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“If you’re being polite by not taking the call, don’t worry. I have two handsome men keeping me company.” She held up her pint. “My ice cream will keep me company.”
The phone stopped ringing. Then started ringing again.
He stared at her, then muttered a curse before putting his ice cream down on the end table covered in books and papers, grabbing his phone, and walking away.
“What is it, Holly?”
Skylar felt a familiar pang of jealousy and did her best to focus on her ice cream, not on his conversation. But it was difficult to ignore, and bits of his conversation floated back to her. Despite a hint of impatience, Julian’s tone was caring and friendly, though not at all flirtatious. In fact, he ended the call by telling Holly that he was unavailable to get together and didn’t know when he would be before he told her to take care of herself.
When he hung up, he came back to her, grabbed his ice cream, and plopped down next to her. At the same time, she put her ice cream carton down.
He stared at her ice cream and then set his down, too.
“Don’t, Skylar,” he said quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“That,” he said, reaching out and taking her hands. “Don’t do that. Don’t throw up your walls. Don’t imagine who was on the other line and what she wanted from me.”
She smiled sadly. “Ah, but I don’t have to imagine, now do I?”
“Holly has never been a client of mine.”
She nodded. “So she’s what? A friend with benefits?” she said, trying for casual.
“Am I supposed to apologize for that? Because I’m not, Skylar, and you shouldn’t expect me to. But I’m here now. With you. Because I want to be.”
She’d been looking down at her hands, which he still held, but she raised her chin until her gaze met his. After only a brief hesitation, she said, “I want to be here, too, Julian.”
He smiled. “Good.”
They both picked up their ice cream, and when the pints were empty, Julian tossed them in the trash. That’s when Skylar saw the framed pictures she hadn’t noticed before.
She approached the bookshelf and studied the pictures that were in plain silver frames.
All three were of youths.
She smiled. “So you really are a Big Brother? I didn’t realize they gave you Little Sisters in addition to Little Brothers, too.”
He came to stand beside her. “I really am a Big Brother, yes. But I didn’t meet these people through that organization. They’re . . . theyweremy foster siblings.”
“You were in foster care?” She didn’t know why that surprised her so much.
Julian’s expression shifted, growing hooded. “I lost my parents when I was ten. Both my mom and dad were single kids, and both had lost their parents before I was born, so I was quite literally an orphan. Ended up in the system.”
She felt like someone had suddenly reached into her chest and viciously twisted her heart. “I’m so sorry. How awful.”
He shrugged. “I made it work.”
“So these are . . . ”
“Joaquin, James, and Norah.”
“You still keep in contact with them?”
“We kept in touch for a while but haven’t talked in a long time.”
She wanted to ask him why but he immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her back to the couch.
