Free Shady Bay by Casey L. Bond, Anna G. Coy Page A

same window and judging by the way the happy couple was looking in my direction, they also knew how I felt about the whole thing.
     
     

     
     
    Daddy,
    I miss you so much. I can’t wait to hug you. I’ll try to come home for a visit soon. Things here are great. Celeste and her shop have been such a blessing. I’ve been crocheting some things and she’s letting me sell them and keep all of the profits. How did I come across such an amazing person?
    I’m waitressing at a local bar and grill called Shady Bay for my neighbor and friend Jaxon. He’s...well, he’s Jaxon. He’s moody. Sometimes he seems so carefree and fun and the next broody and angry. Maybe he’s a vampire! Kidding.
    I hope you’re doing okay. I put some money in your commissary account. You can stock up on your favorite Ramen Noodles. I miss you and love you.
     
    —Mercy
     

     
    June and I dressed for the beach the morning after my date with Drew and made our way to the sand. The sun was so bright, it reflected and shimmered off the surface of sand and water alike, blinding me. I shaded my eyes and then spread my beach towel beside June’s.
    “Spill.” She grinned.
    “He was really sweet.”
    Groaning, she squirted tanning lotion onto her hand and started rubbing it into the pale skin of her legs. “Kiss of death. Was he that bad?”
    “No. He was great. I just said he was sweet. That’s a good thing.”
    She cocked her head to the side. “No. It’s not. It’s definitely not a good thing. Were there fireworks when he kissed you?”
    I scoffed. “Fireworks? What are we like nine? Life isn’t one of your smut novels, girl.”
    She grinned. “If it’s done right, it is.”
    “Well,” I straightened my back. “No fireworks. But I want to take some time to get to know him. We’re going out for dinner next Sunday.”
    Two sea gulls landed nearby and started pecking at the sand. One flapped its wings, taking flight. It was so windy that it caught the breeze and just arched its wings, sailing on it lazily. It didn’t even have to flap.
    “We saw Jaxon last night.”
    June lowered her aviators. “You and Drew? Where?”
    “We were on my front porch saying goodnight and he came home. It was weird. He said hello and then all but ran inside and then when I kissed Drew, we heard some loud bang come from his house.” I looked around to make sure no one was around. “I saw him in the window.”
    Her mouth formed an “o.” Then it tilted up and spread into a wide smile. “I knew it. He so wants you!” she squealed.
    “He does not. I don’t know what he wants. Sometimes he’s sweet and funny and sometimes he’s so angry and I don’t even know what I’ve done to make him that way. He drives me crazy.”
    “What does Celeste think? She knows everything. You know how amazing she is with her readings and stuff, right?”
    “She says someone broke his heart. I’ve never had a reading, but her clients are constant.”              
    June nodded and pushed her sunglasses back onto her face. “She pegged me right. She even knew about this.” She raised her under arm and I could see dozens of tiny lines running up and down the length.
    “You cut?”
    “I used to. I went through a rough time my senior year in high school.”
    “What happened? I mean, if you want to tell me.”
    “There was this guy who had always flirted with me. You know. He was popular. I wasn’t. It was flattering. So , when he asked me out, I said yes with no hesitation. We went to dinner and then to a movie. He was supposed to take me home after that but instead parked in a vacant lot and tried to push me to do something I wasn’t ready for. I told him as much and he got mad and drove me home. The following Monday, he told everyone that I had put out and made up some really horrible rumors about me. I couldn’t cope. I didn’t have many friends to begin with and those who had been around fled from me like I had the plague. I was hard. I was