“He’s acting weird, Char. I’m worried.” She sat on the corner of the bed. “Have you noticed anything... strange going on with him?”
Charlotte sifted through possibilities and tried not to land on last night. Had Sloane picked up on the subtle changes that’d been going on between them since this trip began?
If so, he wasn’t the only one acting different. She’d enjoyed kissing Julian, had wanted to go much further.
Where had that come from? Since she got married, she hadn’t allowed herself to even think about anyone other than Cliff. And then... only a short time after they split up, she was ready to take off her clothes for someone else? Not just anyone but...Julian?
She was on the rebound, she decided. A person going through a breakup didn’t always make the best decisions. “Not sure what you mean,” she mumbled.
“He hasn’t told you what’s bothering him?”
“I didn’t know therewassomething bothering him.” She’d been so caught up in her own troubles, had she missed signs she should’ve noticed?
“He probably wouldn’t say anything to you. He knows you’re already going through too much. Just thought I’d ask.”
A fresh wave of guilt gave Charlotte the impetus to drag herself into a sitting position. “What could it be?”
“I have no idea.”
“You’re his sister,” she said. “Ask him.”
“I’ve tried! He won’t tell me.”
Attempting to ease the pain in her head, Charlotte began to rub her temples. Julianhadseemed rather pensive at times—when he wasn’t trying to liftherspirits. “He seems to be over his broken engagement, and he’s his own boss, so it’s not like he could lose his job.”
“He claims the gallery’s doing fine, too. So what is it?”
“He’s pretty driven. Could it mean something that he’d take off so much time to come to Italy?”
“No. That’s not a warning sign as far as I’m concerned. Why would he turn down an opportunity to spend an entire month on the Amalfi Coast? Especially when any pictures he takes here would be commercially viable. It’s not like we dragged him to some godforsaken place where there wouldn’t be anything appealing to photograph.” She grinned. “And he gets to hang with us. What could be better?”
Charlotte could no longer hold her best friend’s gaze. “I get that, but it must be work. What else could it be?”
“It’s not work,” Sloane argued. “If it was, he’d tell me.”
“Maybe it’s just that he’s lost direction in his life. Maybe this trip is meant to be a reset for him. Everyone has those moments...”
“So I shouldn’t worry?”
“Not until you know there’s a good reason to.”
She blew out a breath. “Okay. I’ll sit on my hands and trust that he’ll tell me when he’s ready.”
“What about you?” Charlotte asked. “How are you and Ben doing?”
She pulled her gaze away. “We’re hanging in there.”
It’d taken some time, but Sloane had finally started confiding in Charlotte about the decision she was facing. Although she didn’t really want to talk about it, a bit more seemed to come out every day. “I’m worried about you.”
“I know. But... don’t. I’ll figure it out.”
They heard voices downstairs. Lilly was up, speaking to Julian.
Sloane got off the bed. “I’m going down to breakfast. Forget I said anything about Jules. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
The memory of Julian’s lips, soft and pliable on hers, and the taste of Merlot when he laughed against her mouth rose in Charlotte’s mind. “Jules is fine,” she said aloud, trying to convince herself at the same time. She couldn’t bear the thought that anything could be wrong with him.
But if he needed her, she’d be there for him just like he’d been there for her.
