A Tragic Wreck Read online

  Olivia listened to his accent, noticing a hint of a southern drawl. “And where is it you’re from, Cam?” she inquired, turning around and crossing her arms.

  “All over really. But, truth be told, born and raised in South Carolina.” His eyes sparkled and Olivia couldn’t help but respond to him.

  “Me, too. But I haven’t lived there in well over a decade.”

  “That’s a pity.” His lips turned up into a small but attractive smile that made Olivia want to melt. “I bet you used to sound too cute for words with a little southern drawl.” He beamed, showing Olivia a perfect set of teeth.

  God, he’s really handsome. This was bad. This was very, very bad. She was trying to get over Alexander. It still pained her to think about what she had done, leaving him. She couldn’t string someone else along, knowing full well she could never give that person her entire heart. She gave her heart to Alexander and he still held it, although he probably didn’t realize it.

  Cam took a few steps closer, still on the sandy road by her deck. He was rather attractive and had a good body underneath his wetsuit. Olivia had noticed how handsome he was several weeks ago, but up close, he was even more so. His silver eyes beamed as he smiled, staring up at her. The ocean breeze gusted, blowing his wild sandy hair in front of his eyes. But she was off men. And, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get Alexander out of her thoughts.

  “So, are you going to tell me your name, or do I have to try to guess it?” He cautiously stepped up the stairs of her deck, making sure he wasn’t intruding.

  She uncrossed her arms and took a few steps toward him, holding her hand out. “My name’s Olivia. People call me Libby, though.”

  Taking Olivia’s hand in his own, Cam felt her soft skin. There was something so tragic about the woman standing in front of him. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but she just seemed so alone. He had been watching her every day since mid-October when she appeared out of nowhere, renting old man Robinson’s beach cottage. He figured she would only be there for a week, but every day, without fail, she sat outside, drinking her coffee and staring out at the ocean as if it held the answers to all her questions.

  The first week, she barely smiled. As she drank her coffee, he noticed tears streaming down her face. Something made her sad. The waves were killer that week because of a big storm brewing off the coast. The second week, the waves died down a bit and, after checking the report, he thought about blowing off surfing in the morning. But something about the sad girl who sat on her deck and drank coffee made him put on his wetsuit and go. And even when the waves were more or less non-existent, every day he drove down to Ocean Avenue in the Fernandina Beach section of Amelia Island and smiled at the girl with the sad brown eyes.

  “Libby. It’s wonderful to finally put a name to the face.”

  Olivia took in the man she had grown accustomed to seeing. His silver eyes had a depth and a kindness to them that she had never seen before. She felt as if she could spill her entire life out to him and he wouldn’t judge her. His smile was infectious and, before Olivia knew it, she smiled back. She couldn’t remember the last time she smiled. It felt good.

  “Do you surf?” Cam asked.

  “I’ve tried it a few times. I lived in Hawaii for a bit and I didn’t want to stick out as a haole so I learned to surf.” She looked over the horizon at the dozen or so bodies bobbing up and down, waiting to ride a wave into shore.

  “What’s a haole?” he asked.

  “It’s a Hawaiian term for mainlanders.” She took a long sip of her coffee, wondering whether she should offer him a mug.

  “Ah, I see.” He smiled a genuine smile at the quiet woman. “Want to catch a few waves?” he asked, gesturing toward the water.

  “I don’t have a board. Or a wetsuit.”

  “Just grab a bathing suit. The waves are pretty calm today so you’ll be fine without one.”

  Olivia hesitated, thinking about it.

  “Come on. I see you sitting here every morning, drinking your coffee, and you just look so sad. Please. Let me at least show you some fun.”

  She looked at him, shocked that he noticed how empty she was in just those few seconds each day. “Okay,” she said after a moment of deep thought. “Give me ten minutes. I need to shower.”

  “Great. I’ll go try to catch a wave or two. I’ll see you out there.” He ran toward the water, holding his board.

