“They have a sale on some of their designer labels,” Christina said.
Maggie flashed a grin. “Let’s move on out then. I might splash out on some lingerie and give Connor a surprise.”
“La, la, la,” Susan said while handing over her credit card to pay for the dress.
“Perhaps you should buy lingerie too, Julia,” Maggie said, her grin widening. “Ryan might appreciate it.”
Susan sent them a disgruntled glance, sharing it around before snapping the clip on her handbag shut. “I’m going to buy lingerie too.”
“Smart,” Julia said, winking at Maggie. “Always be prepared.”
They wandered past several shops, chattering and teasing Susan about lingerie. At the main doors to the department store, Julia glanced at one of the display windows and came to an abrupt halt. Maggie plowed into her back.
“What’s the problem—oh,” Maggie said.
The window display was full of children’s games and toys, bringing to mind the tiny gray rabbit she’d purchased for her baby. She’d ended up throwing it in the trash and regretted it ever since because the rabbit had represented hope and joy. Her gaze wandered the display to settle on a plush toy owl. It was mainly light brown and had big black eyes. Exquisite chocolate brown felt feathers covered its back. Her mind jumped to Alex and turned to Maggie.
“I’m going to buy a few things. You start looking at lingerie.”
“Are you sure?” Maggie seemed to look inside her, attempting to ferret out insecurities and crazy thoughts. For once Julia had none. She knew exactly what she wanted.
“I’m sure.”
Alone, Julia took the escalator to the children’s department. She paused at the clothes, her attention snared by a miniature T-shirt bearing a popular cartoon character. She chose one in navy blue. In the toy section, she picked up an owl, three storybooks she recalled from childhood and a box of building blocks. While waiting at the counter to pay, she stroked her forefinger over the owl’s rounded head and pressed her lips together to keep from beaming. She hoped Alex would like the toy.
Later that night, after arriving home from the club, Julia wandered through her apartment, turning on lights as she moved. In the spare bedroom she found one of Ryan’s T-shirts. She picked it up and pressed the fabric to her nose. His scent only reinforced her loneliness. A reminder of the solitary times after Ryan left to go on tour. Repeating the situation and the isolation… Her throat moved in a hard swallow. No, this was different. Ryan hadn’t left her. This was temporary—a break of her doing because she’d let fear get the better of her.
Her cell phone let out its musical summons, and she raced to answer it. “Ryan?”
“Julia.” His warm voice brought a rush of pleasure.
“I got the photos. Is Alex settling down? Is he talking to you?”
Ryan laughed, a low intimate sound that made her wish they were in the same room. “A little. It’s Mum he follows around like a baby duck.”
“I took time off and went shopping with the girls today.”
“Good for you. Did you buy something sexy?”
“I might have.” Julia slipped into flirtation. “That’s for you to find out.”
“Now that’s something to look forward to.”
A shiver worked through her, a fluttery, delicious sensation and something she’d mull over later. “Are you working on songs? Or rehearsing?”
“No, this is pure holiday for us. We’ll start rehearsals again once we get back to Auckland. I talked it over with Caleb. We’re going to stay for two weeks.”
Two weeks.Julia gripped her phone until her forearm hurt. She released the pressure and bit her lip to stop herself from blurting out her objections.
“I was looking through the papers the lawyer gave me relating to Alex. His birthday is in just over a week, and we’ve decided to have a party for him. Give him a chance to meet his cousins and look forward to something.”
“How old will he be?”
“Three.”
“He’ll love a party.”
“You could always come down.”
