by Sarah Gay
For the next hour, Julia floated, hovering somewhere above the roof of the restaurant as the partygoers slowly filtered out, passing the passionate couple too entranced with each other to notice the boisterous throngs circling them. When the second to last car exited the parking lot, Julia finally descended from her dance in the clouds. She blinked her eyes hard as she released her grip on his back.
He gave her lower lip a light bite before freeing her from his hex. “So, you are drawn to me.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but the circuits in her brain needed another minute to reset. She stared into his golden eyes. Knowing this magical moment was at an end, she shouted a silent cry out to the universe to have many more moments like this in her life.
He released her gaze and looked up. “The skies have cleared,” he said with surprise. “You ever wonder what beat those stars are dancing to?”
Julia scanned the sky. “Spoken like a true musician.” Throbbing starlight blinked across the sky. A clear, starry night was one benefit of living in a small town.
“Seriously,” he reached for her hand with enthusiasm. “Do you think we could dance to the rhythmic beat of the stars?”
Dax proved to be quite the romantic. Out of her peripheral vision, Julia caught a light streak across the sky. She turned her body to the falling star, held her breath, and closed her eyes tight.
“What are you doing?” Dax laughed out.
“Making a wish on a falling star, of course.”
He ran his fingers down the side of her face. “What was your wish?”
“Then it won’t come true.” She shook her head with a defiant smile. “No way. Let’s get in my car before we freeze.” Now that she didn’t have Dax’s warm body pressed against hers, the bite in the wintry air chilled her to her core.
“Please,” he begged, grabbing her hand as they hurried to her car.
Against her better judgment, she looked into his pleading eyes. He had her. Her only chance at keeping him interested was to downplay her own interest in him. She prayed that he couldn’t sense how hard she was falling. “Maybe…after I’m in my sweats and sipping a sweet cup of hot chocolate.”
Dax nearly had a panic attack on the drive over to Julia’s house. He found it difficult to understand why everyone with a Subaru felt like they were invincible in the snow. Not that Julia was a bad driver; overconfident is how he would define her driving. As they pulled into her driveway, he hoped his nerves would settle, but they didn’t. Stone’s car wasn’t on the street, nor in the driveway, nor in the garage.
Julia cut the engine. She stared at her hands clutching the steering wheel as if she were contemplating something serious.
“Don’t worry. I’ll have Stone come back and pick me up.” Dax pulled out his phone and dialed Stone. “Your car won’t make it up my road.”
“But I have a Su—”
He winced. Luckily, Stone picked up before Dax could hear Julia finish her thought.
Stone answered, “Abi texted me that you guys just got to her house. Sorry, man, but I think it’s best if you stay there tonight.”
It took Dax a minute to wrap his mind around what Stone had just thrown at him instead of a normal greeting like hey. “I don’t understand.”
Dax followed Julia’s lead in exiting the car. She opened the door to the house and motioned for him to follow her in, but he waved for her to give him a minute.
She walked inside with a shrug and mouthed, “Hot cocoa.”
He extended an arm out, pushing his hand into the top of her wet car for support. “You want me to ask Julia if I can spend the night here?” He allowed his incredulous tone to permeate each word with the disbelief that his friend would purposefully leave him in that predicament.
“I’ve already talked it over with Abi. I tried to stay, but she was pretty adamant.” Stone cleared his throat. “She says she’s not freaked out, but I know she is, and we’ve…well, we’ve decided it’s best if we don’t sleep at each other’s houses right now.”
Stone had disclosed more to Dax in last thirty seconds than he had over the course of the previous five years. Dax understood boundaries and respected Stone even more, if that was even possible. Stone was one of the best men Dax had ever met, but that didn’t explain why he wanted Dax to stay over at his girlfriend’s house. “Hold on, slow down. Why would Abi be freaked out?”
