Just A Kiss

by Elks, Carrie

  “You look amazing,” Brooke said.

  “Like a princess,” Rachel breathed.

  “It’s perfect,” Caitie said, her voice thick. “Lucas is a lucky guy.”

  “He really is,” Rachel agreed. “I can’t wait to see his face when you walk down the aisle.”

  “Do you really think he’ll like it?” Ember said, turning her eyes on Caitie.

  “He’ll love it,” Caitie told her, nodding firmly.

  “Can I go next?” Rachel asked, as the sales assistant led Ember back to the dressing room. “I want to see the bridesmaid dresses.”

  “Yes, of course.” Ember smiled warmly at her friend. “Let’s go and try them on.”

  Rachel clapped her hands together, looking a little giddy. “Oh I love weddings. They’re the only time we get to look like princesses. I can’t wait for Breck to see my dress.”

  It was another hour before Caitie was standing in front of the floor length mirror, wearing her bra and panties as the sales assistant lifted the dress over her head. Her arms were pointing at the ceiling as the assistant had directed, and Caitie stood as still as she could while the woman zipped up the strapless dress.

  “Oh, this color is amazing,” the assistant said. “It looked great on the others, but it’s like it was made for you. You have the most perfect skin.”

  “Thank you,” Caitie said. She looked at herself in the mirror, taking in the rich burgundy satin and the way it clung to her upper body.

  “It’s not often we see skin like yours in California. Let me guess, you’re from out of town.”

  Caitie couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Kind of,” she admitted. “I was born and raised here, but I left for college when I was eighteen.”

  “You grew up here and have skin like this? What did you do, wear sunblock from the moment you were born?”

  Caitie shrugged. “I’ve never been much of a sun-worshipper. I preferred reading in the shade when I was younger.”

  “Well it looks good on you. It’s weird how you can buy fake tan, but you can’t buy fake pale. I’d pay good money to have your skin.”

  “Thank you.” She wasn’t sure what else to say.

  “Okay, you can go on out. Let your friends see how good you look.” The assistant stepped back so Caitie could turn around. She fussed with the pinned hemline for a moment, lifting it so Caitie could walk in the bridal shoes they’d loaned her. “Remember, when you’re wearing a dress like this you’re never in a rush to get anywhere.”

  As soon as she stepped into the main shop she heard Ember’s gasp. All four of them stood and walked over to her, telling her how beautiful she looked, how the color was perfect on her.

  “It’s perfect,” Ember whispered to her, giving her a hug. “I’m so happy it suits you. I want everybody to have a great time at the wedding, you included. Or especially you, since you’re working so hard on it.”

  Caitie felt her chest flutter. She was trying her best, but right now it wasn’t good enough. Without a venue, buying these dresses was pointless. She couldn’t help but feel like she was letting her brother and Ember down. They’d asked her for help, but they were no further forward.

  Ember was still smiling at her, and Caitie did her best to smile back. Even if she had to build a damn venue, brick by brick, one way or another, she was determined to make this wedding work.

  7

  “Hey, you planning on riding the waves on Saturday?” Lucas’s voice echoed through the phone speaker. Holding his phone in one hand, Breck opened the refrigerator with his other, pulling out a can of soda and popping the tab.

  “Sounds good to me,” he said, lifting the can to his lips. “I have to do some work in the afternoon, but as long as we go out early, I’m up for it.”

  “I’ve gotta make it early, too,” Lucas agreed. “I’m on shift on Sunday, and Ember has a list of things to do as long as your arm. It’s a good thing she’s no bridezilla.”

  Whenever Lucas talked about his fiancée there was a warmth in his voice that made Breck smile. “How’s the wedding planning going?” he asked.

  “Kind of so-so. We still havn’t found a venue. Ember’s panicking and Caitie keeps apologizing, even though it’s not her fault. The poor kid’s doing her best, you know?”

