“Breakfast?” I ask.
“I’ll never say no.”
In the kitchen, I pull ingredients from the fridge—eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit we picked up from the farmers market earlier this week. Julie perches on the counter and doesn’t take her eyes from me.
“I love watching you cook,” she says. “You get this concentrated look. It’s cute.”
“Cute? Pfft. I’m going forsexychef.”
“That too.” She steals a strawberry from the bowl. “What’s on our agenda today?”
“Whatever we want. That’s the beauty of hiding from the world.”
“We can’t hide forever?” She playfully pouts.
“No,” I tell her, cracking eggs into a bowl. “But we can today.”
My phone buzzes on the counter. Julie glances at it.
“What’s it say?” I ask her.
“You trust me with your phone?”
I chuckle. “I have nothing to hide from you. Go through it if you want.”
“No way. I trust you too.”
“Read it to me then,” I say as the bacon sizzles.
“Patterson said Blaire texted him about his ‘romantic future,’ and he doesn’t know if she’s flirting or threatening him.”
I laugh. “Hilarious.”
“Getting under people’s skin is her superpower.” Julie gets quiet. “I miss her. And the shop. And my normal life.”
“We can go back?—”
“Not yet.” She meets my eyes. “I’m not ready to share you with the world again.”
“Julie—”
“I know we only have three weeks left. I know this has apotential expiration date, and no decisions are to be made until then. But right now, it’s just us. Can we just … pretend for a few more days?”
I abandon the eggs, moving to stand between her legs. “We don’t have to pretend anything.”
“You know what I mean. I want to pretend there isn’t a shitstorm outside, waiting for us.”
“Yeah, I do.” I cup her face.
She kisses me, then pulls back. “I think the eggs are burning.”
“Shit!” I rush to save breakfast while she laughs.
I plate everything and even make a few slices of buttered toast. We eat on the deck overlooking the mountains, wrapped in blankets to help with the October chill. The landscape is painted in red, orange, and gold. It feels magical.
“We should use the hot tub tonight,” Julie says. “Under the stars.”
“Clothing optional?”
