“Black.”
She pours me a mug, then serves her and Cade, before sliding onto his lap and snuggling in. My shoulders ease as I settle back and sip the strong brew. I glance over at them as they both gaze out across the bay. Her dark hair lifts on the breeze to dance across Cade’s face and he tucks it behind her ear.
They seem happy.
I take another bite of my muffin, looking again out over the water. My gaze follows a man as he jogs the path that circles the bay. I think I’ll do that tomorrow morning as well. Idly, I watch him, trailing his progress until he nears The Pepper House. It’s then that I see her.
A tall and slender girl stands on the beach in front of The Pepper House in baggy pale jeans, a white V-Neck tee, and a faded purple baseball hat. From here I can’t make out the color of her chin-length hair, but it looks light.
With her arms folded loosely around her stomach, she stands at the edge of the water gazing across the bay.
I nod in her direction. “Who’s that?”
Em sits up on Cade’s lap. “Oh my God!” She puts her coffee down. “Gwenny!” Then she leaps off the deck and bolts to the beach. In her bare feet, she takes off running around the bay.
Cade laughs. “That would be Em’s younger sister. She just graduated high school. She’s here for the summer. Staying at The Pepper House, actually. She’s also got a job tutoring at St. Bart’s. She wasn’t supposed to be here until later because of her layover. She must have gotten an earlier connecting flight.”
Em bounds the last few yards and slams into Gwenny, nearly toppling them both over. My lips curve as the breeze carries their laughter. Or rather I think just Em’s laughter.
“We’re all having dinner together tonight if that’s okay,” Cade says. “Over at The Pepper House.”
I keep watching the sisters. “Sounds good.”
Em turns toward us, excitedly waving us over.
Cade refills our coffees before standing. “Grab your cup. Let’s go.”
Together we walk down to the pebbled path, bordered on the left by the sand and bay and on the right by the homes. We slowly make our way around.
Cade says, “Both the cottages have been redone. New tile floors, bamboo furniture, fresh paint. Your cottage has its own kitchenette, so you can eat there or in The Pepper House. Oh, and I moved the standup piano from the main house into your digs.”
“Cool.” Now let’s just hope inspiration hits.
I take a sip of my coffee, looking down at the water lapping softly to shore. Across the bay, a group of elderly people does tai-chi on a manicured lawn. Overhead clouds shift and morning sun floats down. Birds drift by, surfing on the wind. One squawks. A warm and slightly humid breeze brings the smell of cooking bacon.
Stress eases from my body.
I’d forgotten how beautiful Anna Island is. If I can’t compose music here then I might as well give up.
As we near the sisters, I toss the last remnants of my coffee into the grass.
“Is everything okay?” Em asks Gwenny.
“Sure. Yes. Just a little tired, I guess.”
Em thumbs over her shoulder. “Well, I’m just over there any time you want to wander over.”
Gwenny glances up and her dark blue eyes flit past me to land on Cade. She smiles. “Hey, stranger.”
He steps up and gives her a welcoming hug. White. Her hair is so light its nearly pale and cut in a short bob that falls just below her chin. For sisters, Gwenny and Em look nothing alike. Complete opposites actually.
Cade turns toward me. “This is Levi. We go way back. He’s here for the summer, too.”
I like that Cade doesn’t introduce me as the keyboard player for Bus Stop. With a smile, I hold my hand out and she slips her soft and warm fingers along my palm.
“Gwyneth Byner,” she says, her voice as soft as her fingers.
Gwyneth. An old fashioned name. I like it. “Levi Cacy,” I return.
She nods. If she recognizes me, she doesn’t let on.
She takes a half step back, rubbing her arms and looking again at her sister. I study her pretty profile, shaded by her ball cap. Other than a bit of mascara, she wears no makeup. She doesn’t need it.
“Are you hungry?” Em asks.
“I can eat,” Gwyneth says.
That voice. I don’t think I’ve ever heard one like it. Soft, yes, but deep. Husky, yet with a lilt. Fascinating.
I glance down her slender frame, all the way to the hem of her baggy jeans rolled to her calves and pale legs. Down further to her bare toes sinking into the wet sand and blue-jean colored toenails. I trail back up to her V-Neck white tee tucked in only at the waist and outlining small breasts. On up to an equally pale neck where she wears a simple and thin gold necklace. Up further to her chin and the slight indentation there. To the tiny mole situated above the right side of her peach tinted lips. Up and over her pale cheeks to land once again on her dark blue eyes.
No, not dark blue. What color is that?
I can’t recall ever looking so closely at a girl before. I wish she’d say something again. I want to hear her voice.
Lyrics drift through my head, surprising me. I itch to jot them down. I’m just about to ask her a question, so I can once again hear her voice when Em loops her arm through Gwyneth’s and turns toward The Pepper House.
Side-by-side they walk across the sand, over the pebbled path, and up the green lawn toward the back door. I don’t move as I watch them.
. . .
Read Gwenny and Levi’s story now!
FROM THE AUTHOR
Things you should know about me: I write novels! Some have won awards. Others have been bestsellers. Under Shannon Greenland (my real name) you’ll find spies, adventure, and romantic suspense. Under S. E. Green (my pen) you’ll find dark and gritty fiction about serial killers, cults, secret societies that do bad things, and whatever else my twisted brain deems to dream up.
I’m on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. I also have a website and a very non-annoying newsletter where you can keep up to date with new releases, free stuff, and my mild ramblings about my travels. I have a very old and grouchy dog. But I love him. My humor runs dark and so don’t be offended by something off I might say. I mean no harm. I live in a small Florida beach town but I’m most often found exploring the world. I eat entirely too many chips. I also love math!
. . .
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READ GWENNY AND LEVI’S STORY!
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THE SPECIALISTS SERIES:
Model Spy
Down to the Wire
The Winning Element
Native Tongue
Fight to the Finish
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BOOKS BY S. E. GREEN
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
C
hapter 37
Epilogue
FROM THE AUTHOR
Contents
Copyright © Shannon Greenland 2019
The right of Shannon Greenland to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1976.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real people, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cover design by the author
Em (The Summer My Life Began Book 1) Page 19