Breathe (Sea Breeze #1)(14)
Author: Abbi Glines

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Chapter Five

Three days had passed since my trip to the grocery store with Jax. I hated that I caught myself searching for glimpses of him. Somewhere, deep down, I really thought he would seek me out again. However, after three days of not laying eyes on him, I knew our night at the grocery store apparently meant much more to me than him. Yes, he took me shopping, and then home, but only because of his promise to Marcus. Sure, he held my hand a few minutes, but who was I kidding, Jax Stone probably held hands with a different girl every day. I needed to find the humor in my stupidity for assuming it meant more to him, or I would curl up in a ball and cry. He did say I fascinated him, but he really should have clarified to me that I was just the fascination for the day. I hated to think badly of him for not seeking me out again because I couldn’t forget the way he’d treated the little girl, and I knew he wasn’t a shallow teen idol. After all, to Jax Stone, I was just another girl.

He hadn’t promised his undying love to me, or even told me he would see me again. We’d said our goodbyes at my house with no promises. Nothing he said told me he would seek me out again. Sure, he said he liked spending time with me, but it didn’t appear as if he was going to make good on his words. My thinking about it made me crazy. I needed to focus on other things. I’d turned Marcus down on his invitation to go boating with him and his friends on Sunday. I skipped out on time with my friend because I chose to sulk over Jax. I needed to move on and let it go. My night with Jax would be a really good memory I’d never forget, just like the little girl.

When I arrived at the Stone Mansion, Ms. Mary met me at the door. “Sadie, we’re entertaining tonight. Master Jax is having over some friends, and there is to be dancing and an open bar as well as lots of food! Now, I need all my younger employees to serve all night. We got some special uniforms for this. Marcus will be here shortly with the new server, William, and they are bringing a few friends who will also be helpin’ out. Don’t worry about changing just yet.”

She turned and grabbed a large bucket of something very unappetizing. “Have you ever peeled and deveined shrimp before?” Words failed me, and apparently my face showed my horror because she laughed out loud. “Of course not, you’re a Tennessee gal. Come here and I’ll teach you how. We have ourselves twenty pounds of fresh shrimp we need to peel and devein for different appetizers.”

I nodded and prayed I would have the stomach of steel I knew I would need for this horrible task. Ms. Mary directed me to a wash sink, pulled out an empty bucket, and placed it inside. She brought a large stainless steel bowl and put it on the other side of the sink.

“Here.” She handed me a shrimp, which I did not like to see or touch battered and fried, much less uncooked. “First you peel ’em, just like this, then you take this here deveiner, you slip it into the top right here, and use it to pull out this black string. Throw all the peeling and black strings in here, and then put the clean shrimp in the bowl.”

I gave her a small nod then swallowed the bile in my throat. “What is that black string?” I asked.

She smiled at me. “Girl, from the color of your face, you do not want to know. Now, you just ought to be glad Mr. Greg got here early and beheaded these fellas for you because if you are thinking this is gross, you would have a fit pinching the heads off.”

I held up my hand in protest. “Please, no more, stop,” I said, my stomach churning.

She patted me on the back. “When you are done with these, you’ll be a true south Alabama girl.”

I studied the gross creatures in front of me and decided right then and there that if this is what it took to be a true south Alabama girl, I’d much rather stay a true Tennessee mountain chick.

Four hours later, after some help from Marcus, and even a little help from Mr. Greg, there were twenty pounds of clean shrimp. Now, I will never put one in my mouth, but I sure can peel and devein one “like nobody’s business”…or at least Mr. Greg said I could. Ms. Mary walked over and handed me a bowl of lemon juice and water.

“Here, girl, soak those hands in this. The smell will be gone in about ten minutes.”

I stared in horror at my hands and realized the smell I managed to get use to after hours of working with the nasty little things, now clung to my hands. I sank them down into the cleansing concoction as quickly as I could. My face must have expressed my thoughts because Ms. Mary threw back her head and laughed one of her deep belly laughs that always made me smile.

“Girl, you sure keep this place interesting. I don’t know what I did before you came here to make me smile.”

I grinned and shrugged sheepishly. Marcus walked into the kitchen and saw my hands in the lemon juice mixture, and then sat down beside me and slipped his in it too.

“I just got a whiff of these fingers outside and realized I needed some help.”

I slid my hands over and gave him plenty of room. “What I don’t understand is why people eat these things willingly. I would think their appearance is all it would take to turn them off. And if the nasty look of them isn’t enough, they should sit and try to peel and devein the little things.”

Marcus grinned and shrugged. “I happen to like them.”

I rolled my eyes. “It is because all you beach people think they are the food of the gods, when they are really just nasty old ocean floor feeders.”

Marcus wiggled his eyebrows. “Maybe so, but they sure taste good.”

I made a gagging noise, and he laughed.

“Okay, you two, I need you cleaned up and dressed within the hour.” Ms. Mary stood with her hands on her hips. She said to Marcus, “When will William and the others get here?”

Marcus glanced over at the digital clock on the large stainless steel industrial size refrigerator, and then back at Ms. Mary. “In 23.4 minutes, ma’am.”

She rolled her eyes and turned back toward the stove. “Once they get here, I expect you and William to give them their orders. Sadie, just do as Marcus directs you. He has done this thing before for Master Jax, and he knows the ropes.”

Marcus slipped his hands out and dried them on the towel beside me. I considered taking mine out, too, and decided I’d touched more shrimp than the rest of them and needed more soaking, so I stayed put.

“It’s not like when you’re feeding the family. You will be expected to smile and mingle among the guests with food on a tray, and not bump into anyone, or drop it.”

His gaze darted to Ms. Mary, whose back was still turned, and then back at me. “One thing I want to warn you about is the fact there will be guys here tonight. They are not going to find you invisible.” He reached up and tugged at one of the curls falling down out of my ponytail. “This hair and those eyes are hard to miss, and although I have to give it to Jax, he is a nice guy and not like most guys in his position, some of the guys here tonight will not be so nice.”