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Chapter Seven

Breeze mostly observed, and laughed, as the family talked, joked, and teased each other throughout the meal. She really enjoyed the food, especially the spicy Pad Thai and the mango curry that had her upper lip sweating but tasted so good that she just kept eating more and downing more ice water.

It was a beautiful summer’s eve but as soon as the sun dipped behind the mountains it grew cool and she shivered slightly in the thin outfit Rachel had lent her. Back home it would stay pretty warm in the summertime, even after the sun went down but Jackson was definitely a colder environment with the higher elevation and massive mountain peaks surrounding them. She had mountains behind her trailer back home, but they weren’t as tall and rugged as these.

Luke and Isaac started the patio heaters, and Caleb turned on the fake fire. Breeze was warm again and mesmerized by the fireplace, with its flames coming out of clear glass rocks set in a huge rectangle case that looked like it was made out of real gray stone.

Paisley was just as enthralled. “Marshmallows,” she begged her mom.

Madeline beat Eve to answering, “Of course, love. I’ll go get all the stuff. We’ll do s’mores okay?”

“Yes!” Paisley punched her little fist into the air and danced around. “Meza loves Some-mores.”

“I’ll help you,” Rachel said. “I think I know where the roasting sticks are in the garage storage.”

“Thank you. They’re kind of buried in that mess.”

“No worries.” Rachel smiled. “I’m good at digging.”

“You boys clean up,” Peter instructed.

“Yes, sir,” Caleb quipped.

All the boys stood quickly and compiled the leftovers into containers and hauled everything else to an outdoor garbage can. Breeze stood and tried to help.

“No, ma’am,” Seth pushed at her hands. “The girls cook the boys clean up.”

Breeze laughed. “I didn’t see any of us cooking.” But she liked that rule and noticed that Ridge helped carry the garbage and observed these tough gentlemen insisting on cleaning up. Back in Idaho, he usually gave a half-butt effort to help out at home, when he was around. After cooking and cleaning up nonstop for the past few days, this felt like heaven.

Caleb shrugged. “It’s the rules and my brother and I are ‘rule followers’.” He made quote signs with his hands and winked at Seth while everyone else laughed. “We heard people saying that about us all the time growing up.” He made his voice falsetto, “‘Those Jewel twins are justrule-followers’. You just sit your pretty self on down so us innocent twins don’t get in trouble for something we didn’t do, like usual,” he added under his breath.

Everyone was laughing harder now.

“I thought you wanted to show Breeze the fort you and Caleb made,” Eve said quietly to Seth. Everyone perked up and exchanged looks and quiet comments.

“Are you up for a short walk?” Seth asked.

“Yes, please.” Her stomach lifted in anticipation and her palms started sweating. Walk? Fort? Was this code for taking her someplace quiet and kissing her? She certainly hoped so. She knew this dream day would have to end but she was going to enjoy every second with Seth.

“Aw, mints,” Caleb declared, picking up some red and white pre-packaged mints that came with the dinner. “Look how thoughtful someone was.”

Breeze grinned. He was such a smart aleck.

“Would you like one, my almost-as-handsome-as-me twin?” Caleb asked.

“Yes, please.” Seth imitated her earlier response and grinned at Breeze.

There was a lot more laughter and Jade groaned. “Real subtle, Caleb.”

Caleb pumped his eyebrows at Jade and tossed Seth a couple of mints. Seth snatched them out of the air and handed her one. Breeze slid hers out of the wrapper and popped it in, blushing furiously as everyone seemed to know what they were planning to do, sneaking off to the treehouse with mints to freshen their breath. All the women but Rachel and Madeline were watching them with knowing gazes, and even though the men were still cleaning up, they were laughing and obviously in on the joke. Even Seth’s dad. How embarrassing. Yet as she sucked on the spicy peppermint, Seth took her hand, and she decided to take the embarrassment for a chance to be alone with him.

Mar gave her a secretive smile and a thumbs up and Breeze instantly felt better. Mar seemed to approve of her, or at least approve of her sneaking away to kiss Seth. Did any of these people have a clue where she’d come from and what she was going back to? The situation with Flint had been awful and not typical of her life, but she was still poor, bottom of any class, living in a trailer, working her tail off to make ends meet, and no real hope of ever doing much in life. The most she could hope for was to someday become a teacher and, if the good Lord willed it, make a difference in a child’s life and help them feel loved like she hadn’t.

These downer thoughts assaulted her as Seth took her hand. They walked away from his chattering family toward the darkness of the tree line. Seth didn’t say anything but as he looked down at her with an alluring smile, his eyes widened. “What’s wrong?”

Breeze blew out a breath and muttered, “I just keep getting reminded that I don’t belong here.”

They walked into the trees. It was even darker than dusk with the thick foliage around them, but she could clearly see Seth’s eyes as they flashed. They kept walking, but he said in a gravelly tone, “I wish you could see that you fit perfectly with my family … and with me.”


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