A Sutter's Bay Christmas Read online

  A Sutter’s Bay Christmas

  By Shawn Lane

  Published by JMS Books LLC

  Visit jms-books.com for more information.

  Copyright 2018 Shawn Lane

  ISBN 9781634868174

  Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

  Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

  All rights reserved.

  WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

  No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

  This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published in the United States of America.

  * * * *

  A Sutter’s Bay Christmas

  By Shawn Lane

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 1

  Christmas carols played on the radio as Jim Reynolds made his way up the coast of California to his ultimate destination, Sutter’s Bay.

  Everything was changing in his life now. Well, scratch that. It had been changing for a while, thus the unexpected move to Sutter’s Bay.

  Picking up everything—not that Jim had much, at this point—and leaving Los Angeles to move to a much smaller town off the coast, well, it wasn’t easy.

  Jim loved the coast. That wasn’t it. And in fact, really liked what he knew about Sutter’s Bay. But it made everything so final. The divorce. The custody battle.

  So here he was, early December and starting all over again at thirty.

  In the back seat, tucked behind the passenger side, was a cat carrier that, of course, contained a cat. His cat. At least he’d maintained custody of Butters. He’d adopted the orange tabby the year before he married Mavis. Butters was five now, which reminded Jim that his marriage to Mavis had lasted only four years.

  He hadn’t fought her on custody of their baby daughter, Hope, though. Jim was of the opinion that little girls needed their mothers, and at this point, with Hope being only three months old, she didn’t even really know Jim. Not much. They’d begun the divorce proceedings while Mavis had been pregnant. And everything was amicable.

  Of course, it hurt that he wouldn’t get to see Hope’s first Christmas, but there would likely be lots of Christmases ahead, and maybe he’d even get to participate in some.

  His cell rang, connected to his car, and he pressed the little symbol on it. “Hi, Mavis.”

  “Have you made it there yet?”

  He snorted a laugh. “I’m not flying, I’m driving.”

  “How much longer have you got?”

  “Two hours, I think.”

  And it was good that they still got along since Jim didn’t want any hard feelings between them. It hadn’t worked out between them romantically, but they could stay friends.

  “You must have left later than I thought.”

  “A little, yeah. Getting things done. Butters ready. Lots to pack.”

  He smiled at Hope’s gurgling in the background.

  “You could have stayed through Christmas, you know,” Mavis said. “Abby and I wouldn’t have minded.”

  Abby. Yes. Mavis had met Abby at work and they’d become fast friends…then something more. He had to hand it to Mavis, though; she’d come clean to him right away. The thing was, he and Mavis had one major trait in common—they were both bisexual.

  He was happy for them.

  “Yeah, I know. But with the job starting in January, right after the holidays, I wanted to get settled in.”

  “But you’ll be alone for Christmas.”

  “Not really. I have friends in Sutter’s Bay. That’s why I decided to move there in the first place, remember?”

  In fact, his friend, Jason Sweet, a former LAPD officer, was now police chief in Sutter’s Bay. He lived there with his husband, Danny. It was talking with Jason, actually, that got Jim thinking about moving to Sutter’s Bay. Jim was an attorney, and Jason had mentioned how a law firm had a position opening up the first week of January. Jim had interviewed for it and fortunately received the job offer.

  “Well, friends are not family,” Mavis said doubtfully.

  And neither are you now, Jim thought, but he didn’t say it out loud.

  “It’s fine. I’m fine, Mavis.”

  Jim had grown up in a fairly large family, but over the years, they’d all gone their separate ways, and they never did family things anymore. He’d thought his family would be Mavis and any children they had. But no.

  “Are those Christmas songs I hear in the background?”

  “Sure are. Radio station plays them non-stop. I think they start even before Thanksgiving.”

  “Enjoy, then. You’ll call me when you get there?”

  “Yes, Mavis.”

  He hit DISCONNECT and shook his head. He had divorced friends where everything between them became a screaming match. He was grateful it wasn’t like that with Mavis.

  Feeling hungry, Jim got off at the next exit when he saw restaurants and gas stations.

  He’d left Southern California at ten that morning. Originally he had hoped to be on the road at eight, but he didn’t have to be anywhere at any specific time. He would be renting Jason’s mother’s old house as his friend now lived with his husband in Danny’s home. Their home now. Jason had even mailed Jim the keys to the place since, this particular weekend, he and Danny would be out of town. Jim had the place and the moving-in all to himself.

  Jim didn’t have any furniture—nothing worth taking anyway—and was glad the place came furnished. He and Mavis had lived in an apartment, which ended up being for the best as they hadn’t had to decide what to do with property. He hoped to buy his own place someday, or maybe Jason would sell the place to him. Whatever. Renting wouldn’t be a “forever” thing.

  After getting a burger at one of the fast food restaurants, and gassing up his car, he headed back to the highway. Jim found himself unexpectedly cheerful, all things considered, and he even sang along to a few familiar Christmas songs.

