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The next few days were filled with unpacking. Liv, Kane and Laura all had nine-to-five jobs, but Kane and Laura had taken a couple of days off to help. Juliette was touched when Liv did the same, leaving her assistant to handle things and call her if there was an emergency at work.
Judging by Kane’s wide-eyed look of surprise, taking time off wasn’t something Liv did often.
It didn’t seem to escape their respective parents’ notice that Liv and Juliette were choosing boxes in the same room to unpack more than would be dictated by coincidence, but they both seemed pleased by the development.
When everything was finally put in its place, Liv gave Juliette a high five. “Good job! You want to come to Joe’s with me? I still owe you dinner.”
“I’d love to.”
Kane and Laura seemed pleased to have some alone time together, thinking that their girls were just giving them space. Juliette let them think that. It wouldn’t do to have Laura thinking that Juliette had undue interest in Liv.
Juliette realized there was something between her and Liv bubbling below the surface. She had never before questioned her sexuality, but here she was doing just that.
Accepting Liv’s sexuality was one things. Accepting that her daughter might not be as straight as she had always appeared would be quite another hurdle for Laura. One that Juliette wasn’t sure she would ever recover from.
Anyway, that shouldn’t be a problem, because Juliette was straight. She had always felt confident in that. She wanted to spend more time with Liv purely from a friendship perspective. It must be the new step-sister thing. Juliette had always wanted a sibling, and to suddenly be given one that she got on so well with, that must be what was triggering Juliette’s slightly confused feelings.
It didn’t matter how Liv’s cleavage somehow seemed suddenly intriguing to Juliette. She promised herself she wouldn’t look anywhere except Liv’s face the entire evening.
This proved to be… challenging. Why did Liv have to like such tight shirts? Juliette was all for body positivity – and there was a lot for Liv to be positive about when it came to her body – and confidence, but did Liv really have to display that confidence so thoroughly in front of her?
Fuck, she sounded like her mother. Juliette needed to get her head straight, and fast.
You are straight, Juliette.
To distract herself from the enticing sight, she forced herself to stare into Liv’s eyes – this hardly helped matters; Juliette had never seen such beautiful eyes before – and start a conversation.
What on earth is happening to me? She is my new sister! Get a grip, Juliette!
“So, it sounds like you love your work. Tell me more about it?”
“It’s really amazing. Managing a business is so satisfying – seeing your actions have a direct effect on everything around you. It’s a delicate balancing act, keeping employees happy while making sure everyone works to their fullest capacity, but when you get it right, it’s amazing. It’s everything I ever wanted – to make a success of myself, to make my mother proud.”
Juliette was surprised. Most corporate CEOs were obsessed with profit and little else, but Liv hadn’t mentioned money at all. Though the business world definitely wasn’t for her, the way Liv described it, Juliette could see the appeal.
“I don’t know much about Aimee. Laura just said that she died a long time ago.”
“Yeah. It was tough. Really, so hard. It still is. I loved her so very much and nothing is the same without her. It took my dad years to get over it. Well, obviously you never get over something like that, but you know what I mean. He needed to move on. He couldn’t spend the rest of forever alone and I know she wouldn’t have wanted that. I’m so glad he’s finally found someone who makes him happy..”
“I’m glad, too. My dad left when I was just two. I guess he decided raising kids wasn’t for him.”
“Dick. Running out on you was inexcusable. When you decide to have children, you take responsibility for them. You don’t just get to leave.”
Juliette shrugged. “My mom thinks so, too. She was really angry about it for a long time. I’m glad he left, though. I mean, I would have loved to grow up with a father, but a father who wanted me. Having a father who was only staying resentfully would have really fucked me up.”
“I suppose that’s true. That’s a very mature way to look at it.”
Why did she have to blush? Why? Juliette hardly ever blushed, except it seemed around Liv, her face seemed to have the on-off switch of a faulty geyser.
“What about you? Tell me more about your work. Did you always know you wanted to be an artist?”
“Yeah, ever since I was young. My mom always encouraged me, even used my dad’s support checks to get my extra art lessons.”
“Where do you get your inspiration from? I’ve seen a lot of art, but nothing like yours.”
There her cheeks went, back to flaming again. “I’ve always seen things like that – as potential to become something beautiful. As I go through life, I’ll watch situations and envision how I could capture their essence with paint. That painting I gave you? I got that from swimming in the ocean on a sunny day. It was beautiful out, and I imagined I was a mermaid.”
“You certainly captured the beauty of the moment perfectly. Not all of your paintings are about good memories, though.”
