Sea Breeze 01 - Breathe

pay?”
    She beamed at me again, apparently thrilled at the idea of my being a lifeguard. “Twelve dollars an hour, and you get the benefits of being at the beach all day!”
    That was what I made now. It was good money, but I wouldn’t get nearly as many hours. But it might be enough. “All right. If I were interested, what would I need to do?”
    She grabbed my hand and led me over to the building located off the boardwalk, with bathrooms, a beach bar, and some offices. “You need to go in there and see Jerry in the morning. He can give you all your info. There is endurance training and a few days of classes. How long it takes depends on how well you do. But Jess just quit last week, and we’re short a lifeguard, so now is a good time to go see him.”
    I nodded and tucked the information away. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow night, then.”
    Amanda smiled brightly. “Cool. See ya.”
    I turned and walked down the beach. I’d worn shorts and a blue tank top, but the evening breeze still held the day’s warmth, so it didn’t matter. I walked to the edge of the public beach and sat down on one of the deserted wooden chair rentals. Without the cushions that came with them, they were a little painful, but if I sat on the beach I’d get all sandy.
    I lay back and closed my eyes, letting the sound of the ocean waves soothe me. I’d let this happen. I’d known when I agreed to spend time with Jax I would end up caring way too much. He’d never said we were exclusive. He’d never said he loved me. Yes, he had said many other things, like about my being his air and his needing me, but now all those words seemed almost unreal. Frustrated with myself for doing exactly what every other girl in America would do, I knew I wasn’t any different from the rest of them. His eyes and smile melted me and sent warm shivers down my spine. I needed to get a grip and get over it. Jax liked spending time with me because I happened to be a no-strings-attached deal. He liked being around me because I didn’t think everything he did was wonderful. He had enough admirers. He hadn’t asked for or required my love. I’d gone and fallen in love with him of my own free will. I rubbed my eyes with my fists and fought the stupid tears spilling out. Crying would not help this or make it better. Yet here I sat, alone on the beach, crying like a lovesick loser.
    “Ugh!” I sat up and wiped my face with my shirt and decided I wouldn’t cry another tear over Jax Stone.
    My chest ached at the thought of leaving Ms. Mary and Mr. Greg and Marcus. . . . Heck, I would even miss Fran. But could I stay there and see him and be at his house, loving him the way I did? I let out a sigh, not sure what to do. At times like this, I really needed a mother with common sense and wise words.
    “Sadie.”
    I turned. Marcus was walking toward me. I wiped the rest of my tears away and stood. He still wore his white dress shirt from work, but it was untucked and the collar was loosened.
    When he got close enough to me to hear my voice over the wind and waves, I asked, “Marcus, what are you doing here?”
    He grinned sheepishly and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder back at the lifeguard station. “I’ve got an inside source.”
    Confused, I frowned and looked to where I’d talked to Amanda.
    He saw the frown on my face and gave a dramatic sigh. “Do you know Amanda’s last name?”
    I shook my head slowly, trying to remember if she’d told me her last name.
    “Amanda Hardy, a.k.a. my little sister.”
    My mouth formed an O, and I turned back to him, studying his attractive features. Suddenly I realized he and his sister shared the same eyes and smile. “Does she know I work with you?” She’d never said anything to me before, and her friendliness made a lot more sense coming from the sister of my friend.
    He nodded as if found guilty of a crime. “Yes. I mentioned you on your first night of work when I got home, and she remembered you from school.”
    I nodded, still shocked at the connection. I’d really never thought about the fact that Marcus had family around here and that I might know the people in it.
    And then it hit me: She knew about Jax. “Does she know . . . ?”
    Marcus shook his head. “No. No, I can’t tell her about Jax. She would freak out and start stalking my workplace.”
    I smiled sadly, but a wave of relief washed over me. “I don’t see her as the stalking type.”
    Marcus laughed and raised his blond