Chapter 7 #2
When I noticed the signs for Venice Beach, I couldn’t help but smile. I hadn’t been there in a long time, and maybe it was just the thing to take my mind off this. Screw it. I was wearing my pretty yellow dress, and the weather was gorgeous.
After we parked, Wes came around to the passenger side before I had the chance to exit the car. He smiled as I stood. “They have the best churros here.” His eyes sparkled, almost like a child’s.
“I’m just glad you didn’t take me to West Hollywood for smoked Portuguese sausage.”
“The night is young.” He winked.
I smiled, grateful that he hadn’t let me go home and mope. Lord knows my father wasn’t one to care whether his workers were kind. But it seemed I’d gotten a good one.
Wes and I scored his beloved churros and walked around for a bit. We then stopped at a cute shop that sold blown-glass trinkets, among other things.
After a few minutes, Wes ventured to the counter to purchase something. I tried to see what he was up to, but he kept his back to me.
He held up a small gift bag as we walked out of the place. “I bought you a present.”
“Oh! I assumed you were buying something for yourself.”
He handed me the bag, with a snicker. The small box inside held a tiny pendant made of glass on a silver rope chain. My eyes widened. “You bought me a penis pendant?”
“Ah.” He laughed. “That’s what it looks like, doesn’t it?”
“It’s not a penis?”
“No, dirty girl. It’s not. It’s supposed to be a cactus.”
“A cactus does not have two balls at the base.”
“Those are not balls. Those are two other tiny cactuses growing next to the big one.”
“You expect me to believe that?” I laughed.
“I asked the owner! Because I wasn’t sure myself.”
I rubbed my thumb over the shiny glass. “Well, thank you…I think?”
“It has a deeper meaning,” he said.
“Oh? And what exactly is the deep meaning of this cactus cock here?”
“When you think back to this day when that jerkoff double-timed you, instead of focusing on that, you’ll remember it as the day I gave you this ridiculous necklace. The cactus cock will forever serve as a reminder that you deserve better, Juliette.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling. “Will you put it on me?”
“Of course.” He took it from me and opened the clasp. “Just don’t tell Vince it was from me,” he said as he wrapped it around my neck. “He’d never believe it’s a cactus.”
The warmth of Wes’s hands on my body sent a moment of heat through me. “Thanks again. That was sweet,” I said, looking down at it.
Next, we walked along the shore. I took my shoes off and held them in my hand, digging my bare toes into the sand as we went.
“Do you ever miss being a cop?” I asked him.
Wes looked up at the sky. “All the time.”
“Do you want to talk about what led you to working for my father?”
He slipped his hands in his pockets. “Not right now, no.”
“Okay,” I murmured.
I knew it had to be pretty damn bad for Wes to have ended up working for Dad. I didn’t envy anyone who had to deal with his wrath—myself included.
“But I will say this,” Wes suddenly added. “You don’t get too many moments like this one being a cop. So I have to take the good with the bad when it comes to this gig, you know?”
“I hear you.” I shielded my eyes from the sun as I looked up at him. “You’re good at what you do, Wes. I know I haven’t made it easy on you. I was very resistant to the idea of you in the beginning. But I’ve had more pleasant moments than bad ones with you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He smiled.
“You should.”
“And if I may compliment you for a moment, Juliette…”
“Please do…”
“You’re handling this whole thing as well as can be expected. I know it can’t be easy having a guard twenty-four-seven.”
“Well…it’s not easy. But…I’m glad it’s you,” I told him.
After a moment, he said quietly, “I’m glad it’s me, too.”
Why am I getting butterflies right now? Foolish.
We sat down on the sand and almost immediately, seagulls swarmed us. The next thing I knew, one of the birds had snatched my shoe and flown off with it.
“Oh my God! My shoe!”
Wes cackled. “Here I was thinking I could protect you from anything. But that right there was as covert an operation as I’ve ever seen.”
I cracked up, too. It sucked to lose a shoe, but it would always make for a good story. And it felt really good to laugh.
When it was time to walk back to the car, Wes carried me across the lot, since it skeeved me out to walk on the pavement with my bare foot. I felt light as a feather in his arms and wouldn’t have minded if the walk had lasted a bit longer.
I was so relaxed on the ride home that I nearly fell asleep. It had turned out to be a wonderful evening, thanks to Wes.
When he came around to let me out of the car, I hopped on one foot to the door. We cracked up all over again at the ridiculousness of it.
But our laughter came to an abrupt end as the lights of an approaching car registered.
Wes placed his arm around me protectively before shielding me. A window rolled down, and Wes reached for his gun.
Then we realized who it was.
“Where have you two been, and where the hell is your shoe?” my father bellowed.