Chapter 2

Coral Pointe was quickly growing on me. Fresh ocean air danced across my face and filled my lungs as I sat on a bench by the horseshoe-shaped inlet. I could see why my cousin had moved his whole life here. Pretty much any place in town was within walking distance of the inn where I was staying, passing restaurants and cute shops along the way. Bob Marley's voice floated on the breeze and tickled my left ear from the direction of SandBar, asking if I could be loved, of all things, and I snorted. "I'm wondering the same damn thing, Bob."

Joking about my sad love life was a hell of a lot easier than replaying that shitty moment with my mom back in California over and over again in my head, like a trainwreck on repeat. I wished like hell I could boot it from my brain for a few more days. I didn't want to remember the look of disgust in her eyes when she'd showed up at my house unannounced. Part of me wanted to pretend it never happened while the other part of me wished I'd had the balls to stand up for myself.

"Stop it, Enzo. Focus on where you are." I glanced to my right, catching a glimpse of Sage on the patio of his restaurant, Bluefin, talking animatedly about who knew what with a couple of diners. After meeting Sage and his soon-to-be husband, Levi, I felt better about traveling across the country to help out at their wedding, even if I didn't really know them. My grump of a cousin considered them family, and he didn't go out of his way for just anyone. Sage and Levi were two incredibly different halves of a whole that somehow made sense. Sage filled Levi's black and white world with color.

Maybe a bit too colorful for your taste?Those words and the intriguing man who'd said them popped into my head. I'd only met Evian for a brief amount of time two days ago, but that was enough for my thoughts to wander his direction a few times since seeing him. Had he actually thought I was going to hurt him somehow? The more I thought about it once I got back to the inn, the more pissed off it made me. Not because he'd stereotyped me, but because someone had obviously given him reason to jump to that conclusion seconds after meeting me. Evian's lithe frame and average stature, coupled with his delicate features and use of makeup, most likely made him an easy target for assholes who couldn't mind their own damn business. I'd never understand why some people had nothing better to do than stir up trouble. Why was it such a fucking big deal?

A large hand slapped down on my shoulder and squeezed hard. "Jesus Christ! Are you trying to make me shit myself?" I whipped my head around, knowing who it was even before I looked back and made eye contact with my highly amused cousin—who was currently laughing his ass off at my expense. That's when I saw the older couple walking by, arm in arm, chuckling with each other about my sudden outburst.

"Don't mind him, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson." Burke cupped his hand by his mouth and whispered loudly, "He's from California." Burke shook his buzzed head and laughed.

"Hey! So are you!" I was laughing now, as was the older couple as they continued walking down the boardwalk. "What's with the grip? You think I'm gonna take off or something?" I shrugged his hand away, still scowling up at him.

"Considering how you've been avoiding me, do you blame me?" He sat his big hulking body onto the bench next to me.

I glanced toward the sandy beach and beyond to the sparkling ocean. "Why the hell would you think I was avoiding you? I'm here, aren't I? Just spent a whole damn meal with you." We'd had some things to go over with Sage and Levi for the wedding, so we'd gathered at SandBar. Luckily, they'd found a DJ—there was a story there I hadn't quite pieced together involving the women who'd suggested their nephew, Dex, for the job—after the swing band they'd hired broke up. Apparently, the bass player had proven he knew his way around a G-string. Too bad it belonged to the vocalist…unbeknownst to the drummer…the vocalist's husband.

"You think I'm buyin' that shit? What aren't you telling me?"

I scrubbed a hand over my tired eyes then up through my haphazard hair, staring hard at the horizon like if I focused long enough, I could straighten my fucking mess of a life out. That was the problem, though, wasn't it? There was a huge part of my life that wouldn't be straight no matter how much pressure I was under to be someone else. "You're not gonna let it go, are you?"

The jackass stuck his large hand out to me and cocked a snarky brow. "Burke Russo."

I looked down at his outstretched hand and knocked it away. "Get the hell outta here with that."

"Oh, I'm sorry. So, you have met me?" He laughed, nudging my shoulder with his own. "Come on, man. I'm happy as hell you're here, but there's a reason for it that you're not telling me."

"Oh yeah? What reason would that be?"

"I don't know. My sunny disposition?" He placed his hand under his chin and, honest to God, batted his eyelashes.

I barked out a laugh. "Never do that again."

He stretched his long arm out on the back of the bench and crossed one ankle over the other. Waiting…ready to listen…

I exhaled long and slow, bone-deep exhaustion and reluctant resignation puffing my cheeks. I was so damn tired of avoiding anything and everything that had to do with who I really was. "My mom found out three weeks ago." I looked at Burke, expecting some kind of angry or sympathetic response, but he stayed silent and waited. By the flex of his jaw, it was obviously hard as hell for him to keep his trap shut.

