Julia's Journey (A Coming Home Again Novel Book 2)

by Lowe, T. I.

  Later today, I finally rouse sleeping beauty out of the bed and talk her into to joining me at the pool. We’ve been swimming a good long while as the day passes us by. Julia is now wrapped in my arms with those long legs secured around my waist. I walk us in the six-foot-deep section with no problem. Kids kept swimming by earlier wanting to know how I was doing it. I said I was just standing. Then they called me a giant and swam off.

  “What’s on your mind,” I ask as I watch her study me.

  Julia runs her hands through my wet hair. “You don’t look like a vampire anymore.”

  “No?” I playfully nip at her neck, causing her to squirm and giggle. “With this lovely neck on display, I feel like one.”

  She keeps running her hands through my hair and I’m almost lost in it when she says, “You need a haircut something awful, honey.”

  I smile weakly at her before looking away. I know Julia has picked up on the slight mood change when she pulls my face back towards hers with a raised eyebrow. I shake my head. “I’ve not…” I stop at the unexpected emotions this one statement conjures up. “I’ve not had a haircut in almost three years.”

  Julia says nothing at this confession, but starts dragging me out of the pool. Once we are out she throws me my towel and grins. “Come on, Stone. We need to get your shaggy hair cut this instant.” She starts walking towards our RV.

  I follow behind her a little baffled. “Right now?” I was really enjoying our pool time.

  “Yes. Hurry up.”

  Before I know what’s happening, we are at a mall hair salon, and I am sitting in a stylist’s chair—still smelling like chlorine. Julia wouldn’t even give me a chance to wash.

  As the stylist straps a cape around my neck, Julia gives her instructions. “Sweetie, just clean this baby doll up a bit. Leave me plenty to run my fingers through.” She winks at me and all I can do is smile. She’s such a priss.

  “Sure thing,” the stylist agrees. Several other stylists have eased over to watch this haircut. They all know who we are, so that answers why we have an audience.

  “I’ll be right back,” Julia says as she kisses me on the cheek. I have to smile wider, because it’s not slipped my attention that my girl just laid claim to me in front of these other ladies. “Treat him special. Today is very special,” she says over her shoulder before she disappears out of the salon.

  I sit back in the chair and try not to worry where she may have gone. I almost fall asleep as the stylist takes to heart what Julia has said. She takes her time washing my hair, massaging the shampoo in and rinsing, and then repeating the process with the conditioner. I can barely hold my eyes open as she works slow circles along my scalp. She eventually gets to trimming and styling my hair. I think it’s the best haircut I’ve ever received. I tip her generously and head to the front to pay the receptionist. I find Julia sitting here waiting for me with a large white box.

  She stands up and asks all of the stylists to join us in celebrating my haircut. They look at us curiously, but Julia breathes not a word as to why we would be celebrating a mere haircut. She opens the box and presents me with gourmet chocolate on chocolate cupcakes bigger than my fist. I’m almost seven feet tall with hands to match so you can just imagine the size of these suckers.

  Everyone takes one, but what surprises me the most is by the time we leave, Julia has managed to eat half of one. And she seems to actually have enjoyed it. That has to be the best gift of the day. We’ve come a long way in a short time.

