Pieces Of Us

by Elks, Carrie

  “Goodbye, Daddy.”

  “Good night, Autumn. I’m looking forward to you coming home. This town isn’t the same without you.”

  She ended the call and carried her plate over to the garbage disposal, letting it run extra long to enjoy the grinding noise.

  Today hadn’t turned out to be the best day in the world. But tomorrow was another one.

  * * *

  “So how’d your date go?” Jackson asked as the three guys carried their boards toward the water. It was early on Monday morning – the sun had barely begun to rise on the hills behind them, tingeing the darkness of the ocean with sparkling pink tips. The beach was empty and combed – the sand laying in perfect lines thanks to the sandboni that rumbled across the shore every morning, picking up the trash and sifting the grains.

  The tide was slowly retreating, leaving a pink sheen on the wet sand behind it. Their bare feet sunk down as they reached the water’s edge.

  “It wasn’t a date.”

  “Of course it was. You were alone with a girl on the trail. That’s the definition of a date.” Jackson rolled his eyes as he lay his board down in the foamy shore.

  “Are we gonna gossip all day, or are we planning on surfing?” Lucas asked, glancing at Griff from the corner of his eye. “I have to be at work by nine, and I promised Ember I’d bring her coffee back before I go.”

  “That’s because you’re under the thumb,” Jackson said, grinning.

  Lucas looked unperturbed. “Exactly the way I like it.”

  Jackson paddled ahead of them, his eyes trained on the waves peaking to the south of the pier. There were only a handful of surfers out on the waves. It was too early for tourists, and most of Angel Sands’ residents were either asleep or heading to work. Only the most dedicated of surfers – and those who’d received a hall pass from the wife – were out before the sun was above the skyline.

  “You okay?” Lucas asked Griff as they slowly made their way out into the ocean.

  “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

  “You looked mad at Jackson. You’re never mad at him. You always laugh when he needles us.”

  Griff sighed. “Ignore me. I’m in a shitty mood. Probably shouldn’t have come out today.”

  “Did something happen with Autumn yesterday?”

  Griff turned to look at Lucas. There was no sarcasm in his face, no judgment. Just the expression of one friend who was concerned for the other.

  He couldn’t remember a time when Lucas wasn’t part of his life. The three of them had grown up together. From grade school all the way through to now. They’d ragged each other about girls, commiserated about Griff’s shitty parents, been there when they’d gotten their final grades for school and launched into adulthood.

  Most people tend to lose touch at that time. With Lucas heading to White City to become a firefighter, and Jackson studying at school, Griff had been the only one left in Angel Sands, working with his dad on the boat and surfing alone every morning.

  Then one by one they’d come home. First Jackson to set up his business, then Lucas when he wanted to settle down with Ember. Griff knew he was lucky to be surrounded by his childhood friends. Most people didn’t have those kind of relationships.

  “Nothing happened,” he said, spotting a wave coming in from the west. “We had a good afternoon and then I brought her home. That’s all.”

  Maybe this was all he needed. His friends, the ocean, and his boat. He knew where he was with them. Even at his grumpiest, Jackson never caused him any pain. And that was exactly the way Griff liked it.

  * * *

  “How long has your restaurant been here?” Autumn asked Carla as she cleared the tables of Delmonico’s after the lunchtime rush.

  It’d been two days since she’d gone on that hike with Griff, and Autumn had spent most of those forty-eight hours talking with business owners on the pier and along the nearby boardwalk. Today was Delmonico’s turn. She’d arrived before they’d opened at twelve o’clock and watched the tables fill with couples and families and businessmen. It was clearly a local favorite, and when she was served a bowl of spaghetti putanesca she understood why.

  It tasted heavenly. Better than anything she’d had in a upscale restaurant in New York. If she hadn’t been promised the best cannoli outside of Italy for dessert, she’d have asked for a second helping.

