Sea Breeze 03 - While It Lasts

kitchen and Eva was sitting at the table with Momma looking over wedding magazines. Both of them squealed and jumped up to hug me. We got the call the next morning.”
    My chest hurt. I wasn’t a real emotional guy. I’d had a s hit life for the most part. Even so, the picture he’d just painted of a happy Eva with her life ahead of her then having it snatched away … hurt me.
    “What’ s her smile like?” I asked
    Jeremy looked wistful for a moment. Then replied, “Incredible.”

    Eva

    Daddy was gone for the weekend and Cage would be gone tomorrow. Jeremy wouldn’t even be around. I thought about calling Becca Lynn but then I wasn’t sure I wanted her around here just yet. Whatever happened with her and Cage hadn’t been something she enjoyed because she hadn’t called me or come by.
    I wrapped S aran wrap around the two turkey and s wiss subs I’d made Cage for dinner. I hadn’t cook ed 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 w as 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 w as 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 gri p 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 could n’t hear anything. Maybe if I se t the lemonade down and used my hand to cup my ear to the door I could hear better .
    I bent down and se t 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 . I t’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 eaves drop 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 , ca n I have that bottle down there? ” he pointed to the lemonade I had set down so I could be more efficient in my eaves dropping. 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 teas ing me and he had every right t o. 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