  So like I said, it’s a day I want to relive over and over. It was perfect.

  ~~~~

  I’m sleeping and just want to keep sleeping some more, but something wet keeps touching my face. I brush it off, but my effort is fruitless. I open my eyes and try to make sense of what I am looking at. It’s a white fur ball and that’s making no sense. I guess I’m dreaming so I close my eyes. A squeaky yapping wakes me back up. I reach a hand out and pet the unexpected guest to make sure I’m not dreaming as I rub the sleep out of my eyes with the other.

  “Fifi, what are you doing here?”

  “I stole her,” Julia says. I look over and find her lying beside me, petting the little dog too.

  “How’d you pull that off?”

  “I went for a walk and there she was in her outdoor run. I couldn’t help it. I swiped her.”

  “A walk?” I ask skeptically. I think she probably snuck off for a run.

  She corrects my thinking when she holds her long leg up and shows off her flip-flops. She pulls Fifi off my chest and gets up. “I need to return her before Mrs. Betty finds her missing and panics.”

  “You took her without letting them know?” I ask as I sit up and sling my feet to the floor.

  “I got excited.” She shrugs.

  “Hold up and I’ll go with you.” I grab some clothes and do quick work in the bathroom.

  We head out down the road as Julia asks, “What are the odds we would run into them again?”

  “Pretty good. I wrote down all of the Georgia stops for them before they left Maine. They said they would catch up with us. I was beginning to think we may have missed them in passing.”

  I spot Stan making his way out of their camper. We make it to the yard by the time he’s made it down the few steps.

  “Stan Gore. How’s it going?” We shake hands and he gives Julia a hug. It feels like he and Betty have become dear friends to us.

  “Where’s Mrs. Betty? I can’t wait to see her,” Julia says as she passes Fifi over to me.

  Stan pales at this and sits down abruptly in a chair. “My sweet girl passed away two months ago.” He looks up at me through watery eyes, causing my stomach to seize up.

  I set Fifi down and clamp my hand on his shoulder. “Stan… I’m so sorry…”

  “Me too, son. Me too.”

  I look over and find Julia on her knees, looking as stunned as I feel. I run my hand through her hair before turning back to Stan. “What happened?” I ask.

  The little old man shakes his head. “She went right out with no warning. She went to bed after we had spent a normal day flea marketing and never woke back up again.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I repeat again. I just don’t know what else to say.

  We remain silent for a while until Stan clears his throat and tries to smile. “Betty would have been tickled to find you two kids looking so healthy. We prayed every night for you after we met. I hate she missed seeing the fruits of our prayers. You kids look really good. Much better than last time.”

  “Thank you for praying for us,” I say as I reach down and grasp him in a long hug. When I release him, I look around and discover Julia gone. It’s either fall apart or run with Julia. She’s chosen to flee this time. I figure she needs time alone so I take a seat in the chair beside Stan.

  I look around and ask, “You’re not traveling alone are you?” I know he’s probably capable, but this man is well into his eighties and just lost the love of his life. I don’t feel so easy about him being alone.

  “Just for this short trip. My son and his wife came to me in Colorado and brought me and my girl home to Savannah. My Betty was so looking forward to seeing you kids, and I just couldn’t let her down. So I loaded up yesterday and headed here with the hopes I hadn’t already missed y’all.”

  “God wouldn’t let us miss this divine appointment,” I say as I clamp him on the shoulder again. I believe in these divine appointments too. This entire trip is one as a matter of fact.

  “No, son. I suppose not. You and that pretty girl of yours seem to be getting on good.”

  I have to laugh at this. “Yes, sir. We’ve had a few bumps in the road, but that just makes the journey even sweeter, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, it does,” Stan agrees.

  I fill him in on all those bumps minus me getting my butt handed to me. He gets a kick out of the whole arrest debacle and the haunted woods. I ramble on until my stomach starts growling mean. I’m about to head back for some late breakfas
t when I see Julia coming down the road on her moped.

  She climbs off and starts pulling white boxes out from the seat compartment along with a thermos of what I’m guessing is coffee. I go over to help and give her a questioning look. I can tell she’s been crying, and she’ll only look at me in glances.

  She clears her throat and says, “This is a southern thing. When someone special passes away, southerners set out to fatten up the deceased’s loved ones.” She shrugs her shoulder and heads over to the picnic table.