  “My Great-grandfather opened up the first restaurant in the nineteen-thirties. He emigrated here from Sicily, and worked in San Francisco. The family moved south after the Great Depression, and started selling food from a little shack on the beach.” Carla walked as she spoke, and Autumn followed her, pushing the door to the kitchen open so Carla could walk through. “After the war, they built this place and it’s been going ever since. Most of the family works here in one capacity or another.” She nodded at the chef. “That’s my cousin, Vincent. And those two chopping vegetables are Luca and Sophia. My brother, Matteo, used to work here, but he has his own restaurant in White City now.”

  “Have you ever thought of expanding the Delmonico’s brand?” Autumn asked as they began to load the industrial dishwasher. “Maybe open up a delicatessen or have deliveries? I mentioned to Griff that you could work together on evening dinner cruises.”

  Carla blinked and looked away. “No. I don’t think we’d want to do that.”

  Autumn shrugged. “Expansion isn’t for everybody.”

  She glanced out of the window at the dock at the end of the pier. It was empty. Griff must have taken the boat out on a whale watching cruise.

  She was going to have to face him sometime. They had to do business together, after all. And whatever plans she had for the pier would need his support.

  “Hey Autumn, the cannoli are ready. You want one?” Vincent asked, holding out a plate. The crisp, golden pastry tubes were filled with piped, sweet ricotta, the ends dusted with chocolate shards and powdered sugar.

  “I’d kill for one.” Autumn grinned and took one from the top, biting into the delicious goodness. “Oh my god, this is amazing,” she told him once she swallowed. “No wonder the restaurant is always full.”

  “Vincent trained in Sicily,” Carla told her. “We try to make everything as authentic as we can. Great food without being pretentious.”

  “It’s working.”

  Somebody was striding toward the end of the pier. Autumn blinked when she realized it was Griff. If he was here, why wasn’t his boat?

  She took a deep breath. It was time to face her demons. Better now than later.

  “I need to talk to Griff for a second,” she told Vincent when she’d finished the cannoli. “I’ll be back to buy a box full of those.”

  The air outside was warm and salty. Waves hit the wooden pillars, sending up spray through the gaps in the planks. “Griff!” Autumn called out, walking fast to catch up with him. Damn, his strides were long.

  He turned to see her, his expression quizzical. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Where’s your boat?”

  He grinned, and she let out a mouthful of air. “Mike took it out for me today. I had a meeting in town. They should be back in an hour. Thought I’d come and meet them, finish everything up to thank him for doing me a favor.”

  “And there was me imagining it was stolen by pirates.”

  “We don’t get a whole lot of pirates around here.” Griff chuckled. “Is everything okay with you?”

  “Yeah. I just wanted to say hi. And thanks for Sunday.” She looked down at her hands. “And to check that things were okay between us.”

  “Things are okay.” He blinked, as though he couldn’t quite understand her.

  Her lips curled into a wan smile. “I’ve only been here a few days, yet I’ve already made an ass out of myself with you.” She looked up, her gaze catching his. “And I like you, I really do. I was hoping we could be friends.”

  Griff said nothing for a moment. His gaze roamed over her face, her neck, then back up to her eyes. “We are friends. W
hat happened on the trail was a mistake. We both agreed on that. I’m not the kind of man who holds grudges.”

  She knew that from looking at him. And damn if that didn’t add to his attraction. Standing there on the weatherworn pier, he looked like some kind of ancient god with the sun beating down on him. The sort that could fight a lion with his bare hands then ravish a maiden before breakfast.

  “Thank you,” she said softly. “I need all the friends I can get.”

  “Anything you want, just say the word. That goes for Lucas and Jackson, too. Hell, all our friends.”

  Her smile widened.

  “Speaking of which, there’s a party for Lucas’s parents on Sunday. Why don’t you come as my plus one? As a friend,” Griff said, emphasizing the final word. She ignored the little tug in her chest at the word friend. It was what she wanted, after all.

  “Won’t they mind me tagging along?” She really wanted to go, but old habits died hard. She couldn’t imagine dropping in uninvited to a party in Manhattan.

  He laughed. “You need to live in Angel Sands for a while longer. Of course it’s okay. Everyone will be pleased to see you.”

