Page 38 of Between the Blue
“What sets your heart on fire?”
I pull my head back. Tilt it to the side.
I think she could.
“Hockey, I guess,” I tell her.
Now she tilts her head at me. “Are you sure about that?”
I thought I was.
“Well, yeah. It makes me happy.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Well, what about you?” I ask her.
“What about me?”
“What makes you happy, Jules?”
She frowns a little. Surprises me. “Happy’s not something you are. It’s something you feel.”
“What's the difference?” I ask.
“Feelings are temporary.”
I roll my lips together.
God, she’s something.
“Okay. What makes youfeelhappy then?” I ask. “What sets your heart on fire?”
“Everyday?”
“Sure.”
She takes a sip of her drink. I take one too.
It burns, but in a good way.
Kinda like I think she might.
“Stability,” Jules says. “Feeling grounded. My family.”
I lean in a little closer to her. The whiskey gave me the courage.
“And today?”
“Hmm…”
She taps her lips like she’s thinking. Presses her knee against mine, just barely.
“Whiskey. And broody hockey players.”
“Yeah?” I press her knee back with mine. Do it more obviously than she did.
“Yeah.” She smiles. Puts her foot on the bottom rung of my stool, keeping her knee right where it is. “But tomorrow my answer could change. Like I said, feelings are temporary.”