  It was a relatively warm morning for mid-November, but Olivia knew the water would be freezing. She had been there several weeks and still hadn’t put a foot in the ocean. Even if she didn’t get on a surfboard, at least she would finally feel the saltwater against her skin.

  She took a quick shower, making sure to shave fairly well. Pulling her long, wavy hair back, she threw on the two-piece swimsuit that she used when training for triathlons. She grabbed a towel, then walked between the sand dunes down to where the water met the shore.

  Cam ran up to her when he saw her walking down the beach. “Hey. You made it.”

  “You sound surprised,” she mumbled dryly.

  “Well, a little. I thought you would blow me off, maybe go for a run and then just sit in your house the rest of the day.”

  His statement caught Olivia off-guard. “How do you seem to know so much about me?”

  “You caught my eye. I have a thing for beautiful women.” He winked, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the water’s edge.

  “Holy crap, that’s freezing!” Olivia squealed when her foot hit the cold ocean, stopping dead in her tracks as Cam pulled away.

  “Come on. Stop being a baby!” he shouted back. He was already up to his knees in the water.

  She took a deep breath before running into the ocean, knowing that once she was fully submerged, she would feel better.

  “Here. Grab onto the other end of the board,” Cam said when she finally caught up to him.

  “Thanks.” They swam out to just beyond where the waves crested.

  “Hey! Cam-Bam!” a guy on a surfboard yelled.

  “Come here. I want you to meet the guys,” Cam said to Olivia.

  “Hey! Who’s this?” one of them asked.

  “Everyone, this is Olivia. Olivia, this is Chris, Benny, and Jason.” Cam gestured to the three men bobbing on their surfboards.

  Olivia waved with little enthusiasm. “Hi.”

  “Are you going to try surfing today?” Chris asked, trying to spark up a conversation with her.

  “Yeah. Might as well.” She shrugged. “I’ve surfed before so I’m not totally useless.”

  “Why don’t you catch the first one? I’ll hang back here on one of the guys’ boards,” Cam said as he swam over to Benny’s board and hung on to it. He grinned while he watched Olivia swim away with the board.

  “She’s hot, man,” Jason said, nudging toward Cam in the water. “Is she the one you’ve been talking about?”

  “Yeah. That’s her. I’m glad I worked up the nerve to finally talk to her.”

  “You’re such a pussy,” Benny laughed. “For a guy pushing thirty-five, you have no balls when it comes to talking to women.”

  “Suck it, man!” Cam joked back. “There's just something kind of sad about her. I couldn’t help it.” He returned his eyes to Olivia as she climbed on the board, throwing her legs on either side, getting ready to catch a wave.

  After a few minutes, she saw a wave coming in that was ideal for her. She positioned her hands and quickly hoisted her legs onto the board, balancing perfectly as she rode into the shore.

  Along the coast, a few people were milling about collecting shells. As the sandy beach got closer, she started to space out and thought she saw Alexander. She saw him everywhere lately. Her heart began to race and she panicked, losing her balance. The board slipped out from underneath her and she toppled off, hitting her head as she sank below the water.

  “Shit!” Cam exclaimed when he saw Olivia sink beneath the surface. He swam quickly toward where she went under, de
sperately searching for her. He was worried that, in the few minutes it took him to get to her, she hadn’t resurfaced. He dove into the water, his eyes stinging from the salt. A few feet away, he saw her, her eyes closed, bubbles coming out of her mouth.

  He reached her and grabbed her around the waist, kicking toward the surface. “Come on, Libby. Stay with me.” He pulled her toward the shore and laid her on her back. The rest of the guys finally joined him.

  “I think she hit her head pretty hard.” Cam leaned his ear down over her nose and couldn't hear any breathing, but she still had a pulse. He started rescue breathing, frantic for her to cough up the water that appeared to be stuck in her lungs. After a few long moments, Olivia gasped, coughing. Cam helped roll her onto her side, getting the water out of her mouth.