  “Then I’d be delighted to go.”

  “I’ll pick you up at one. It’s Deenie and Wallace’s ruby wedding anniversary, in case you want to bring them a card.”

  “Deenie and Wallace?”

  “The Russells. Lucas’s parents. Caitie’s, too.” He grinned. “And Ember’s in-laws.”

  “I’ll never remember everybody’s names.”

  “Don’t sweat it. Just call everybody ‘man’ like I do. It saves a lot of time.”

  Her eyes met his once more, and those stupid fireworks went off in her chest.

  They were friends again, and that was good. The fireworks could go take a hike.

  * * *

  “Okay, I’m heading off,” Autumn said to the younger Delmonico’s. “Thank you for being such gracious hosts today. And you know where I am if you need anything.”

  “Thanks for loving my food,” Vincent said, grinning. “You’re welcome back here at any time.”

  “Can I have a quick word?” Carla asked her, as Autumn reached for the handle of the kitchen door, the box of cannolis in her other hand. “In private.”

  “Sure.” Autumn followed her to a little office at the back of the kitchen. Carla ushered her inside and closed the door behind them. She sat on the edge of the desk – pushing away some papers that were strewn across the surface, and sighed.

  “I saw you talking to Griff earlier.”

  The back of Autumn’s neck tingled. “Uh, yeah…” She trailed off, wary of where this was going.

  “The two of you looked close. So I wanted to give you a warning, woman to woman. He’s bad news, you should avoid him.”

  Autumn waited for Carla to laugh, but she looked deadly serious. “Griff’s bad news?” she clarified, wondering if she was talking about someone else.

  “Yeah. He can be charming as hell, but he’s a player. An asshole.” Carla spat the words out. “He leads people on, then breaks their hearts. And I could see the way he was looking at you while you were talking.”

  “You were watching us?” Autumn’s eyes were wide.

  Carla carried on, ignoring Autumn’s question. “I know he seems like a nice guy. He takes people in. Hell, he took me in. Then he spat me out as soon as I asked for a commitment. He’s happy as hell to get into your panties, but he’ll drop you like a hot tamale if you want more.”

  “I don’t want more,” Autumn said, trying not to grimace at Carla’s description. “And I certainly don’t want him in my panties.” She wrinkled her nose. The thought of Griff and Carla together made her stomach turn. “I’m just here to work. Nothing more. And I don’t want any drama.” God knew, she had enough back in New York.

  “Okay. Good.” Carla smiled at her, baring a perfect set of white teeth. “Enjoy the cannolis.” She lifted a finger to her lips. “Oh, and if you’re interested, Vincent is single.”

  Autumn pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. “I’m not. But thank you. And good evening.”

  She couldn’t get out of the restaurant fast enough. This town was crazy.

  And yet, there was something about it that drew her in.

  9

  “A few close friends.” Autumn grinned at Griff as they walked into Deenie and Wallace Russell’s beautiful back yard. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Isn’t that what you said?”

  Round tables were clustered together on the freshly cut grass, laid with crisp white cloths and stunning pink-and-white floral displays. White paper lanterns hung from the trees, ready to be lit when the sun went down, and pink balloons swayed with the breeze. Soft music vibrated from the speakers fixed in the boughs, mingling with the chatter and laughter of at least fifty people who were standing on the lawn.

  “They have a lot of close friends.” Griff’s eyes crinkled as he grinned back at her. “Most of these guys you either know or know of. There’s Ember and Lucas and all our friends over there,” he said, pointing at a crowd of twenty and thirty-somethings. She spotted Ember holding Arthur, who was wriggling like crazy trying to grab a balloon. Next to her was Harper, holding baby Alyssa. Mother and baby were wearing matching dresses in a bright yellow polka dot fabric that would be difficult to pull off if you weren’t as gorgeous as Harper.

  “Okay.” It was impossible not to smile back at him. “But don’t leave me standing on my own. Unless you’re grabbing me a large glass of wine.”