  Even with his late start and stopping for lunch, he still saw the signs for Sutter’s Bay by four that afternoon. Not too bad.

  Following the directions Jason had provided, he took the second of three off-ramps for Sutter’s Bay, the one appropriately called “Main Street.” God, he loved small towns. He really did.

  His GPS told him to turn right at the end of the ramp, then right again at the stop sign, heading toward the bay. At the end of another street facing the ocean, he went left, then down a narrow residential street.

  He soon found the house’s address and pulled into the driveway. Just a little bungalow, typical of houses built in the sixties, but it would totally suit him.

  Jason had said he could pretty much do whatever he wanted with the place, which was damn nice of him. It needed painting on the outside, but that seemed way too ambitious for a renter. B
ut maybe, if he purchased the home, he’d get around to that. In the spring.

  As Jim got out of his car, he noticed the chill December air. And the wind, which seemed to come off the ocean, cut right through him. He hadn’t bothered donning a coat as it had been warm when he’d left Southern California.

  He opened the trunk of the car to survey his few boxes and clothes on hangers. A few trips back and forth and he’d be set.

  Jim had noticed a grocery store on his way into Sutter’s Bay, so once he got the stuff inside, he’d go to the market for supplies.

  He went up to the front door and tried the key, pleased when it worked like a charm. Success.

  This was going to be all right, Jim decided. Being away from his baby daughter for Christmas wasn’t ideal. Not having anyone to spend the holidays with wasn’t either. But Jim had been through worse.

  He took a deep breath, exhaled, and started moving in his boxes.

  Chapter 2

  Edward Cross shifted awkwardly on his feet as he waited in front of the desk of Chris Mabry while the guy went over Edward’s resume with a fine-tooth comb. Or so it seemed to Edward.

  There were no chairs in front of Mabry’s desk, which Edward thought might be on purpose. Anyway, Edward was pretty sure he’d been standing there, shifting back and forth between left and right feet, for an hour. Probably not, though.

  Edward knew this job was a long shot, honestly. Getting a job as a waiter at a high class restaurant like Mabry’s without much experience…well, he knew his chances were next to nil. He wouldn’t have even tried except that his friend Jude had told him to give it a shot. And so, here he was.

  “Heloise’s burned down,” Edward spoke up. He probably should have kept his mouth shut, but really, how long could Mabry stare at a one-page resume?

  Mabry’s gaze rose to his and Edward tried to ignore the man’s intimidating and gorgeous features. The latter was easier—after all, Mabry had a significant other.

  “Yes, I know. Bad luck.”

  As if on cue, the office door opened and Mabry’s boyfriend, chef Ryan Callahan, strode in. He smiled quite winningly at Edward.

  “Sorry I’m late. Got busy ordering.” Callahan was dressed much more casually than Mabry, who wore a business suit. He had on jeans and a heather gray sweater. He plopped down on the edge of Mabry’s desk, completely ignoring the pointed glare his boyfriend directed his way. “Edward, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You can call me Ryan. It’s shame about the beauty shop.”

  “It’s definitely made it difficult. Looking for work and all.”

  “What’s Heloise going to do?” Ryan asked.

  Edward shrugged. “Maybe nothing. She’s talking retirement.”

  Mabry frowned. “She’s not going to rebuild?”

  “Doesn’t sound like it. Oh, she was insured and all, but Heloise said she was thinking of quitting anyhow. Even before the fire.”

  Mabry set down the resume. “You’ve done quite a bit of work on hair and in shops like Heloise’s, Edward, but I don’t see very much restaurant experience.”

  “I had a time at McDonald’s.” Edward cleared his throat.

  “That’s true.”

  “I have a part time job at the market, too.”

  Ryan smiled at Mabry. “Yes, we’ve seen you there, I think.”

  “Yes, and that’s all very nice, Edward. But it doesn’t seem like you have any experience waiting tables at any restaurant, let alone some place like—”

  “Please, Mr. Mabry. I know I haven’t got any fancy restaurant experience. But I’m quick on my feet and I learn fast. And as you can see, I got rid of the mohawk and dyed my hair back to brown, because I figured rainbow colors wouldn’t go well with the seafood restaurant crowd.” He felt his face heat. “I can take the diamond stud out of my nose, too, while at work.”

  Mabry smiled faintly. “Yes, I’m sure. But at a restaurant like Mabry’s, we pride ourselves on exceptional service, and with no experience—”

  “I know,” Edward interrupted. “I get it. But the thing is, how can I get any experience if no one will give it to me?”

  “There are other restaurants, with not necessarily the same level of expectation as ours.”

  Edward deflated. It was hard not to, really. Apparently the spirit of Christmas didn’t extend to giving a dude like him, down on his luck, a decent job. Working at the market was okay, but he wanted to move on to bigger and better things.

