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  By Beth Laycock

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  Miracle on Three Kings’ Day

  By Beth Laycock

  Levi’s family knows he needs to find a way out of his funk and be a part of the world again. His brother, Jesse, invites Levi to join him in sunny Spain for the holidays, but a delay at the airport finds Levi at Jesse’s home while his brother is stranded in Scotland. Luckily Alejandro—Alex—is on hand with a key, a friendly smile, and a willingness to keep Levi company. He might even manage to draw Levi out of his shell for some mutual flirting.

  Levi surprises himself when he accepts an invitation to spend New Year’s Eve with Alex at Alex’s café, but is he ready for more when it means jumping back into life feetfirst? Besides, with an ocean between them and Alex hiding a part of his life that Levi isn’t sure he can handle, they’ll need their own Three Kings’ Day miracle to stay together.

  THE TAXI turned off the single road through El Morche, and I caught my first glimpse of the sea. You’re not in New York anymore, Dorothy. I snorted because I was no Dorothy, and this was no big adventure. It was my first time traveling alone, though. My first time visiting Spain. My first time leaving the US. Two weeks of sea, sun, and sand. A fortnight where I didn’t have to force myself to try to write a story. Or find an old one I could recycle and submit to a magazine hoping they would pay me something for it.

  The car stopped outside a whitewashed villa, and I handed over a twenty euro note. “Gracias.” See, the Spanish lessons were paying off. The driver grabbed my luggage from the trunk as I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder. “Gracias.” He shot off a string of syllables I assumed was supposed to be a sentence, and I smiled back at him, clueless. Yes, the lessons had really helped. Not. The driver climbed back in behind the wheel and drove off.

  I dragged my suitcase down the terra-cotta-tiled patio to the front door, took a deep breath filled with that fresh ozone scent wafting off the sea, and my shoulders dropped as the sun warmed my face. I rapped on the door, shifted from foot to foot as I waited for Jesse to answer, then took a step back to look over at the windows, but the lowered metal blinds revealed nothing. I knocked again, then fished my cell out of my jeans and pulled up the contact details for my brother. When there was still no sound of movement from inside, I hit dial and the ringtone droned on and on and on. Was he still in bed? Mom always said I was the lazy one when in truth Jesse held that title, my brother just better at hiding it from Mum than me. It was almost lunchtime, but it was Saturday. The call went to voicemail, so I hung up.

  I turned in a slow circle and debated what to do. The lure of the ocean was too much, so I slipped my cell into my pocket, slid my case under the table out of sight, and strolled across the street, took in a salty-laced breath. God, living that close to the coast would never get old. The cold, dirty streets of New York were a world away. Golden brown sand stretched as far as I could see. Waves crashed, spewing white foam, and in the distance, a palm tree swayed in the breeze, adding to the surrealness of the view.

  And for the first time in too long, I got that itch of a story idea forming at the back of my mind. How many people, apart from those who lived there, knew this place even existed? I could see the headline: Hidden Gems of Spain. No, that was terrible and so cliché. But so far the only spark of an idea I’d had in months, so I’d take it for now.

  I grinned as I picked up a pebble and tried to skim it over the water. Failed as it sank the moment it hit the surface. It didn’t matter. I had two whole weeks to practice.

  Well, that had been the plan. My grin faded, and I rechecked my cell. Still no reply. So I typed a quick text and fired it off, then stared at the screen to wait for the read status to show. Nope. Tried calling him, but still nothing.

  Maybe the trip hadn’t been such a great idea. My two weeks’ worth of Spanish lessons weren’t going to get me far, and I didn’t even have enough cash on me to get a room for the night. I scanned up and down the shoreline and realized that might not matter, as there wasn’t a hotel in sight. I blew out a deep breath. This could end up being the worst New Year’s Eve ever if my brother was still missing.

  Too late for a Christmas miracle. Not that I believed in them.

  Not after how the prior year had turned out so disastrously.