  The mention of her name made Breck’s breath catch in his throat. God, he thought he was over that. Since the other night he’d deliberately put her out of his mind.

  He sat on the deck of his beachside bungalow and propped his feet on the table in front of him. He’d gone for a run earlier that evening, and his hair was still damp from the shower he’d taken afterward. But his body still felt full of energy.

  “You know, if you wait another year you could have the wedding at the Silver Sands Resort. We should be up and running long before next Christmas.”

  “Yeah, well we can’t wait that long. It’d kill Ember to have to postpone the wedding.” Lucas cleared his throat. “She was engaged to another guy before, and he ran off before they got married. There’s no way I’m breaking her heart by suggesting we don’t go through with it. We’re getting married this December, even if we have to do it in a shed.”

  “You’re a nice guy, did you know that?”

  Lucas laughed. “Ah, I have my moments. But really, I’m a lucky guy. I know when I have a good thing, and I want to make her mine forever.”

  When they were kids, they would have laughed at anybody being so openly emotional. And yet Lucas’s honesty touched Breck in a way that wasn’t funny at all. You only had to see Lucas and Ember together to know how much in love they were.

  And yeah, maybe it felt weird to see so many people in love when he was single. But that was okay. He liked being his own man, making his own decisions. Being single was simple, and he preferred things that way.

  “You’ll find somewhere,” Breck said. “Or Caitie will. She’s always been the kind of girl you can depend on.”

  “Yeah. She’s a diamond. I just wish she didn’t have to spend all this time trying to help us out. With her business she’s constantly busy. I feel like we’ve added to her burdens. She should be in New York right now, and instead she’s here trying to save her big brother’s wedding.”

  “She loves you, man.”

  “Yeah.” Lucas’s voice was thick. “Makes me feel bad for the way I treated her when we were kids.”

  “You weren’t so bad. No worse than any other big brother. She knew at the end of the day you had her back. Heck, we all had her back. It must have been like having four big brothers when we were around.”

  Lucas laughed. “And yet she’s still talking to me. Okay, I’d better go. Ember just walked through the door.”

  “She been working late?”

  “Yeah. At some school event,” Lucas told him. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”

  “Not if I see you first.” Funny how that always came out, the same way it had when they were kids.

  After hanging up, Breck grabbed his can and slid his shoes on, walking down the steps leading to the beach. The sun was setting over the horizon, sliding down into the sea, leaving a trail of orange and purple behind. He sat down on the sand and gazed out at the ocean.

  There was something so peaceful about the beach at this time of night. Though the waves were still crashing, they were gentler somehow. The wide expanse of silver sand was empty; all the families and tourists had long since left. Now it was only the residents whose feet left impressions in the grains.

  He’d missed this feeling. The smell of the sea, the sound of the waves, the sensation of the gentle breeze on his face. He’d grown up with it, having spent his happiest times on the beach. It was hard to be upset when faced with such beauty.

  Unless you were Caitlin Russell. Funny how his thoughts always slid to her whenever he was out here. He wondered what she’d say if he showed her around his bungalow. Whether she’d start to shake the way she always used to whenever she was within sight of the shoreline. More than once he’d
seen her become physically sick at the thought of being dragged down to the beach.

  Yeah, well everybody has fears, dumbass. Even you.

  He rolled his eyes at his own thoughts. There was no way he was going to listen to them. So much better to think about Caitie and let his knight-in-shining armor instincts win out.

  He grabbed his phone and pulled up his contacts, pressing on a number to connect a call. Even if his own problems were unsolvable, he knew Caitie’s – or at least one of them – wasn’t impossible to fix.

  * * *

  It was an hour and several phone calls later when he finally dialed Caitie’s number, having texted Lucas for it. He was still sitting on the deck, but this time he had a notepad in front of him, an address scrawled across it in his terrible handwriting. His soda had long since been replaced by a beer.

  “Hello?” She sounded breathless. Or maybe breathy. Either way, he liked it.