  Julia places a kiss on Stan’s cheek. “Stan, I’m sorry to say I don’t know how to cook, but I’ve found us some biscuits and pastries from the little diner down the road.”

  As I watch her divvying out breakfast, all I can think about is wanting to kiss her. This woman is stealing my heart little by little. I rein my emotions in and say grace.

  We lift our heads and Stan just smiles. “I sure hate Betty missed this. She would have been so proud.”

  “Tell us about how you two met?” Julia asks. She’s sitting beside him. I’m on the other side of the picnic table. I don’t even taste the food I’m eating; I’m so lost in watching her.

  I try to focus on Stan as he tells us about the love of his life. “I had over sixty years with that sweet woman. I met her when I was just a young feller at a church revival. One look in those dancing blue eyes, and that’s all it took. I courted her diligently until she finally agreed to be my bride. We were only separated in those sixty years once while I had to go off to war. But other than that we never left each other’s sides. She was my air. Now most days I can barely breathe.”

  The little old man chokes up. Julia wraps her arms around him to offer comfort. I stay on my side of the table and keep swiping my own tears away, but they keep on coming.

  He eventually regains his composure and adds, “My days are numbered, so I know I’ll be back with my Betty soon. I sure am gonna miss her until then.”

  “Sounds like you two had a good life together,” I comment.

  He smiles another weak smile and shakes his head. “The best. I thank God for every day He let me have her. I hope you two kids do the same.”

  I look over at Julia and she seems unsure. I wink at her and say. “I sure do Stan. That lady sitting beside you is my best friend.”

  He pats Julia’s arm. “Good. You hold onto each other and that friendship with all your might.”

  “I plan on it,” I say. She nods her head in agreement.

  “I need to ask you kids to do me a favor. It’s another reason I came here to find you.”

  “Anything,” Julia agrees.

  “I need you to take Fifi.”

  Julia looks shocked. “Are you sure about this? Fifi was so special to Mrs. Betty.”

  “I’m sure, sweetheart. I can’t tend to her like she needs. Little Fifi is young. She needs a young couple to take care of her. What do y’all say?”

  He looks so hopeful, but I’m just not sure about this. “Julia and I are just friends. We don’t live together and after this trip…” I trail off when I see the hurt on her face and all I want to do is retract it. “But hey. Me and my girl will figure it out. It’ll be an honor to do this for you.” She smiles at this but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I don’t know where we’ll go after this trip, and I can’t make promises I’m not sure I can keep.

  We stick around long enough to gather all of Fifi’s belongings and help Stan pack up so he can get back on the road. He promised his family he would be home before dark and I sure do hate to see the ole guy go. We exchange numbers with promises to keep in touch. Me and Julia are now sitting in the RV, stunned still by the unexpected day. It feels like we have been on a roller coaster of emotions—happy to see Stan—sad to hear of Betty’s passing—shocked at being given Fifi…

  It’s like Julia is reading my thoughts. She looks over at me somberly and whispers, “What a day.”

  Fifi is snuggled on her chest and she’s petting her. I reach over and brush through the fluffy white fur too. “I know. It’s a lot to take in.”

  I ease my phone out after a while and I snap a picture of the two girls. I send it to my parents and text – I’m a dad. Both text back – congrats.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Julia

  We’re back on the road today. We left out before the sun. Greyson seems antsy to be on our way, but I’m going to miss Georgia. And I’m already missing the mountains and hill country that I had gotten so used to in the last few months. The world is now flat again. We are saying hello to South Carolina today and this makes me uneasy. South Carolina is a beautiful heart-shaped state rich in southern charm and culture. I just wish I could appreciate my home state and have it not be marred by my past ghosts. I haven’t been back in over a year now. I hope I can handle it better this time.

  I sit here in the passenger seat, watching the trees flash by as I pet Fifi, who is perched in my lap. My thoughts drift back to last night and I glance over at my unusually quiet companion from the corner of my eye. He’s studying the road more intently than normal.

  Greyson surprised me last night when he pulled me into his room and showed me the road trip map. He had added Bay Creek to the South Carolina stops. He was so excited by it, but it only filled me with dread.

