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“Why did I give you a key again?”
She lifted up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Love you, too.” She reached for the doorknob. “You will not regret this.”
He sure as hell hoped not.
She opened the door, and Enzo called out to her. “Be careful going home.”
“Always am.”
At twenty-six years old, she still didn’t have a car, opting to ride her bicycle everywhere. If she needed to drive a farther distance, she’d borrow Enzo or their other brother Marco’s car. Enzo wondered what Ella would do when she was in California, though he was sure Lucas, Ella’s boyfriend, had a car for her to use. Lucas wouldn’t leave her stranded while he was at the office. At least Enzo hoped.
It wasn’t his problem. Not anymore. Even though when he looked at Ella, he saw the broken girl who lost her mom, she was no longer her. She had grown up and started her own business. While he would always be there for her if she needed him, he had to start seeing her for the adult she was.
He gave a nod, and she bounced out the door with her bubbly disposition. He closed it behind her and plopped his ass on the couch to finish his beer. It had been a long day, and he wanted to clear his head, but every time he tried, Cami with her new red hair and perfect body, popped into his mind.
Chapter 4
The sun hadn’t started its ascent into the horizon yet as Cami stood in front of the ocean, stretching her arms and legs before an early morning run. It was her favorite time of day. The beach was free of the tourists that would overcrowd the sands in a few short hours; the only sounds were the waves crashing on the shoreline and the seagulls cawing overhead.
She was lucky if she got more than four and a half hours of sleep a night, but on days like this, with the air thick with salt and still cool with the slight breeze coming off the Atlantic, it was worth it.
With one last stretch, she took off, slowly at first, allowing her body to wake up. Each step she propelled herself a little faster until she was at a comfortable speed. Her hair bounced in its ponytail, her lungs pumped harder, and she could feel all the tension from stress that had been plaguing her begin to ease.
It was pointless trying to clear her head, so instead, she went over her schedule for the week. Tomorrow, was Taco Tuesday with Ella and Krissy, a weekly tradition and something she looked forward to. She had to find time to stop at her parents’ house, go with Ella to look at décor for Enzo’s apartment—though she wasn’t exactly an expert on Enzo, but his style wasn’t hard to figure out. He was a traditionalist at heart, so Ella needed to steer away from anything modern. He was a simple man as well, so anything outlandish would be out of the question. She made mental notes and picked up more speed.
She was almost out of food in her house, so she definitely needed to find time to get to the supermarket. Jerry would be delivering cups and lids mid-morning, napkins and stirrers would be delivered tomorrow, and Allison would be by tomorrow afternoon to go over some new designs for coffee mugs. Being on the boardwalk of a highly popular tourist destination the demand for souvenirs were high, and Cami was not a fool to miss out on the extra income it generated.
Mugs were a huge seller in her coffee shop, but her current designs were already a couple seasons old, and she wanted something new for the yearly visitors to get excited about. Maybe a new design every year, and people could start a tradition of collecting them. She made another note in her mental notebook and slowed her pace.
The sun would be rising soon, and she needed to get to the shop before her customers started arriving. She took a moment to take in the mix of night and day swirling together in a beautiful array of oranges and blues.
It didn’t matter how busy life got, she would always take time to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature. She desperately wanted to plop her butt in the sand and watch the entire sunrise, but she had customers who relied on her. She stood for a second more, absorbing the painted sky, then headed toward the public showers for a quick rinse off.
Only a few feet from the staircase that led to the boardwalk, her eyes caught movement to her right. Cami wasn’t the only morning person in Willow Cove, but it was pretty rare for her to see someone out on the beach before the sunrise.
She stopped and glanced toward the person. Her breath caught in her throat when Enzo came into view donning nothing more than a pair of gym shorts, muscles on full display and sweat glistening across his chest.
“Thought that was you.” He jogged toward her, confidence radiating from him with each stride. Her eyes landed on the deep v that dipped into his waistband; his strong, cut lines looked like they were sculpted by a master artist.
“It’s me,” she said with a squeak. She cleared her throat, playing it off like a tickle. “What are you doing out here this early?”
“Couldn’t sleep and thought I’d go for a run.”
“I just finished,” she said. “It’s a beautiful morning for it.”
“You always run this early?”
She nodded. “It’s the best time. I have the beach entirely to myself.”
“Perfect way to clear your head and get ready for the day.”
“I actually think about everything I have to get done.”
“Is get your t—”
She held her hand up. “I swear if you ask me about my tire, I will kill you and toss your body into the ocean.”
Enzo smirked. “I think I’m a little too heavy for you to pull that off. Besides, I don’t think Reid would be too happy to have a missing persons case on his hands.”
