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1
Brecken Miller stomped the dust from his black leather construction boots and pushed open the door to Déjà Brew. Almost immediately the aroma of coffee and pastries spilled out, mixing in with the salty ozone rising up from the Atlantic Ocean. It wasn’t even eight in the morning but the coffee shop was already busy – full of commuters and tourists inhaling their first caffeine shots of the morning.
Behind the counter, Ally Sutton raised her hand in greeting. He waved in return, a grin curling his lips. He’d been back in the small beach town of Angel Sands for almost six months now, but he was still getting used to everybody knowing who he was. He shouldn’t have been so shocked that everybody remembered him from when he was a kid, but he’d been living in Boston for most of his adult life. Yet as soon as he’d stepped foot back in Angel Sands, thirteen years since he’d last been here, he’d found himself surrounded by old friends.
As he joined the six-person line for coffee, Breck stared out of the huge picture window facing the beach. Water was lapping against the sand like a lazy cat, the waves big enough to attract the early morning surfers out on their boards, but not so choppy they provided much of a challenge.
“A latte and a coffee donut, please,” the man in front of him ordered. Breck leaned on the counter and idly sorted through the leaflets different companies had placed there. A new car cleaning service that offered the first wash for free, a magician who guaranteed to set any party alight – literally. And a printed piece of paper asking for volunteers to help out at the official Angel Sands Christmas light switch on.
“You interested?” a voice from behind him asked.
Breck turned around to see Frank Megassey standing there. As well as running the local hardware store, Frank was well reknowned for being the unofficial Angel Sands organizer. If it needed volunteers, Frank was always at the front of the line.
“It’s only October,” Breck said, hastily putting the leaflet back down where he found it. He tried to find the right word to say no, he really wasn’t interested. But all he could come up with was, “It’s a long time until Christmas.”
“Not if you’re organizing an event like this,” Frank told him. “We have to apply for permits, make a start on fundraising for the electricity, and of course there’s the entertainment to organize. We could use a strong man like you to help us out. What do you say?”
“I…ah…” Breck raked his hand through his hair. “I go away every Christmas. I probably won’t be here.”
“Frank, are you press-ganging my customers again?” Ally asked, grinning at him. “Can’t you let them have some coffee in peace?” She turned to Breck and gave him a sympathetic look. “Your coffees are all ready. We’re bagging up the donuts now and I’ll have someone carry them to the car for you.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Breck handed her his credit card. It was Friday, which meant it was his turn to buy breakfast for the team he had working for him at the Silver Sands construction site. Six cartons of coffee and a hundred donuts for his hungry workers was a small price to pay for the dedication and hard labor they’d put in over the past few months, bringing the old 1920s derelict resort back into its resplendent glory. There were still six more months of work ahead of them, and he’d learned from experience that keeping his workers happy was an important part of coordinating a project like this.
“Add Frank’s order to my bill,” Breck said to Ally. “Whatever he wants is on me.”
Ally raised an eyebrow. “Guilt coffee?”
Breck grinned. “Something like that.”
A couple of minutes later he was back outside, opening his truck up and loading the coffee and pastries inside. Like the rest of the vehicles that regularly parked outside the Silver Sands construction site, it was covered with dust that never seemed to disappear no matter how often he cleaned it. Even through the sandy particles you could see the name of his family’s company, Miller & Sons Construction, proudly emblazoned on the side. He was proud to be part of it, and to be running their Californian operations, while his dad ran the company over on the East Coast.
“Hey man!” Lucas Russell called from across the parking lot. “You still on for tonight?” He was carrying a surfboard, his hair and shorts wet from a morning out on the water, and from the grin on his face it had been a successful one. Leaning his board up against his own truck, he crossed the blacktop to where Breck was standing, reaching his hand out for their own version of a handshake.
Lucas was one of Breck’s oldest friends, and yet the two of them had only recently reconnected. That had been Breck’s fault. When he’d left town at the age of seventeen, he hadn’t wanted to talk to any of his old friends. Hadn’t wanted to think about the way his mom had died, or how he and his brother had to leave town to join their father in Boston.
But now he was back in the town he grew up in, spending time with friends who didn’t give a damn he’d disappeared for years. It gave him a little buzz to be so readily accepted back into the fold.
“I’m up for tonight,” Breck told him. “Do you need me to bring anything?”
“Nope. Just yourself. We’ll have some drinks and some food, and some dancing. Ember’s got it all covered. I know it’s an engagement party, but we want everybody to have fun.”
“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” Breck said, grinning. “Surely we’re not old enough.”
“We’re thirty,” Lucas pointed out. “A good time to settle down. Speaking of which, Ember’s friend was asking about you.”
“What friend?” Breck frowned.
“Rachel. She’s another teacher at the school. You remember her, right? She was at our place a couple of weeks ago when we had the cookout.”
Breck blinked, trying to place her. But wheneve
r Lucas and Ember hosted parties, their little cottage and the beach beyond was always full of their friends and coworkers. They had a way of drawing people in, and they always wanted to make sure their friends were taken care of. That was one of the things Breck liked about them both.
“Rachel?” Breck said. “Is she the dark haired one?”
“Nope. She’s blonde.”
Not that her hair color mattered. Breck wasn’t looking for a relationship. He’d been burnt too many times. No woman wanted to be with a guy who wouldn’t let her in. Whatever way he tried to cut it, they always tried to get under his skin, exactly where he didn’t want them.
“Blonde?” Breck said, wrinkling his nose. “Nah, I really can’t remember her. And anyway, I’m too busy for that kind of thing. I’ll leave the romance to you.” He leaned against his truck, grinning. “By the way, did you set a date for the wedding?”
“Yeah, we did. The twenty-third of December.”
Breck blinked. “At Christmas?”
“Yep.”
“This year?”
“That’s right.” Lucas raised his eyebrows. “The way I see it, the sooner the better.”
“Sounds like a good plan. You don’t want somebody to snatch her out of your grasp.” Breck laughed, trying to hide his dismay. Another reason relationships never worked for him. Try telling a girl you didn’t want to celebrate Christmas. In fact, you’d prefer to hide away for the whole festive season and pretend it didn’t exist.
He hadn’t met a woman yet who didn’t try to make him change his mind.
“Like Beyoncé says, I gotta put a ring on it.” Lucas grinned. “But don’t tell Ember I said that.” He cleared his throat. “So, I was wondering if you’d be one of my groomsmen, along with Griff and Jack. Only if you feel up to it, I know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea.”
Breck felt his chest tighten. “I’d be honored,” he said, ignoring the growing unease in his chest. “But you don’t have to ask me to be kind. I know you’ve got a lot of friends who’ll want to help.”
“You’re family, man,” Lucas said. “You and Griff and Jack are the only three people I want up there beside me. We grew up together, and in a world like this it means a lot to know you’ll be there for me.”
A wave of emotion crashed over Breck. “It would mean a lot to me, too.”
