Just A Kiss

by Elks, Carrie

  But she’d never seen either of them again.

  “What’s he doing here?” She was thinking out loud, not realizing she’d said anything until her mom answered her.

  “He works with his father. Miller Construction is renovating the old Silver Sands Resort. Isn’t it wonderful to see him? I spent so many sleepless nights worrying about that boy after he left, wondering how he was doing. It’s great to see him so successful.”

  Caitie allowed herself to glance over at him again. Somehow the gesture felt furtive, as if she was a child peeking out from behind the sofa, hoping nobody could see her. “He hasn’t changed much.”

  Deenie smiled. “He was a good looking boy, and he’s an even better looking man. Devastating you might say.”

  Yes, devastating was definitely the right word. Caitie felt the full effects of it all over her body. A flush had broken out on her chest, staining her pale skin a strawberry pink. It was in danger of spreading up her neck and face.

  Caitie had spent just as many sleepless nights as her mom after Brecken and his brother left. Their father – David – had picked them up the day after Christmas, once he was able to make the trek after hearing of his ex-wife’s passing. After the funeral, he’d flown them back to his home in Boston, thousands of miles away from Angel Sands and their friends. Caitie closed her eyes, remembering the lost expression in both boy’s eyes, and how desperate she’d been to bring some happiness to them that Christmas.

  “You should go say hi,” Deenie suggested. “I’m sure he’d be pleased to see you.”

  “He won’t remember me.” She took another sip of her juice.

  “Of course he does. He was asking about you. Told me he still remembers how kind you were to him and Daniel when they stayed with us. I’m sure he’d love to catch up with you.”

  The thought of talking to him was paralyzing. Of all Lucas’s friends, Breck had been the one who had drawn her in. While Griff and Jack were merrily joining in with whatever scheme Lucas thought up to torture his little sister, Breck was the one who would check if she was okay. He would offer to protect her and she’d developed a little crush on him.

  Okay, so it wasn’t that little.

  He turned around again. This time his body twisted toward Caitie until his gaze locked on her face. Her skin started to fizz, as though somebody had thrown soda all over her.

  Devastating. Somehow the word didn’t seem enough now that they were face to face. How could she have thought he hadn’t changed? Everything about him screamed masculinity, from the sharp angles of his face to the scruff across his jaw. When she was fifteen years old, Brecken Miller had left Angel Sands, and it had felt as though her world had left with him.

  Now he was back, all grown up, and Caitie couldn’t form a single lucid thought in her brain.

  3

  As a child, Breck hadn’t spent a whole lot of time at the Beach Club. Though his mom earned a fair wage working as an admin at Newton Pharmaceuticals, it hadn’t been enough for luxuries like club memberships. The three of them had lived a frugal life. Even buying his first surfboard had been a huge investment, paid for by working the whole summer in Frank Megassey’s hardware store.

  He wondered what his mom would think of him now. Coming back into town as a grown man, his business going from strength to strength. Would she be glad he’d mended bridges with his father, or would she be angry that he’d grown to love the man who had been a stranger to them before she passed?

  “You want another beer?” Jack asked, inclining his head toward the bar.

  “I’m good, thanks.” Breck shook his still-full bottle at him.

  “Hey, do you remember the time we all drank Jack’s mom’s whiskey?” Griff asked, grinning. “I swear I lost about thirty-six hours of my life after that. No sixteen year old should feel that much pain.”

  They launched into another round of reminiscences, joshing about the kids they once were. Breck couldn’t help but laugh at Griffin’s impression of him stumbling around before being sick in his mom’s leather purse.

  “As I remember, you vomited on her dog,” Breck pointed out. “She was a lot more upset about that.”

  The back of his neck began to tingle, the same way it did when he had a shave at the barber. He reached up to touch it but the sensation remained. He rubbed the skin with his fingers, frowning.

  Griff was saying something to Jack about being a lightweight, but Breck couldn’t quite hear the words. He was too busy turning around to look at the group of people behind him. They were older, a collection of Lucas’s family and neighbors. Brecken smiled when he saw Lucas’s mom, resplendent in a silver dress. When the light caught the thread it looked almost luminous.

