Page 16 of Sand in My Boots

“Okay, so only you. Tomorrow?”

Reluctantly, her head bobs up and down, accepting the setback. Natasha’s back with the Bushwackers, and as she places Juli’s down in front of her, Juli takes it all in, her eyes widening at the sight of the tall, frothy drink. She gulps loudly.

“Um, wow. This isn’t exactly what I was expecting.” She pushes the straw around, mixing it up. “It looks like a grown-up chocolate milkshake. What kind of alcohol did you say was in it?” A pause. “And exactly how much?”

I can’t resist the “I told you so” moment. If I were a better man, maybe I wouldn’t do it. For sure, if she weren’t Juli Langley, I’d laugh it off. But neither of those things is true at the moment. And I can’t not take this opportunity.

Leaning in closer to her, a faint whiff of her hair’s fruity notes accosts my nose. I don’t allow it to take me back to the past and force myself to stay in the present. My mouth close to her ear, I rasp, “Not such a big girl now, huh? Thinking of retracting any of your previous comments?”

She sucks in a deep breath, her focus not straying from the drink in front of her. She swallows once. Twice. Three times. Though I’m positioned awkwardly leaning over toward her stool, I don’t dare move. I barely breathe waiting for her response.

When I think she’s going to refuse it or admit she was wrong, her comment surprises the heck out of me.

“Ah, fuck it. You only live once.” Her declaration out there, she reaches for the drink, pulls it closer to her, fits her lips around the straw, and sucks. And not a small sip. No, Juliana goes big.

“Go big or go home,” I mumble from the stool beside her, taking a sip of mine. The overpowering coconut flavor explodes on my tongue.

“Wow. That’s pretty good. I could get into a lot of trouble with these.” She goes in for another sip. And as much as I should warn her against going too fast, pretty sure she’ll ignore my guidance. Seeing as how this day has gone.

Which reminds me.

“So, a boat for tomorrow. What are you thinking?”

Her lips stuck to the straw, she shrugs. Only when she swallows does she give me her attention. “I gotta round up a friend. I’m not prepared to go by myself. When do you need to know to book it?”

“The rental people know me well. And we’re heading out of the prime tourist season. Even last-minute, I can work magic for you.”

If she’s not strapped for a specific time, I can join her. But I’m not sure I want to let her know that right now. I’ll make her sweat it out a bit.

She smiles, and the way it lights up her face does weird things to the organ beating against my ribs. Then she places her hand on my arm. “That would be great, Cameron. I appreciate it.”

“Do you have a budget in mind?”

“No.”

Her answer shouldn’t surprise me. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t.

“Okay.”

Once that’s settled, a silence surrounds us until she guzzles the last bit of the drink. Hopping down, she uses the stool to stabilize herself.

“Whoa. The booze went straight to my head. Maybe you were right,” she admits after steadying her body.

“What happened to the girl who could hold her liquor?”

Her reply is instantaneous. “She didn’t gorge on enough dinner.”

I can’t explain why her comment affects me so much. The protective streak she accused me of having earlier comes out in full force. However, it’s not because I think of her as a sister, little or otherwise. It’s more because I feel a tad guilty for encouraging her to try the drink. To my credit, I fed her first, apparently not enough.

“I should probably sit back down.” She attempts to climb back up onto the stool, and after four tries, she manages it.

Natasha’s there with a glass of water, which Juli accepts without question.

“I forgot he’s one of the good ones. Shoulda heeded his warnings. Things are confusing. And weird. And uber-confusing.”

As Juli drinks a bit more water, Natasha mouths to me, “Is she okay?”

All I can do is shrug. Because she’s right about one thing—today has been uber-confusing.