A week later, as Gray parked his car in the beach car park, as he and Caro arranged a lunch at a café close to the beach. He was pleased they were still friends. And today they were meeting as friends, platonic friends for lunch, because Gray was in town for two meetings in the morning and the afternoon and had time. They both knew there was no spark, no chemistry, and that their relationship was in the friendship zone, but they enjoyed their conversations.
But as he parked his car, he and Caro could see smoke coming from the beach, and saw the three fire engines, several police cars, and two ambulances in the vicinity.
"Wow. That looks like the surf club. I wonder what happened?" Caro searched the area seeing if she could spot any friends to ask about this incident. "There are lots of people around."
Gray could see that. Then he noticed that the crowd parted while the paramedics appeared, and from that distance, Gray and Caro couldn't see who was on the stretcher.
Gray and Caro got out of his car, and he pressed a button to lock the car, while he and Caro continue to watch the crowd. Some of the crowd moved away, deciding that the entertainment was over. Obviously the fire brigade had everything under control, and the police were still keeping the crowd away from the building.
"Must be a fire." Caro looked around and murmured, "Probably a fire at the surf club."
"Looks like the police and the fire fighters have everything under control." Gray saw that the horde was dissipating but it was still busy compared with the other side of the road. "We should cross the road here, rather than thread through the crowd on this side."
He looked over his shoulder, to see if there was a gap in the road's traffic and was about to suggest that they could cross over now, when he heard Caro saying, "Looks like your ex-boss is enjoying the entertainment."
"My ex-boss?" Gray was watching the traffic and turned his gaze to Caro, to follow her stare.
"Yes, your ex-boss! Regan!" Caro gestured with her head, nodding.
"Regan?" Gray did a quick track over the crowd and could not fathom Caro's view. She was staring at lots of people who were loitering beside the low sand wall.
"She is over there, with David." Again, Caro nodded towards the wall. Gray stopped in his tracks. She is really here? Gray frowned and looked around. He had been looking for her over the last few days, as he wanted to apologise to her. He didn't want to make a fuss in front of others. But he was sure she would find an excuse to avoid him if he cornered her. And turning up at her farm without a reason she would probably ignore him, or hide. He thought the best option was to wait and hoped he would see her in town, as some point, and soon, still in public but have a private conversation in plain sight. But either she was getting better at avoiding him or she was really busy with the farm and her job.
Gray knew David. He met him at his brother's store. Gray also knew that David, and his brother had reputations in the town: one of the alphas in this town. And this particular alpha was sitting beside Regan, on the beach wall that separated the sand and the bitumen.
Gray growled when he saw David caress Regan's cheek.
Somewhat surprised by the growl, "You ok?" Caro asked.
"Fine." He snapped, and that surprised Caro again. She had never heard him snapping at anyone. She tracked his gaze, and saw that he was staring at Regan and David.
"You ok?" Caro asked. Her gaze returned to Gray.
He nodded, ran his fingers through his hair, "Sorry. Didn't mean to snap."
Caro smiled, accepting his apology. "Why are the two of them making out, sitting on that wall, while everyone is watching the burnt, smoking, building?" Caro asked.
"What is she doing here?' Gray asked, one of the many questions rattling around in his head. What the hell was she doing with David? Sitting on that wall while everyone was more interested in the fire and the actions of the police and the fire brigade.
"What?"
His tone was grim and tight when he replied, "She has a farm to run, she is still working as a doctor, so what is she doing here? Perched on the wall, talking to this particular rake!"
"Well," Caro said with a shrug "David is very charming, and very handsome, rake!" She giggled. "So I guess, she is having a date with David."
"A date?" Gray snorted but kept his eyes on the two sitting on the wall. The more he watched David and Regan, his fury escalated. He growled, "Sitting on the wall, with a burning building in sight, with swarming people filming on their mobiles, and heaps of police, is that your view of a date? It isn't mine." His tone was forbidding and his eyes glittered with anger.
