She had no idea the inner battle inside me. That her presence was causing more conflict than I wanted to deal with. To her I was a guy, dealing with the news my grandmother could very well leave this world soon. She thought she was distracting me or entertaining me. The beauty beside me had no idea she was breathing life where I thought there wasn’t any.
“I was unaware you were a criminal.” I finally said something. I knew she had hoped for more from me. A smile or a laugh. She’d gone out of her way to be dramatic with her storytelling. If she only knew how close to smiling without realizing it I’d been. The power she had to give me a rare moment of amusement.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a criminal. I was taking back what was mine.” She was fighting back a smile now. “Besides, I didn’t get caught.”
“But you have been arrested,” I reminded her. I’d heard Bliss mention it before.
She pretended to look annoyed but the pride in her blue eyes were unmistakable. “It was a misunderstanding.”
I was sure it was. Little rebel. I didn’t push for more.
“It’s a good story,” I told her instead.
“I got the bracelet back. That’s the important part.” She paused and then added, “I also passed the cops as they sped by me on the way to his house. I didn’t know his security system triggered when one entered the backyard.”
The instant tug on the corners of my lips might have won that time before I could do anything to stop it. Instead of feeling instant guilt, it was pleasant.
MAY 26 / 2:43 PM
Ophelia Finlay
I LOOKED FORWARD to Sundays in the summer. They normally included sleeping late, eating brunch at the Kerrington Club with my parents, then enjoying a book while sitting under an umbrella on the sand. The smell of the salty breeze and the pina colada in my hand, mixed with the sound of the waves. It was perfect solitude.
Today, however, I was battling some unknown funk that I’d been in since arriving home just before noon. I’d woken up to the smell of breakfast. Bliss had grown up on a farm and she made the best biscuits and gravy I’d ever eaten. She also believed in bacon, sausage cheese grits, and eggs to go with the biscuits and gravy. It was a miracle my brother wasn’t fat with the way she cooked. But then neither were her brothers or her father.
I had enjoyed my morning talking with my brother and sister-in-law before packing up the few things I had in the bathroom and heading home. They were happy and I wanted that for Nate. He’d been in a toxic relationship when he’d met Bliss. One I had tried to warn him about. He had thought it was what he wanted but seeing Bliss again had shown him what real love was. She made him smile and that was enough for me. I didn’t worry about my brother anymore. Now I could focus all my worry on my sister. I wasn’t going to think about Phoenix right now though. I’d do that later. Besides, Phoenix wasn’t answering my calls and according to Nate, she was ignoring his too. We had discussed her for awhile this morning. I was home and needed to focus on me. Or whatever was bothering me.
Typically, the sight of home made me feel content.
Today though nothing was the same. I was in a terrible mood and putting on my bikini, grabbing a book, then heading across the street to find a spot on the sand didn’t sound at all appealing. Instead, I was sitting on the sofa in my sweats watching Game of Thrones from the beginning again and eating leftover Easter candy. I didn’t want to think about what had caused this funky mood. I would then have to accept it and dissect it. Neither things I was willing to do. Instead, I’d watch Jason Momoa have a lot of sex and I’d eat chocolate. Seemed rational.
The ringing of my phone interrupted my thoughts and I paused the episode although I’d already seen this season twice. I happened to enjoy an almost naked Momoa as did the rest of the females on planet earth. Like I always did, I would tell Daenerys Targaryen that her tears were ridiculous when that man was the one screwing you. Sure, she couldn’t hear me and talking to the television was weird, but I did it anyway.
I grabbed my phone just as the Khal Drogo took his wife from behind and smiled at the fact it was paused on that image. An unknown number lit my screen. Sea Breeze, Alabama was all it told me. Staring at the sex scene frozen on my screen I decided I’d answer the phone. Although I typically sent all unknown calls. . . . And some callers I did know to voicemail. My voicemail would then tell them that texting me was best. I didn’t listen to voicemail. Today though was the caller’s lucky day because it said Sea Breeze.