I was so tempted to make him stew, just for shits and giggles, but I needed to get this off my chest. "There's this guy, Rick, that comes into the restaurant. I've always had this feeling he was into me, but what the hell did I know? I'd spent way too many years afraid to even look at a man for fear people would see right through me. Plus, he always showed up with the same woman, so it was easy to convince myself that I was misreading the entire thing." I laughed, but humor wasn't the emotion driving this story off a cliff. "About three weeks ago, we were crazy busy. I was helping the servers by bringing orders to tables. Shocker…his table was one of them.

"It was the first time I'd ever said two words to the guy. He immediately introduced the woman as his sister, like he was answering a question I was too damn scared to ask. Then, to take it a step further, when I passed the table again, he held out a slip of paper. All it had was his name and number, but I felt like he was holding up a fucking banner that revealed all my secrets. He looked mortified for a second when I'd stood there frozen in fear, but for some fucking reason, that pissed me the hell off. To anyone else, it probably looked like he'd done something wrong, but I was furious with myself, not him. So…I took it, and shoved it in my pocket."

It was a miracle the guy hadn't asked for it back with the look I'd shot him. "It took me three days to get up the fucking nerve to reach out to him…through text…because no way was I calling him." I shifted nervously on the bench and locked my eyes on the endless—straight—horizon. It was easier than meeting my cousin's eyes for the next part. "I thought I could prove myself wrong."

"What do you mean?"

Was I really going to tell him? Screw it, I need to tell him. Quickly, I rambled, "I thought maybe I'd convinced myself I'm into guys because of some rebellious, piss-off-the-parents shit. Just like my mom thought you were—" Fuck. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Burke snorted in derision. "You think I don't know your mom's opinion of me? A better question is, ask me if I give a shit." I dropped my gaze to my lap, but Burke elbowed me. "Keep going."

When even the horizon was no longer offering me solace, I stood up and leaned back on the railing in front of Burke, my back to the inlet and the ocean beyond. I crossed my arms over my chest, as if I needed to protect myself from the next part. "I thought maybe, if I went out with this guy…kissed a guy"—my eyes flicked down to him then up again, focusing on the cute town behind him as I swallowed hard—"I could prove it was all in my head."

"Wait, are you saying before him you'd never…?"

I wasn't aware self-combustion was really a thing, but there I was, standing on the boardwalk in Coral Pointe, my cheeks engulfed in flames. "How could I? There aren't many opportunities to explore your sexuality when you're buried so far in the closet you can practically touch Narnia." I laughed humorlessly. "The Lyin' Man, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." I felt so exposed, I didn't know whether to continue to drop all my guts on the boardwalk or scoop up the shit I'd already spewed and make a run for it. I pushed off the railing and paced in front of him, cradling the back of my head with clasped hands.

Burke must have sensed my fight or flight kicking in. He stood up and leaned his forearms on the railing, stopping me in my tracks. I no longer had to look him in the eyes, and fuck if it didn't help me get through the rest.

"Long story short, we went out to dinner, I brought him back to my place, and fuck…it wasn't all in my head, Burke. Well, at least not the one above my shoulders." I shivered, remembering his lips on mine. "I'm fucking thirty years old and just got my first kiss from a guy and it was…" Explosive… Unforgettable… Hot as fucking hell…

"Right?"

"Yeah. It felt right for the first time in my life." Holy shit had it felt right. The scratch of his facial hair against mine, the strength in his arms around my waist, the way he took control when I was too afraid to… "It was so goddamn perfect, I didn't even give much thought to the fact that we were standing outside my door."

"Shit. I think I know where this is going." Burke straightened up and turned around, leaning back on the railing.

"Yep. Let's just say, I knew I wasn't hearing from that guy again. The vile things she said… I'm shocked I didn't go up in flames right there on my front steps." Again with the spontaneous combustion. I pushed both my hands back through my hair and held on, feeling grounded in the twinge of pain from my death grip. "And you wanna know the worst part? The most pathetic part? I didn't say a fucking thing. Didn't defend myself or him. Didn't tell her to respect me and who I am or shut the hell up, especially on my fucking doorstep. Didn't tell her she'd just ruined my perfect first kiss. Thirty-fucking-years-old and I said nothing while she stood there and had the audacity to ask how I could do this to her."

Burke shook his head in disgust. "Yep. That sounds like Aunt Rose."

