Chapter 6

Arepetitive, loud pounding jarred me out of a whiskey-induced slumber. I was pretty sure the banging was coming from inside my skull. I didn't usually drink as heavily as I did the night before, but then, I shouldn't have gone on Facebook.

I'd been in Coral Pointe for a week, and already my mom was posting pictures from another birthday party, smiling as if nothing happened, with the caption: "So happy to be with the whole family!" No one else would know that message was for me, but she knew it would gut me. This time, the party was on my mom's side of the family. I didn't get along with them as well as I got along with my dad's side, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. Especially seeing Vito and Rina with their families. Secretly, I'd hoped they'd be on my side, but it didn't seem like there was any tension between them all. I doubted they even knew there were sides to take. Not to say that a picture on social media couldn't hide what was really going on behind the scenes.

I jumped when the skull-crushing pounding started again. Apparently, it wasn't in my head after all.

"Enzo! If you don't open this damn door, I'm gonna knock it…" Burke. "Well, it's Noah's door, so I won't knock it down." He paused again. "But I'm gonna go get his spare key! It doesn't have the same effect as kicking the door in, but it's what I've got to work with!"

I snorted out a laugh and rolled my stiff body off the couch to stand up. I didn't bother to check myself in the mirror by the door. There was no point. I was sure I looked—and probably smelled—as bad as I felt. The pounding started again, so I yanked the door open, wincing like a vampire who'd just stumbled into a stream of sunlight.

"What the actual hell?" Burke scowled, taking in the pathetic sight before him. "You look like shit."

"Gee, thanks." I made the mistake of rolling my eyes, flinching from the pain piercing my temples. "Either come inside or I'm shutting the door."

Burke laughed, the asshole, as he pushed past me. "Regretting your decisions from last night yet? I'm guessing you had a big ol' pity party for one."

"Shut the fuck up," I growled with absolutely no anger behind my words. "No, seriously, a jackhammer is currently trying to pummel its way into my brain and your damn loud voice is helping to drive it home."

Burke huffed out a laugh, but luckily, he managed to bring his booming baritone down a notch. "You've been cooped up in here for a week. Don't you think it's about time for you to, I don't know, shower the fucking stink off and breathe some goddamn fresh air?" His expression softened. "I haven't pushed because you needed some time to yourself, but, Enzo, if you think I'm gonna let you become some hermit who literally fucking cringed when he saw sunlight, you're outta ya damn mind."

To prove his point, he went over to the closest window and yanked the curtains open, forcing me to block the sunlight with my hand. He unlocked it and pushed the pane up, letting in the fresh ocean air. I had to admit, the crisp breeze loosened my muscles a bit, the tension escaping as if my entire body was taking a cleansing breath in and then releasing a detoxing breath out.

Burke strode around the house, opening curtains and windows, breathing life back into the home that wasn't even mine. I glanced around the living room at the abandoned take-out containers, empty beer bottles, and half-eaten bags of chips. Shit, I'd really made a mess of Noah's house. Not to the point that it couldn't be cleaned, but taking a good look around, instead of ignoring it, I realized the nosedive my life had taken.

I slumped down on the couch in defeat, scrubbing a hand over my scruffy face. "Shit. I'm sorry."

Burke sat on the coffee table in front of me. "Fuck that noise. You don't have anything to apologize for, but I won't let you do this to yourself. You had time to wallow and replay what happened and worry. Now, it's time to see what life should be like. It's time to get your ass in the shower, brush your goddamn teeth, and leave this house. Go for a walk. Go get yourself some coffee and a danish at Beachin' Bakery. Sit on the bench by the inlet and ponder the existential intricacies of life as we know it."

"That was deep."

"I know right?" He gave me a cocky grin.

"I'm not sure you used either of those words right."

He barked out a loud laugh that rattled my still-aching brain and tapped the side of my knee. "I have no fucking clue, either." He stood up and took a few steps toward the door. "Dinner at my house tonight. Five-thirty. You better fucking be there. Don't make me bring out the big guns."

I sucked in a breath. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I? If you don't show up tonight, you can bet your ass my mom will be getting a phone call. She'll be on a plane so fast your head will spin." He cocked a dark brow. "You willing to risk it? Invasion of Mama Russo… Smothering hugs… So much food…"

I thought about it for a second and shrugged one shoulder. "It doesn't sound that bad to me."