“Their neighbor is out of town, but we noticed tire tracks in her driveway. We investigated, and footprints the size of my feet left the driveway, then wrapped around Abi’s house. And when I say wrapped around, I’m talking up to the windows.”
A fire lit in Dax’s chest. He didn’t get angry often, but when he did, it took him time to cool off. “No problem.” He clenched his fists. “Nothing will get past me.”
“I know.” Stone released a sigh. “Thanks, man. The couch is more comfortable than the guest bed, and more central. They have an alarm but never use it.”
“Got it. Abi’s safe with me.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
Dax stomped to the end of the driveway. He stood motionless for a minute, straining to make out any abnormal sounds. Even with no breeze to cut the heavy air, the trees shuddered, causing clumps of damp snow to plop to the earth. He paced a few times back and forth, announcing his presence. He had a strong desire to grab a flashlight and walk around the perimeter of the house but decided not to. He didn’t want to come off as neurotic. He pushed the controller to close the garage door and walked inside.
“Julia’s changing.” Abi’s voice rang out. “Come in the kitchen.”
Dax removed his wet shoes in the mudroom that attached the garage to the kitchen and followed Abi’s voice. “Wow.” He stopped five feet short of the L-shaped bar that separated the kitchen from the dining area. “Your house looks like it’s staged to sell; hanging spider plants, scent of chocolate in the air, black honed granite counter tops with bright white cabinets and not a speck of dust.”
“Thanks.” Abi shrugged as she stirred a large pot on the six-burner stovetop in the center of the bar. “We had a great local designer, Tori Terrence. Don’t you love that name, Tori Terrence?”
“I’ve heard that name before but can’t place it.” He ran his hand along the matte countertop. “All it needs is a hibachi grill.”
“Mm.” Abi’s eyes widened. “Do you like hibachi?”
“I’ll make you and Stone a hibachi dinner sometime. I recently installed a hibachi grill in my kitchen.”
Abi stopped stirring and gave him a long, curious look.
He grew uncomfortable with her stare. “What?”
“It’s nothing, just trying to do a Jules.”
“Do a Jules?” He released a soft chuckle. “You’ve got to explain that one.”
“Okay, I think I can trust you.” She pointed at him with her wooden spoon and narrowed her eyes. “But if you ever repeat any of this, I’ll have Stone pummel you into the ground.”
Dax made an X over his heart then leaned into the counter, giving Abi his full attention.
She returned to her stirring. “Julia explained it to me once how she sees levels of light in people. You know how, when a woman is pregnant, everyone says she glows?”
“Yeah.”
“Julia believes that the reason why the pregnant woman glows is because the baby inside her is half-way between here and heaven.”
Dax sat back in his barstool. “I never thought about it like that.”
“But it makes sense, right?” Abi added a few scoops of cocoa powder to the pot. “Now that you think about it?”
Dax grew curious about how she was making the hot cocoa. “Can I help with that?”
Abi looked down into the pot and wrinkled her nose. “Am I missing something?”
“No. I’ve just never seen anyone make hot chocolate from scratch before and wouldn’t mind learning how.”
“Grab the sugar from that drawer. It’ll be in a white canister.” She pointed to the c
abinets behind her. “And the cinnamon and ground cloves from that one.”
Dax retrieved the ingredients and placed them on the counter. “I thought that pregnant women were known to get really grouchy?” Dax recalled how ornery his aunt had been when she was pregnant.
“Exactly,” she said, flicking the mixing spoon at him. Luckily, the milk splattered across the counter, not quite making it to his suit. “Oh, shoot.” She grabbed the kitchen towel from off her shoulder and wiped up the mess. “Exactly. The light is coming from the child, not the mother.”
“Interesting thought.” He nodded.
“Julia explained the pregnant woman thing to me after I begged her to explain how she was such a good judge of character.” Abi tipped her head to him and raised her eyebrows. “I imagine that she sees light in you as well, considering she brought you to our house. She never brings her dates home, ever.”
