* * *
“Hey, where are you?” Ember asked, her soft voice drowned out by loud music echoing through the phone line.
“At home. Well at Nate and Riley’s home,” Ally corrected herself. “Where did you expect me to be?”
“At the beach, the same place we always go on the first weekend in October.”
“It’s October?” Ally looked around the living room, searching for a calendar or clock that could tell her the date. She’d completely lost track of time since she’d been laid up with a broken ankle. “Seriously? I swear it’s only just September.”
“That’s the first sign of getting old. Losing track of dates.” Ember’s voice was full of amusement. “Anyway, get your butt down here. The cookout’s started, there’s a band playing, and it’s only an hour or two before the fireworks start.”
For as long as Ally could remember, the town of Angel Sands had thrown a beach party on the first weekend of October, declaring it the end of the summer season for all the businesses that lined the beach. It was when many of the smaller shops closed up until the following spring, and their owners took a chance to recover from the busy summer rush.
It wasn’t as crazy as the Angel Day Fair that opened the summer season every May, but Ally, Ember, and Brooke loved it anyway. It was a chance to catch up with old friends, to say goodbye to workers who only stayed in Angel Sands for the summer, and to enjoy the fireworks that the local Business Guild put on for their appreciation.
Ally looked at her watch. Riley had left for the movies an hour earlier, and Nate was still at the coffee shop. The house was completely empty. “I can’t come,” she said, “Nobody’s here to bring me, and I’m still not able to drive.”
“No problem, I’ll send Lucas over. Come on, it’s a tradition. We always watch the fireworks together.” There was a shout followed by a cheer. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“Okay,” Ally agreed, glancing down at the old t-shirt and shorts she was wearing. “Give me twenty minutes to get ready?”
“Of course. I’ll tell Lucas to come over for you in a minute. And while we’re waiting for you, I’ll get the drinks ready.”
* * *
“What’s going on out there?” Nate asked Brad as he emerged from the kitchen in the coffee shop. The sound of music was carried up on the breeze from further down the beach, near Paxton’s Pier, if Nate had to guess. “It sounds like somebody’s having a party.”
“It’s the beach party,” Brad said, frowning. “I told you this morning, remember? That’s why we have extra staff on today, to cope with the influx of customers.”
“You said it was the end of the season,” Nate agreed. “But I didn’t know there was music.”
“And fireworks,” Brad said. “They start right after sundown. You should go and see them. This town knows how to throw a party.”
Jeff came through the double doors, mopping his red brow with a cloth. “You should be here for Angel Day,” he said, sighing as he leaned on the counter. “Now that’s something to see.”
“Angel Day?” Nate repeated. His mind immediately went to what Lorne Michaels had told him when they’d first met. Something about an Angel leading a captain home.
“Yeah,” Brad said, nodding in agreement. “It’s when we commemorate the town’s creation every May. It’s a lot of fun.”
“Can I close the kitchen up?” Jeff asked him, his face still as red as beetroot. “I promised to meet my wife and kids down there.”
“Sure,” Nate agreed. “You can head out, too,” he told Brad. “I’ll close up here.”
“You coming down after?” Jeff asked. Nate blinked – it was the first time Jeff had ever asked about anything other than whether he could go home.
“Um, yeah. Maybe.” Nate glanced at his watch. He could call Ally and see if she wanted to go down and watch the fireworks. Then he grimaced. No, that was a really bad idea. The memory of what happened the last time they were together on a beach rushed into his mind. He swallowed hard as he tried to push it out again. “What time did you say the fireworks were?”
“Just after eight, when the sun goes down.”
A few minutes down at the pier wouldn’t hurt. In fact, they could only be a good thing. Riley was out tonight, and being alone with Ally in the house really wasn’t a good idea.
Because there was willpower and there was willpower. Nate might have had the first, but the second seemed elusive, especially whenever he was close to Ally Sutton.
* * *
“You made it!” Ember ran forward to embrace Ally, who was balancing on her crutches on the boardwalk. “And you look gorgeous. You’re the only woman I know who can rock a dress like that when you’ve got a foot in plaster.”
Ally looked down. She was wearing a white strappy sundress, the bodice cut close to her body, the skirt flowing from her waist to halfway down her thighs. Her long hair was down and wavy – thanks to the braid she’d worn it in ever since she’d washed her hair that morning – and she’d put a little make up on for once. It was a party, after all.