  He laughed, inclining his head. “Come on. Let’s go say hi to Deenie and Wallace.” He offered her his arm, and she slid her hand through it. Her fingers curled around his bicep and he felt a jolt of electricity flash through his skin.

  Inviting her to the party had seemed like a good idea when they were talking on the pier. He liked Autumn, he really did, and when she’d asked to be friends he’d breathed a sigh of relief. For a couple of days he’d thought he really messed things up between them when he’d kissed her.

  Yeah, it had felt good. Better than good. But he knew better than to do things just because they made his skin heat up.

  Deenie and Wallace were standing by the door to the kitchen, having a heated discussion over a bottle of champagne. Deenie was the first to look up, her warm face breaking into a big grin when she saw Griff approaching. One of her eyebrows rose when she saw Autumn holding his arm.

  “Happy Anniversary,” Griff said, leaning forward to kiss Deenie’s cheek. She was wearing her silver hair in an intricate updo, coiled at the nape of her neck, with braids curling through it. “This is Autumn Paxton. The new owner of the pier.”

  “It’s a real pleasure to meet you,” Deenie said to Autumn, leaning forward to hug her. Autumn hesitated for a moment, before hugging her back. “I would have come and introduced myself before, but we were on a cruise to celebrate our anniversary. This is my husband Wallace. He’s a man of few words, so I talk double on his behalf.”

  Autumn laughed. “It’s so nice to meet you both. Happy anniversary.” She gave them the pink gift bag she’d been carrying since they left Griff’s truck. “What is it, five years?”

  “More like forty,” Deenie told her as she opened the bag.

  “You must have been a child bride,” Autumn said.

  “Oh I like her,” Deenie said to Griff. “She can stay.” She pulled a silver box from the bag and opened it up. “These are beautiful,” she said, pulling out two crystal glasses. They were a vibrant red, with gold painted details around the base and stem. “And you knew it was forty years. Our ruby anniversary.”

  “Griff told me.” Autumn smiled. “I have a friend in New York who hand paints crystal. She couriered these over to me.”

  Deenie’s eyes watered. “I love them,” she whispered. “Thank you. Now what can I get you to drink?” She slid her arm through Autumn’s, pulling her away from Griff. “We have cocktails and wine coolers, and if Wallace can figure out how t
o use his fingers we’ll have some more champagne as well.”

  “These things are complicated,” Wallace said, shaking his head. “You need an advanced degree to open them. What’s wrong with screw tops?”

  “You want me to do it?” Griff asked.

  “Would you?” Wallace glanced over to where Deenie and Autumn had walked. They were standing by the drinks table, deep in conversation. Autumn said something and Deenie laughed out loud, her eyes warm as she touched the top of Autumn’s bare arm.

  “Sure.” He took the bottle from Wallace and unscrewed the cage, then held the cork as he twisted the bottle. It came out with a muted pop, and he passed the bottle back to Wallace who gave him a wink.

  “Okay if I tell Deenie I did this?”

  “It’ll be our secret.”

  “Excellent.” Wallace nodded. “By the way, your girlfriend’s very pretty. And Deenie likes her, I can tell.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” Griff told him, glancing over at Autumn again.

  “So you’re just dating?”

  “Nope.”

  Wallace’s eyes widened. “Is it a booty call? Isn’t that what they call it?”

  Griff tried not to laugh. “We’re just friends. That’s all.”

  “That’s a shame.” Wallace shrugged. “Well, I best take this over. I don’t suppose you can open a couple more, could you? There’s a box in the kitchen. Leave the open ones on the island.”

  “No problem.” He’d do anything for Deenie and Wallace.

  After opening the bottles, Griff looked around for Autumn. She was still in deep conversation with Deenie, the two of them smiling and talking fast. So he headed for the crowd of his friends on the far side of the yard.

  Lucas was the first to see him, shouting out a greeting as he grabbed a beer from a nearby cooler. “Where have you been?”

  “I had to make sure everything was okay with the cruise,” Griff told him. “It’s the second time this week Mike’s done me a favor. Then I went to pick up Autumn.”