by Shawn Lane
Chapter 3
“So let me get this straight, no pun intended, but you knew this yummy-ummy man from LA?” Jude sipped his chocolate peppermint martini. He shook his head at Edward. “No, move the lamp closer to here.” He pointed.
Edward sighed and shifted the tall metal heat lamp Heloise had bought last winter closer to where Jude sat on the backyard patio, sipping his fancy martini. He turned it on, then took his seat in a lounge chair next to Jude.
Edward opted for coffee laced with hot chocolate, Frangelico, and Baileys. Whipped cream, of course. “Yep, saw him at the store this afternoon.” Edward frowned at his cell phone. “Nice or fun?”
“Pardon?”
“Christmas songs. I need to know if you want nice ones or the silly, fun ones.”
Jude smirked. “You have a playlist for both?”
“Duh.”
“Nice. I have a frilly drink, let’s go with the sophisticated.”
Edward hit the button. Immediately, the strains of an old 1950s’ version of “Silent Night” began to play. “What’s Rex up to tonight?”
Rex Warner was Jude’s boyfriend—well, fiancé to be, anyway—and the most popular veterinarian in Sutter’s Bay.
“Late night at the vet’s. It’s open until eight, and then they have a bunch of stuff to do after. He’ll pick me up when he’s done.”
“Good. A few of those extra strong chocolate peppermint martinis, and I’d have to carry you home myself if he didn’t.”
“Back to yummy-ummy.”
“Did I call him that?”
“You didn’t have to. I just picture you with someone super yummy.”
Edward rolled his eyes. “Sure. All the great-looking guys were all over my rainbow mohawk.”
Jude frowned. “Did you have it then?”
“Some of the time. Not in the beginning. Not with Jim, now that I think about it.”
His friend snorted, then took another sip. Edward decided to take a sip of his own concoction.
“What’s that rude noise for?”
“Jim and Edward. Such normal names.”
“Compared to Jude and Rex, yeah.” Edward grinned. “You want some cookies?”
“You got any?”
“Well, sure. I’m not going to whip them up out of thin air. Hang on.” Edward put down his mug and hurried into the house.
He rented only a room and bathroom, but Heloise was nice enough to let him have many privileges. He had free reign of the kitchen, laundry room, and backyard.
The night was chilly, but the heat lamp and alcohol helped, plus Edward had brought out fleece throws for each of them. The patio was his favorite part of Heloise’s house. It faced away from the bay so it didn’t have any great views, but Edward enjoyed its coziness .
He pulled from the cabinet the store-bought cookies he’d picked up that afternoon before leaving the market. There were thin crispy gingerbread people and reindeers decorated with red and green sparkles. Nothing fancy, but they’d do. He poured them onto a plate and went outside.
“Here.” He thrust the plate at Jude. And really, Jude could eat a few cookies. He was still the thinnest damn dude he’d ever seen.
“How long were you and Jimbo together?”
Edward winced at the nickname. “We weren’t ‘together.’” He retook his seat and picked up his drink. “I mean, in the sense that I never called him my boyfriend or anything. We were friends with benefits, I guess. And I knew then that Jim was bisexual and had previous girlfriends.”
“Hmm. So you don’t think he’s come to Sutter’s Bay to find his long-lost love?”
Edward laughed at that. The entire notion was laughable really. But the most important part, other than the absurdity, of course, was that Jim wouldn’t know. “He wouldn’t even know this is where I ended up. We haven’t spoken in a few years and I never told him I was from this town.”
“He’s a lawyer, though, right? Maybe he could have looked you up.”
“He’s an attorney, not a private eye. Or anyway, I’m guessing he is. When I knew him, he was just finishing law school.”
“You’re not cooperating at all with my scenario,” Jude said with a bit of annoyance in his faint British accent.
“There is no scenario. It’s just a weird coincidence, that’s all. Seeing him here.”
“In your store.”
“It’s not my store.”
Jude waved that away. “Just because he was buying baby things doesn’t mean it was for his baby. People buy gifts this time of year, don’t they? ‘Tis the season and all that.”