"That explains why you and I went out when you lived with her!" Caro teased and giggled. "And it explains why you are not on a date with her!"
He snorted.
Caro continued, watching the crowd, "Different tastes, diverse requirements, dissimilar wants and needs, obviously!" She shrugged and turned her attention to the building. "Ah-hah, some of fire fighters are packing up."
"Obviously they have sorted it. But still, lot of people around." Gray narrowed his eyes and frowned when he saw a policewoman moving towards Regan. "The police are talking to Regan." He watched was the policewoman motioned another police officer forwarded.
Caro returned her attention to David and Regan, "I hope that doesn't mean that they thought she set the building alight! Or maybe she knows who did this!" She laughed.
Gray watched the interactions between Regan, David and the police. He was not sure what exactly was going on, but he was not happy about the fact that she was sitting with David. Pressed from thigh to thigh. He knew David had a reputation in town. And all of his ex girlfriends always talks about him with affection. The epitome of a charming rake. And that rake was sitting with Regan. Gray was tempted to march over and sit between the two!
"There are making lots of notes." Caro lost her smiled and watched the interaction between Regan and the police officers. "Do you think the fire has something to do with Regan? Or David? Perhaps they started the fire? A mistake? Or they saw it start?"
"Regan is not an arsonist. She did not start this fire." The murmur of alarm in his brain was not about the fire, it was the fact that David had just placed his arm across Regan's shoulder. "Not sure of David!" Gray's eyes narrowed when he saw David haul Regan towards him.
Caro giggled. "Well, the police are making lots of notes. If she wasn't involved? And why is David hugging her?"
That is what Gray was worrying about. That rake was hugging Regan. Too much contact. "Maybe she called it in." His tone became cool, and he wished he could look away, but he couldn't tear his eyes off her. And that bloody man! Gray banked his howl. Why hadn't he gone around to the farm and talked to her? Angry. Antsy. Worried.
"I guess so." She flicked a look at Gray, because she was surprised by his tone. "But doesn't explain why David is hugging her! Do you think they are dating?"
Gray looked around, was trying to decide whether to walk past Regan and her limpet, and talk to her, or cross the road and walk past on the other side. "Who knows!" He muttered. He really did not want to talk to David, because he was tempted to punch him in the face! "Come on, we should go on. I assume they will hold our reservations, and I am famished!" They were late, now, given they spent time watching this incident. The crowd was leaving. Watching David and Regan and their public demonstration of affection spoiled his appetite and ruined his mood.
"Yes." Caro nodded, "Thank goodness, the crowd is leaving. We can stay on this side of the road."
He really did not want to walk past Regan and David, not when Gray was still angry and was devastate. David had just caressed Regan' cheek and kissed her cheek in front of the bloody police! He glanced around, hoping that image would dissipate. "Probably if we cross here, fewer people over there. Weaving through the crowd, albeit thinning, is not my idea of fun." Gray hoped that would be enough to convince Caro to cross over to the other side of the road.
"Take the risk!" She reached for his hand and grinned.
Gray looked over his shoulder, and if there were a gap in the traffic, he would use that to urge Caro to cross the road. But the was no a gap in the traffic. Typical. So Gray and Caro carried on. Thankfully the crowd was leaving but they were coming towards him and Caro, which meant their progress towards Regan was slow.
"Come on, we should cross." Gray tried again, as he and Caro dodged a crowd who were trying to go pass Gray and Caro, only to face another group. Caro and Gray waited, as an island, for this particular group to pass in mass. "You have an appointment" he flicked a look at his watch, "in just under forty minutes." This lunch would have been well over an hour, but due to the traffic, obviously because of the fire, it took longer than expected to reach the restaurant.
Caro looked up at him and saw that he was obviously determined to cross the road. She could understand why. The crowd was scattering, but most were heading towards Caro and Gray!
"Ok." She said and having said that, Gray quickly found a gap between the cars, and they threaded through the slowing cars.