"The last thing she said to me was that my dad would be so disappointed in me. That he was rolling over in his grave because of my shameful actions." Burke scoffed but I kept going. "That I needed to keep my mouth shut about it until I came to my senses. And, ever since then, she's made it a point to show me she holds all the cards, because I think she knows if I had the guts to come out, I would've. Hell, I found out about Rocco's birthday party the day after it happened. Not her brightest move, though, because guess who called the next day to ask me how I was feeling and to tell me she was bringing me some pastina?" Because that's how Aunt Sophia rolled. It wasn't, Do you need anything? It was, I made you pastina, because you were getting some whether you wanted it or not.

Burke laughed, his expression one of unyielding love for his mom. "Mama Russo doesn't let someone go hungry on a normal day, never mind if they're sick."

"Exactly. I had no idea what she was talking about until I opened Facebook and saw all the pictures from the party." I hung my head, remembering the sting of finding out I'd been purposefully excluded to make some kind of point.

"Son of a bitch," Burke barked.

I huffed. "I've never felt that expression more than right now." We looked at each other for a second then laughed. "I texted Vito and Rina later that day and all they'd heard was that I wasn't feeling well and couldn't make it." I dropped my chin to my chest—the chest that felt like it was cracking wide open—and mumbled, "Like not going to my spoiled nephew's birthday party was a real hardship, or something. Now, if it were one of Vito's or Rina's kids, I would've been heartbroken." I knew I was lying, Burke knew I was lying, but admitting it fucking hurt like hell wasn't going to close the gaping wound in my chest.

"I'd love to give that woman a piece of my mind." Burke shoved his hands in his pockets, pausing for a second while he studied me. "First of all, she's full of shit that Uncle Vic would be rolling in his damn grave. He always supported me, and I can guaran-fucking-tee, he would have supported you, too. Disappointed, my ass." He snarled that last part more to himself than to me. "Second of all, you know you can tell them, right?"

"Vito and Rina?"

"You need people in your corner and I really think they would be. Hell, they both treated Jared with nothing but respect when we were there for my mom's birthday. So did Lacey and Joe."

The fact that I even had to make sure people were okay with my sexuality stung, but the urge to tell them had crossed my mind before. I just had this gut feeling that my siblings and their spouses would support me, no matter what. There was a clear divide in our family that anyone could see, even if they didn't know why it was there. On one side stood my mom and the golden child who could do no wrong, and on the other side were me, Vito, and Rina. When my dad was alive, there'd been times when he teetered on the wall between us, but never to the point of shunning one of his children. I missed having that buffer between me and my mom. I missed him, even though we'd never been incredibly close.

"I don't know. Maybe. I don't want to think about it right now. I wanna be here, have fun, and forget that my life is fucked up."

"Sucks that it's the first time you're here and I'm putting you to work." He clapped me on the shoulder again with a heavy hand.

"I'm sorry, man. I should've come out here sooner." I was having a hard time figuring out why I never had. Burke was one of the only people I could be myself with. Honestly, besides being a great cousin, he was one of my only friends, too. That wasn't pathetic or anything.

"Get the hell outta here with that. It's not like I live around the corner. Would be nice, though, if you planned another trip that was a real vacation and I could arrange for some time off."

I took a deep breath in, let the salty air fill my lungs, looked out to that steady horizon, and said, "I'll make it happen."

"Damn right you will." He sighed, stretching his arms above his head. "I've gotta go pick up my shoes for the wedding from Noah's house. He brought them all someplace to make them purdy or some shit. Feel like taking a walk with me? He lives just past the inn."

"Shit. I forgot about shoes." I looked down at my beat up Vans. "Guess these aren't gonna work, huh?"

"Maybe Noah can get you?—"

"Can I borrow your car?" Whoa, hello, split-second decision… Could I have asked Noah for help on this one? Sure, I could. The guy was one of the nicest people I'd ever met, but my heart was racing, and it wasn't because Noah was a swell guy. No, I remembered seeing the wall of fancy shoes when I'd gotten my suit. I mean, I needed shoes, and I just happened to know a guy with hazel eyes who could help me out.

It made sense, right?

The other day, I'd booked it out of that store, feeling vulnerable from the effect Evian had on me. Thinking back on it now, I couldn't deny how easy it was to joke around with the guy. I couldn't say that often. I was literally just thinking about how Burke was one of my only friends. What was the harm in seeing if being comfortable around Evian was just a fluke? It wasn't like I'd see him again once I left Coral Pointe, but maybe it would give me some courage to take more chances at home, too.

At least, that was what I told myself as I held out my hand, ignoring Burke's speculative look when he dropped the keys in my palm. And if I suddenly had a little more pep in my step as I walked towards Burke's house to get his car, well, no one would know the reason but me.

