Julia
God, he's even more handsome than the last time I saw him. I wiped my chin to see if I was drooling. He must work out every day. Stop it, Julia! Stop thinking about Hawk Jensen; you're acting like the same sophomore you were years ago, when you thought you were madly in love with him. That tiny scar on his face only makes him more gorgeous.
“Why are you sitting out here in the car? It’s like an oven out here,” my mom said, knocking on my window.
I opened the door and stepped out into the muggy Mississippi heat. I have always loved our town, and I won’t allow the cartel to destroy it.I’m glad Hawk is only here on vacation, not moving back.
“Sorry, Mom, I was daydreaming.”
“What in the world would you be daydreaming about in this heat? Do you think Jasper will be okay over there alone?”
“Hawk is there with him now. He’ll make sure no one comes around his dad,” I said.
“Hawk is there, so that’s why you were daydreaming.”
“Mom…” I never got to finish.
“Who was daydreaming?” My sister, Sydney, asked,walking around the side of the house with a towel wrapped around her. I could see she had just gotten out of the pool.
“Julia was daydreaming because Hawk is home visiting his dad.”
“Mom, that’s not why I was daydreaming. If you want to know, I was thinking about how I would bring those men in who jumped Jasper,” I lied.
I saw the look that passed between my sister and my mom. No matter what I said, they would know it was because of Hawk. I had the biggest crush on him. Ever since I was six, the dog pushed me into the pond. Hawk was eight, and he jumped in and saved me.
“Has he changed any?” Sydney asked.
“Did you say something?” I asked.
“I said, has he changed any?”
I heard Mom chuckle as we stepped inside the air-conditioned house. “God, he’s more handsome; he must work out every day. His muscles strained against his T-shirt. His eyes are greener than ever before. I swear that man has spoiled me for anyone else.”
“Then ask him out,” Sydney said.
“No, he should have asked me out more than three times. I was waiting for him to ask one more time before I said yes. I would become tongue-tied whenever he came around me.”
Sydney shook her head. “That was fifteen years ago. You’re a grown ass woman, you can ask men out these days.”
I heard my mom and Sydney giggle. “Go ahead and laugh. My heart is still broken,” I chuckled.
“It’s a good thing you didn’t marry Scott. Both of you would have been miserable,” Mom said.
“I still feel guilty about him, but I'm glad he married Sheila Blade. He told me he was happy I broke it off before we got married. I was trying to convince myself I loved him. I don’t want to be an old maid.”
“Who is an old maid?” Sandy asked as she walked into the kitchen, where we were starting dinner.
“Julia doesn’t want to be an old maid. She is, after all, thirty-three,” Sydney said.
“You two aren’t that far behind me. So don’t worry about my love life.”
“I’m waiting for Mr. Right to show up and sweep me off my feet,” Sydney said.
“Speaking of your love life,” Sandy continued. “I just talked to Tina, and she told me Hawk Jensen is in town. This is your chance to get him to fall for you. And this time, if he asks you out, for Pete's sake, say yes!”
“I’m done talking about Hawk. I hope he doesn’t start digging into who beat his dad up,” I said, watching my sisters closely.
“You two need to stay out of this as well.”
