A Tragic Wreck (2 page)

He thrust even harder into Chelsea, needing to find some sort of release. Release from the hold Olivia still had over him. Would he ever be rid of that? He didn’t see how. Olivia always had a hold over him. Everything he had done throughout his life had been for her. Growing up, he just knew that she wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be. His lack of serious relationships was due to that, always holding out hope of finding her. And once he found her, he didn’t want to let go. And she left him.

“That’s it, Alex. Let go!” Chelsea screamed as Alexander bit into her neck, pulling out as he came in his hand. He just couldn’t bring himself to come inside of Chelsea. The last person he came inside of was Olivia and he wanted to keep it that way.

He turned and walked briskly down the hallway to the bathroom to clean himself up, leaving Chelsea alone in the living room. Looking in the mirror, he saw a shell of his former self. Maybe it would have been better if he had never found Olivia. Maybe he should move on like she said. Maybe he should just forget all about her. He
needed
to forget her.

He splashed some water on his face, enjoying the coolness of the liquid, before walking back down the hallway into his living room.

“Feel better now, Mr. Burnham?” Chelsea asked coyly as she sat on his sofa.

“Yes, I do. Thank you.” He strode over to the couch and took a seat next to her. The air was thick in the room, Alexander not really wanting to initiate conversation.

Chelsea sighed loudly. “So, want to talk about it?”

Alexander looked over at her. “No. Not really. I’d rather just forget about everything that went on these past few months and pretend none of it ever happened.”

She grinned. “Would you like my help doing that?”

His eyes met her small brown ones. How could he possibly forget about Olivia’s big brown eyes? He would always see them in his dreams. He knew that. But maybe, with time, he could forget. “Yes, I would, Miss Wellington.” His eyes became hooded as he pushed her down on the couch, grabbing both her arms and pinning them above her head.

“Oh, Mr. Burnham, I love it when you tie me up,” Chelsea whispered.

“Stop talking. Don’t say a word until I tell you to,” he growled. He just couldn’t listen to her voice. Every time she spoke, all he felt was betrayal. And he didn’t want to feel that. He didn’t want to feel anything.

Alexander ripped off his tie and wrapped it around Chelsea’s hands, binding them together, before pulling out a condom and sinking back into her.

O
LIVIA
DIDN
’
T
EVEN
KNOW
his name but, every morning, she looked forward to seeing surfer boy park his Jeep in front of her house and untie his surfboard before hitting some waves with his friends. He would smile at her and she would feel heat coursing through her body. It wasn’t the same as what she felt when Alexander smiled at her, but at least she felt
something
. And
something
was better than the nothingness and pain she had been feeling since she ran.

The mid-November sun shined through the thick clouds one morning as she sat on her beloved deck and drank her coffee. Olivia actually started to look forward to seeing him. She was surprised that he surfed every day, even when the waves were fairly non-existent. Regardless, like clockwork, his Jeep pulled up in front of her house just as the sun rose every morning.

One of Olivia’s favorite things about her new home was the location. It was so peaceful being able to wake up and watch the sun climb up the horizon over the crashing waves. There was something about the sunlight reflecting on the ocean that made everything seem okay. Not good, but okay. And Olivia was content with just okay. Nothing would ever be extraordinary. Only Alexander was extraordinary, so she settled for okay.

Just as the sun rose on that November morning, the Jeep pulled up. And, as usual, surfer boy untied his surfboard and smiled. Nothing ever changed. A smile. A drink of coffee. A sigh. That’s what her mornings were composed of.

 
“My life is pathetic if my only excitement is some guy whose name I don’t even know,” she mumbled as she read a book on her e-reader, drinking her coffee.

“Cameron. My name’s Cameron Bowen, but most people call me Cam.”

Olivia jumped, looking for the source of the voice. Surfer boy stood to the right of Olivia’s deck in his wetsuit, carrying a surfboard. She hadn’t noticed him walk up to her deck, desperate to finally make an introduction.

Cam turned the corner and stood by the steps leading to Olivia’s deck, watching as the gorgeous, tall brunette quickly bolted off the lounge chair, turning to her front door, and frantically trying to open it. “You see, usually when someone gives you their name, they may want you to return the favor. At least where I’m from they do.”

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, desperately 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.”