  A second later, his eyes locked onto a brunette standing with the group. A shock ran through him as he realized she was staring back. As much as he knew he should, he couldn’t pull himself away from those melted chocolate eyes.

  He wasn’t sure what about her grabbed his attention. Maybe it was the dark brown hair that cascaded in waves down her back. Or her pale-as-alabaster skin. The only evidence she’d ever been touched by the sun was a line of freckles smattered across the bridge of her nose.

  The back of his neck tingled again.

  “Oh hey, Caitie’s here.” Lucas had followed Breck’s gaze over to the crowd beside them.

  That was Caitie? The gorgeous brunette with curves to kill for was the girl they used to tease and rib mercilessly? His mind was still trying to wrap around the idea when she started to walk toward them, her hips swaying effortlessly as she crossed the distance. When the hell did she grow up?

  “Hey, Vampira, you okay?” Griffin asked her. Breck had forgotten about Caitie’s childhood nickname. She used to avoid the sun, always refusing to sit out in it or come down to the beach. They’d been such douches to her in those days.

  “Caitie, how are you?” Breck’s voice was soft, as he reached out to take her hand in his. The way her skin felt was electric.

  A smile broke across her lips. “Breck,” she said, her voice full of warmth. “My mom said you were here. I can’t believe you came back. I thought you’d be gone forever.”

  He grimaced. “Yeah, I wasn’t the best at keeping in touch, was I?” He kept the rest of his sentence to himself. No need to tell her how depressed he was after leaving Angel Sands. How it was a miracle that he even got up every morning after heading east. Back then, he didn’t have the capacity to keep in touch with the friends he’d left behind. It was all too painful and raw.

  Old history, he told himself. That was then, and this was now.

  But he was still holding her hand.

  “Well, we missed you. I’m glad you’re here. Lucas must be ecstatic the gang is back together.” She was staring up at him with those doe eyes. He could easily get lost in them.

  “Lucas is standing right here,” her brother said. “And yes, he’s very happy.”

  Her brother’s interruption was like a bucket of ice. She pulled her hand from Breck’s, breaking their connection. “Shut up, Lucas. And stop talking about yourself in the third person.”

  “Lucas will be happy to do that.”

  Griffin started to laugh. It really was like old times, with Lucas and his friends teasing the younger girl. Except she wasn’t a girl anymore, was she?

  “It really is good to see you,” Breck said. “How have you been doing?”

  There was her smile again. All goofy and lopsided the way he’d remembered it. He wondered if her lips were as soft as they looked. “I’m really good, thanks. I’ve been living in New York. This is the first time I’ve been home in ages.”

  He fought the urge to reach out and touch her again. “Yeah, Lucas told me you have your own business. That’s pretty cool for somebody so young.”

  “I’m not that young,” she pointed out.

  “Tell that to the thirty year old.”

  She laughed. “Well in that case, old man…”

  “Hey, less of the old.” Th
eir easy conversation relaxed him. “So what exactly do you do?”

  “I’m a Holiday Consultant.”

  “A what?” he asked, perplexed.

  She laughed at his expression. “I work with businesses on Christmas themes and events. I consult on future trends, past trends, and help source festive items and decor. Basically, if it has anything to do with Christmas, I do it.”

  “That’s a thing?” His lips were dry. He lifted the bottle of beer to wet them. The mention of Christmas made him want to down his drink in one.

  “It really is.” She shrugged. “It’s a pretty lucrative thing, too.”

  “Sounds as though you’re doing really well.”

  “I’m getting there. I’m working on a big contract with a company in L.A.. If I can close it, things will really go to the next level.”

  “No wonder Lucas is so proud of you.”

  “He is?” Her surprise made him wince.

  “Yeah, of course he is.”

  She smiled at his revelation. “Talking of brothers, how is Daniel? He must be twenty-three by now.”

