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Breck shrugged. “There’s nothing embarrassing about therapy. Or there shouldn’t be. I went for a couple of years after Mom died.”
“Did it help?” She took a sip of water. Her mouth felt dryer than ever. Maybe she shouldn’t have eaten so much bread.
“As much as it could help anybody. I was a teenage boy, remember? I wasn’t keen on talking about myself. Plus I went with Daniel, so half the time I felt like the protective older brother. I just wanted him to cry it all out.”
“He was so young. You both were. It must have been a hell of a shock having to move east with your dad.”
Breck leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He was staring right past her – at the hotel, she guessed – a frown played at his lips and brow. “It was…” he trailed off, as though he couldn’t find the words. “It was devastating, I guess. I don’t remember everything. I think the mind blocks a lot of the trauma out. But having lived with Mom for the first seventeen years of my life, it was like moving in with a stranger. We hadn’t seen a whole lot of our dad until then. And if I’m being honest, I really resented him. Where was he when Mom was going through treatment, through chemo? Where was he when she was throwing up in the bathroom every day?”
“It was a lot for a kid to take on,” Caitie said, her heart clenching. “Plus you had Daniel to look after. I don’t know how you did it.” She reached out for his hand, pulling it from his chest. He slid his fingers through hers, folding them so the tips almost covered her skin.
“I did it because I had no choice. And if you ask my dad he’ll tell you I made him pay for it, too. I was an asshole to him for the first year we were there. I challenged his authority at every turn. If he got into a fight with me or Daniel I’d been there with my fists, telling him he wasn’t a real father..”
“Did he hit you?” She leaned closer. The thought of anybody hurting a teenage Breck made her want to be sick.
“Never. Nor Daniel. I was the punk back then, not him. It took me a lot of time to finally trust him. Much longer than it took Daniel. But Dad had the patience of a saint. He was willing to wait as long as it took for me to believe in him.”
“He sounds like a good man.” Her neck felt tight. As though the lining inside her throat was swelling, restricting her airways. It made her words sound deep and thick.
“He’s a great guy, more of a friend than a parental figure now. Plus he’s technically my boss, so I kind of have to be nice to him.” He grinned. “He’s over this way often. Maybe you can meet him the next time he comes.”
“Oh.” She looked down at their intertwined hands. “I’m not in California very much. This is my first visit to Angel Sands in years.” Looking up, she gave him a small smile. “I don’t suppose you have a lot of work in New York?”
Breck laughed, his chest rising and falling as he chuckled. Her eyes were drawn to his neckline again, to his strong throat, and his light brown chest hair. He hadn’t bothered shaving that morning, and his jaw was peppered with stubble. And though his eyes were covered with aviator sunglasses, she knew behind them his irises were a vivid blue.
“Nah, we’ve never cracked into New York. New England and California, that’s pretty much as far as the Miller Empire extends.” He screwed up his nose. “I don’t think I could stand to work in New York. It’s always so crazy and busy. Noisy, too. I’m getting palpitations just thinking about it. And God only knows what the zoning laws are like.”
“New York’s not that bad.”
A large drop of rain fell into her water glass, another following close behind. She looked up to the sky, watching as the clouds overhead turned even darker. A third raindrop splashed her face. “I think the sky’s about to empty,” she told Breck, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. They stood up, gathering her things, stuffing folders, papers, and pens into Caitie’s bag.
“You know the offer’s still open,” Breck said, sliding his sunglasses over his brow. She’d never get tired of staring at those eyes.
“What offer?”
“I can carry you in. It’ll be as romantic as hell. At least until I pull a muscle in my back.”
“Osteopathy’s always sexy,” she agreed, lifting her bag up to cover her head. The rain began coming down fast, fat droplets splashed against the stones beneath them. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay. I can save myself.”
“I bet you can.”
The way he was looking at her took her breath away. All narrow eyed and strong, sharp jawed. She swallowed hard, feeling her dress as it started to cling to her skin, her hair falling in wet tendrils in spite of the shelter her bag provided.
Yes, she could save herself. She’d been doing it for years. But she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to let somebody else do it for a change.
8
“Come on. I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer.” Harper grabbed at Caitie’s arm, urging her out of the dining chair she’d been holed up in for the past nine hours. “Seriously, girl, it’s almost eight on a Friday night. You’re twenty-eight, not ninety-five. Come out and have some fun.”
Caitie had been back in New York for over a week, but she hadn’t settled into her usual breakneck speed. Maybe it was something to do with the fact she wasn’t sleeping well. She’d blame it on the wedding planning, but thanks to Breck, that was actually going well – they’d secured the hotel, and now she was working on the little details.
Of course, she was swamped with work as usual. More so, since she was preparing for a big pitch after Thanksgiving, hoping to win a five-year-contract at the Hollywood Hills Theme Park as their Holiday Coordinator. If she got it, she’d be spending a lot more time in California. The thought of it made her skin fizz.
Then there was Brecken Miller. She hadn’t heard from him since she’d flown back from LAX, but that hadn’t stopped her from thinking about him every night as she tossed and turned in her bed. It was stupid. He was being his usual kind self, helping her out with the hotel and talking to her about her fears. Yes, she still found him crazily attractive, but there was nothing she could do about that. They lived across the country from each other, and even if they didn’t he didn’t see her as anything more than a friend.
She’d have to get used to it.
“You look amazing,” Caitie said, looking at Harper. “I love that dress. Is it new?”