Evian

"Son,can you see if we have a navy blue jacket in size thirty-eight for this gentleman?" My dad, oblivious to the glare I was eyeing him with, searched through the silk ties, attempting to find one the customer would like.

"Sure thing, Lloyd."

My dad looked at me and sighed in exasperation before schooling his reaction.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.This was my job, and I loved it. Loved seeing a person slip into one of my bold designs that they'd never thought they could pull off. I even loved finding the right fit in one of the more neutral selections. What I didn't love was my dad treating me like his child, rather than the serious designer I was. Every time he called me "son" in front of a customer, it diminished the fact that I deserved this job because I was that good. Not because it was my dad's store.

I took my frustration out on the jackets, sliding them a little aggressively to the left on the rack as I searched for the right size. Finally, I found the one my dad needed, holding it in my hand as the bells above the door rang.

"Good afternoon," my dad said, friendly as ever, to the newcomer. "Someone will be right with you."

"Actually, I was wondering if Evian's working today? He helped me the other day," a man asked, his deep baritone one I'd only heard once before. Damned if I hadn't been able to get that voice and those sad brown eyes out of my head since.

"Uh oh. The pants were too long, right?" I handed my dad the jacket but couldn't take my eyes off the gorgeous man still standing nervously by the door. "I hate to say I told you so…"

Enzo snorted. "Somehow, I have a hard time believing that."

I smirked, my eyes tilting up the closer I got to him. "So, what can I do for you, Enzo? Or should I say, Was Enzo even here?" I whispered that last part loudly, laughing when he scrunched his face up.

"'Course, you had to remember that part, huh?"

"It was pretty damn memorable." The whole interaction I'd had with him the other day was, but he didn't need to know that. I glanced at his hands, seeing them empty.

"You know I can't hem the pants if you didn't bring them with you, right? I mean, I'm good, but I'm not that good."

"Nah. I don't need you to fix my pants. I mean my length." His eyes popped out of his head, hands flying up in front of him. "The length of the pants!" He closed his eyes, rolled his lips in, and took a deep breath in through his nose.

"Oh my…" I fanned myself dramatically and couldn't help myself as the laugh bubbled up, watching this adorable guy recover from that slip of the tongue. Do not think of his tongue slipping anywhere…

He opened his eyes, shaking his head at me. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." He seemed embarrassed but not to the point where he couldn't joke about it. Damn, he was fun.

I calmed down and put the poor guy out of his misery. "What can I help you with, Enzo?"

"Shoes," he blurted. "Forgot about shoes and all I have is…" He looked down, tilting up one black Vans slip-on that had seen better days.

"Ah, I see. Yes, those would only go if you were wearing jeans and a T-shirt to the wedding, and we already established that's only happening over my dead, perfectly sculpted body." Score! I relished in the blush that crawled up his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

He swallowed hard and rubbed his hands on his thighs. "Yeah. That."

I huffed out a laugh and nudged my head to the side. "Come on. Let's see what we can get you." I led the way, motioning to a chair in the corner of the store. "What size do you need?"

"Usually an eleven and a half."

I bit back an inappropriate comment about his shoe size in comparison to something else and managed to stay professional. "I'll be right back." He was obviously not used to dressing so formally, so I picked a few styles for him to choose from. I already had a feeling which ones he'd be going with, but there was no harm in giving him some options. Balancing four boxes of shoes one on top of the other, I went back over to him. Enzo looked completely out of his comfort zone, tapping his fingertips on his denim-covered thigh.

As I set the boxes down on the floor in front of him, he pointed to the display in the center of the store. "That's different from the one that was there the other day."

"I'm impressed you remember that." Impressed wasn't the half of it. He looked at my designs like he really saw them…saw me. I was caught off guard by the feeling that raced straight to my heart. It was all fun and games until things like pesky feelings or attraction worked their way in. Those bitches always changed the rules of the game, but I was not in a place in my life to play.

"How could I not? That one is a deep red with black swirly things. The other one was dark purple with gold flowers or whatever, and you said it would look stunning with my tan skin." As soon as the words left his mouth, he shifted in his seat, looking rattled by what he'd just said. "Or something like that," he muttered.

"I did say that. And it would have." This was quickly turning into the oddest, yet most intriguing exchange I'd ever had with a customer.

"Anyway, they're both amazing."

"Thank you." Sensing he'd said way more than he meant to, I put him out of his misery. "You said the wedding is in Coral Pointe, right? Is that where you're from?"

"No, I live in Sacramento. I'm here helping out with the catering for my cousin's friends' wedding. They were nice enough to extend an invitation. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that I'd have to face my aunt's wrath, I'd skip it."