“Does Julia date much?” He attempted to sound nonchalant, but by the coquettish look on Abi’s face, she knew exactly what he was asking.
“I’ve only known Jules to have one boyfriend, and that was during law school.” She tapped her spoon and looked at the ceiling. “What was his name? Charles? Chase! Chase Candias.” She stuck her tongue out as if she had just tasted something vile. “Candias? Sounds like a disease.”
“I’m guessing you didn’t like Chase,” Dax laughed out. Abi’s facial expressions cracked him up.
“He seemed like a nice guy, but he was super possessive. If you ask me, that sick relationship is the reason Julia feels the need to be completely independent, as if every guy would be that controlling.” She looked at him and raised an eyebrow as if questioning his intentions.
“I like a confident, strong-minded woman.”
She nodded her appeasement.
“And what about the guy who you said earlier wanted to go out with her tonight, but he’s a creep?”
“Walter Brown.” She shivered. “He was a client of hers when she was a junior associate at a private law firm before she decided to become a public defender.”
“Sounds like you don’t like him either.”
“To put it lightly. Thanks to Julia, his case never went to trial, and she’s been beating herself up ever since for helping the scumbag get off, but whether it was her or another attorney, there wasn’t enough evidence to have him stand trial.”
“And this guy called her tonight?”
“He followed her out to her car after work and was a jerk after she refused to go out with him.” She scrunched up her lips. “She was pretty shaken up by it. She tries to play it off, but I can tell it freaked her out.”
Dax clenched his fists. Walter sounded like a bully that needed a good beating. He almost hoped to cross paths with him tonight. “So, you don’t think she’ll mind me staying here?”
“When I told her that Stone was hoping you would spend the night, she was totally okay with it.”
“Totally okay with it may be a stretch.” Julia entered the kitchen sporting a pair of thin gray sweats and her hair up in a messy bun.
Dax’s temperature spiked. He had to look away to not stare at how her outfit molded to her curves. He cleared his throat. “If you’re uncomfortable with this, I can figure out a way to get home. I hate to put you in this position.”
“I’m not uncomfortable with you here, on the contrary.” Julia touched his shoulder. “But Stone can be overprotective.”
“Is there such thing as being overprotective of the people you care about?” It had come out of Dax’s mouth too quickly.
“There is such thing as TMI,” Julia gave Abi a look of caution.
Abi clanked the spoon against the inside of the pot. “Dax, can you grab me the measuring spoons in the drawer next to the sink?”
Dax couldn’t understand why some women felt like they had to go at life alone, like it was a rite of passage or something, but he caught the warning in Abi’s voice. It was time for him to drop the subject, but Julia’s words didn’t match the fear in her eyes and he would do whatever he had to to protect her. He found the measuring spoons and handed them to Abi.
She looked at the spoons but didn’t take them from him. “Could you please measure out three tablespoons of each of the spices then add them to the pot as I stir?”
He grabbed the jar of ground cinnamon. “No problem.”
Julia sat at the bar and smiled. “You guys make quite the culinary team.”
“Not a bad idea.” Dax had been waiting for an opportunity like this. “Abi, would you like to learn how to make hibachi steak and maybe a few sushi rolls? We can cook up an extraordinary dinner for Stone and Julia.”
“Yes.” Abi jumped up and down. “When?”
“This weekend?” He added the cinnamon into the dark liquid. “Stores are closed tomorrow, then Stone and I work two days.” Dax glanced over at Julia. She seemed amused at their conversation. “Of course, it wouldn’t be a date, just an evening of culinary exploration.”
Abi looked to Julia as if posing a question. “I’ll check my schedule at Deer Valley.”
Whatever they were telepathically saying, Dax took it as an affirmative. An abrupt wind blew ice against the window, causing him to remember his purpose there. He needed to get a blueprint of this house in his mind to effectively protect these two. “Your remodel really is amazing. I would love to see more of it, if I’m not being too impertinent.” He would never use the word impertinent with the guys, but it seemed to fit Julia. He wanted to be bold with her, yet not overstep his bounds.
