Because of Low (Sea Breeze #2)(6)

“I hope I’m not interrupting your night. You can just ignore me and go about whatever you were doing. I’ll even hide out in Cage’s room if you prefer privacy or anything.”

No way.

“No, uh, I actually need some company. I’ve been working on getting my online courses set up. I need a break and an actual conversation.”

She beamed and both dimples flashed at me.

“Oh good! I brought a DVD I rented from the Red Box and some supplies for a homemade pizza.” She held up the large canvas shopping tote in her hand. Clinched in her other hand was the handle on the old suitcase. My stomach twisted at the thought of her having to carry her things around with her. And the fact such a small suitcase held all she owned. My sister’s swimsuit collection wouldn’t even fit in that thing.

“That sounds perfect.”

“How good are you at chopping veggies?”

I pushed up my sleeves and flexed my arm, “I’ve actually had some pretty good experience.”

She laughed making me feel like I’d just moved a mountain instead of agreeing to chop vegetables for her.

I followed her into the kitchen and enjoyed the view of her backside. Tonight she hadn’t covered those incredible legs with jeans. A pair of khaki shorts and a snug red tank top showcased her flawless peaches and cream skin. And that hair of hers was hanging down her back free of its pony tail. The silky waves seemed almost unreal.

“Okay, I know there is a decent knife in one of these drawers because I brought one over a couple weeks ago. You go on a scavenger hunt for it and a cutting board and I’ll get the veggies washed.”

I started looking for the knife while attempting to keep the goofy grin off my face.

“How old is your niece?” I was determined to find out more about her tonight. The girl was an enigma. She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled at me, “She turned one last month.”

I opened a drawer to find the missing knife wedged between two koozies.

“Found it.”

“Oh good. Here, start slicing up the mushrooms,” she said nodding her head toward the mushrooms lying on the towel still damp from her cleaning them.

“Yes ma’am.”

“So, how do you like living with Cage? I mean you two are absolutely nothing alike from what I can tell.”

What did she mean by that exactly? Not that I was upset she didn’t think I was a player but she obviously held Cage in some sort of high regard.

“He’s a nice guy. Rarely here. It’s been easy to find quiet time for my online classes.”

“Cage can’t stay put long. He needs to be social. He’s always been that way. When we were kids he was always on the go. So many nights he snuck in my window because he’d stayed out too late and his mom had locked him out.”

I couldn’t comprehend a parent locking their kid out of the house because they’d missed curfew. My parents were always standing at the door pacing ready to unleash their punishment if I came home late.

“Stop frowning,” she chuckled and nudged my side with her elbow. “I can practically see your thoughts. You’re friends with Preston so you know the kind of home life he had. Well most of the kids in our neighborhood had the same kind.”

I forced a smile and focused all my attention on the vegetables in front of me.

“No, yeah, I mean I know.”

That made absolutely no sense. Willow let out a soft laugh and began mixing up the pizza dough. We worked in silence and I tried hard to focus on the vegetables I was supposed to be chopping up while she kneaded and rolled out the dough. Her arms were slender but the small muscle that flexed as she pushed and pulled on the dough was literally mesmerizing. What was wrong with me?

“So, did you come home because you were tired of college life or do you have some other big plans that explain your sudden change in location?”

She wasn’t the first person to ask me this question. I’d been nailed with questions from all my friends who knew I loved life in Tuscaloosa. They also knew I had been looking forward to some space from the girl who had gotten under my skin this past summer. However, Willow was the first person I really wanted to tell the truth to, but it was too soon.

“Family stuff brought me home.”

I prepared myself for her to press further like Preston had but she just nodded and reached over to scoop a handful of the mushrooms I’d chopped and began sprinkling them onto the pizza.

“Family sure can screw things up can’t they,” her defeated tone tugged at me. Pulling her into my arms and promising her everything would be okay wasn’t the best idea since I’d probably freak her out. Instead, I just nodded and reached over to sprinkle onions on the pizza just so my arm could brush against hers.





“That was one of the best pizzas I’ve ever eaten,” I admitted after helping Willow clean up our mess in the kitchen.

“We make a good team,” she said throwing me a grin over her shoulder as she put the DVD into the player.

I sat down in the straight back chair leaving the sofa available for her. There was enough room for both of us on it but I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable with my sitting beside her. Willow turned around and frowned at me.

“I don’t bite Marcus. You can come sit on the comfy old couch with me. That chair is incredibly uncomfortable.”