"Why's that?" I took the first shoe out of the box and untied it, pulling the paper insert from the inside and handing it to him. As he put that one on, I readied its match.

Enzo shrugged. "I don't really know them."

"It's no different than talking to me."

I wished I knew what that thoughtful look he was giving me meant. "Talking with you one on one is a hell of a lot easier than going to a wedding where you barely know anyone. And the few people I do know are in my family." He tied both shoes and stood up, scrunching up his nose. "I can already tell these are going to be uncomfortable."

"We can't have that. Let's try the next ones." I got the second pair ready for him before picking up the abandoned shoes and putting them back in the box. "Is there anything you're looking forward to at this wedding?"

He huffed with a smirk. "Yeah, the food."

I barked out a laugh. "The food you're making?"

"Yup."

"How humble of you," I teased as he stood up in his next pair of shoes.

"Honest. The word you're looking for is honest. I should make you my eggplant parm. It'll blow your mind." Completely oblivious to what he'd said, he moved his foot from side to side. "Nah. These aren't the ones."

I knew the offer of eggplant parm wasn't said because he was really going to blow my mind. It was a throwaway comment. I wasn't deluding myself into thinking the man was really going to cook for me. Suddenly, I was grateful he lived in California. A man who was as adorably sexy as he was, and had no fucking clue, well…that kind of man could get under my skin without even trying. I sure as hell wasn't looking for any of that.

"The next few days are gonna be interesting. Rushing to get a menu ready, spending Christmas in another state, with people I don't really know, going to a wedding I shouldn't be going to…" His brown eyes held a sadness to them that I wanted to take away somehow. He took the third pair of shoes and slipped them on.

"How do you usually spend Christmas?" I could tell that question only made the sadness in his brown eyes deepen. I wished like hell I could yank it back, but it was too late.

Enzo absently stared at the floor, and for a moment, I didn't think he was going to answer. "With my mom, siblings, and their families." There was that sad shrug of the shoulders again. "Not really an option this year, though." Luckily, Enzo stood up before I did something stupid like ask him why it wasn't an option. "Now, I like these." He shoved his hands in his pockets, turning one foot slightly out, striking a pose. "Do I look like James Bond?"

I barked out a laugh. "Definitely. You're more 007 than Sean Connery."

He shot me a cheesy grin. "I know, right?"

I grabbed the box he needed for the shoes, laughing as I stood up. "Like I said. Humble."

"You feelin' okay, Evian? You keep pronouncing honest wrong." He raised one dark eyebrow, studying me for a second then grinned.

Rolling my eyes, I turned for the register, startled to see my dad standing several feet away, his hands tucked in his pockets. I was so enthralled in the banter with Enzo, I'd completely forgotten my dad was even there.

"Everything okay, Lloyd?"

My dad dropped his chin to his chest, his head shaking ever so slightly. He seemed disappointed in me. Was it the comment about Enzo wearing jeans and a tee to a wedding over my perfectly sculpted body? Because it sure as hell wasn't something I'd usually say to a customer, but there was something about Enzo that made me feel comfortable teasing him that way.

Raising his head again, he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "No, son. Everything's fine. I'm going to get some work done in the office."

"Okay." The whole exchange left me baffled, but Enzo's cologne flooded my senses as he stepped beside me, distracting me from trying to figure out the awkward conversation with my dad. "All set?"

"Yeah." He followed me to the register, the air around us changing again. Enzo gripped the back of his neck, the teasing attitude from seconds before now weighed down with uneasiness. He handed me his credit card reluctantly. I hated the sudden shift in his mood.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I snatched a piece of paper off the counter and scribbled my number on it. Was it foolish? One hundred and fifty percent. But the way his face lit up made it all worth it.

"What's this?" He stared down at the slip of paper like it contained the mysteries of the universe.

"Coordinates to Santa's workshop in the North Pole," I deadpanned. "What do you think it is?" He huffed through his nose, his eyes flicking up to me in that adorably shy way I expected from him after only meeting him twice. "I think if you joke around with the people you meet at the wedding the same way you joke around with me, you'll be fine. But, if not, you can text me…if you want." Now, I felt like the bashful one and knew my face was the color of the crimson suit on display in the center of my store. "You know, if you're feeling awkward or bored and need a friend." I didn't know if I tacked that word friend on there for his benefit or mine, but it felt like something I needed to specify. I shrugged. "Or you realize I was right and those pants are too long." There's the gorgeous smile I wanted to see.

He took the bag with the shoes from me and held up the slip of paper. "Thanks for this. I really need—" He stopped short as if he'd said too much. "Thanks, Evian."

"Anytime, Enzo."