“Yeah, maybe.” But Edward had a feeling the gift was for Jim’s own kid. He had no idea why he thought that, just some kind of intuition. “Honestly, he might not even remember me.”
“You fucked, right?”
“Right or wrong, yes,” Edward cracked.
Jude rolled his eyes at the effort. “He remembers. If this bloke is bisexual and is with a woman now, I bet he remembers every guy he’s ever been with.”
“‘Bloke.’ You get more English when you drink, did you know that?”
Jude merely smiled. “So, the big day is tomorrow?”
“Yeah, and I’m kind of nervous. Heloise says I’ll be fine.”
“She knows best. You will be.” Jude sighed dramatically. “Where is the old girl? I need to talk to her about her shop. Who’s going to do my hair if she doesn’t rebuild?”
“She’s out with that new guy, Horace.”
“Heloise and Horace? How dreadful.” Jude finished his martini. “Almost as dreadful as being out of my drink.” He gave Edward a pointed look.
“Fine.” Edward got up again to go into the house, taking Jude’s glass with him.
“Don’t forget the crushed peppermint around the rim.”
“As if.”
Edward rinsed out the glass, then pressed the rim on to a paper towel filled with crushed peppermint. Then he poured more of the blender contents into the glass before swirling chocolate syrup in the center. He brought it to Jude.
“You can be a bartender if the waiting doesn’t work out,” Jude told him. “These are divine.”
“Thanks.”
“Horace. Isn’t he that old coot with the gold tooth on the right side?”
“Left. But yes, that’s him. She met him at bingo at the church on Thursdays.”
“Is it serious?”
Edward shrugged. “Anyway, I asked her about the hair thing and the shop and she says all her customers can go to A Cut Above or one of those chains in the next city over.”
Jude shuddered. “Ugh. Just no. You’ve got your license, you’ll have to do it. Eduardo.”
They both rolled their eyes. Heloise, from the first day Edward had come into her shop looking for work, had decided to call him Eduardo for reasons known only to her. She still called him that.
“Fine, but I want a discount on flowers from your shop then.”
“Who are you buying flowers for? Jim?”
Edward’s face heated. “Of course not. But you know, someday, there might be a reason and I don’t want you to charge me your normal rates.”
“Done. Especially if you keep making me drinks like this. Actually, you should tell old stinkpot to give you the job as bartender.”
“Stinkpot?”
“Chris Mabry. You’d do fantastic. His bar needs upgrading to include lovely drinks like this.”
“Fat chance. It was Ryan who agreed to hire me.”
“Always the more reasonable one. Talk to him then. Believe me, they won’t regret it.”
“I’m self-taught. Chris will be most unimpressed.”
“Idiot.” Jude’s phone chirped and he fished it out of his jeans pocket. “Ah, the love of my life is leaving the vet’s office now.”
Edward sighed. “Should I pour him a drink?”
“What do you think?”
“Okay.” Edward wondered if he was going to get any sleep at all.
* * * *
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br /> “Oh, no.” The plates rattled in Edward’s hands, but he managed to keep them upright.
“What? You’re doing fine.” This came from his trainer, Marion, an older plumpish woman with short dark red hair and a ready smile. She had explained to him that she preferred the morning shifts as her grandkids were in school and she could pick them up for her daughter in the afternoons.
“No. It’s, the guy at table four.”
Marion looked. Grinned. “Oh, he’s a cutie.”
“Yeah and—”
“What? Do the cute ones make you nervous? Don’t worry, Edward. You’re a natural at this. You got this. I already plan on telling the guys how well you’re doing.”
Edward paused to take that in and give his trainer an appreciative smile. “Thanks. But, no. I know that guy.”
“Yeah? Well, that’s fine. It’ll be okay. Put those in the kitchen, then we’ll go take his order.”
Great.