Burke continued. "Hours upon hours of talking about feelings… Watching her pace the room as she plots revenge… Lectures about learning to love yourself…"

"Well, when you put it that way…" I rubbed my hands on my thighs then forced myself to stand up. "Fine, I'll be at your house for dinner." I opened my mouth, closed it again, not sure how my next question would come across. "Will it just be you and Jared?" Burke studied me for a few seconds. "I mean, not that I don't like your friends. They're great guys. I just…would rather not be the pathetic loner in a roomful of sickeningly sweet, happy couples and private jokes I don't get."

Burke's face softened. "Shit. I'm sorry if we've ever?—"

"No! You are all amazing and your friends have welcomed me into the fold. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now, you know? I don't really know anyone here"—not entirely true, but I'd yet to let Evian know I was back in town—"so I love the fact that your friends have so easily adjusted around me, but…"

"Yeah, I get it. We can be a lot." He smiled in understanding. "It'll just be me and Jared. The rest will go at your pace, as long as you're truly taking steps forward." He pointed to his eyes with his pointer and middle finger then to mine. "Remember though, I got my eye on you. Unless you get your ass outta this house and start…living…I will have my mom on a flight here so fast, you won't even have time to butter a piece of bread."

I laughed and hung my head. "I get it, I get it. Shower, shave, eat…or face Aunt Sophia's wrath."

"That about sums it up." Burke opened the door, but stopped to look back at me. "All joking aside, I didn't tell her anything, just in case you were wondering. It's not my place." A heartbeat passed, then he added, "You're safe here. Breathe." Burke cleared his throat, his eyes flicking away as if embarrassed by the show of emotion.

"Thanks, Burke." I tried my best to keep my own emotions in check, and if I happened to fall apart the second he closed the door, well, who else would know but me?

My phone vibrated on the coffee table. Seeing as I only really talked to two people, and one of them just left, I had a feeling who the message was from. Guilt pummeled me, hard and fast, because when it came to letting Evian know I was back in town, my balls had pulled a Houdini and disappeared. Everything was falling apart around me. Texting him as if my life hadn't just imploded was the only bright spot of my day.

You did not just say that. I thought I knew you.

I laughed. Oh, but I did. Pancakes are ten times better than waffles.

Blasphemy! Waffles are more versatile. No one puts ice cream on a pancake.

Hmm…actually…It's probably delicious.

Maple syrup or pancake syrup. Choose wisely.

That was a no brainer. Uh…maple, of course.

Good answer. You saved this friendship by the skin of your teeth.

I smiled down at my phone, feeling lighter already. The teeth that prefer pancakes to waffles?

His answer shot through immediately. There's no hope for you.

Glancing up, I looked around the place and cringed. I had a lot of work to do before I could leave this house in good conscience. Noah didn't deserve for me to treat his house the way I had. Talk about feeling sorry for myself. I really did have a pity-party-for-one bender this past week.

After tossing all the takeout containers in a garbage bag and gathering all the beer bottles, I found Noah's cleaning supplies. The cool breeze coming in through the windows did wonders for the sickening scents of desperation and self-loathing, but I'd need some heavy-duty shit to clean the eau de barfum lingering on every surface.

It took about an hour to clean and a long hot shower to find my self-respect under all that stink, but when I finally dragged my ass out of the house, I was starting to feel somewhat human again. I'd never tell my cousin he was right, though. Considering the amount of fast food eaten and beer consumed over the past week, my body truly needed the walk into town. There really wasn't an area of Coral Pointe you couldn't walk to, which was a good thing when you didn't have a car.

I followed the sound of the ocean waves crashing on the shore, drawn to the soothing sound. There was a lot I didn't get a chance to take my time and enjoy back in December. Most of that trip had been spent getting food ready for the wedding and spending time with family. I'd wasted an entire week drowning my sorrows in greasy food and cold beer. Setting my sights on the Atlantic Ocean was the life preserver I needed to pull myself out of my funk. I'd be stupid not to take advantage of the fact that I was in a tropical oasis, three thousand miles away from the dumpster fire of my life in California.

It wasn't peak season in Coral Pointe, so I assumed most of the people out and about were locals—Pointers, as Burke called them.

An arm looped through mine unexpectedly, my body tensing in reaction. I looked to my right and then down at the gray head that barely made it to my elbow. "Now, I know your name isn't Fineapple, but I'm old, so humor me."

I chuckled. "Okay. Or you could call me Enzo. Enzo Russo."

"Enzo! That's right. You're Burke's cousin. I'm Irma, if I haven't said that already. This noggin"—she tapped her temple with an arthritic finger—"isn't what it used to be. I'm lucky these old bones still let me take my daily walk. Who else is going to make sure the Walkie Talkies behave?"