  I WANDERED back to the villa and tried calling Jesse once more. His voicemail kicked in. My stomach flipped like it had back on the plane as we landed. He knew my flight details. I was probably panicking over nothing, except I had no idea where I was. I couldn’t speak the language, and I wasn’t sure my credit card would stretch to cover the cost of a hotel for the night even if I found one.

  I slumped against the front door and wiped my sweaty palms down the sides of my jean-clad thighs. The shrill ring of my cell made me jump, and I fumbled it out of my pocket. “Jesse! Where are you?”

  “I’m so sorry, Levi. My mobile died.”

  A wince escaped at his word choice. “I’m outside. Are you going to let me in?”

  “Uhm, yeah. About that.”

  My hold tightened on the cell, and my stomach clenched at the uneasy tone of his voice.

  “We’re still at the airport.”

  I sighed with relief. That wasn’t far. “Oh. I’ll just wait on the beach for you, then.”

  “No, Levi. Carmen and me are still at the airport in Scotland.”

  “What? Why? I don’t—What?” His breath crackled down the line, and I could envision him dragging a hand through his dark hair. Longer than mine, artfully messy, whereas my hair was just a mess. Glossy black, unlike mine, which was neither brown nor black but a weird mix of both.

  “Our flight was supposed to land before yours, but the plane was delayed getting here because of snow. The weather’s so bad now, it’s been cancelled.”

  “But… Jesse, I’m outside your house.” Even I couldn’t miss the whine in my words. But the only reason for my visit was my brother insisting I needed a change of scenery, and I’d agreed because I missed him.

  “I know, but you’ll be fine. There’s a café opposite the beach—Café de la Playa—go there and ask for Alex. I’ll call him and tell him to expect you. He has a key for my place.”

  I eased the stranglehold on my cell and nodded. I’d have somewhere to sleep tonight. It’d be all right. “Okay. Do you know when you’ll be home?”

  “No. The airline hasn’t said anything yet, but as soon as they do, I’ll text you. I’m gonna call Alex, so I’ll speak to you later. Levi, don’t worry. You’ll be okay.”

  I wandered down to the beach, and Jesse’s words kept running through my head. You’ll be fine. But the rows of tables and chairs and parasols flapping in the breeze all had Spanish writing on them, and it hit me that I didn’t know how to ask for someone in Spanish. Not like I could just walk in there and shout Alex. It would be rude, but they might understand. I chewed on my bottom lip, torn between rudeness and ignorance. I flipped my cell over and over as I got closer to the café, and after I caught it, I stopped dead. Google Translate. I found the Spanish for “I’m looking for Alex,” and listened to the pronunciation a couple of times. Estoy buscando Alex. That wasn’t too hard. How they answered might be problematic, but it beat sitting on Jesse’s doorstep for the next however long.

  Inside it was dark. Mirrors behind the bar reflected the neon blue Café de la Playa on the opposite cream-painted wall. The heavy thump of music the only sign of life. I stopped at the counter and placed my cell phone screen up, the translated words still showing, as I clutched the edge of the drink-damp marble. And
waited.

  Finally, a man appeared through the doorway behind the bar. Beneath bushy black eyebrows, intense dark brown eyes looked me over. The edges of his lips curved up into an almost smile and carved deep lines below his cheeks. A smile that suggested he already knew how nervous I was and thought it somewhat amusing.

  The moment the man was within earshot, I blurted out the words, then winced at how badly I’d butchered them. His lips curled up farther, parted on a laugh. Is he laughing at me?

  “You found him.”

  It took me a second to process that I understood him and another to realize I didn’t. “What?”

  “I’m Alex.”

  My eyebrows pulled together. This is Alex? I don’t know why, but when Jesse mentioned Alex, I assumed he’d be older than this man, and with a name like Alex, not necessarily Spanish. “You speak English.”

  That laugh again. Definitely laughing at me. “I do, which is a good thing for you.”

  I powered the screen on my cell off and slipped it back into my pocket. The tight pull of the muscles across my shoulders eased, and I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess. My Spanish can’t be that bad if you understood I’m looking for you.”

