steam. "Because really, when you think about it, you already have it all."
She was wrong. Yeah, I had plenty of money. And dozens of houses – including the crew house across the street. I didn't live in them. Mostly I rented them out – only after fixing them up.
Arden might not realize it, but I juggled a lot more than the show and the business – and yeah, enough "dates" to make life interesting. But sometime in the past year or so, the game had lost its luster.
Or maybe I was just tired of life in the fast lane.
I stopped walking and took a long look around. The beach was quiet, except for the sounds of seagulls and the waves lapping at the shore. It was like something out of a children's book – the kind that decent parents read to their kids on Sunday afternoons.
That hadn't been my life. And yet, I'd seen enough of luckier kids to know how life could be.
As my thoughts churned, I scanned the horizon. This place – it would be a nice spot to raise a family, assuming I were into that sort of thing, which I wasn't.
Except now, it wasn't sounding so bad.
I stiffened. What the hell?
I looked to Arden, standing beside me. She was gazing out over the water as a soft smile played across her lips.
At the sight of her, I almost smiled, too. But then, I caught myself. She was making me nuts.
Her obsession with the house was contagious, like a bad rash or something worse.
In reply to her statement, all I said was, "Hey, you can never have too much."
She blinked, as if she'd lost track of our debate. She wasn't the only one. My own thoughts had travelled way too far for my liking, and it was time to rein them back in.
Arden said, "But that's not true." She turned to face me. "And this house – it means nothing to you, not in the big scheme of things."
She was wrong. As usual.
I said, "Hey if you're still pissed that I bought it—"
"I'm not."
I crossed my arms. "Is that so?"
"Yes." She hesitated. "And no."
"Now who's being evasive?"
She sighed. "It's just that yes, I'm glad someone bought it who's going to fix it up, but you know I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'd love the chance to buy it myself."
This again?
I gave her a hard look. "With what?"
"Money. How else would I buy it?"
"And how much money do you have?"
Her cheeks, already flushed, grew a shade redder. "Well…none right now. But there's the bonus."
"Which I already told you, won't be enough."
"It might be for a down payment."
"You can say that all you want," I said. "It doesn't make it true."
Her mouth tightened. "Well, maybe I'm not the type to give up so easily. Did you ever think of that?"
I recalled how she'd been in high school. "Hell, I don't think it. I know it."
She smiled. "See?"
I didn’t smile back. "That wasn't a compliment."
Her smile faded, which made me feel like a total dick. The truth was, I admired the way she went after the things she wanted – but not when the thing she wanted belonged to me.
She turned and looked toward the house – and then toward Roy, who was still filming us from afar. In a quieter voice, she said, "I think we've gone far enough."
Something in her tone suggested that she wasn't talking about distance. And hey, I wasn't about to argue. She was right. When it came to anything with me and Arden, less was always better.
But first I had to set her straight. "Listen, there's something I want you to know."
"What?"
"When I bought that house, I didn't know you had your eye on it."
She gave me a dubious look, but said nothing.
I held her gaze. "Believe me. Or don't. I just figured you'd want to know." And with that, I turned and began walking toward the house, trying like hell to ignore Roy and his camera, along with the sight of Arden, trudging along beside me like I'd just popped her favorite balloon.
As far as the camera, I felt its presence more than I should've. From the look on Arden's face, she felt it, too.
As we moved ever closer to the house, there was a part of me – the dumb-ass part of me – that wanted to shield her from the intrusion. But Arden wasn't mine to protect. And even if she were, she needed to realize – and fast – exactly what she'd signed on for.
And if she didn't realize it?
Hey, it wasn't my problem, and I'd be smart to keep it that way.
Chapter 30
Arden
On the phone, Cami asked, "So, do you believe him?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "But he didn't sound like he was lying."
It was nearly seven o'clock at night, and I was hunkered down in my bedroom, where I'd have no chance of being overheard.
The house was empty except for myself, but I was all too aware