"The Walkie Talkies?"

She nodded curtly. "Enzo, my boy, I may not be what I used to in the sheets, but I've still got my moves on the streets."

I tripped over my feet, staring wide-eyed down at the sparkle of amusement in her light eyes. "Uh…" Her laughter rang out, drawing the attention of some people passing by.

"Irma, what are you doing to that poor boy?" the woman in front of Beachin' Bakery asked, laughing along with the older woman at my side. "He looks as white as meringue."

"Teresa, have you met…" She tilted her chin up and a small giggle slipped out. "I suppose I should introduce you as Enzo instead of Fineapple. Doesn't really have the same ring to it, does it?" Before I could answer, she turned her attention back to Teresa. "This is Enzo Russo, Burke's cousin. I don't know what they're putting in the water out there in California, but they sure do grow 'em big, don't they?" She wiggled her thin eyebrows and squeezed my bicep a few times. My face had to be the color of a ripe tomato, at that point.

"Irma! You're terrible!" Teresa said through giggles. "Enzo, did your Aunt Sophia tell you how much she loves my blueberry turnovers?"

"Uh, no, she didn't, ma'am."

Teresa batted a hand at me. "None of that ma'am nonsense. Come on inside. I'll give you some to take with you."

Irma steered us in the direction of the bakery door, pulling me inside the store with her. Teresa had already made her way back behind the counter and grabbed pre-marked cardboard that she skillfully folded into a box in seconds.

"It smells amazing in here." I took another deep breath in while scanning the bakery case full of tempting pastries and cookies, their decorative icing the same pink and red as the hearts that hung from the counter and walls. Valentine's Day had never meant that much to me, but then, why would it? When you were perpetually single, you kind of forgot about a holiday geared toward happy couples.

"Another one bites the dust, huh, Teresa?" a man called out from a small table by the window. He seemed familiar…around the same age as me maybe, with dirty blond, sun-kissed hair, light eyes, and a friendly smile.

"You know that's how I roll, Joel," Teresa responded, giggling at her own punny rhyme. "The scent puts them in a trance and before they know it, they're walking outta here with a dozen croissants, a bag full of cookies, and a cake for a wedding they're not even having!"

The guy laughed then shifted his gaze to me and held up his coffee. "Cheers. You've passed the official Coral Pointe vibe check."

Irma's face lit up as she looked from me to Joel and back to me. She grabbed my arm tighter and pulled me toward the guy. "Joel Burnell, this is Enzo Russo, Burke's?—"

"Cousin…I know. Rumor has it, they grow those Russos big in Cali." His teasing made me take a closer look at him. I wasn't sure I was reading him right, but there was something about him that instantly set me at ease. He gestured to the chair on the other side of the table. "You might as well have a seat. There's no escaping this place without a cup of coffee to complete your initiation. Trust me. I was born and raised here."

Irma patted my arm and let go, walking back over to Teresa while I sat down. "And here I thought my initiation was when Irma told me she's lost her moves in the sheets but still has them on the streets."

Joel choked on his coffee, spraying it on the table between us. "Sorry." He quickly grabbed napkins from the dispenser and wiped the mess up. "How the hell did that come up in conversation?" he said with a laugh.

"Something about the Walkie Talkies?"

"Ah." He nodded in understanding. "Her early-morning speed-walking group. She and a few other ladies plow through this town with their colorful visors and fanny packs as soon as the sun rises. Teresa included."

"Oh thank god. That makes so much more sense than Irma pulling out her Pretty Woman moves on the corner next to the ice cream shop." I shivered at the thought.

His laugh echoed around the small store as he shook his head. "Thanks for that visual I absolutely did not need, especially next to my shop."

"You own Beaches 'n' Cream?"

His broad, proud smile made the dimples in his cheeks more pronounced. "Yeah, with my sister, Hailey."

I snapped my fingers then pointed at him. "That's where I know you from. I knew you looked familiar."

"Oh, have you been in?" He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, like he was searching his memory.

"Not yet, but you had a cart set up at Sage and Levi's wedding, right?"

"Sure did." He nodded and smiled that dimpled smile again. The guy was good looking, in a surfer-boy-next-door kind of way, no doubt about that. "Sorry, I don't remember meeting you. I'm always in the zone when I'm working, but it's especially hard when I'm also there as a guest and trying to serve ice cream in a suit. My fault, not Sage and Levi's. One of the servers could have handled the cart, but I'm a bit of a control freak." His cheeks flushed with the admission.

