Free Meet Me in Myrtle Beach (Hunt Family Book 1) by Brooke St. James Page B

week," Cody warned.
    "I'm okay with that," I said. "I always wanted a big family when I was younger."
    He gave me a half smile. "What about now?"
    "It's just me, my dad, and my brother. I've sort of gotten used to it that way. I guess, when I was little, I just thought a huge family would appear out of nowhere if I wished hard enough. My dad was an only child, so I don't have any cousins or anything. I always imagined a ton of us gathered around a big dining room table with a turkey sitting in the middle of it like in the movies."
    "I don't think we'll have a turkey on this trip, but you'll get your wish about having a ton of us around. You'll probably be good and sick of us by the end of the week."
    I let my eyes drift over him, which was a mistake. He had on a loose fitting tanktop with cargos similar to his brother's. He was a good six inches taller than me, and I sighed as I peered up at his face. He smiled sweetly at me, and my heart was beating like a wild bird because of it.
    "I really appreciate you guys having me here," I said. "It's a special treat for me to see the ocean for the first time."
    "This might sound silly, but in some way it's special for me to see you see it for the first time," he said. He shrugged. "It's cool for me to watch you fall in love with it—makes me not take it for granted so much."
    Just hearing him say the phrase fall in love , made a peculiar feeling wash over me. My first thought was that he was referring to me falling in love with an actual person, not the ocean, and this made me remember the whole conversation about his brother.
    "I guess we should go downstairs," I said.
    Within minutes, we were all sitting around eating breakfast together. It was just like my childhood fantasies minus the turkey, and as I looked around, I wondered what it'd be like once everyone else got there.
    "Evan, you need a haircut," Dan said, during a break in conversation.
    "I don't think he does," Mia said. "He's got a good man-bun going on."
    "Paige can cut hair," Diane said.
    She tried to make it sound like a casual suggestion, but I knew what she was up to. I giggled nervously.
    "I'm a business major who happens to like doing hair. My friends just let me mess with theirs because they're in college and too broke to go to a salon. I definitely wouldn't want to give a haircut, especially to someone who doesn't want one." I smiled at Evan. "I think it looks good anyway."
    "Thank you!" he said, running his hand through it.
    I glanced at Diane just in time to see her give Dan a sly wink. Boy oh boy, did I wish I could have unheard that conversation.
    "It's this one who could use a haircut," Mia said, reaching over to tousle Cody's hair. It was cut short, but she managed to mess it up a little.
    "She can cut my hair if she wants," Cody said, swiping it back into place.
    "I didn't bring any supplies," I said. "And it would just be awkward if I gave you a bad haircut and then was stuck in the same house looking at it the rest of the week."
    Everyone cracked up at that, even Ryan. I didn't want Diane to think I wasn't thankful for the opportunity to be there. I was, after all, "working" for her. "I'd be happy to do braids if anyone's interested, though."
    "I want one!" Ryan said.
    "Me too!" Mia said. "Can you do cornrows?"
    "Yeah, that'd be pretty on you," I said. "We could do some cornrows in the front with a bunch of little braids in the back. It'd be perfect for the beach."
    Mia started clapping excitedly at the thought. "Can you really do that?"
    "Sure," I said. "Whenever you're ready."
    "I might want to get some cornrows," Evan said, running his hands through his hair again as if imagining the possibility.
    "I'm first," Mia said.
    "Not if it's while you're gone to the spa," Christy reminded her.
    Mia looked at me sadly. "That's right, I forgot we have a girl's spa day planned for when Charlotte gets here. You should come with us!"
    Before I could refuse, Evan said, "You weren't supposed to tell Dee-dee they