Read Sea Breeze 01 - Breathe for Free Online

girl.”
    The normal teenage girls laughed and flirted on the side of the street. Summer romance wasn’t something I understood, but apparently it was a very big thing around here. The girls here referred to the tourists as the summer boys. I didn’t really get it or understand it, but then again, I wasn’t normal.
    Marcus turned to me. “Did I hurt your feelings? I didn’t mean to if I did. It was a compliment, really. I get tired of the silliness and shallowness of girls. You’re like a breath of fresh air.”
    I turned my head back in his direction and smiled. He really was a nice guy. I wished my insides got all warm and tingly when he stared at me, but apparently my body reserved that response for teen rock stars, and the thought that I might be shallow made me feel sick inside.
    “Thank you. I’ve never been complimented on my strange personality before.”
    He frowned and shook his head. “I wouldn’t call you strange . . . more refreshingly unique.”
    I laughed at his attempt to make it sound better. “Thanks. ‘Refreshingly unique’ sounds much more appealing. Turn right at the next light, and it’s two houses down on the left.”
    We remained silent the rest of the way to the apartment.
    “Pull over to the side. We’re not allowed to use the owner’s drive. They own the house. We rent the small apartment below.”
    Marcus pulled up in front of the house.
    “Thank you again for bringing me home.”
    He opened his door, jumped out, and got my bike from the bed of his truck. I watched as he lifted it down. “Anytime. If you leave the same time I do, I can always give you a lift.” I thanked him again. He shuffled his feet and glanced up at me. “Since you’re new here, and we are working together this summer, why don’t I take you out one night after work, or on Sunday during the day when we are both off? I can show you what’s fun around here and introduce you to some people. You know, just as friends.”
    “It sounds like fun,” I said. “I would love to go enjoy this area with someone who knows where to go.”
    He grinned and ran his hand through his blond hair. “Great. I’ll make plans this week and let you know what we are doing.”
    We said our good-byes, and I watched him get back into his truck. I waved and turned to go face Jessica and her doubtless twenty questions as to what took me so long.
    The apartment was silent and dark. I peeked into Jessica’s room and found her asleep on top of the covers with the window unit cranking nonstop. I grabbed a quilt and covered her up before going back to my room and getting ready for my shower. She’d gone to sleep early. No twenty questions, and no having to cook dinner. I smiled and headed toward the bathroom. I needed to be clean and needed sleep. Today I managed to get past my biggest hurdle. Tomorrow should be easier. No more encounters with Jax. Having a friend would make things even more enjoyable.
    The next week I fell into a routine. I arrived at work and went straight to the kitchen. Ms. Mary talked much more than Fran, and her stories were entertaining. She told me all about her two daughters and seven grandchildren. One daughter lived in Michigan and had five daughters of her own. The other daughter lived in Georgia, and she had a nine-year-old girl and one little boy, who was loved immensely by a family full of girls. Hearing about her life raising her daughters made me realize just how dysfunctional my life with Jessica would sound. I imagined my life being as full and normal as Ms. Mary’s. I knew I could one day make a life just as full of family and love as she seemed to have. I often daydreamed of a life like the one she told me about.
    My first afternoons with Mr. Greg began a little tense since he wasn’t real fond of having a teenage girl helping him, but after a day of not having to get on his arthritic knees, he seemed to appreciate my being there. After my fourth day working with him, Mr. Greg and I would sit and