Page 90 of Sand in My Boots

Crossing the suite, I wouldn’t have thought to look there. Juli sits in the room, her back against the headboard, her legs tented in front of her, a tablet resting on them. Her hair’s in a twist on the top of her head, and she’s got a writing utensil in her mouth.

I could get used to this, coming home every day to her.

The thought barrels through my mind, and damn if it doesn’t make my heart skip a few beats.

“What are you working on?”

She gazes up at me, a concentrated expression on her face. “Promise you won’t laugh if I show you?” She nips the bottom lip with her teeth.

“Never, Jude.” I place my hand over my heart so she knows I’m serious.

Cautiously, she flips the tablet around. Needing to inspect it closer, I sit next to her on the bed, taking the tablet into my hands. There’s a blue background on the screen, with an illustrated couple as the focal point. I’m uncertain what they’re supposed to be, nor how to react.

“I start a digital drawing class in a few weeks, but I wanted to get a head start. I’m not sure I have clients who want covers like this, but it’ll look good in my portfolio and will attract new clients, considering it’s a new trend in the market. It needs a lot of work to be cover-worthy, but I’m up for the challenge.” She pauses, her nose scrunching to the side. “I think.”

I latch on to the class part so I don’t mess up about the actual image. “That’s cool about the class. Is it on a campus or online?”

She looks at me as if I have three heads. “Virtual. I don’t do many things in person unless it’s a necessity.” Now it’s my turn to question her. She does plenty of things that require her to be out and about in the world. “Work-related. I love the freedom of working from home. Sometimes at coffee shops. Or occasionally a five-star resort in South Carolina. Why would I want to give that up for a drawing class?”

“I’m not sure?” I ask more as a question than a statement.

“Exactly.” She saves her work and shuts down the tablet. “Shower time?”

“Get out of my head.” I yank her hair out of its twist. “Wear it down tonight?”

“Okay. It may take a little longer to be ready since I only have use of the hotel’s blow dryer. Where are we going anyway?”

“I think you’re going to enjoy it.”

She kneels on the bed, running her fingers over the scruff of my face. “That’s not an answer. Maybe don’t shave?”

“No razor.” I shrug. “Once we’re back at my house, I’ll do it then.” I help her down off the bed. Not because she needs it. Because I can.

“‘Back at your house’?” she wonders. I can’t decipher her tone. Our plan for when her four nights here are up isn’t set in stone, but we briefly mentioned her staying with me for a bit. Did I read that wrong, make a wrong assumption? Thankfully, she clarifies before I have to ask. “I like the sound of that.”

“I like the sound of you coming on my cock.”

Scampering away, she calls out, “Those two things are totes unrelated.”

“Not in my book, they aren’t.”

With a shake of my head, I follow her to the shower.

Five bars later, we’ve made it to the end of our Charleston “Cocktail Crawl.” Juli’s more than a little buzzed. In her words, the snacks “aren’t doing it for me,” so her food intake has been less than her alcohol consumption. Thank goodness it’s over after this one. It’s been a fun time, but I’m feeling it. And I ate all the snacks plus her share.

“This was fun. Which one’s your fav’rite?” Her words slur, her body sways. I drag her stool closer to me so she doesn’t fall off.

“Um, the one with the coconut.” I’ve lost track of the names.

“Tequila for me.” She smacks her lips together adoringly. It’s more of a sloppy smack, her lips not fully connecting.

“You don’t say.”

All she did at stop three was talk about how much she enjoyed the tequila. I’m calling it her truth serum because it unleashed a part of her I never knew existed. She was chattier, more reminiscent of the past, bubblier. I kinda adored it. Took notes for future activities and ways for Jubilant Juli to come out and play more.

She places her hand on mine, and her glassy eyes connect with mine. Though a bit glazed over, happiness twinkles in them. “Great date, Came. We should do this more often.”

“I’m glad you think so. If you lived here, we could go out every night.”