Edward placed the dishes in the tray for washing, then hurried back to the restaurant floor, smoothing down his hair as he did so. For no good reason. So, Jim Reynolds happened to pick Edward’s first day at Mabry’s to have breakfast. Alone. Edward wondered where his wife or girlfriend was. Not that it was his business.
Marion gestured for him to come over and he practically ran there. She gave him a look, then turned to Jim.
“Good morning, sir, and welcome to Mabry’s. My name is Marion and I’ll be your server, and this is Edward, who I’m training.”
Jim’s gaze strayed up from the menu he had been perusing to glance at Marion, then looked at Edward, his blue eyes widening. “Edward.”
The soft way he’d said the name told Edward that he’d definitely been recognized. And remembered.
“Jim, how are you?”
“Uh. Fine.” He seemed at a loss.
Marion cleared her throat. “Coffee, sir?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll get that for you and give you a chance to look over the menu.” Marion stepped away and immediately looked pointedly at Edward.
“Excuse me,” Edward said and followed her.
“Don’t screw this up, Edward,” she admonished. “You’re doing great. You can talk to the eye candy after your shift. Got that?”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I can imagine it’s a bit startling. Former boyfriend?”
“Something like that.”
Marion nodded. “I’ll get his coffee. You check on table two.”
And so it went. Marion ended up taking Jim’s order without Edward because she’d obviously decided he’d become too distracted. She was probably right. Edward was very much aware that Jim watched him as he moved across the restaurant. Marion did let Edward clear away Jim’s dishes, though.
“Did you want anything else?” Edward asked politely as he picked up the empty plates.
“Yeah. Actually…umm…what time do you get off work?”
Edward had been scheduled for only four hours, the seven-to-eleven shift. He hoped to have those hours expanded as soon as they realized he was not a fuck-up.
“Eleven.”
“I’d like to talk to you. See you. Can we go somewhere for coffee or something?”
“Sure. There’s a place called Sutter’s Brew on Main. Meet there at, say, eleven-fifteen?”
Jim’s smile did funny things to Edward’s gut. It had been a long time since he’d viewed that gorgeous smile. “See you then. And for what it’s worth, looks like you’re doing great on your first day.”
“Thank you. Yeah, see you.”
After Jim paid and left, Edward managed to get back into the flow of things quite well, and he wasn’t all that surprised when his shift ended to see Chris Mabry waiting for him by the entrance.
“Nice job today, Edward. So far so good.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I’d like you to work the breakfast shift exclusively for the next four days, if you’re able—the same seven-to-eleven—before we try you out for the lunch crowd. Think you’re up for doing it without help tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.”
Mabry smiled. It even seemed genuine. “Great. See you then.”
Edward left, feeling pretty good. It was only a short walk to Main Street, then to Sutter’s Brew. So far, the city had managed to keep out the well-known coffee chains, and most of the residents, like Edward, hoped it stayed that way. He loved their resident-owned places. They had way more charm, in his opinion.
Sutter’s Brew’s windows had been painted with holiday snow scenes, though as far as Edward knew, it had never snowed in Sutter’s Bay. But there was a snowman bearing a passing resemblance to Frosty and frolicking reindeer in the snow, tracks and all. They resembled Bambi more than a reindeer but they were cute.
A bell had been tied with red and green Christmas ribbons around the old-fashioned door handle, so it jangled as he stepped inside. Edward saw no sign of Jim, but Nolan Young, the proprietor, greeted him. Nolan and his husband, Leo Winthrop, had tied the knot this past summer on the beach and bought Sutter’s Brew in the spring when the widow of the previous proprietor decided she didn’t want to continue the business.
“Good morning, Edward. Or is it afternoon?”
“Not quite yet. Morning. Galaxy didn’t paint that window, did he?”
Galaxy Winthrop was Leo’s older brother and a local artist.
“No, he didn’t have time since he’s still working on the mural at city hall. Leo had one of the daughters of one of our employees do it. Cute, huh?”
“Adorable. She did a great job.”
“What are you going to have?” Nolan asked.
“Well, I’m meeting someone here, so I probably should wait.”
Nolan smirked. “Someone? A guy?”