I laughed, smiling up at Teresa as she set a blueberry turnover on a plate in front of me. "On the house, sweetie. I've also boxed some goodies for you to take with you. A little Welcome to Coral Pointe gift. Irma tells me you're gonna be here for a few months."

Confused, I looked over at Irma, who was talking with another woman behind the counter. "How'd she know that?"

Teresa looked at me in amused sympathy and patted the hand I had resting on the table. "Oh, honey, welcome to small-town livin'."

As she walked away, Joel said, "She's not kidding. Everyone is in everyone's business." He gave me another look I couldn't quite read but followed it up with a friendly smile. "Well, I have to get back to it." He stood up and tossed his empty coffee cup in the trash bin behind him. "You should stop in sometime for some ice cream."

"I'm sure I will."

Joel glanced toward Teresa and Irma, who were watching our exchange with unexpected interest. He turned his back to them and blocked their view of me, saying softly, "Pointers can be a bit…overwhelming at times, but I promise you, they mean well. If you ever need a partner in crime while you're here, I'm right up the street." He shrugged. "Teresa's got her croissants, but I make a mean Pi?a Colada-ral Damage that'll make your head spin." His eyebrows danced teasingly while his mouth curled up on one side in a smirk.

"Thanks. I'll keep it in mind."

After leaving the bakery, I walked down to the boardwalk and sat on a bench, staring out at the horizon until it was time to go to Burke and Jared's for dinner. My mind was still wandering as Burke and Jared ragged on each other through the meal and talked about work-related things. It was obvious they loved each other, but even more than that, they were friends, too.

I thought about the look in Joel's eyes when he'd said to stop in and see him if I ever needed a partner in crime. Being that he grew up in Coral Pointe, he probably knew first-hand how overwhelming Pointers' good intentions could be. He was a nice guy and I sure as hell could use a friend. Not for the first time since being back in this neck of the woods, I was reminded of hazel eyes framed with long, dark lashes and plump lips, glossy and inviting. Lips that were literally in the next town over.

What the hell was I doing?

I looked up Skinner's Suits online, smiling when I saw it was one of their late nights. Glancing at my phone, I realized I had an hour before it closed. Bingo! "Can I borrow your car?" I blurted, making Burke pause whatever the hell he was saying to look at me in confusion.

He studied me for a second then said, "The payment is one of those pastries in that box on the counter."

I huffed. "I knew I should've taken them back to my place first." I pushed away from the table and got the box, handing it over to Burke. "Here. You can have the whole box. It'll give me an excuse to walk into town tomorrow and get more."

Burke laughed and stood up, walking over to the table by the front door to grab his keys.

I turned to Jared. "Make sure he shares."

"Oh, don't you worry," Jared said with a wicked smile. "I have Mama Russo's number on speed dial."

I barked out a laugh. "See ya."

After Jared said goodbye, I walked to the front door and opened it as Burke studied me with narrowed eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just thought maybe I'd take a drive. See the area. Clear my head." I plastered a smile on my face, hoping that even if he saw through my lie, he wouldn't call me out on it. I wasn't ready to share Evian with him. In a strange way, Evian felt like mine. Someone completely separate from my family and anything having to do with Coral Pointe.

The way Burke cocked his brow suggested he absolutely knew I was full of shit, but he kept his mouth shut and dropped the keys in my hand.

"Thanks." As I walked away, I said over my shoulder, "I promise not to bring it back with too many scratches. You have insurance, right?"

"You bring my SUV back with so much as a pinprick and you're the one who's gonna need insurance, asshole."

I shot him a sadistic smile and waved as I jumped in his car. Ten minutes later, I found myself sitting in the parking lot of Skinner's Suits, wondering what the hell I was doing watching the store like a fucking creeper to see if Evian was even working. I was seconds away from starting the car again and hightailing it out of there before he saw me.

Until there he was, adjusting one of his creations on a mannequin in the window display of the store. A gorgeous, lavender suit, with black embroidery that must have taken hours, maybe even days, to make.

For a second, I wondered what the heck I was doing there, scared of what his reaction would be to me randomly dropping in. Especially since, as far as he knew, I was still in California.

There was a pull I couldn't explain, though. A thread that connected me to the man in the window, and if anyone knew how to take that thread and reinforce the fabric of something, it was Evian. All I had to do was trust he'd want to strengthen whatever it was between us when I was no longer on the other side of the country.