Page 34 of Harmony Island Gazette
His gaze was dark and unreadable. My lips moved in my effort to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, the smell of his cologne surrounded me, pushing out all rational thought.
I’m not sure how long we stood there, staring at each other, but he was the first to break the silence.
“Let’s go,” he said, his voice low and throaty. He pushed hard on the door so it swung open and I was able to walk through. He caught the door before it closed on me, and I waited just outside for him to join me.
For some reason, I wanted to be close to him. With Boone, I felt safe. Confused. But safe. And I wasn’t ready to let that go.
Not tonight. And I had a sinking feeling, not tomorrow.
13
BOONE
There was nothing more intoxicating than watching Juniper cook. In her baggy t-shirt and leggings with her hair cascading down her back, she was a vision, and I was hooked.
I was sitting at the peninsula with a glass of iced tea in front of me, watching as she moved around the kitchen, collecting bowls, utensils, and ingredients. Every time she stopped to drop something off on the counter in front of me, she smiled. I parted my lips to complain that I should really be cooking while she rested, but she beat me to speaking.
“Sit, Boone. You’ve cooked me so many meals, it’s only fair that I repay the debt.”
I wanted to tell her that there was no debt to repay. That I was honored to cook for her. That she gave me a purpose. She was my distraction. But I knew the moment I spoke those words, she would know what they meant.
I was falling for her.
Sure, we’d only known each other for a short time, but she was the air I breathed. She filled my thoughts every moment of every day. Being in her presence gave me the light I needed to continue. She was the puzzle piece that I was missing.
And I didn’t know what I was going to do when the time came for me to leave.
Her insistence that I go on a date with Meaghan was like a dagger to the heart. But in a weird way, I was grateful she woke me up to my focus on her. After last night with Kevin, I needed to be prepared that she might go back to that loser. If distracting myself with Meaghan would make that hurt less, I would keep that bandage in my back pocket.
But that was a problem for future Boone. Tonight, I was going to enjoy it being just me and Juniper. No one else.
“Have you ever had chicken parm?” Juniper asked as she set the package of raw chicken down on the counter before removing a knife from the drawer and slicing open the plastic wrap.
I settled back on the barstool and folded my arms. “My mom made it once for her boyfriend…” My voice trailed off as I realized what I just said.
Juniper’s gaze drifted to mine like she realized what I’d just said as well. Her lips parted before she smiled. I’d never mentioned my mom to her before. I dropped my hands to my legs and rubbed my thighs as I cleared my throat.
“Your mom?” she asked, her gaze turning tender. My heart pounded so hard I feared it would leap from my chest.
I cleared my throat again. “Yeah, my mom.”
Juniper lowered the knife to the countertop and focused on me. “Tell me about her.”
I wanted to tell Juniper everything. I just couldn’t face the look on her face when she realized how I’d failed the one person I was supposed to protect. But her wish was my command. I would tell her anything if it meant she would continue looking at me the way she was looking at me right now.
“She was dating…” I paused as I tried to remember the deadbeat’s name. “Ri—Rick at the time.”
Her eyebrows went up as she returned her focus to the chicken. “At the time?”
“Yeah. Mom dated quite a few pieces of work growing up.”
She was quiet, no doubt noticing the bite in my tone. It that came up every time I talked about the men who abused my mother. She had pulled the chicken breasts from the package and placed them in a bowl. Then brought them to the sink and turned on the faucet.
“And she made Rick chicken parm?” she asked as she turned to look at me while the bowl filled with water.
Her expression was so soft and inviting that all my previous anger and regret melted away. I didn’t want to be that guy. I wanted to be the man she thought I was every time she looked at me.
“That would be a loose interpretation of what she did. The breading only stuck to one side, and she heated the oil so hot that it charred the chicken and set off the smoke alarm. She had to dump it in the backyard, and we drove to get fast food instead.”
