Chapter 5 #2
Julianne stiffened and her happy expression dropped like a stone, her eyes darting to me for a split second before she pasted a smile back on. “Thanks, Lace. But let’s stick to Julianne, okay? I am at work, after all.”
My eyebrows shot up, a flicker of curiosity running through me. She had a nickname? “Aw, come on,” I teased lightly, unable to resist a playful jab. “Jules has a nice ring to it. Very… casual.”
Julianne’s gaze met mine, her expression frostier than an arctic breeze. “It’s Julianne, Eli. Shall we continue with the class?”
Raising my hands in a mock gesture of surrender, I concealed my racing thoughts behind a mask of nonchalance.
There was something about that name, something on the edge of my memory that eluded me at the moment.
“As you wish, Ms. Julianne Verne. Now let’s move on to the scintillating mechanics of regulators… ”
After they left, I cleaned up the classroom, and all day my mind ran over the nickname. Jules… It repeated over and over inside my head. For some reason it made me think of books, but I didn’t know why.
Fortunately, I knew someone who would.
As soon as work was over, I made my way out of the dive shop and rode my bike along Main Street.
Good thing the tourists were driving well today—one of the reasons I never rode without my helmet.
As I rode by Corner Scoop, I waved to Brynn Mercer who was sweeping her front stoop.
She was a smashing success as the new owner, and her recent hubby wasn’t doing too shabby with his financial planning business, either.
Stopping before the quaint, cozy Bookshop in Paradise, I leaned my bike against the large glass window. The familiar jingle of the bell greeted me as I entered, mingling with the comforting aroma of old paper and freshly brewed coffee.
“Well, well,” my sister Brenna called out from behind a stack of new arrivals. Her long auburn hair hung like a curtain as she leaned out, and her soft-green eyes held a teasing glint. “To what do I owe the pleasure of my big brother gracing me? Did you get bored lounging around all day?”
I laughed as I weaved through the cozy maze of bookshelves. “Ha-ha. I’ll have you know I’ve been up and productive for hours.”
“Teaching resort guests how to breathe underwater hardly counts as productivity,” her husband, Hunter, chimed in, appearing from the back room with a box of books.
He set them down on the check-out counter, the heavy box looking almost comically light in his muscular, tattooed arms. He oozed ex-military—dark short hair and beard, everything neat and clean.
“Says the guy who gets paid to stand around and look intimidating,” I shot back, grinning.
The bookshop was warm and inviting, shelves upon shelves creating little nooks that practically begged you to curl up with a good story. Brenna’s personal touch was everywhere, from the hand-painted signs to the mismatched, overstuffed armchairs.
“So,” Brenna said, eyeing me suspiciously. “What’s up? You’re not exactly my most… literary customer.”
I leaned against the counter. “Can’t a guy drop by to see his lovely sister?”
“Well, it would be a first,” Brenna deadpanned. “Plus, you’ve got that look.”
“What look?”
“The I’m up to something look,” Hunter supplied helpfully. The gigantic man moved to wrap an arm around Brenna’s shoulders. “It’s the same one you had right before you talked me into that drinking contest.”
I winced at the memory. Neither of us had won that one. “Okay, fine. I might have a question.”
Hunter glanced at the clock and planted a kiss on Brenna’s head. “As much as I’d like to hear this, I’ve got that security detail to get to. See you tonight, baby. Take it easy, Eli. I’ll say hi to Ben for you.”
“Do that,” I said. “And tell him he needs to come around more. And for more than just to trim the hedges.” Our oldest brother worked for Hunter part-time and spent the other half doing landscaping work at the resort.
Hunter clapped me on the shoulder as he passed. “Will do, man. Don’t you two get into too much trouble.”
As the door jingled shut behind Hunter, Brenna turned to me. “So what’s your question?”
“Okay, here’s the deal,” I began, leaning in conspiratorially as if sharing a state secret. “I’ve got this… acquaintance? Coworker? Friend?—no way, more like a frenemy if I’m being generous—who’s super uptight and serious. Oh! You know her. The accountant at the resort, Julianne Verne?”