  Edward had been born in Sutter’s Bay, but his family had eventually moved south to Los Angeles. Yet when things had gone sour in LA, Edward’s mind had turned to Sutter’s Bay. Not that he’d lived here long enough to have any sort of lasting affinity for it. But it was somewhere he had been before, a place he knew other than Southern California.

  Finding the HELP WANTED sign at Heloise’s had been fortuitous. He didn’t have any formal training in hair, and he’d started at the salon sweeping floors and bringing the old dears coffee. But then one day, Heloise had let him mess with her hair, and the rest was history, so it seemed. Not that he had ever raked in the dough. But he’d done all right. But then came the fire.

  “Okay.” Edward nodded and began to turn away. What else could he do? “Thank you for your time.”

  “Wait,” Ryan spoke up. He glanced toward Mabry, then back to Edward. He smiled. “You’re hired.”

  “What?”

  “What?” Mabry demanded.

  “When I became chef at Mabry’s, I didn’t have any experience either. In fact, my darling, here, fired me when he found out I’d been hired when he was away.”

  Mabry flushed red.

  Ryan grinned. “He begged me to come back.”

  “I did not.”

  “You did. The point is, if I hadn’t been given a chance, I wouldn’t be chef here and Mabry’s wouldn’t be the smashing success it is.” He glanced pointedly at his significant other, then turned to Edward. “I think you can do the job. And I’m willing to give you a chance. And so is Chris.”

  Mabry raised both eyebrows, but slowly nodded. “Okay. You’re in. You can start tomorrow for the breakfast shift since that’s probably our least busy time. We’ll see how you do and go from there. See Elaine out front for all the paperwork you’ll need to fill out.”

  Edward waited until he left Mabry’s office to pump his fist.

  * * * *

  From there, Edward headed to the grocery store. He honestly hoped that the job at Mabry’s would eventually mean not working at the store, or at least cutting back his hours. Between his jobs at Heloise’s and the store, Edward hadn’t had much time for a social life. He wasn’t necessarily looking for a “forever” guy, but some guy would be nice. Back in LA, he had tried going for a “forever” guy—or his idea of one anyway. But it hadn’t worked out. He had been too young to settle down—or so the guy he’d been with had insisted—and they’d parted ways.

  Now, he parked his old beat-up sedan into a spot approved for store employees, then got out and pulled on his red apron that had The Bay Market embroidered across the chest in bright neon green. This was their “Holiday Apron,” according to management. Edward had added a little elf pin next to his name.

  As he stepped inside the store, he was instantly hit with the soft strains of Christmas carols. Even though he was tired of working here, Edward had to admit that the songs made him smile and put him in the mood for the holidays. He just wished he was a shopper. Oh, well. Right now, this was his only income until he made a success of himself at the restaurant. He’d show Chris Mabry.

  “Hey, Thelma,” he greeted his supervisor, the head cashier.

  She smiled at him and tucked a stray strand of red curly hair behind her ear. “Hello, Edward. How’d your interview go at that fancy place?”

  He grinned. “I got the job. Start in the morning.”

  “Morning?”

  “Yeah, boss wants me to work the breakfast shift. They open at seven.”

&n
bsp; Thelma shook her head. “All right then. Congrats. I have you on register four this afternoon.”

  Edward nodded and took the money drawer she handed him, then headed to the register. He had to work only four hours, he told himself, then it was back to the room he rented at Heloise’s small duplex.

  * * * *

  About halfway through his shift, Edward saw him. With the lull in customers at his station, Edward’s gaze drifted toward the store’s entrance. He first spotted Mrs. Gortham coming in, pushing her roller, but right behind her, the guy entered, carrying three reusable bags. For several seconds, Edward just stared at the insanely gorgeous man with sandy hair who wore sunglasses, even though it was a little overcast outside.

  But Edward would know him anywhere.

  Jim Reynolds.

  He would never use the term “the one that got away.” What a cliché.

  And yet…he’d once had Jim’s lips, hands, everything, all over him. In LA. A long time ago now. And hell, what in the world was Jim Reynolds doing in Sutter’s Bay? He couldn’t possibly know that Edward lived here now. And even if Jim did, that would have probably kept him away, right?

  Edward’s gaze followed Jim until he disappeared into the first aisle. Just as well, since old Mr. Jenkins had begun putting items on the conveyor belt and Edward needed to get back to work.

  He lucked out later—or maybe not, depending on how Edward looked at things—because by the time Jim came through the registers, Thelma had told Edward to take a short break, so Jim went through Shelley’s line instead.

  Part of Edward felt disappointed because he wondered if Jim would remember him. But the other part of him felt relief, because what if Jim didn’t? That would have made Edward feel even more disappointed.

  So, from the shadows of the employees-only area, Edward watched Jim leave with his bags of food, Christmas decorations, and what looked like a baby’s toy. Which meant…yeah, exactly. He wouldn’t care about Edward anyway.

  Squelching down further disappointment, Edward retied his “Holiday Apron” and went back to work.