Chapter Ten
Julian’s heartbeat sped up as he rang the doorbell to Isaac’s mother’s home, trying not to let nervousness get the better of him. This was a familiar place, one with a lot of happy memories, but he hadn’t been here in a long time.
He wasn’t sure what to expect. Everything he’d expected of Isaac had been turned on its head in the few short days they’d been back in regular, close contact again. Not in a bad way, but…
The door swinging open halted Julian’s train of thought. Isaac’s mom smiled broadly at him, opening her arms wide and pulling him into a warm hug.
Apparently, some thingshadn’tchanged. Julian breathed in the comforting scent of her perfume—still the same, or very similar—and felt himself relax.
“Did Isaac do that to you?” she asked, placing her fingers delicately to the side of Julian’s face, careful to avoid the bruise.
“Not on purpose,” Julian defended. “I mostly did it to myself.”
“I heard the story. He feels guilty, you should take advantage of that.”
Julian chuckled as Mrs. Hudson took her hand away, offering the bottle of wine he’d brought with him.
She accepted it, glancing at the label before smiling. “Look at that. The little boy I used to worry about so much has grown up into a handsome young man with excellent taste in wine.”
Julian grinned, thrilled that he’d picked an acceptable bottle. No one needed to know how much help he’d gotten doing it.
“Where are my manners,” Mrs. Hudson continued after a second. “Come inside, come inside. I didn’t hear your car pull up.”
She moved out of the way, leaving room for Julian to slip into the hallway.
Hanging his coat here felt a little like coming home. This place had been his second home, once, and it was amazing how much the sense of peace he felt here hit him.
Even after all this time.
“I don’t have a car,” he said. “I took the bus.”
Mrs. Hudson tutted. “You should have said so. Isaac would’ve picked you up. And hewilltake you home, and I’m not gonna take no for an answer.”
Julian smiled wryly. Yeah, she hadn’t changed. Still looking out for her second baby, as she’d called Julian maybe a hundred times.
He was glad to be back here. It was already doing his heart good.
“Head through to the kitchen,” she said. “Isaac’s in there, and I’ll be with the two of you in a moment. Gotta change out of the power suit.”
Julian glanced at what she was wearing, a beautifully-cut charcoal pant suit that would have made her look intimidating if not for the fact that he knew her so well. It was a long way from the floral sundresses he remembered, but it worked just as well.
As promised, Julian found Isaac in the kitchen, stirring something on the stovetop. Isaac turned to look at him as he came in, grinning broadly for a moment before wincing.
“Oh wow. That’s a helluva shiner,” he said.
Julian smiled wryly. “Thanks. You look great, too.”
“I’m sorry about…” Isaac waved in his general direction. “That. Mom’s got a bruise cream somewhere, I think. I’ll get it for you later.”
“Thank you,” Julian said, though he wanted to say that it wasn’t necessary, that he didn’t need Isaac to fuss over him.
He might not haveneededIsaac to fuss over him, but it would have been nice if he did. It’d been a while since Julian had been in a real relationship.
Not that this was a real relationship, but… the care and tenderness of his best friend was just as good. Better, even.
“Hey, uh, before she comes back down, your mom is in on this, right?” Julian asked. He hadn’t been sure when she greeted him, and he hadn’t thought to ask Isaac before now.
“Oh, yeah, totally. She was there when I had the idea,” Isaac said. “Did she… say something, or…?”
