Angel Beach (Summer Romance Collection) (3 page)

Chapter 5

Echo

The giant ovens warmed the kitchen, and the soothing fragrance of baking yeast rolls swirled through the house.

Mimi placed a bowl of steaming oatmeal in front of me. “I think we’ll avoid eggs for awhile,” she said with a smile.

“That’s probably wise. Although I think the trouble has already arrived. And from the looks of it, it’s not going anywhere soon.” I got up to pour myself a second cup of coffee. I would probably feel jittery the rest of the morning, but I needed it to clear my bleary head.

It was still the middle of the night for most of the town’s inhabitants, but for Mimi and me it was the start of the day. I stared out the window as I poured the coffee. It was a fogless night, unusual for this time of year. Moonlight cast an incandescent glow on the white sand and the frothy edges of the tide. An eerie quiet pervaded the beach.

“You didn’t sleep well?” Mimi asked.

“No. I was up for half the night.”

Mimi placed her hand over mine. “You shouldn’t worry so much about things. It will all work itself out in the end.”

Mimi had been out on the beach with Riley when the glass bottle had shattered on our front door mat. I swept it up quickly so she wouldn’t see it. But there was no doubt in my mind that there would be more incidences like it.

Mimi took a sip of coffee then peered at me over the rim of her cup. “I saw you talking to one of those boys yesterday down by the water.”

“Who Joey and Mike? They were out skimboarding. I talk to them a lot.”

She put her cup down. “Coco, you know I’m not talking about Joey and Mike.”

“Oh . . . that boy. The nerve of that guy. He actually introduced himself like he wanted to be friends.”

“I couldn’t see him clearly but he had a very striking profile.”

I shrugged and wrinkled my nose. “I hadn’t really noticed.” This was of course a lie. I had noticed and it was one of the causes of my sleepless night.

Mimi had that all-knowing expression on her face. “Is that so?”

“I’m still astonished that he was brazen enough to shake my hand.”

“And did you return the gesture?”

I swirled the bananas around in my oatmeal to stall for time, but Mimi was waiting for a response. I dropped my spoon. “Well, I couldn’t very well
not
shake his hand. I mean you’ve taught me to always be polite. Not taking his hand would have been rude.”

“Yes.” Mimi smiled behind her cup, and I was almost expecting to see a little star twinkle in her eyes. “It would have been rude not to take his hand.”

We ate our oatmeal quietly. The first crack in the silence came from voices mumbling outside the shop. Mimi sighed. “Well, they’re starting to line up. I guess we should get off our bottoms and get to work.”

I downed the last of my coffee and dropped the dishes into the sink.

“While you’re there, Coco, open the kitchen window a bit. We’ll let some of that delicious steam make its way down the beach.”

I turned and opened the window. Salty, moist air drifted in immediately. “You’re not going to win them over with baked goods, Mimi. Those boys have everything they want and more. Besides, something tells me, they are fast asleep in a drunken stupor.”

Mimi looked at me with puzzled innocence. “I wasn’t thinking about the Freely boys. I just thought some of our neighbors needed encouragement to drop by.” She did not sound the least bit convincing.

“I see.” I tied on my apron. “I’ll start pouring glaze.”

Mimi and I had been at this a long time, and we had the entire operation down to an art. The afternoons were for mixing the massive batches of dough and filling. Evenings were for rolling, shaping, and cutting. Mornings were for baking, glazing, and selling. Then the entire process started again. It was a great deal of work, but the shop had kept Mimi and me comfortable and happy. The business slowed a lot during the school year, and I helped then as much as I could. I never got tired of it. And like Mimi always said, if you love what you’re doing, it really isn’t work.

Friday mornings always brought more customers. While it was still too early in summer for the huge crowds, many people had come to the coast for a long weekend. Once the door of the shop opened, time passed in a blur of steaming hot rolls, paper boxes, and sticky fingers.

It was nearly nine o’clock before the end of the line was in sight.

“Coco, fetch another stack of boxes from the storeroom,” Mimi said.

