Starfish and Coffee by Kele Moon Read Free Book Online

and took a drink out of the bottle of whiskey they’d started sharing when the beer had run out. The two of them sat side-by-side near the fire that simmered down to the crackle of dying embers dancing over the glowing logs. Sea breeze and burned wood scented the air. Classic rock played from the small portable radio they’d brought.
    This was Alex’s favorite part of a beach party, the lazy buzz that came as everything started winding down in the early-morning hours. Where only a few of them had survived to the end, and the last ones left were drunk enough to crash on the sand and sleep there until the tourists found them passed out in the morning.
    Holly and Melissa were dancing in that free-spirited, carefree way that came from moving to music in the moonlight after drinking all night.
    George and Sara had taken off to go fuck somewhere down the beach.
    Brandon and Daryl had left an hour ago, claiming they had to work in the morning. Alex did too, but he was officially too drunk and too turned on to care about having to be at work in a couple of hours.
    Matt looked away from the girls dancing and asked, “You really wanna know why I’m working at Frank’s?”
    “Yes.” Alex gave him a look. “I’m fucking dying to know.”
    Matt arched an eyebrow. “Even if it makes me sound like an asshole?”
    “All you trust-fund babies are assholes,” Alex said dismissively. “It’s the first thing your parents teach you, how to be an asshole to the little people. That’s what keeps you ahead—knowing how to step on folks to get what you want.”
    “Nice to know you don’t buy into stereotypes.” Matt snorted. “I suppose all you locals are lazy beach bums who work all day in some shit job just to have enough extra cash to party all night.”
    “You just summed up my life, man,” Alex admitted proudly as he fell back against the beach mat.
    “You don’t want more than this?”
    “What more is there?” Alex asked in an awed voice as he stared up at the stars. “I live on the beach all year long. I go to Key West a few weekends a month to fish. I got my friends to party with. My brother to split the bills with. No stress. No worries. It doesn’t get better than this.”
    Matt was silent for a long moment before he sighed. “Yeah, when you put it like that your life does sound pretty good. You’ll probably live thirty years longer than me, Hunter, because I gotta fuckload of stress, and I haven’t even started my real job yet.”
    “What is your real job? What’re you gonna do once you’re done with your internship at Frank’s café?”
    “I’m supposed to help out my uncle.”
    “What does your uncle do?”
    “He’s CEO.”
    “Of Tarrington’s department stores?”
    “Tarrington Enterprises,” Matt corrected. “There’s more than just the department stores.”
    “Wow.” Alex mused as he rolled onto his side and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from Matt. “So that’s like a billion-dollar company, huh?”
    Matt shrugged. “We do all right.”
    “How long until you’re supposed to run it?”
    Matt turned to him and sighed. “Not long enough.”
    “Not excited about all the money and power?”
    “I already got money. The job is just loyalty and family obligation bullshit. I gotta do it because my father did it and his father did it. It’s like inheriting a future heart attack.”
    “Right, I’m not gonna feel bad for you.” Alex laughed incredulously. “My brother works his ass off at law school, doing his homework until three in the morning just to get a leg up in life, and you’re pissed off about the corner office waiting for you. Fuck you.”
    “Yeah, that does make me sound like an aristocratic prick.” Matt laughed after a moment. “I guess you’re right; we’re all raised to be assholes. This shit made sense when I explained it to my friends. They got it.”
    “I’ve met your friends; they’re definitely assholes,” Alex agreed as he laughed with him. “Speaking of