Page 24 of Colors and Curves

“Move on with the story,” Jocelyn orders. “I don’t care if you have a mouthful of food.”

“Jeez, girl! You’re so aggressive this morning.” Sophia laughs. “What’s up with you?”

“Ugh! There’s just so much love in the air this year. First you and Drew, then Lacey and Will, now Sky. I guess I am a bit overexcited. Sorry. Move on.”Love’s in the air? She’s nuts.

I tell them how Julius rescued Chance and what he said—Everybody deserves a chance, no matter how broken they are.

“Aww.” Jocelyn crosses her arms on the table and leans forward. “That’s almost poetic. He’s such a private person… maybe he isn’t only talking about Chance. Maybe he’s broken too, and that’s why he’s such an introvert.”

I rest my chin on my hand thoughtfully. “That’s possible. I wanted to know what’s behind his wall and why he showed up at the gallery again, and as soon as I asked, he hopped up and suggested we go for a walk.”

“Did you go? Or did he leave?”

Sophia squeezes Jocelyn’s hand. “I’m going to tape your mouth shut if you don’t let Sky finish her story.”

“Ha! Look who’s aggressive now. But fine. I’ll keep my questions until the end, but it won’t be easy.” She shoves part of her bagel into her mouth.

Finally I tell them about his unexpected kiss that almost dropped me to my knees, and how it shattered my vow to avoid men. Both of them sit there staring at me, to the point I’m uncomfortable.

“Can we talk now?” Jocelyn asks, putting her glass down.

“Yes.” I cut into my now cold omelet and eat a tiny bite, then wash it down with coffee.

They start babbling like chickens. They repeat what I just told them like I’m not even here. I did leave out that he’s color-blind. My gut says not to tell them. It’s not something he talks about. Otherwise, I’m sure I would’ve read about it when I researched him. I know I can trust them, but it doesn’t feel right.

“Ladies! I’m still at the table. Talk tome.” They both jump and start laughing. They’re in good moods for a Monday morning.

“You know, even though he has that abrasive side, he’s really into you. You shouldn’t be mad that he’d like to take pictures of you. He just wants you to know how beautiful you are. Nothing you’ve said makes me think he only wants to get you into bed,” Jocelyn explains. “Also, he’s doing business with you. He doesn’t want to screw up his or your image. Imagine—he’s always so private, but then he shows up at an opening and some big scandal breaks out. You know what I mean?”

Sophia shakes her head. “That’s not going to happen. If he didn’t have strong feelings for you, he would’ve stayed away and never revealed himself.”

Jocelyn raises her finger. “Side question. What is the relationship between Daisy and Julius? Anything romantic there?”

“I have no idea. I only saw them together at the opening. She gave me no reason to think they were ever involved. She did say she’s known him forever. Maybe they went to school together. I asked her questions about him before I knew who he was, but her mouth was always sealed. She didn’t reveal anything.”

“Does she know that you were with him yesterday?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I have no idea. I don’t want to get her involved, in case this goes down the drain. Things would get really uncomfortable then. Of course, now that the opening is over, I won’t have as much contact with her as I did before. I don’t have Julius’s phone number. Maybe he’ll stop by the gallery this week.”

“Can we go back to him taking pictures of you?” Sophia asks between chewing. I nod. “You’re not even a little bit curious or interested?”

“Just don’t pose nude for him. You never know where those pictures will end up. And don’t make a video.” Jocelyn leans in and whispers, “Christian and I did it once a long time ago. I was a bit heavier after having Coral. Anyway, I couldn’t watch it with all my jiggly bits jiggling. I was horrified. We deleted it immediately. It took me a while to have sex with the lights on again.”

Sophia and I look at Jocelyn with our mouths wide open. “Jocelyn!” Sophia exclaims.

“Shush,” I say, glancing at the people around us. “We’re going to get kicked out of here.”

“I just don’t see you and Christian as the type to do that. Especially Christian. You kinky girl!” Sophia teases her.

“We might be married for a while now, but the flame is still burning.” She clicks her tongue.Eww! The only thing I can picture is Christian holding a calculator to add up his investments while they’re going at it. Yes, it’s bitchy, but sometimes I think he loves his investments more than anything else.

She sees the expression on my face. “What? Anyway, this isn’t about my sex life, this is about yours. So is there a tiny bit of interest? Don’t you want to see him behind a camera… to see him in action?”

“I love watching Drew make new jewelry pieces,” Sophia enthuses. “He’s so creative and serious. I wish I could lie in a pool of sapphires…”

“Ouch. That would hurt.” Jocelyn elbows Sophia and they chuckle.

I’m distracted by thoughts of a barefoot Julius, shirtless and wearing old, low-hanging jeans that are frayed at the bottom. I wonder if he has tattoos on other parts of his tanned body. I imagine his authoritative voice, telling me how to pose. And then he sets down his camera and comes over to help me get into those positions.Oh man. I squeeze my legs together. I have to prevent myself from moaning in the middle of this place.

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