I ran to the back, grabbed a stack of flattened boxes, and returned to the storefront. Mimi elbowed me lightly as I unfolded a box. She motioned to the window at the front of the shop. The rainbow striped awning of the window still cast a shadow on the front sidewalk, but it was easy to recognize the well-built figure standing out front.

“The wave- stealer,” I mumbled.

“Who?” Mimi asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing.” I could not stop myself from occasionally peeking up from my task to watch him. His hands were shoved deep in the pockets of his Levi’s, and he definitely looked cold. His black hair stuck up in every direction making it obvious that he’d already been out in the water this morning.

Twice I glanced up and our gazes caught, but I pulled mine away quickly. His face had a quality that didn’t mesh with the arrogant, self-indulgent image I’d formed about the Freely family. It was certainly just his extraordinarily handsome face that made it hard to accept that he was a first class jerk.

“I’m going to let you finish up here, Coco. We’re down to the last five customers, and we’re almost sold out. I’ve got some work to do in the office.”

“No problem.”

The line was short enough that Jamison could now stand inside the warmth of the shop. I tried my best to ignore him even though I could feel him watching me while I worked behind the counter. The customer in front of him ordered six rolls, exactly the amount I had left.

The bustle and noise of the busy morning had faded, and he stood there alone and silent, his hands still shoved in his pockets. His light green eyes had much more thoughtfulness and emotion then I would have credited him with. The tips of his hair, the black stubble on his jaw, and even his gunmetal gray earrings had a thin coating of salt.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Were you using my waves this morning?”

He smiled softly. He pulled his hands from his pockets and combed his fingers through his black, spiky hair, dislodging a fine powder of sea salt. “No, I made sure to avoid the waves labeled Echo.”

“You remembered my name.”

“It’s hard to forget. It’s pretty unusual.”

“My mom’s creativity, I’m afraid. She was living in a big warehouse when she had me. She was all alone and couldn’t get to a phone. A passerby heard my cries echoing off the walls and called an ambulance.”

“She must have been scared, all alone in a big empty building and having a baby.”

I was speechless for a moment. I’d told many people that story but never had I gotten that kind of response. Some people thought it was a strange story or even amusing, but no one had ever shown sadness or concern for my mom, the young woman who went through the agony of child birth completely alone. Jamison Freely was certainly working hard at shattering my preformed opinion of him.

He looked at the empty baking pan. “I will be so bummed if you tell me I’m too late for a cinnamon roll. I know it sounds strange, but I swear I could smell them all the way out on the water. My mouth has been watering ever since.”

I glanced back toward the office where the desk light streamed into the dark hallway then turned back to him. “Actually, it doesn’t sound strange at all, but I’m sorry to tell you that you’re too late. The last customer bought the last of them.”

His long black lashes lowered, and he looked truly disappointed. I felt sort of bad about it.

“I forgot one in the pan,” Mimi said as she walked out with a roll on a paper plate. There was no telling where she’d come up with the extra roll, but with Mimi it was always best not to figure out how things happened. It was just easier to accept that they had.

Mimi poured some glaze on it and handed it to Jamison. “It’s on the house.”

“Wow,” he smiled at the roll, “you made my day.” He lifted the plate in silent thanks and left the shop.

Mimi and I watched him walk down the sidewalk and out of sight.

I looked at her. “That was generous of you.”

“Who can resist a face like that?” She elbowed me again. “Right?” She headed back to her office.

“It’s easy to resist a face that comes with the name Freely,” I called to her. Now I just had to convince myself of it.

Chapter 6

Jamison

I sat down on the patio lounge where I’d slept all night. Julie had stayed in my room and in her obvious state of heartbreak had invited Brandon to join her . . . in my bed. I had been tempted to burst in there and drag them out of my room, but Julie would probably have convinced herself that I had done it out of jealousy. With everybody passed out drunk inside, the patio had looked more inviting.

I was so absorbed in the cinnamon roll, I hadn’t noticed that Matt was buried beneath a beach towel, crashed out on the lounge next to me, until he groaned.

He yanked the towel off his face and sat up groggily. “What the heck smells so good?” His eyes were bloodshot.

