Chapter Seven

 

* TRENT *

 

“Want another?” Joe the bartender asked, pointing at my empty glass.

I considered for a moment. It had taken me the better part of two hours to finish that one beer. I just wasn’t in the mood to drink right now. But I wasn’t ready to leave Joe’s Sandbar yet, and I felt a little silly sitting here with nothing to eat or drink in front of me.

“Sure, one more.” I pushed the glass toward Joe and he went to refill it.

The crowd at the bar had finally started to thin out. For a while there, I think the entire town had been packed in here, even the kids. Normally there were rules about not bringing anyone under twenty-one into the bar, but on funeral days the local authorities apparently made exceptions. Now though, things were back to normal.

Well, except for the fact that I was here. I hadn’t been old enough to come to the bar when I left Driftwood Island, so I had never been a regular here. It struck me as a bit strange to be sitting at a barstool now, like one of the locals. I wondered what my life would have been like if I’d stayed. Would Megan and I be married already? Maybe with a couple kids? Or would I have fallen for some other local girl?

I grabbed the beer that Joe brought me and took a small, slow sip. I couldn’t imagine being with anyone other than Megan now. I’d had my share of girlfriends over the years, but no one had ever made me feel the way she did. I just wished I didn’t feel like such an outsider here. She was right. I had changed. But I was determined to find my groove here again. I would figure out a way to fit in once again, and I would build a good life here with Megan.

I wished she hadn’t taken off so quickly when her phone rang. I knew it probably had something to do with her grandma, and that she didn’t want to burden me on the day of my dad’s funeral. But I also knew that her losing her grandma was going to be much harder on her than my losing my dad. I wanted to be there to comfort her, but I wasn’t sure if she was ready to have me in her life like that yet. I was contemplating just going down to her grandma’s house uninvited and insisting on helping, but I wasn’t quite sure how she’d take it. If she truly didn’t want me there, this wasn’t the best time to be showing up uninvited.

“Trent, right?”

A man dressed in a smart, expensive business suit appeared to my left all of a sudden, holding out his hand for a handshake. I didn’t recognize him, even though I still knew pretty much everyone in this town. I put out my hand and nodded.

“I’m Trent. And you’re…?”

“Logan Evans. You might recognize my name from the infamous Evans Resort.”

I laughed. “Ah, so you’re one of the evil Evans twins. I have to say, you don’t look as diabolical as I thought you would.”

Logan laughed. “Well, that’s good to hear. I think my brother Zach is considered the evil twin these days, but he’s really not that bad. He’s just a bit too crazy about growing our resort business on an island that doesn’t want any more commercial development.”

“Yeah,” I took another sip of my beer. “I have to say, even though I grew up here, I understand what it’s like to be a businessman and be excited about an idea. I actually considered selling him my land that I just inherited, but I got some pretty big pushback from one of the locals.”

“A local named Megan Reed?” Logan asked as he took the barstool beside me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “As a matter of fact, yes. Did she tell you about it?”

“Not exactly. But I can put the pieces together. I actually came over to meet you because my fiancée Julia told me that she thinks Megan likes you, and she wants me to make sure you’re still a nice guy.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “These women. Always meddling.”

Logan grinned. “Yup. I told Julia to let Megan introduce you when she was ready, but Julia wasn’t having it. She said you might need a friend who understood what it was like to come in to Driftwood Island as a rich outsider.”

A few days ago, I would have bristled at the suggestion that I was just another rich outsider, like one of the Evans brothers. But now, I could see the point. I wasn’t a total outsider—I knew the people and the town in a way that Logan never had. But I also didn’t exactly fit anymore. I gave Logan a shrug.

“It is a bit strange. I’m used to a faster pace of life these days. But being back here makes me miss the more laidback island life. And with Megan here, I’m determined to stay and make a life here once again. I’m just not sure what to do here. My life for the last several years has consisted of investing in tech startups, and there aren’t too many of those here. It’s like a different world.”

Logan furrowed his brow thoughtfully. “Well, it is a different world. But if you like developing new businesses, I could use your help.”

I perked up. “Oh?”

“It’s not tech startups. But I’ve been working closely with local businesses here to make them more professional and more appealing to the resort guests. So far I’ve had a lot of success, and the downtown area is really starting to boom. Things are actually growing too fast for me to help everyone on my own, so if you want to stay on Driftwood Island and help me out with local business development, I’d be thrilled. It’s not going to pay as much as what you do back in California, but it’ll pay something. And I promise it’ll be a heck of a lot more fun.”

I felt myself getting excited. “I don’t really care about the money. I have more than enough in the bank already. I just want something fun and exciting to do.”

“Trust me, I know the feeling.” Logan pulled out his wallet and pulled a business card out. “All my contact info is on here. I know it’s probably an emotional day for you, with your dad’s funeral and all. But call me when you’re ready to talk details.”

“Thanks,” I said, looking down at the card and feeling for the first time that perhaps adjusting back to life on Driftwood Island wasn’t going to be a total clusterfuck. If Logan could make this work, so could I. “Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with my dad’s land. No offense, but I don’t think I can sell it to your resort. I think the locals here would crucify me if I did that.”

To my relief, Logan didn’t seem offended at all. “I get it,” he said with a smile. “My brother would probably be angry to hear you say that, but he doesn’t understand how people work around here. If you really want ideas on what to do with the land, though, I have one.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Donate it to the city. If you don’t need the money from it, and I get the sense that you don’t, then I think that’s the best course of action. You’ll get a tax write off, which is always nice. But more importantly you’ll be doing something good for the locals. The city will probably turn it into another public beach or public nature preserve. Everyone can get enjoyment out of the spot, and you’ll be admired for sharing it with everyone.”

I stared at Logan in surprise. “You’re right. Why didn’t I think of that before?” The solution was so simple. Here I had been, stressing over whom to sell it to, and knowing that I definitely didn’t want to live there. But the townspeople didn’t have the same bad memories with the land that I did. They’d be thrilled to have it designated as a public beach.

Logan smiled at me. “Don’t praise me too much. Julia’s the one who originally came up with the idea. She said she was pretty sure you didn’t want to live on the land.”

“Yeah…too many old ghosts there for me.”

Logan nodded but didn’t pry for further details. I liked this guy. I knew he was also a billionaire, but he seemed down to earth. I had a feeling that he and I were going to get along well, which was good since it sounded like we were going to be business partners. Besides, Julia was his fiancée, and Megan and Julia were best friends. That probably meant that Logan and I would end up spending a lot of time together by default.

“One more thing,” Logan said after downing the rest of his beer quickly. “Julia told me to tell you that you should go see Megan.”

I frowned. “What? Like right now?”

Logan nodded. “I’m no expert on things like this, but Julia swears that Megan needs you right now, no matter what Megan might have actually said.”

I frowned. Megan had seemed pretty set on not including me in whatever was going on, so I had a hard time believing what Julia said. I didn’t want to butt in where I wasn’t wanted when it came to a dying family member. Then again, Julia was Megan’s best friend. They’d been close their whole lives, so perhaps Julia knew what she was talking about. And my heart told me that Megan needed me, whether she thought she did or not.

“You know what? I think Julia’s right,” I said, standing and pushing away my barely touched beer. “I’m gonna go see Megan right now.”

Logan grinned at me. “Attaboy. Go get the girl.”

I threw some cash down on the bar to cover my tab, then left without another glance back. I’d been hesitating far too long. Megan was mine. Mine to protect, mine to comfort, and mine to love. It was time to show her that I was here for her, even in the tough times. Especially in the tough times.

I was going to get a cab and go get my girl.