“You’re insane,” he said sitting back in his chair. “You know I could just go buy my own tartlet,right?”
“Not the same.” I shook my head. “Everyone knows that pastries purchased for you taste better than ones you buyyourself.”
He snorted. “Have you been hanging out with my brotherConstantine?”
“No. Maybehe’dthink I was a ruggedoutdoorsman.”
“Oh, he’d love you,” Julian agreed. “Anyone who can give me as much shit as you do would be his best friend forever.” He grinned. “Helps that you’re not hard on theeyes.”
I sighed. “Fine, fine. Your blatant flattery worked.” I set the box back down on the table. “You can haveone.”
Julian grinned and marked an imaginary point on an imaginary scoreboard with his indexfinger.
“Wow,” Cal said. “No, but seriously. You two reallyareadorable. Ash, you think this is what people see when we’rearound?”
“Nah,” Ash said. “We’re stillworse.”
I cleared my throat and sat back. I could feel myownfaceburning.
“Guess we’re pretty convincing, huh?” Julian whispered so only I could hear. “Academy awardlevel?”
I mustered a smile, but the problem was therehadn’tbeen anything fake in the way Julian and I were joking around—it was the way we’d always been with each other, or some natural evolution of it, anyway.Wasit flirtatious? Had Julian read anything into it? My attraction to him wasmyissue to deal with. It was important that I didn’t hurt Julian when I had nothing to offer him butfriendship.
“So, Julian, Ash and I are thinking of getting a dog in the spring. We wanted to chat with you about the best breeds, at somepoint.”
Ash nodded. “More than likely, he’ll have to be alone for a few hours a day, and has to be okay in a small apartment most of the time.” Ash frowned. “Though some people say we should buy a place outside of town first. Somewhere with ayard.”
“When you say people, do you mean Henry Lattimer?” Julianasked.
Ash nodded. “Him. Jay Turner and a couple of others,too.”
“They also say we should have a kid first.” Cal rolled his eyes. “That’s so nothappening.
“We’re not even married yet,” Ash said in mock horror. “What kind of guy do they think Iam?”
“Are you two engaged?” Iasked.
Cal smiled and Ash shook his head. “Nah. But it’llhappen.”
“Inevitable as the snow fall,” Calagreed.
Julian cleared his throat. “Well, don’t listen to them. Plenty of breeds are just fine in an apartment, and as long as you take them for regular walks, they’ll be good. I can keep an eye out, if you want. People tend to bring me strays for the short-term since the nearest shelter’s out inHenrick.”
Cal and Ash exchanged a glance, and Ash nodded. “Yeah, dothat.”
“Julian’s good,” I told them. “Hooked me up with Honoria and She-Ra.”
“Your harem of adoring ladies,” Juliansnickered.
“Honoria and She-Ra?” Calrepeated.
I shook my head. “Don’t look at me. Julian’s all about the badassnames.”
“Mock if you must, but I’ve never lost an animal once I gave them a warrior name,” Juliansaid.
“That might be more because you’re good at what you do,” Calsaid.
“He’s fuckingbrilliant,” I corrected. “If you could see him sometimes…” I shook my head and looked at Julian, thinking of the way he’d patched up Trixie and another, sadder time over the summer, when he’d helped me bury a deer who’d been too far gone to save. “I’ve never met a man—I’ve never met aperson—more dedicated orcompassionate.”