I proudly held up the half of the roll I had left. He lunged for it, but I held it out of his reach and he fell off the lounge with another groan.

I took another bite. It was like biting into heaven. “Sure hope that rum and coke was worth all this suffering, Matt.”

He pulled himself back up on the lounge and rubbed his head. “Not really.” He waved his hand lazily toward the ocean. “And I missed the morning swell.”

I glanced back at the house. It was still completely quiet. “How come you’re out here?”

“I couldn’t stand to smell my own puke anymore.” He stared over at my plate. “Shit, that thing smells good. It reminds me of those cookies Mom used to bake at Christmas.”

It was rare for my little brother to get nostalgic about Mom. He was only five when she left, but there was definitely some sadness in his expression.

I ripped off a piece of the roll. “Here, have some. I can’t stand to look at that stray puppy face anymore.”

He stuffed the piece in and sat back against the lounge. “Man, that tastes as good as it smells.”

“Well, you have to get in line early in the morning to get one, so maybe you should lay off the rum today. Then you can get up with me tomorrow to surf and wait in line.”

The glass door slid open. Reeve stood in the doorway scrubbing his hair with his fingers. “What smells so good out here?”

I held up the plate. There was only a sliver left, and I had no intention of sharing it with Reeve.

“Is that one of the witch’s cinnamon rolls?”

I lowered the plate wondering why I’d responded in the first place.

“Reminds me of something . . .” Reeve said.

Matt sat up and looked over the back of the lounge. “Those cookies Mom used to make at Christmas?”

“Reeve, shut the door. It’s cold in here,” a female voice called from within.

He slid the door shut and stepped outside. “No, it reminds me of that oatmeal we used to eat when there wasn’t any other food in the house. Mom used to pour cinnamon sugar on it and let us eat in front of the television.”

“Oh yeah,” I said, “the ‘cupboard is bare’ oatmeal. I used to love that oatmeal,” I said. I finished the last bite of roll and stared at the icing covered plate.

Matt looked over at it. “If you’re not going to lick that thing, Dude, send it my way.”

I handed it to him. Slowly, the fragrance disappeared with the breeze, and our sudden trip down memory lane seemed to go with it.

“Shit, it’s too early to be up.” Reeve turned to go back inside.

Several hours later, the waves glossed with sunlight and a decent offshore breeze coaxed even the most hung-over out to the sand. Except for taking her time to shoot an icy glare my way, Julie had decided to turn her full attention to Brandon. Reeve and Kiley were the last to trudge out of the house and throw their towels down on the beach. They were talking and sweet on each other for the moment, but with them that could change in an instant.

“No board?” I asked Reeve. “Come on, it’s hot enough outside to skip the wetsuits.”

“Nah,” Reeve grabbed Kiley and kissed her, “had a long night and I need my rest.” Kiley punched him on the arm as if she was embarrassed. It was a great act.

Matt was already in the water, and since the people on the beach held little interest for me, I joined him.

I wet my hair and paddled toward Matt. He was sitting on his board and still looked out of it.

“You don’t look that stoked to be out here.” I turned my board around and faced the beach.

“Beats sitting on the beach watching Reeve and Kiley grope each other.”

“You were doing some pretty good groping yourself yesterday with Courtney.” I glanced up on shore. Courtney was flopped out cold on her towel with dark shades. “I guess she had too much rum too.”

Matt shook his head. “Man, some people just can’t hold their liquor.”

I smiled over at him. “I’ll say. Especially when they are trying to out drink their two hundred pound older brother.”

Matt dropped down. “Save the lecture, Jay, here comes my wave.” He took off.

I looked toward the beach. Echo was walking along the water with her dog. For a moment it seemed she looked my way, but it was too fleeting to know for sure. Not that it mattered. She would only be upset to see me. My gaze shot across to the place where Reeve had sat down. He was out flat on his back still sleeping off the night. He hadn’t seen Echo and for that I was glad. She dropped her towel and fins and stripped down to her bikini. I could not look away.

Water splashed my face jolting me out of my trance. “You just missed a good one,” Matt said. “Why are you just sitting here like a statue?” Matt looked toward the beach to see what had my attention.