Julia stood from the counter. “Abi, could you do without your assistant for a few minutes?”
“Sure.” She winked “Don’t get lost. It’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
Dax followed Julia down the long hallway. Getting lost anywhere with her would be the realization of a latent fantasy. The illusive woman who had commanded his dreams since his braces came off now stood in front of him.
5
Julia started the tour in the basement. “This is the cinemagic room.” She flipped on the lights to the small room with eight red recliners and posters of old movies on the wall.
“Cinemagic?” Dax responded with an amused laugh.
“Film has always been magical to me.” She gave a blissful sigh. “I love watching the old black and white movies projected against the wall as I snuggle into my seat with a bowl of warm, freshly popped popcorn.”
“Not laughing anymore.” He pointed to himself. “Seriously jealous and wondering why I don’t have a theatre room.”
She coughed to correct him. “Cinemagic room.”
“No windows in the cinemagic room?” he questioned as if asking a rhetorical question.
“We save the windows for the view,” Julia responded with a smile. She led him to the quaint reading nook with bookcases that climbed up to the ceiling. Opposite the bookcases was wall-to-wall glass.
He sucked in an audible gasp. Julia loved showing off the view from that window. Their house sat high enough for the basement to have a gorgeous view of the mountains.
“This is impressive.” He stood in front of the window, scanning her back yard. “Do you have exterior lights back here?”
“Computer,” Julia spoke loudly, “turn on back lights.”
The back yard lit instantly.
“Computer?” he questioned, turning to face her.
“I confess.” She raised her arms, palms forward. “I also love to watch Star Trek in the cinemagic room.”
Julia went to his side as Dax turned back to the window, folded one arm across his chest, and proceeded to pull at his earlobe with his free hand. His face registered concern.
She touched his shoulder. “Don’t like Star Trek?”
He turned to her, shaking his head. “Love Star Trek.” He motioned out the window. “Hate that there are boot prints traversing in front of your windows. Does your basement have windows that open? Or doors?”
“Stone did leave you here as our body-guard.” She cr
ossed her arms. “I thought as much.”
“This could be serious, Jules.”
“Jules?”
“Sorry. I mean Julia.”
She took in a deep breath. She appreciated how he wanted to protect them and it made her want to coo at how adorable he was pretending to want to see around her house to accomplish that. She released the air slowly. “You can call me Jules, but Abi and I have taken care of ourselves for a long time now.”
“I understand, but don’t those footprints scare you?”
When Abi had explained to her that she and Stone had noticed footprints around their house, it not only frightened Julia, it brought out the mama bear in her. She wouldn’t let anyone harm her sister. She had run to the home office and scanned the video surveillance before changing out of her formal clothes. Had the perp entered their driveway or looked up at one of the exterior cameras, she would have gotten a clear view of a face. The trespasser’s blonde hair puffed out of a black beanie hat, but, based on the size of the footprints, Julia wasn’t convinced it was a woman. Although, there had been several tall blondes at the hearing this past week, and one that bumped into her. “Of course they do, but I’m not about to let fear dictate my life.” She waved for him to follow her. She opened Abi’s bedroom door and flipped on the light. “After watching an amazing guy marry one of my best friends in college because I was too scared to tell him I liked him, I decided—from that day on—every day of my life I would do something that scared me.”
“I’m impressed by that.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “I am, but you don’t want to be a sitting duck either.”
“You’re right. That’s why we’ve installed comprehensive exterior lighting, a high-tech alarm system, and serious bolts on our doors and windows. See for yourself.” She led him to Abi’s window and demonstrated the locks. “You protect yourself as well as you can, but at some point, you have to cast your fear away or you’ll never really live.”
Julia tugged his hand to follow her as they climbed back up the stairs. “Still want a tour?”