  “Sí, pero ¿hubieras entendido mi respuesta si no hablara ingles?”

  I’d been relieved, which quickly turned to a little peeved, and then a little something else. At least I’d tried, but as the words flowed from his mouth, a string of high and low guttural sounds, my eyes widened. The hairs on the back of my neck lifted; I’d always been a sucker for accents. Even though I had no clue what he’d said—he could have insulted me for all I knew—the way he said those words…. Yeah, totally sexy. The smile pulled his lips wide, showing off teeth that looked fake in contrast to the black stubble framing his mouth and the tanned skin beneath.

  “Are you?”

  “Huh?” Sexy and capable of inducing a lust daze, going off my inability to follow a simple conversation. “Am I what?”

  A laugh rumbled up his throat, and he propped his forearms on the bar and leaned in toward me. At that angle, I had to look down at his face. His eyelashes were so long. “Are you Levi?”

  Oh, right. Yeah. There was a reason for me being there. “Yes. Did Jesse call you? He said he would. To explain so that you could let me have the spare key you have to his place. His flight’s been cancelled. I’m Levi. His brother.” Aaand I was rambling. He was staring, those brown eyes intense and trained on me. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I tugged on the loose collar of my T-shirt. His gaze dropped from mine.

  Someone must have turned the heating on, either that or I’d already got a sunburn, because heat bloomed across my cheeks. He pushed up off the counter. Standing, he was a good head taller than me, which at my five ten wasn’t unusual.

  “Yes. Jesse texted me. Gave me a description of you, which didn’t do you justice, by the way. I’ll go grab the key.”

  He disappeared back through the doorway, and my gaze dipped to his ass. Tight black cotton trousers hugged his cheeks, and my fingers itched at the sight. Wait. Didn’t do me justice? Had he been flirting? I laughed because, no way. He sauntered back toward me, a key dangling from the key ring around his finger. He tipped it into my hand, and as he pulled away, allowing his fingertips to brush over my palm, a spark shot up my arm from where our skin touched. Our gazes met.

  “Hope your brother gets home soon, and I’ll see you around.”

  Before I could answer—not that I had one prepared—a young woman with a baby propped on her hip stepped up to the bar and ordered something. How had I not heard her approach? Lust dazed. Alex smiled at me before he turned away.

  Well, maybe Christmas miracles did happen. Even if it wasn’t Christmas. Even if I didn’t believe in them. It was a nearly New Year miracle.

  Either way, I left the café with the key and a smile on my face.

  I LET myself into Jesse’s villa, shocked that the place was so huge: one open-plan room with a kitchen off to the side, all white walls and marble floors, and… cold. I dragged my suitcase upstairs and noticed they were marble too. I dumped my case in the guest bedroom and pulled up the metal blind to be greeted by a strip of blue water in the distance. If I listened hard enough, I could hear the waves breaking. The sight was so far removed from city life, it was like another world.

  By early evening, the jet lag was catching up with me, and I found a frozen pizza to slip into the oven. Other than that, there wasn’t much food in the house. While I waited for it to cook, I took in the open fireplace with two stacks of wood beside it but no clues on how to light it. Don’t think anyone would call me an outdoorsy kind of guy, so the idea of me starting a fire screamed “dangerous.” It seemed so unlikely after the heat of the day, but I remembered Jesse telling me how cold the nights could get with no central heating, and there was a chill in the air already. A thin blanket over the back of the sofa that faced the television, and much more to my skill set, conjured images of a night cocooned under the covers, watching mindless TV. It sounded fantastic.

  I woke up confused at the blue-and-white striped walls and the absence of the background noise of car horns and sirens—the sounds of the city. The quiet washed over me. After the soft cry of a gull came the gentle crash of waves. Peaceful.

  I rolled over to grab my cell off the nightstand, but still no news from my brother. It was almost ten, so I clambered out of bed. Farther down the street, I’d spotted a bakery, and it was calling my name for breakfast as my stomach rumbled in agreement.