  “You scared me there, sweetheart,” he said softly, gazing down at the woman lying on the sand.

  Olivia looked around, trying to get her bearings. She went surfing. She tried to make a new friend and now she looked like an idiot. She stood up, but her legs were weak, causing her to lose her balance. Cam caught her. “Hey. Take it easy,” he said softly. “You bumped your head pretty good. Let’s get you back inside your house. You should probably go lie down.”

  Cam led Olivia up the beach to her house, helping her to the couch. Once she was settled, he walked through her living room and into the kitchen, searching the freezer for some ice. He put some in a plastic bag and brought it to her.

  “Here,” he said, leaning down and placing the ice pack on her forehead. “You should probably keep this on your head. There’s a little bit of swelling.” He brushed a piece of hair out of Olivia’s eyes.

  “Thanks.”

  “Anytime.” He looked around the house, noticing how minimalist everything looked. It was as if she had just rolled into town with a suitcase. There was nothing personal, aside from a guitar case leaning up against a wicker chair. He walked over and sat down. “Do you play?” he asked, gesturing to the case.

  Olivia took the ice off her forehead and sat up, facing Cam. “Yeah. A little, I guess. In a former life. I really haven’t played lately, though. Since I got here. The guitar’s just been sitting there, collecting dust.”

  Cam looked into her eyes. She seemed so empty.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large, orange long-haired cat walk down the stairs and into the living room. The cat stalked to Olivia, jumped on her lap, and curled up in a ball. “This is Nepenthe,” she explained.

  “Ah,” Cam breathed. “The ancient elixir of depression.”

  Olivia turned her head. “How did you know that? Not a lot of people know what 'nepenthe' is.”

  “I have a brain full of useless information.” Cam laughed. There was an awkward silence. He was attracted to the woman sitting across from him, snuggling up with her cat, but she seemed so distant and uninterested in anything. He didn’t know much about her, but he wanted to learn more.

  “Can I take you to dinner tonight? There’s this great place right on the water on the other side of the island.”

  Olivia looked around. “I don’t know. I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “Come on. It’ll be fun. I promise. Just as friends. No pressure. I just want to get to know you, be your friend.”

  Olivia had been avoiding all social situations for the past several weeks. Certain things set her off, triggering a panic attack. Looking out her large front windows at the ocean, she hoped for some guidance about what to do. She was getting to like her new home. If she got involved with Cam, she would just leave him, too. That’s what she did. She ran. Always. That was all she knew.

  “Hey, Libby. The answer isn’t there in the ocean.”

  She looked back at Cam, a smile still on his face, but also something else. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it was almost like a look of compassion.

  “I just want to get to know you. That’s all. I want to spend some time with you.”

  “But why?” Olivia asked, her brows furrowed.

  “What? Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I could give you a thousand reasons,” she mumbled under her breath.

  “As friends. That’s all, Libby. Come to dinner with me. Let me be your friend.”

  Olivia sighed, petting Nepenthe. “I don’t need any friends. I’m perfectly happy in my little oasis here on the beach.”

  “Oh, come on. Don’t make me beg.”

  Olivia’s heart stopped. Alexander’s husky voice flashed through her memory… I like it when you beg.

  Her lip started to tremble and she quickly jumped off the couch, walking toward the stairs and away from Cam, desperately trying not to fall apart in front of him. She had finally gotten through an entire week without breaking down and crying when she thought about Alexander, but that memory was too much. She couldn’t take it. Her heart was in pieces and she knew it was all her fault, but it still didn’t make it hurt any less.

  Knowing that he had somehow upset her, Cam caught up to her and grabbed her arm. He didn’t want to leave on such a sour note. “Libby, please. Whatever I said, I’m sorry.”

  She turned to face him, tears running down her face.

  “I just want to make you smile. Please. Just come to dinner with me. I promise I’ll help you forget about whatever it is that has you so upset.”

