Breathe (Sea Breeze #1)(33)

I smiled and stepped outside. Knowing Jax would be outside with me today made the day seem much brighter. I walked over to Mr. Greg kneeling down in the herb garden, mumbling to himself.

“Morning, Mr. Greg. Why don’t you get off those knees and let me do this.”

He frowned at me. “I have a bone to pick with you, young lady. Ain’t no girl your age supposed to be gallivanting across town in the middle of the night. You should have called me.”

My insides grew warm and toasty. I really had made a new family here. “I know, Mr. Greg, and I am sorry. I’m just used to taking care of things on my own, and I didn’t think about the fact I have people who care enough to help me.”

He stood up slowly, and I fought the urge to give him my arm. I knew his pride wouldn’t take my offer very well.

“Just so you understand you’ve got people to help you now. Lord knows the Stone boy would have come running if you’d called him. I ain’t never seen such a lovesick puppy in all my life.”

I blushed. “I wouldn’t call him lovesick.”

Mr. Greg raised an eyebrow. “Is that so,” he said and shook his head. “Well, now, I guess we got work to talk about, now don’t we. Go ahead and weed this here garden, but be careful for the herbs. Once you’re done, go ahead and pull some rosemary and dill weed for Ms. Mary. She needs some for the kitchen. I’m going to go rake the sand and get it smooth around the bridge.”

I nodded, kneeled, and started weeding. Herb garden weeding was never easy because so many herbs resembled weeds. It wasn’t something I could do mindlessly, so I focused on my job.

The sound of a guitar broke my concentration, and I glanced up to see Jax sitting in the gazebo strumming away and watching me. I grinned and waved, and then turned back to my weeds. It proved hard to think about what I needed to be doing when his voice floated across the yard. I stopped several times to listen to his words, but I didn’t dare look at him. His music soon became sporadic, and I turned to see him writing on a piece of paper and working diligently over his guitar. His frown and concentration made it hard not to stare. I knew if he caught me, it might mess up his process. Other times, I caught him watching me, and he would wink, and I, in turn, would blush. However, the heat made my cheeks pink, and thankfully it helped hide it. After I finished weeding the herbs and taking Ms. Mary the rosemary and dill weed, I was given the job of picking up any debris that may have blown in overnight. I’d just finished carrying a handful of twigs over to Mr. Greg’s wheel barrel when Jason came out. He went over to Jax, and I went back to picking up debris. Jax got up and followed Jason inside. I tried not to let my mind wonder about where the brothers were going, and I focused on my job.

Marcus came out to get me for lunch, and I went inside to eat with him, Ms. Mary, and Fran. Everyone seemed quiet, so I didn’t talk much either. Fran mentioned she needed to write up a list of cleaning supplies to be picked up from the store, and Marcus made us all laugh with stories about the new guy at the front gate. Ms. Mary seemed nervous about something, and Fran wouldn’t meet my eyes. Only Marcus seemed his normal self. After we ate, I started cleaning and preparing the fresh fruit Ms. Mary had bought from the farmers’ market.

I tried to stay focused on my job, and at dinnertime, when Jax still hadn’t returned to the gazebo, I agreed to a chess match with Mr. Greg. I’d put him off several times the past week because Jax had always been waiting on me. Although I seemed to be getting better, and had even won a few matches recently, today Mr. Greg won because my mind stayed on Jax. I let the older man gloat, and I smiled at his teasing, and then went inside to the kitchen.

Marcus stood over by the table with a tray of food. He smiled at me. “Hey you. Who won the chess game? I saw you two hard at it when I came in.”

I smiled and shrugged. “He did. I was off my game tonight.”

Marcus frowned and sighed. “Yeah, I can understand. You two have been inseparable lately. I can see why her arrival would bother you.”

His words startled me. “What do you mean? Her who?”

Marcus darted his eyes at Ms. Mary who made a “tsking” sound, but kept her back to the both of us.

“Uh, sorry, I thought you knew. I, um….” He paused and shuffled his feet like he would rather leave the room.

Ms. Mary let out a sigh. “Go ahead and get it out, boy. You done let the cat out of the bag. Don’t leave her to wonder.”

Marcus nodded and said to me, “I don’t know how much of the celebrity stuff you read, but Star Holloway, the Pop Princess, and Jax have been an item for awhile now. Even before he came here this summer. She flew in on his private jet this afternoon and is staying the night before she heads back out to finish her tour.”

My knees went weak.

“Now, don’t go making it sound worse than it is, boy,” Ms. Mary scolded. “I believe she is just a friend of Master Jax. The way he has been following you around like a puppy dog, I can’t fathom he has another girl on the side.”

I couldn’t form words. I stared at Marcus, who shrugged. I didn't know what to say or what to think. I needed time alone, so I headed to the laundry to change. The idea that Jax had a pop star girlfriend didn’t make sense to me. He’d never spoke of her before. I didn’t think Marcus would lie to me. Star Holloway was in this house, and she also happened to be the reason Jax never came back. It hurt that he never took the time to explain. But then again, what could he tell his guest, “Excuse me, but I need to go tell the kitchen help you’re here and I won’t be coming back to see her today?” I mean, really this situation would be hard to grasp for someone in his world. I took a deep breath and reminded myself I knew all along a relationship with him was impossible. He was a rock star, and I worked in his kitchen and his garden. I walked right into a situation with no happy ending, and I knew it, but took that road anyway, just because a pair of steel blue eyes made my heart race, and a boyish grin made me melt. Stupid might be too kind of a word for me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and stepped out of the laundry.