AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So…” Robbie said, thinking that if he talked, maybe he could help clear Julien’s mind a little. “Priest told me about the opening and maybe inviting some friends along. Are you sure about that? I don’t need two tables. One would be fine.”
“Non. I allocated two,” Julien said, and then headed to the kitchen. “Unless you think you can only fill the one?”
“Are you kidding?” Robbie said, and took a spot on one of the barstools. “Everyone I know is going to be fighting for these spots.”
“Bien. Then two it is.” Julien went about filling a glass of water and gulping it down, and then he got himself a second.
“And they each seat four, yes?”
“Oui.”
“Okay,” Robbie said, and tapped his fingers on the counter. He wanted to keep Julien talking for a bit to see if he was in the mood to share about the dream he’d had last night. But at the same time, Robbie didn’t want to push too hard and too fast and seem nosey.
Luckily, Julien decided to speak up first. “I also want to talk to you about next weekend. If that’s okay?”
“Of course,” Robbie said.
“Would you like a coffee first?” Julien asked. “Priest left some in the pot.”
“Oh, sure, let me grab one.” Robbie jumped down off his stool and came around to the cabinet he’d seen Priest get his mugs out of. Once he’d filled one, he went to walk back to his seat, but Julien stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“You take cream and sugar in yours, right?”
“Oui, merci,” Robbie said automatically, and Julien’s eyes crinkled at the sides, a smile tipping the corners of his lips for the first time that morning.
“You’re good at picking up languages. Not everyone has an ear for it.”
“Well, you say certain things all the time, so they’re easy enough to remember. The phrases? They’re a little harder.”
“Still, some people never feel comfortable with a new language rolling off their tongue.”
Robbie pressed a kiss to Julien’s cheek and said, “I told you, I like French things in my mouth.”
Julien chuckled softly and nodded. “So you did.”
“Yep. So, okay,” Robbie said, and got serious as he walked back to take his seat. “What do we need to talk about?”
“Right. You work tonight, don’t you?” Julien took an apple from the fruit basket by the coffee machine, washed it, and then came back over to the island.
“Oui, I do,” Robbie said with a grin.
“Okay, I just wanted to let you know the dates and times for next week so you could talk to your boss and make sure it’s not going to be a problem.”
Robbie reached across the counter for Julien’s hand and squeezed it. “It’ll be fine. Tate’s an awesome boss, and as long as I can get someone to cover for me, or move things around, he won’t care.”
“Tate is…Logan’s husband?”
“Yeah,” Robbie said, and laughed a little. “That sounds so strange. But yes, he is. And I haven’t seen him since they got back from their honeymoon.”
Julien frowned, and Robbie cocked his head to the side. “Jules? Is something wrong?”
“Non. Non. I was just thinking it would be better if I wasn’t the reason you had to change your schedule on his first day back.”
“Trust me, Tate won’t care. He’s…how do I say this? He’s a good guy.” Robbie shook his head. “That sounds really simple and kind of lame. But I mean it in a much broader sense than it sounds. He cares. He’s all about family and looking after those he loves. It’s what makes him impossible to hate. Ugh, trust me, I tried.”
“You talk highly of him,” Julien said. “You respect him.”
“I do,” Robbie said, a little stunned by the admission. “I gave him a lot of shit when we first met, and he had every reason to be an asshole when I ran into them years later. But he wasn’t. He was really nice. I mean, he gave me a job, for God’s sake, trusted me to run The Popped Cherry, and he’s just a really cool guy.”
Julien nodded. “As long as you’re sure you won’t get in trouble. I don’t want that.”
“I won’t. I promise. As soon as I tell him it’s important, he’ll let me go.”
“No questions asked?” Julien said, clearly not thrilled at the idea of his personal life being discussed with someone he didn’t know. But he had nothing to worry about. Robbie would never do that.
“No questions asked.”
Julien stared down at their hands and then widened his fingers so Robbie’s slipped between his, then he sighed. “Okay. The flight to L.A. is booked for Friday night. We should arrive around nine thirty, then we’ll head to my parents’ house.”
“Wait,” Robbie said. “Your parents’ house? Will they be there?”
“Unfortunately,” Julien said as he rubbed a hand over his brow as though his head were aching, which it probably was.