  She looked up at Cam, surprised at his height. He was even taller than Alexander, which was a feat at six-foot-five. Maybe he was right. Maybe what Olivia needed was someone to help her forget. She couldn’t possibly go on living her life as she had been. Every day was a struggle to get through. She felt something when she looked at him. It wasn’t sparks and shivers and tremors like it was when she looked at Alexander, but something was far better than nothing.

  Cam pleaded with her with his eyes, desperate to find out more about this mysterious woman who had come to the island and captured his attention so quickly.

  “Okay. I’ll go out with you.”

  A smile spread across Cam's face, and Olivia couldn’t help but giggle a little at the look of excitement. “Great!” he exclaimed. “I’ll pick you up at seven.” He left before Olivia could protest.

  She fell back onto the couch. For the first time in weeks, she actually had something to look forward to that evening. She was unsure how to feel about that. Would she just find herself in the same situation as she did with Alexander? No. Impossible. She refused to let it get that far. She couldn’t. It nearly tore her apart when she had to leave Alexander, and she vowed to never do that again…even if it meant spending the rest of her life alone.

  “Damn it, Nepenthe. What have I gotten myself into?” Her cat stood up and stretched before settling back down on Olivia’s stomach.

  CHAPTER THREE

  HOT TRAIL

  OLIVIA SCOURED HER CLOSET looking for something to wear that evening. She refused to call it a date. It was just two friends getting to know each other. Olivia was done dating. She should never have gotten close to Alexander. It ended horribly. Life was better before. It was uncomplicated. She could fuck anyone she wanted and never get attached. That was what she needed in order to get her life back on track. Maybe Cam would help her with that.

  But after she had gotten a taste of what a real relationship was like, could she even think about going back to her old ways? She loved the butterflies she felt fluttering in her stomach when she thought about that special someone. She loved the cute things Alexander did for her, like sending her text messages just to say he was thinking about her. Sending flowers to her office just because. Is that feeling truly worth it when you know it will end in heartbreak? She wasn’t sure.

  Olivia fell onto her bed, wishing she still had all her clothes. She left Boston in such a hurry that she barely had much in terms of acceptable dinner attire. Most days she roamed around her house in a pair of gym shorts and a tank top. Other than that and running clothes, she didn’t have much need for anything else.

  She glanced at the clock. It
was just a little past noon. She had more than enough time to go to the mall and get back in time for dinner. She quickly threw on a pair of shorts and tank top, and jumped in her car, heading toward Jacksonville. Within an hour, she finally pulled off the interstate and into a crowded mall parking lot.

  Shit, she thought. Christmas shopping. She had completely lost track of the days and it was a few weeks before Thanksgiving. People were clearly getting their shopping done early. Instead of trying to find a parking spot, she made a bee-line for the valet and threw the attendant the keys to her Audi before running into the mall in search of a store that could have something for her to wear. As she navigated through the swarms of people pushing and shoving their way through the shopping center, she thought about how much she missed Boston and the convenience of living around the corner from a street lined with designer boutiques. She hated shopping malls.

  After finally finding a store with clothing that was her style, she scoured the racks, grabbing more clothes than she could ever wear, but she didn’t care. The girls at the store were more than helpful, seeing a huge sale in their future. She would deal with what to wear when she got home.

  Olivia reached into her purse, opening her wallet to pay with some of the cash that she had grabbed while she was fleeing Boston. She had been using that money to get by on, not wanting anyone to be able to trace her. She suddenly realized that she left the house without grabbing any more cash from the safe. All she had on her was a few small bills and that wouldn’t cover what she was buying.

  Exhaling loudly, she handed the saleswoman her credit card, visibly cringing when she swiped it. Great, she thought. Now there’s a fucking paper trail.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  Alexander groaned when he heard a loud banging on the door to his penthouse. He must have passed out on the couch again. He had gone to MacFadden’s the night before and proceeded to get incredibly wasted. His brother left, not wanting to put up with his drunk ass.