Summer with a Brother’s Best Friend (Love Beach Collection)

3. Reece

11 WEEKS TILL THE END OF SUMMER

3

“Sweetheart, I told you that you didn’t have to plan anything for our anniversary,” my mother says as she takes a pie from the oven. She’s acting unaffected, but I know she’s secretly pleased—it’s not like my brother would have come up with the idea. Being married for thirty years is a big deal, and despite her passive-aggressive comments and displeasure at my chosen profession, I still want to do this for them.

“Like your mother said,” my father says as he comes around the corner and places a kiss on my cheek, “we’re just happy you’re home for the summer.” He raises an eyebrow as if to say and maybe longer?

“Well, I guess she has time to plan a party with her schedule.”

It’s amazing how much disdain one word can hold, as if being a high school biology teacher is something to be ashamed of.

“Yes, well, I’m still hoping I can rope Maddox into helping, considering you just gave me your guest list. I can’t believe he took an extra shift tonight instead of coming to dinner.”

My mother waves me off. “You know how busy your brother is. His job is so important, Reece, and he’s in line for a promotion. He can’t be worried about something so trivial.”

Trivial.

This party or me?

My father gives me a sympathetic smile which I ignore because I could really use someone in my corner and not just silent support. My best friend, Vienna, won’t be here until next week, and it feels like I’m on my own until then.

I shouldn’t feel like a stranger in my hometown, but seven years feels like a lifetime since I spent any considerable time here. Even during my student teaching, I think my mother thought I’d “come to my senses” and follow in her footsteps.

Maddox had taken the easy way out, falling into the role of hometown hero and becoming a firefighter just like our father. So much of our time growing up was spent navigating the assumption that my brother and I would both fall in line.

He had but I hadn’t.

It had just been too hard to correct every person I’d met who, well-meaning or not, had already decided my future for me.

And that included my brother, which probably hurt the most.

Maddox and I had been inseparable, but somewhere along the way I’d faded into the background, often blinded by the way he shined.

“Yes, well,” I say as calmly as I can, “I guess I’ll just take satisfaction in knowing that my trivial job is the one that prepares young minds and gives them a place for learning and personal growth so they can decide to go into such honorable professions.”

“Oh, you know that’s not what I meant,” my mother huffs, but we both know it’s exactly what she meant.

My father clears his throat as he takes the bowl of salad from me and guides me into the dining room. “John said he hasn’t heard from you.”

“I told him I would take some time to decide.”

“You really should accept; your father put in a good word for you,” my mom chides.

“Candee.”

There’s warning in his tone, but I’ve all but checked out as we take our seats. John Gomes had called me, and while I’d normally be racing to accept such a generous position, I couldn’t take it knowing that my father had pulled strings to get me an interview.

“So, what kind of food were you thinking you’d like at the party? Cake? Or we can do cupcakes if you’d prefer,” I ask a little too brightly before my first night back in Love Beach takes a turn we can’t recover from. My father seems relieved as my mother launches into an animated description of a cake she’d seen recently in a magazine that would be just wonderful to celebrate their love.

Taking a breath, I paste a smile on my face and focus on the things I can control.

Like cake.

I love cake, and if this is the one thing my mother and I can agree on, I’ll hold on to it with two hands and my last gasping breath.