Brenna frowned. “She’s not super uptight. She’s nice. You two are just complete opposites, is all.”
“Yeah, well, I’m teaching her and some friends to dive—long story.
It turns out she’s got this hidden nickname that she didn’t want me to know about.
It rings a bell, but I can’t place it. But if she doesn’t want me to know about it, that means I must know every detail.
I thought it might have to do with books, and you’re our resident bookworm extraordinaire. So here I am!”
She ignored my attempt at flattery. “So what’s the nickname?”
“Jules.”
Brenna just stared at me. “Her last name is Verne?”
I nodded.
“Eli, you’re a complete idiot. You know that, right? You seriously don’t know who Jules Verne was?”
I scowled and threw my hands up. “I’m a dive instructor, not a librarian. So ixnay the insults, okay?”
She finally burst into laughter and grabbed my arm, dragging me toward a section under a sign that read Science Fiction Classics.
“Jules Verne was one of the most important novelists of the nineteenth century. He wrote incredibly imaginative stories that changed literature forever. He practically invented science fiction.” She plucked out a hardcover and placed it in my hands.
The title was Journey to the Center of the Earth.
“Hey!” I exclaimed. “She has this in her bookshelf inside her office.”
“Gee. I wonder why? And why do you care, anyway?”
My mind was racing with the possibilities. I wasn’t sure why the nickname was important to Jules—I was never referring to her as Julianne again—but I knew this was a gold mine as a way to needle her.
“Earth to Eli.” Brenna’s voice cut through my plotting. “I asked why you care so much about it.”
I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “No reason. Just… wanted to know.”
“Uh-huh,” Brenna said, clearly not buying it.
I felt a flicker of something in my chest. Annoyance? Excitement? I pushed it aside. “Please. I’m just looking for new ways to get under her skin.”
Brenna’s eyes danced with mischief. “Sure, big brother. Keep telling yourself that.”
I narrowed my eyes, but something in her tone made me uneasy. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, nothing,” she said, innocently reorganizing a stack of books. “Just that you seem awfully fixated on someone you claim is your frenemy.”
“I’m not fixated,” I protested, but even I could hear the defensive edge in my voice. “She’s just… interesting to mess with, that’s all.”
Brenna raised an eyebrow. “Interesting, huh? That’s new. What happened to her being a stuck-up number-cruncher?”
I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again.
The image of Jules in her casual clothes, effortlessly picking up diving theory, flashed through my mind.
“She’s, well, surprising. There might be more to her than I thought,” I admitted reluctantly.
I’d been trying to forget that she’d given up her own delayed computer upgrade to ensure that Annie’s hours didn’t get cut.
That image definitely did not mesh with my image of the cutthroat CPA.
“Mmm-hmm,” Brenna hummed, a knowing smile on her face. “And that has nothing to do with why you rode your bike halfway across town at the end of the day to ask me about the name?”
I ran a hand through my hair, suddenly feeling exposed. “Look, it’s not like that. It’s a puzzle, okay? She’s irritating and I like messing with her.”
“A puzzle you seem very eager to solve.” Brenna wore a huge grin now.
I shook my head. “Whatever. Thanks for solving the mystery for me. I should get going.” I held up the book in my hand. “Can I take this?”
“Sure.” She plucked the book next to where it had been on the shelf and gave it to me before tapping the new book. “Read this one, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It’s more your lane.”
I brightened. “Hey! I’ve heard of that one.”
“Will wonders never cease? Love you, brother.”
“Love you, too. Thanks for the info and the books.”
As I headed for the door, Brenna called out, “Anytime. Have fun with Julianne!”
I paused, my hand on the doorknob. “It’s Jules,” I corrected with a broad, shit-eating smile. Begrudging admiration was no match for ammunition like this that I could use anytime the fancy struck me. “And I’m going to call her that at every opportunity.”