  “Twenty-four last week. And he’s doing great. He graduated from Harvard a couple of years ago, and is doing research. You wouldn’t recognize him if you saw him. He’s about ten feet tall and all muscled up, nothing like he was as a kid.”

  “I’d recognize him if he looks anything like you.” Her tongue peeked out to lick her lips. They looked as dry as his felt. “Say hi for me the next time you speak to him, okay? He was like my little brother back in the day.”

  “I definitely will.”

  A loud bell rang from the corner of the room, right as the MC stepped up to the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. Dinner is about to be served.”

  “I guess that’s our cue. What table are you at? I’ve got table ten.” He pointed over to the far corner.

  “I’m at the family table.” She inclined her head at table one. “I’ll catch you later?” Was it his imagination, or did she look disappointed?

  He shot her a wink. “It was really good to see you.”

  “And you.” She nodded. “So good.”

  * * *

  Table ten turned out to be the raucous one. Griffin and Jack sat to Breck’s left, pouring wine out as if a drought was about to kick in. On the other side of the table were Ember’s friends, Ally and Brooke, plus their partners, Nate and Aiden. Breck knew Aiden very well. He was one of the directors of Carter Leisure, the huge hotel company that owned the Silver Sands Resort. That made Aiden Breck’s boss, and the two of them were friends from the start.

  On Breck’s right was Rachel Foss – Ember’s friend from school that Lucas had mentioned. Breck still couldn’t remember meeting her before, in spite of talking with her for the last five minutes.

  “So you grew up with Lucas?” Rachel asked, resting her chin on her hand. “That must have been fun. What made you leave town?”

  “My mom died when I was seventeen, so I moved to Boston with my dad.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that.” Rachel’s face dropped.

  “It’s okay. It happened a long time ago.” He smiled at her to take the sting away.

  “So are you back for good now?” She leaned forward, her eyes soft. As she spoke, Breck found himself sneaking a glance at table one. Caitie was talking to her mom, her face turned away from him.

  “I don’t know how long I’m here for. We’re due to finish the reconstruction at the Silver Sands Resort next year. After that we’re hoping for another contract nearby.” He’d already discussed staying in California for a while with his dad, so they’d begun placing bids on contracts which would keep him close. He liked the area, liked having some autonomy. Luckily, his father was in agreement.

  “That’s really interesting.” Rachel tipped her head to the side. “I drive past there every day. I keep wondering what is happening behind all those fences. Are you having to demolish a lot of it?”

  He shook his head. “No, we’re mostly restoring. There’s a lot of history in those buildings. It was here before the town really grew. It would be a crime to knock it down.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Aiden nod in agreement.

  “I’d love to see it sometime,” Rachel said, looking at him expectantly.

  Breck took a sip of his drink. “Once we reach the next stage of construction, we’ll start having open days for the town. Maybe you could come along.”

  Rachel grinned. “Oh, yes please.” She leaned forward. “So, do you surf like Lucas does?”

  “When I get a chance,” he replied. “How about you?”

  “No, but I love to watch. I go down sometimes before school and sit on the beach for a while. When do you surf?”

  “Mostly on the weekends.” He shrugged. “When I’m not working.”

  “Maybe I’ll come and watch you some time,” she suggested. “We could grab coffee or something afterward.” She was leaning so close his personal space was non-existent. It made him want to shuffle his chair back.

  “Um, yeah. Sure.” From the corner of his eye he noticed Griff grinning. “I’m pretty busy though.”

  “It’s fine. Let me give you my number.” She grabbed a pad and pen from her purse, and scribbled her digits down, tearing out the sheet of paper and pressing it into his hand. “Call me next time you’re free.”

  Breck slid the piece of paper in his pocket. He had no intention of calling her. Not that she wasn’t a nice girl – if she was friends with Ember, he had no doubt she was. But she wasn’t his type. And he wasn’t in the market for a relationship.

  Strange how his eyes were drawn to the front table again. To the woman he hadn’t seen for the past thirteen years. He swallowed hard as he took in her dark, lustrous hair, pulled over one shoulder to reveal her pale, slender neck.

