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“That sounds familiar,” I mumbled then bit back any more stupid remarks before Breezy realized I was talking about AnnMarie. I’d promised not to share her secret. Not even with Breezy, who we’d gone to school with. No matter how much I’d assured her Breezy wasn’t one of the mean girls who’d spewed mean rumors, AnnMarie had pleaded with me not to share her drama. “Anyway,” I covered. “You’re used to the Sizzle Beach fishbowl.”
“That doesn’t mean I like it.”
“Whatcha gonna do?” I asked with a shrug. “It is what it is.”
“Move away.”
“What?” Everything in me stilled. She wanted to leave here. Yesterday she’d said she didn’t want to stay in Sizzle Beach, but I’d thought it was a heat of the moment statement. Now, I immediately started calculating what I’d have to do.
“I applied to schools in South Carolina, Florida and California to finish up my undergrad. I got accepted to all of them. I just have to make my final decision so I can start the January semester there.”
“Were you…even going to tell me?”
“I’m telling you now. Felix, we broke up. I had to get away from here. It was too much.”
Willing myself to relax, I eased my foot back from the accelerator when I’d reflexively started speeding. In addition to being a lifeguard, her brother was a cop. The last thing I needed was him pulling me over.
“But your family is here,” I started.
“My family isn’t like yours. Yeah, I have Barron. But I’m pretty sure he’ll wear down Joe soon and marry her. They’ll start their little family—even if it’s just the two of them. They don’t need his kid sister around and underfoot.”
“You’d hardly be that.” I didn’t miss that she hadn’t mentioned her parents. Her dad liked to hook up with beach bunnies and her mom liked to pretend she didn’t know—until she didn’t pretend anymore and world war three broke out. That only happened when she stopped self-medicating with the alcohol du jour. As a result, Breezy had spent almost all her time at my house from junior high onward.
“I’m going,” she insisted.
“Fine. Tell me where and I’ll come with you.”
“Felix,” she huffed, frustrated with my response.
“Breezy,” I countered.
“You can’t just pick up your life and come with me.”
“Why not? You’re doing it.” I grabbed her hand. “Don’t you get it? I mean, yesterday probably should have driven it home. We belong together. Maybe, it’s codependent or some other shit, but I can’t do me without you. We’ve been two parts of one unit for too long to be any different. You’re part of me, and even if you don’t want to admit it, I’m part of you, too.”
She looked out the window, and I really wished I could see her face, figure out what was going on in that head of hers. But as I turned onto the bridge that crossed the strait between Sizzle Beach and the mainland of Georgia, I had to keep my attention on the road. We’d be to Savannah soon enough.
I was starving. Of course, that wasn’t unusual. But it wasn’t just food. I starved for Breezy.
“Bohemia?” she asked, excited when I pulled into the lot twenty minutes later.
“I know you love this place.” We used to come to the steakhouse at the outskirts of Savannah often. The walls were covered with art from local artists, and each booth was comprised of black-leather seats and tables topped with bright, jewel-toned tiles. As an art history major, Breezy got revved up coming here. Hell, last year I’d gotten us entry into Antiques Roadshow. I didn’t get her love of old things, but I’d stand by while she gasped over treasures and explained why they were so amazing.
Realistically, I supposed there wouldn’t be much call for her profession in Sizzle Beach. We didn’t have an art museum, a public museum or even an antiques store.
After I parked, I ran around to open the door for her. Her hands fell on to my shoulders as I lifted her from the truck, and she leaned forward, kissing my cheek. “Thank you for picking this place.”
I jerked a nod, desperately wanting to press her against the side of the truck while I kissed her with all the passion that had built up in me over the past six months. If I did that, we’d never make it inside for our reservations, though. While I wouldn’t care, as long as I ended up buried inside my woman, I didn’t want her to think I was only after sex. I mean what guy wouldn’t be with a mouthwatering girlfriend like Breezy, but I could pretend to be civilized and not a caveman.
Speaking of caves… The cool air of the restaurant immediately enveloped us as we entered. Built into the face of a mountain, the front of the restaurant appeared like any other building, but as soon as you were led into the seating area, you knew how misleading that could be. The interior was a cave, literally, with all the tables positioned in a multi-tiered semi-circle around a “cliff” where divers plunged into the depths below. In between their shows, colored lights shone from behind the two waterfalls that cascaded around the jut of rock that served as the diver’s platform.
Our table, also a semi-circle, was in the center of the three tiers of seating, directly in front of the falls. I guided Breezy into it then slid in beside her. Almost as if months hadn’t passed between us, she snuggled into my side.
This had always been our special place. I wasn’t sure any of our friends from Sizzle Beach even knew Bohemia existed. It was a hidden treasure, just like the ones she adored as she culled through the past.
“Okay, so which college has the best program for you?” I asked, ripping off the proverbial bandage after we’d been brought glasses of water.
“Stanford. Berkley. Florida State. Also South Florida. University of Michigan accepted me, too, but I don’t know about the cold. I’m a southern girl. My blood’s too thin for the snow and ice.”
