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“Wow.” I take a look out the round porthole window facing the valley and lake beyond. The sheer size of the attic itself is incredible, with enough space to create a whole in-law suite if I wanted.
Wood planks creak beneath me as I search all the nooks and crannies for anything worth salvaging. Unfortunately, I find nothing of value during my sweep.
“Huh.” I turn in a circle. Usually, I find something—even a random journal or a forgotten Christmas present gathering dust.
The loud chime of my cell phone echoes off the high ceiling. A photo of Julian holding his Second Best trophy on graduation day covers the lit screen, along with his nickname in bold beneath.
I slide my thumb across the screen and answer. “Julian.”
“Did you lock up?” he asks while a door shuts in the background.
I snort. “You can’t trust me to do that right?”
It’s not difficult to imagine him glaring as he answers, “You Muñozes can’t be bothered to lock your front door at night, so forgive me for making sure.”
“I’ve been locking doors since college, so never fear. I’ll do so when I’m done.”
“You’re still there?”
“Yeah. Is that a problem?”
His silence only lasts a beat. “What are you doing?”
“Exploring.”
“Couldn’t that have waited until Ryder is there tomorrow?”
The wooden floorboards groan from all my pacing. “There are some things I like to do alone.”
He pauses. “Like what?”
“You’re going to think it’s stupid.” At least that’s what the producers thought whenever I dragged a film crew around during my searches.
“What’s stupid is you making assumptions about me without asking.”
“Umm.” When did Julian become so assertive, and why am I finding it kind of hot?
He huffs something to himself before speaking louder this time. “Be careful.”
Two little words have my thoughts reeling and my pulse skyrocketing.
Shit. I’m not equipped to handle feelings right now. In fact, I wish I could replace my heart with a motor that runs on iced coffee and paint fumes while I work through my issues.
I fight the tightness in my throat. “When did we start caring about each other’s well-being?”
“Since you’re not covered under my liability insurance.”
I fake a sniffle. “For a second, I thought you had feelings for me.”
“Only the negative type.”
“Please stop now before I swoon.”
His chuff of air could be interpreted as a laugh. “Jokes aside—” He is interrupted by someone in the background calling out his name. “Sorry. I gotta go.”
“It’s fine. I should get going anyway.”
“Dah—”