  As though she could feel the heat of his stare, she turned around and her eyes caught his. Breck felt like he’d been hit by a freight train. What the hell was wrong with him?

  You didn’t go near a friend’s sister. That was part of the bro-code he’d grown up with, and as far as he was concerned it still applied now. So why was his heart racing like it was trying to win the Kentucky Derby?

  Maybe it was shock. The last time he’d seen her, Breck had been in a bad place. Seeing her again, all these years later, was bound to stir up memories. The Russells had been the one chink of light in the darkness that was his life in those days. No wonder seeing her felt strange.

  Yeah, the little voice in his head said. Keep thinking that if you want. But tell me, why didn’t you have the same reaction the first time you saw Lucas again?

  4

  Deenie looked up as soon as Caitie walked into the kitchen the next morning. The sun was shining through the window leading out to the yard, its yellow glow lighting up the marble countertop where Deenie was laying out breakfast. The coffee her mom bought especially for her was already brewing, the pot spitting and sizzling as it filled up, the aroma rich in the room.

  “Hey sweetheart. Did you sleep well?” Deenie asked.

  Caitie smiled at her mom. “I think my body’s still on New York time. I woke up before five.”

  Deenie sighed sympathetically. Neither one of them were great sleepers. Caitie couldn’t remember either of her parents sleeping in, not even on weekends. They were always up with the roosters.

  “Where’s Dad?” Caitie asked, noticing his absence.

  “Playing golf. He was out the door at six.”

  “I didn’t hear him leave.” She looked around, as if she were checking for him. “Is he always that sneaky?”

  Deenie coughed out a laugh. “Your dad, sneaky? Oh, boy, he’d like that description. He couldn’t sneak around to save his life. Do you remember when I turned fifty and he tried to surprise me with a birthday party? I had to practice my shocked expression for weeks.”

  “Oh I remember. He was so proud, too.” Caitie poured herself a cup of coffee and sat at the breakfast bar, taking a sip of the earthy b
rew. Her parents were like night and day. She’d always marveled at how they’d made their relationship work for so many years. On paper, they were such a mismatch, yet together they worked. They set a high bar for Caitie and Lucas – one her brother had managed to scale. But for her the climb seemed almost impossible.

  “How’s he enjoying retirement?” Caitie asked.

  Deenie joined her at the breakfast bar, pulling up a stool and setting her mug of green tea on the counter. “Ah, he’s getting there. The first few months were difficult. He didn’t know what to do with himself. After he ran out of all those little repairs you put off for a rainy day, he started getting under my feet. He was like a lost puppy following me around.”

  Caitlin grinned. Her mom would never have the patience for that. “Did he drive you crazy?”

  “You better believe it. I even thought about breaking things to give him something to repair. When he began interfering at the bookshop, I knew something had to change.” Deenie took a sip of her tea. “That’s when he started booking regular slots at the golf club. He’s made some new friends there, and gotten reacquainted with old ones. It’s made everybody’s life easier.”

  Caitie tipped her head to the side. She’d always been fascinated by her parents’ relationship. “So what’s your secret?”

  “Our secret?” Her mom looked confused.

  “You’re so different from each other. How do you keep things going? You were never the kind of wife who bowed to her husband. Look at Dad’s job. You’ve always been against big pharmaceuticals and how they push their own agenda, but never once have I heard you tell Dad you don’t agree with his job.”

  Deenie rubbed her chin, giving Caitie a speculative look. “I’ve never thought relationships change who you are. And I definitely don’t think they mean you have to agree on everything. Look at the way your father and I met. From the first moment we laid eyes on each other, we knew how different we were. I guess the secret is seeing that everybody has their own point of view, and they have the right to that.” Her lips curled into a smile. “Love doesn’t mean having to agree on everything, but it does mean respecting each other’s choices. If you love somebody and want to spend your life with them, you have to love every part of them. Even the bits you don’t quite understand.”