Edward hoped he wasn’t blushing. “Er, yeah. But it’s not a date.”
“What is it then?”
“Just someone I knew from LA who happens to be in town.” Edward self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck. “No big deal.”
Nolan’s smirk widened. “Of course not.”
The bell jangled again, and Edward turned to see Jim step inside. Damn, he was still insanely hot, and his looks sort of intimidated Edward.
Chapter 4
Funny, Jim thought. Most people would probably see the stunning blond behind the counter of Sutter’s Brew and stop there—no denying the guy was gorgeous in a classic way. But Jim had eyes only for Edward, who leaned a hip against the counter as he had been conversing with the guy. He still wore the snug black dress pants he’d worn at Mabry’s, along with the crisp white buttoned-down shirt, though he had removed the black waist apron. His dark hair, almost military short, looked good on Edward. He had amazing dark brown eyes that appeared more like dark chocolate than milk.
“Hello, Edward.” Jim was surprised his voice hadn’t cracked. He approached and smiled at the guy behind the counter. “Jim Reynolds.”
The blond stuck out his hand. “Nolan Young-Winthrop.”
Jim shook his hand. “I’m new in Sutter’s Bay.”
“I guessed,” Nolan said. “Welcome. You moved here?”
Edward glanced at Nolan with narrowed eyes, but said nothing.
“I’ve been here only a handful of days. I’m renting Jason Sweet’s mother’s old place.”
Edward frowned. “Do you know the chief?”
Jim smiled. “We were friends in Los Angeles. He’s the one who suggested this place when a job became available at one of the law firms. I start in January, after the holidays.”
“That’s great. What can I get you two?” Nolan asked.
“I’ll just have a large cup of the hazelnut cream,” Edward said. “Lots of room for half and half.”
Nolan rolled his eyes. “I know. And you, Mr. Reynolds?”
“Just Jim, please. Plain old regular for me. And I drink mine black.”
Once they got their coffees, Edward suggested they sit outside at a little table t
o the left of the entrance. There was just a touch of crispness in the air, but it was doable, though Jim suspected as the day progressed it would become cooler and windier.
“I’ve noticed in the short time I’ve been here that, in the afternoons, the wind comes and eventually the fog rolls in behind that,” Jim commented as they got settled.
“Yeah, that’s winter here. And summer.” Edward chuckled. “Actually, it’s usually more overcast in the summer.”
“I bet it makes for a rather spooky Halloween, all that fog.”
“I suppose, if you’re into that kind of thing.”
Jim flicked his head toward the window. “That guy your boyfriend?”
Edward laughed. “Nolan? He’s married to a friend of mine, Leo Winthrop. They got married last summer and bought this place in the spring.”
“Quite a lot of representation of LGBT here.”
“But it’s had its share of not-so-welcoming people. Nolan’s dad was the mayor at one time, and a horrible bigot. I guess we’re like any place else.” Edward sipped his coffee. “I was born here.”
“I didn’t know that. Really small world.”
“It is. Parents moved us to LA when I was just a kid.” Edward paused. “And you?”
Jim shrugged. “I needed a change of pace, I guess, after my divorce.”
“Divorce?” Edward spoke softly. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” And he was, of course, but he was over it. Mostly. Life went on. And he had a great feeling about Sutter’s Bay and an even better one when he realized Edward was here. He didn’t believe in fate or anything, but surely it was fortuitous just the same. “Mavis and I were never really suited. About the only thing we had in common was we both liked girls and we both liked guys. Doesn’t make for a good marriage. Mavis met Abby, and well, that was the end. But we had a daughter. Her name is Hope. This will be her first Christmas.”
“Wow. Okay. I saw you at The Bay Market yesterday buying some baby stuff. Was that for Hope?”
Jim blinked in surprise. “You saw me? But I didn’t see you.”
Edward grinned. “I work there part-time. Was on a break when I saw you. I was a beautician at a salon here, too, but the place burned down. So now I’m at the store and Mabry’s.”
“Was it really your first day?”
