AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A family of ducks paddles across the water, making me think of Juliette. I pass a couple sharing a croissant, my mind drawn once more to Juliette. Growling, I pick up my pace again. No matter how much I push my body though, Juliette’s laugh won’t leave my brain. In fact, I think she’s made me delusional because I swear I hear it over the whipping wind.
It’s only when I see her golden hair in the distance that I realize I’m not delusional, just incapable of escaping her. It seems I’d have to move to be rid of her. She waves at me from her place on the metal bench by the lake. A large blanket is draped over her legs, thankfully hiding them from view. Murphy trots around, occasionally stopping to paw at the wet sand close to the lake.
“Are you stalking me, Adrian?” she teases as I slow to a stop next to the bench.
My breathing is still ragged from my sprint, making me have to lift my hands up to my head. Cool air nips at the skin above my waistband. I don’t miss the way her eyes rake over me, pausing at that exposed skin for a second too long before bouncing back up to my face. My blood heats and I drop my arms, shoving my hands in the pocket of my hoodie instead.
“I was out here before you, so I should be asking you that.”
“So you looked for me on your run, then.” Her eyes sparkle.
“I merely noted my surroundings.”
She hums and turns her attention back to Murphy, who is rolling around in the sand and leaves. Instead of getting upset though, she lets out a playful sigh.
“Well, I’m going to go,” I say, hating how awkward I sound. I’m not an awkward man. A little adverse to socializing, but not awkward.
“Have a nice run!” Juliette chirps and snuggles up under her blanket.
I take off again, wishing that I could outrun the image of Juliette warm and soft under a blanket. The kind of image that makes me want to join her there on the bench instead of what I need to do which is stay far, far away.
Chapter five
Juliette Monroe
“Gerty,youhavegotto quit parking your scooter in the main square. It’s digging tracks in the grass,” Henry Hayes, Peach Hollow’s community representative–an overpowered and useless position–says from his place at the front of the church. All community meetings are held in the local church on Thursday evenings.
“All the grass is dead anyway,” Gerty, aka Gertrude Pines, grouses. Gerty has recently purchased a yellow motorized scooter which she drives around the community and parks wherever she pleases. She also wears a matching yellow helmet everywhere, including now. I’m afraid of what her silver hair looks like beneath it. I think she might sleep in it.
“There is a bike rack, not ten feet from where you park.”
“I drive a scooter, not a bike,” Gerty snaps.
“Forgive me,” Henry says drily, then bangs his gavel. “All those in favor of Gerty parking in the bike rack say aye.”
Affirmatives echo through the old wooden church. Henry opens his mouth to move on to the next subject when the doors at the back of the room swing open. No one is ever late to a community meeting. It’s impossible to sneak in, because the large oak doors are heavy and scrape the floor when you push on them.
All of the heads in the room–including mine–swivel toward the door. You could hear a pin drop in this silence, well maybe onlyIcould hear it drop since most of the people here are hard of hearing, but still.
A familiar tall and muscular form fills the doorway, making my heart skip. Adrian lets the thick door slam shut behind him, the noise reverberating throughout the sanctuary. I let out a little sigh as I take him in. I can’t help it. The man is torturously attractive. He’s wearing asuitfor crying out loud. A dark navy suit tailored to perfection, with a crisp pinstripe shirt underneath. And–goodness gracious–the top two buttons of the shirt are undone.
“We do not tolerate tardiness, boy,” Henry says, trying to stand tall at the front of the room. It’s hard to look intimidating compared to Adrian though.
“The flyer said 6:15.” Adrian’s low voice echoing through the silent room has my pulse fluttering.
“We changed the meeting to six, it was on the community Facebook page,” Henry says, haughtiness coating his scratchy voice.
“I don’t have Facebook.”
A chorus of gasps filter through the crowd and I can’t help but giggle. Adrian’s blue eyes snap to me and I bite my lip to stifle my laughter. I think I see amusement flicker over his expression, but I can’t be so sure this far away. I wave him over and I feel the weight of everyone’s stares as I do. He reluctantly walks toward my pew. I scoot away from the end of the bench. Something about him makes me think he’s the type of man who likes to be near an exit.
He sits next to me, practically hugging the end of the pew.Okay, so we’re not as close as I hoped after our few encounters.
Henry clears his throat. “Well, since we have pressing matters to attend to–”
“And I have to get home to feed my cat!” Burt shouts from the back row.
“And Burt has to get home to feed Snuffles, we’ll proceed in spite of our interruption.”