  “Caitie?”

  “This is she. Who am I speaking to?”

  He felt a weird sense of disappointment that she didn’t recognize him right away. “It’s Breck.”

  “Breck?” Her voice softened, as though she was relieved. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize your voice. I thought it might be a business call.”

  “At this time of night?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I get calls at all kinds of crazy hours. Especially when I’m consulting for a movie. The director wakes up in the middle of the night and wants to know whether Christmas trees had angels or stars on them in the seventeen hundreds.” There was a trace of laughter in her voice.

  “What’s the answer?” he asked, intrigued.

  “Neither. The Christmas tree didn’t make it over here until the 1850s. There wasn’t one in the White House until 1853.” She let out a deep breath. “Sorry, this must be boring as hell for you. I get all kinds of geeky about stuff like this.”

  “You don’t need to be sorry. It’s interesting. You really love your job, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I do. I’m a Christmas freak; everybody thinks I’m crazy. Good thing it pays well.”

  “I bet your mom doesn’t think you’re crazy.” He tried to imagine Deenie’s indignation if she heard anybody insulting Caitie like that.

  “No she doesn’t. She’s my biggest cheerleader, thank goodness. She was really supportive when I started up the business, even if everybody else told me it would never work.”

  “I bet she was. Your mom’s amazing.”

  “She is.” Her voice was soft. “I’m lucky to have her.”

  “I owe your folks a lot. They really took care of Daniel and me.” He blinked, staring out at the ocean. “You did, too.”

  “You both deserved to be looked after.” Her voice cracked. “After all you’d been through.”

  It felt like she was tugging at a zipper on his skin, trying to open him up. But he couldn’t expose himself – not even to the girl with a heart of gold. He took a deep breath. “Anyway, there was a point in my phone call,” he said, deftly changing the subject.

  “Do tell.”

  “I was talking to Lucas and he said you haven’t found a wedding venue yet.”

  “He’s right, I haven’t.” She sighed, her breath gentle down the phone line. “I’ve tried everywhere but it’s too short notice. They’re all fully booked. I hate to say it, but I’m thinking of invading the Beach Club and refusing to leave until the two of them are married.”

  “Well, I might have found somewhere for you.”

  “You have?” she asked, her voice rising up with surprise. “Where?”

  Breck leaned his head back on the bungalow behind him. “I called an old friend up in Golden Hills. We worked on their hotel a few years back. They’ve had an event canceled on the twenty-third of December. If you want to book it, it’s yours.”

  Her voice rose with excitement. “That sounds too good to be true.”

  “It’s for real. They said they could hold the date open until Friday. After that, they’ll have to release it to the market. Juan – he’s the owner – said you can go over and take a look whenever you like. If you’re free tomorrow I can take you up there. I’ve got some business to do over that way.”

  “Brecken Miller, you’re a miracle worker.” The silkiness of her voice made his skin heat up. “And Golden Hills really isn’t that far. What is it, a couple of hours?”

  “Yeah, and there’s plenty of accommodation if people want to stay the night. Plus it’s miles away from the ocean.”

  Caitie laughed. “In that case, I’m sold. But honestly, you might’ve just saved my life. And Lucas’s. Quite possibly Ember’s, too. Are you really okay to take me over there tomorrow? Otherwise I can drive myself.”

  He bit his lip, trying not to think about the meetings he was supposed to have at the Silver Sands Resort the next day. His foreman could take care of those.

  “It would be my pleasure. I’ll pick you up right after nine.”

  “That would be great. Thank you so much, Breck. I owe you big time.”

  For some reason, he liked the sound of that.

  * * *

  Le Chateau Des Tournesols stood proudly at the top of a steep hill, the castle towering over the valley below. The slopes surrounding it were carved with terraces housing bungalows and swimming pools, as well as the beautiful sunflowers the hotel was named after, which were reaching the end of their growth. Built in a French-renaissance style, with a grey-stone façade and rounded turrets so typical of that era, it looked as though a tiny piece of the Loire Valley had been transported into the Californian hills. Caitie stared at it again, narrowing her eyes as she took in the majesty of the estate. Picturing her brother’s wedding here didn’t take much effort at all.