  My limited Spanish and impressive pointing skills got me bread and pastries. If Jesse didn’t arrive back soon, I’d have to brave a supermarket shop. The tables were already set outside Café de la Playa and half-filled. From the smell of it, with people eating bacon sandwiches. And with the sound of English accents, clearly tourists enjoying the warmer weather here than back home in the UK.

  It would’ve been hard to miss Alex as he weaved his way through the customers, hands filled with coffee cups and dressed more casually than the other day, in black jeans that molded to his thighs and a white T-shirt with the café logo on the front stretched across the planes of his broad chest, the short sleeves showing off his biceps. He smiled when he noticed me, and I automatically returned it, but kept walking, turning the corner into the backstreets to my brother’s villa.

  My cell vibrated in my pocket. Finally, some news from Jesse. Unfortunately, not of the good variety.

  “Levi. Wait up.”

  I glanced back. Alex was jogging toward me. Who else would it be? He was the only one who knew my name.

  “Hey.” He was close enough for me to smell him, a warm scent, sunshine and coffee, and I had to fight the urge to lean in and sniff him. Because… yeah weird.

  “Just wanted to check you were okay after your first night here.”

  Heat flared up my chest and spread to my neck and cheeks, a strange mix of indignation and embarrassment because I wasn’t sure if he thought I was incapable of looking after myself or genuinely cared. “I’m fine. Thanks. Only because I decided not to light a fire and settled for a blanket cave on the sofa.” He gave me a lopsided smile, grooves digging into the sides of his cheeks and little wrinkles framing the corners of his eyes. My stomach flipped like the time I’d thought it would be a good idea to ride a roller coaster. Not sure this was a better idea. Alex was Jesse’s best friend. I didn’t know Alex, and I didn’t know if he was gay or just friendly, but lusting after him could only end in disaster.

  “Yeah, they can be tricky to get going if you’re not used to them. Have you heard anything from Jesse?”

  “Just a text. The snow’s still bad, so no flights are coming in or out yet.”

  Alex blew out a breath that ghosted over my cheek, warm with the spice of coffee. Plump lips, colored a dark shade of pink, reminded me of my jam-filled pastry and had me wondering if they’d taste as sweet.

  “That sucks.”

  With that one word, my mind hit the gutter. Images of his lips
sucking…. I shook my head like I could flick the pictures away.

  “It’s New Year’s Eve.”

  Yeah, done pretty well at forgetting that fact, or blocked it out. To say I wasn’t a fan would be an understatement. The night was pointless. Like making resolutions, which most people barely managed to keep for a month, never mind a whole year. As though starting a new year—the flip of a calendar page—could change anything about my life. Except I was here. Trying. Taking the first step. Alex cleared his throat, probably expecting an answer from me other than staring at him.

  I nodded. “Yeah. I know.” Wow. Impressive response, Levi. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but the lame reply was better than spewing the many reasons I hated New Year’s. Nobody likes a killjoy.

  Alex shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans and tipped his head toward the sea. “That’s why I, er, that’s the other reason I wanted to speak to you. We’re having a celebration tonight. For the New Year. Thought you might want to come. Especially if Jesse doesn’t make it back.”

  Honestly, I couldn’t think of anything worse, a room filled with strangers who spoke a different language than me. Add in the joy of New Year and drunken shenanigans, and it’d be my worst nightmare. The idea of spending the night on my own didn’t especially appeal either. Dammit, Jesse. Why aren’t you here? Alex hadn’t needed to make the offer, so I felt like kind of a prick. What excuse could I give? He knew I was home alone. I could hardly say I had other plans. Unless I admitted the plans were to stay home like a miserable bastard.

  “That sounds… great. Can I, um, let you know? Just in case they make it home.” God. Did that sound as lame out loud as it did in my head?

  Alex’s gaze wandered over my face for a silent beat before he shrugged. “Sure. It’s just casual. So, you know. Drop by. If you want, or not, or bring Jesse and Carmen, if they get back.”

  “Thanks, I will.”