  I had plopped down on the end of the bed from the weight of it. “I don’t think I’m ready to go home again,” I whispered, and then I told him about my dad passing away last year. That was the last time I had been back to Bay Creek.

  Greyson knew nothing about it, of course. How could he? He fell to his knees in front of me and just held me for the longest time.

  He looked up at me with such a remorseful expression. “I’m so sorry, Julia. I suck.”

  “Why?” I asked, while my fingers played through his thick hair.

  “I wasn’t there for you. I was too busy trying to hide my sickness, and I didn’t think you might have needed me in that time.” He shook his head in aggravation.

  “Honey, you did what was best. Just don’t ever leave me out like that again. Okay?”

  He didn’t answer me. Instead he just pulled me back in his arms and buried his face in the side of my neck. We held each other until an odd tension began to build—maybe a longing. Greyson’s breaths grew heavier along my neck, and it felt like he couldn’t get me close enough to him. It was so forceful that it made me shiver all over. I could feel his heart pounding against mine. Never have I wanted to kiss a man so bad in all my life. I tried to pull his face towards mine, but he seemed to come to his senses at this and pulled away. I know he was just as affected by the moment as I. The evidence had shone clearly from his dilated pupils to his flushed face, but he wouldn’t give in to it. I tried not to be hurt when he stood abruptly and fled out of the RV like it was on fire, but a girl can only take so much rejection.

  I sat there stunned until Fifi wandered in and snapped me out of it. She and I hung out for close to an hour before Greyson returned, acting like nothing had happened between us earlier.

  I’m used to a man just taking from me what he wants. I don’t understand why Greyson denies himself what he clearly desires. I don’t know what to make of it. My feelings would definitely be crushed, if I didn’t see how much effort he puts into denying himself.

  We drive for another hour in silence. The closer to Bay Creek we get the more fidgety I become, and my hands are starting to shake for the first time in weeks. I hate these feelings of dread. I hate being scared. I want a drink so bad right now, I can hardly stand it. I want to not think.

  Greyson reaches over and grabs my shaky hand. “Do you mind if we stop for the day?”

  I look over at him in confusion, but then I understand that he’s picked up on my behavior. I can’t get anything past him, and in this moment I’m glad.

  “Sure,” I answer.

  He releases my hand and punches in a destination in the GPS. I don’t bother to look where we are headed as long as it’s not Bay Creek. I sit back and focus on ca
lming down.

  Later we pull up to this riverside park that Greyson somehow maneuvered to, and we let Fifi out to stretch her little legs.

  I glance at the huge RV and laugh. “This thing sticks out like a sore thumb in this little town.”

  Greyson laughs in agreement and places Fifi in her carrier. We have the air on so I know she’ll be fine, but I hate to leave her alone.

  Greyson smirks over to me. “She’ll be okay long enough for us to eat.”

  “I know. It’s just… You go ahead. I think I’ll just stay with her.”

  He grabs my hand up and closes the RV door behind us. “Nope. This is a famous café and you are going to check it out with me.”

  He starts dragging me across the street to this cute two-story brick building with massive windows along the first floor’s front and sides. Sprawling royal blue awnings, with a vibrant painted sunflower towards the left and fun whimsical white letters spelling out Lulu’s Café across the remainder space, shade the large windows. There are substantial planter boxes brimming over with a vibrant rainbow of flowers. People are sitting outside at tables, just chatting away and eating. It seems everyone speaks to us as we pass by to enter the café – howdy – hey y’all. You’ve got to give it to the south when it comes to manners. They could teach other regions a thing or two on the subject.

  The quaint café is pretty busy. The only available seating is at the counter, so Greyson and I perch on top of stools and wait patiently. Greyson swipes us a menu and I’m really impressed by it. Oddly, all of the choices are health conscious.

  “This is your kind of menu, Thorton,” Greyson comments.

  “Yep. I’m in love with it.” I elbow him playfully in the side. “I dare you to order the oatmeal, Stone.” He grins over at me. He eats oatmeal almost every morning.

  “No worries. I have my sights set on an omelet.”

  As we are looking over the options, a beautiful woman with blonde crazy-curly hair walks up to the opposite side of the counter. She’s wearing a ruffled hot-pink and lime-green apron that is embroidered with a cursive L on the pocket. She is just too adorable for words.