While It Lasts (Sea Breeze #3)(15)

I wrapped Saran wrap around the two turkey and swiss subs I’d made Cage for dinner. I hadn’t cooked anything but Cage would need to eat. I reached under the counter and pulled out a sports bottle. He had to be tired of water. I filled it up with the rest of the lemonade I’d made for Daddy.

Unable to resist, I left both items sitting on the counter and went to the mirror in the hallway to check my hair and face. I wasn’t going to think too hard about why I wanted to look attractive for Cage. If I did think about it the answer would more than likely bother me.

Once I was sure I looked good enough, I went back to the kitchen and picked up the plate of food, grabbed a bag of chips and the lemonade then headed to the barn.

The sun was setting and it was later than I normally brought his dinner out. Normally, I managed to get here before he finished working and leave it on the table by his bed. But tonight, I wanted to see him. I wanted him to touch my hand again and make my body tingle. It had been so long since a single touch had made me feel alive. It was exciting. I missed excitement.

I opened the barn door. Looking to the right I saw the door to his room closed. The only air-conditioner in the barn was the small window unit in the back room. Keeping the door closed was the only way for him to keep the room cold so he always kept it closed. I normally didn’t have to question whether he was in there or not because I knew he wasn’t. But I hadn’t seen him come inside so all I had to go on was the fact the truck was parked outside.

With a tight grip on the plate in my hand, I made my way to his door. I started to knock and decided to lean forward and listen first. Maybe he was in the shower, or on the phone. I pressed my ear to the warm wood. I couldn’t hear anything. Maybe if I set the lemonade down and used my hand to cup my ear to the door I could hear better.

I bent down and set the sports bottle at my feet then used my hand to see if it made hearing through the wood easier.

“What’s going on in there? Can’t be a whole lot. It’s too damn small,” Cage’s amused voice startled me and I fumbled with the plate I was holding with one hand.

“Whoa, girl. Don’t drop my dinner,” he laughed. Then he reached out and took the plate from my hands.

I’d been caught trying to eavesdrop on him. This could not be more embarrassing. Crawling under my bed and not coming out for a week sounded appealing right about now.

“Before you kick it over, can I have that bottle down there?” he pointed to the lemonade I had set down so I could be more efficient in my eavesdropping. I bent back down and picked it up. Maybe I could hand it to him and then run out of here without having to actually make eye contact. I held out the sports bottle but kept my eyes diverted from his. I could feel the amusement on his face. I didn’t have to see it.

“Ah, come on now, Eva. You can’t not look at me. You had no problem listening in at my door. Who knows what you could have heard if I’d been in there.”

He was teasing me and he had every right to. I couldn’t keep the small bubble of laughter down. Lifting my eyes I met his gaze. “I can’t believe you caught me,” I replied honestly.

I expected him to crack another joke but his face was no longer amused. He appeared to be studying me closely. A pleased smile formed on his lips and he held up the plate of subs. “There are two subs here. You gonna eat with me?”

Oh. Wow. Um. No. I started to shake my head when he leaned forward causing me to shiver from the warmth of his skin.

“And why not?” he asked in a husky whisper as the door behind me started to open.

“I already ate,” I blurted out.

“Then keep me company while I eat,” he replied, leaning back away from me now that he had the door behind me opened. “Go on in Eva, it’s nice and cool.”

This was when I should’ve politely refused and gone back to the house. Except, I didn’t. I turned and walked into the small room that Cage occupied during the week.

Like all the other times I’d been in here to leave his dinner, the bed was a mess. He never made it up. There was also a pile of dirty clothes in the corner. The only neat habit the boy had was that he hung up his bath towel every night on the back of the door. I remembered that I’d only left him one towel and one washcloth when I’d prepared the room for him. Was he having to use the same washcloth? I felt guilty for being such a judgmental brat earlier this week. He’d worked hard all week. He deserved a clean washcloth and towel every night.

Cage walked around me since I’d stopped in the middle of the room and went to take a seat on his unmade bed. He began unwrapping the plate of subs like he hadn’t been fed in days. Glancing at the clock on the wall over his bed I saw it was after eight. It had been over six hours since I’d brought him out fresh water and a slice of Mrs. Mabel’s lemon pound cake. Another stirring of guilt at how I’d been treating him churned in my stomach.

“If that isn’t enough I can go make another one or two,” I offered as he took a large bite out of the sub. He grinned as he chewed and then took a long swig of the lemonade.

“This is great. Thanks. I was starving. And the lemon cake thing the invisible fairy brought me earlier was fu—amazing too.”

What? “Invisible fairy?” I asked confused.

Cage looked so sincere. “You know the fairy who magically brings me water and ice rags when my back is turned.”