  “It’s perfect.” Caitie turned to look at Breck, her eyes glowing. “Are you sure it’s in their price range? They’re already stretched as it is.”

  Breck gave her a half-smile. “Juan promised he’ll keep the cost as low as he can. With the deposit the cancel event paid, they should still turn a healthy profit.”

  She hesitated. In her line of work people were always doing favors for each other. She’d practically worked for free during her first year of business, determined to build up her client base as quickly as possible. But she also knew business was business and people had to make a profit.

  “As long as it doesn’t cause him any problems, this could be the answer to all our dreams.”

  “It won’t,” Breck assured her. “And anyway, I did him a few favors in the past. This is just payback.” His eyes were soft as he looked at her. “And if you need something to swing it for you, Juan has a wedding coordinator on the staff. She’s agreed to assist you while you’re back in New York.”

  “Oh my god, that’s fantastic.” Caitie’s smile softened her lips. She hoped he knew how grateful she was. “I’ll need Ember and Lucas to take a look before I can confirm. I’ve taken as many photos as I can, but there’s no way I can agree to anything without them seeing it for themselves. But I’m definitely sold.”

  “Agreed. While you were on the tour with Juan, I texted Lucas and told him to get up here by Friday. As long as we put the deposit down by Saturday, Juan’s happy to give you the date.”

  She rolled her lip between her teeth, feeling herself relax for the first time in days. Maybe she could pull this wedding off after all.

  They sat at a white-painted cast iron table on the lowest terrace. Though the sun was beating down, the clouds were hanging low in the sky, their wispy forms turning greyer by the minute. The air around them felt heavy.

  “I won’t be able to be here. I have to be in L.A. for a meeting Thursday,” she told him. “And then I am flying home.” She felt a knot forming in her belly at the thought.

  Breck nodded. “Lucas and Ember can come on their own. I’m pretty sure Juan will provide them with lunch. Maybe you can persuade them to stay the night. To see everything the place has to offer. Hopefully the weather will be a bit better.�
� He gestured at the darkening sky. “They could even go for a swim in the Greek-themed pool.

  “That’s some pool,” she said, remembering the cerulean mirror of water, surrounded by Grecian columns and marble statues.

  “You didn’t like it much, did you?” Breck said, scrutinizing her expression.

  “No I did. It was nice,” she told him, nodding her head to emphasize her answer. “Beautifully styled. They did a good job on it.”

  “Thanks.” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Did you build it?” she asked, blinking with surprise.

  “Yep.” His brows knitted together as he stared at her, hesitation deepening his voice. “Are you scared of swimming pools as well?” he asked. He sounded genuinely concerned. Seeing her blanch at his question, he hurriedly added, “You don’t have to answer. If I’m getting too personal, please tell me.”

  She looked at him, taking in the dark blond hair, brushed back from his brow, and the light blue shirt, tieless, open at the collar. He did business casual as effortlessly as he did surfer-cool. “You’re not being too personal,” she told him. “I know how stupid it sounds. I’ve never had any terrible experiences in a swimming pool, but if I go near one I feel weird. It’s not the same as going near the ocean, nowhere near. But I still avoid them when I can.”

  “Do you take baths?”

  She busted out laughing. “Now that’s getting personal. Do I smell or something?”

  “I’m trying to figure out how far this phobia goes. Is it all water, or just bodies of water? Do you hate showers? Hate getting your face wet?” He pointed up at the sky. “If it starts to rain, am I going to have to carry you inside like some asshole out of a movie? I can if you want me to. I go to the gym, I work out. I just need to know how far you want me to go here.”

  She pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. “I’m not scared of rain.”

  “Showers?”

  “I take one every day.”