“Whoa there, I’d like to get me some of that,” Matt said. “Too bad she’s so weird, and I’ll bet you anything she’s cold as ice. If you know what I mean.”

“You don’t know a damn thing about her,” I said angrily. “And you think any chick who doesn’t jump into bed with you is an ice queen.”

“Well, yeah.” Matt held out his arms. “I mean look at me. What warm-blooded girl could resist this?”

I leaned down on my board. “It’s like Reeve cloned you.” I took off on the wave, and as I pushed to my feet, I caught a glimpse of Echo walking across the sand. Only she wasn’t really walking, marching with closed fists would have been more accurate. And she was heading toward Reeve. He was still sleeping on the beach.

I dropped down to move faster through the water and reached the shore just as Echo had reached my brother. Reeve had still not noticed her. I dropped my board on the sand and headed toward her. She stood over him a second and then kicked a cloud of sand at his face. I raced toward her, but it was too late. She had turned to run, but Reeve’s hand shot out and grabbed hold of her ankle. He yanked her foot back, and she fell hard on the sand. She was kicking and struggling to get out of his grasp by the time I reached them.

“Reeve,” I yelled, “let her go.” I could see patches of red underneath the coating of white sand on his face.

Kiley was standing and brushing the sand off her oiled skin. “Why should he?”

“Shut up, Kiley,” I said.

Echo pushed her face and upper body off the sand, but Reeve gave her foot another violent jerk and she was dragged face first a couple of inches.

I glared at Reeve. “Let her go now.” This time my words pressed out through gritted teeth. I stood over him.

Reeve grinned up at me and released her foot. “For now.”

Echo jumped up, brushed the sand from her face, and turned to lunge at Reeve. Reeve jumped to his feet. As she flew past me, my arm wrapped around her waist and I pulled her against me. She kicked and struggled to get away.

I held her tightly. “Are you insane?” She finally relaxed but I didn’t dare let her go.

The veins in Reeve’s thick neck were bulging. I looked pointedly at his tightened fists. “Even you aren’t low enough to hit a girl, Reeve.”

Reeve stared at me with more rage than I’d ever seen. “You were right, Bro. This summer is not going to end pretty.” He turned and walked back to the house and Kiley ran behind.

My arm was still wrapped around Echo’s waist, and I found myself reluctant to release her. Not because I was worried she’d run after Reeve, although seeing her in action made it entirely possible, but because it felt good having her pressed against me. I finally let go, and she spun around to face me. Sand covered her forehead and chin, and she looked plenty mad too.

“Why did you do that?” she asked.

“What? Stop you from getting killed? You’re welcome.” I said. She had that pouty look that was truly irresistible. “Seriously, what were you going to do? Pummel him with your tiny fists? The guy is built like an army tank. He’d have flung you halfway across the beach before you had a chance to lay one hand on him.” My reasoning only seemed to make her more upset. I turned back to the shore to retrieve my surfboard. She walked up next to me but continued on to the water without saying a word. She dove into the waves and swam out past the break line.

I put my board back down on the sand and followed her into the water. Her head bobbed above the surface, and she watched me with those round, hazel eyes. I was sure she’d swim away but she didn’t. Her chin trembled from the cold. It was hard to tell if she was crying because she was completely soaked, but there was definite hurt in her face, and I hated to see it.

“You’re trying too hard, Echo.”

She turned to me and I was not expecting the effect her soft, sad gaze would have on me. It took me a second to find my words again. “You’re trying so hard to show that you won’t take crap from him that you’re making yourself an easy target, at least for Reeve. And believe me, he’s merciless when he’s pissed.”

She looked at me a long time. It was not just the sea water, her eyes were definitely shiny with tears. “I hate that you guys came here.”

And I had thought her gaze had impact, her stinging words hit me even harder. “I know. I’m sorry.” It was all I could think of to say.

She dove under and swam away from me, surfacing again halfway to the shore then she stood on her long legs and waded back to the beach. Once again I could not look away. I’d finally met an incredible girl with passion and soul and whose every movement took my breath away, and she hated my guts.