11. Tuesday, May 15 – Friday, May 18, 2012
TUESDAY, MAY 15 – FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012
A s penance for her Monday self-indulgence, Julia spent the rest of the week at the shop, head down, playing catch up. Behind only caring for the fish, marketing became Priority One-Point-One. If she ever hoped to recover from losing Lars and Meg’s account, she would have to win new ones.
Between all of this, plus cleaning, ordering, bookkeeping, inventory, and, of course, customers – Julia found precious little time to reflect on the soap opera playing out in her personal life.
But every night that week, William came over for dinner. On Tuesday, he even did the cooking – a mild version of cold sesame noodles that even the kids loved, garnished with cucumbers and peanuts. And every night, he spent an hour teaching Robert and Paige more chords – Robert on his preschooler-sized guitar, Paige on a guitar he bought for her from an estate sale.
On Wednesday night, William accompanied Julia and Robert to tee-ball practice; and then on Thursday, he met Julia at Clio’s office in the Mission for a productive session. Afterward, they walked to the fancy-schmancy New American restaurant William’s coworker had recommended .
“Wow; you weren’t kidding – this place is outstanding,” Julia remarked as the restaurant hostess ushered them to their table.
Julia took in the warm, wood-paneled dining room, the inviting bar with its fully-stocked shelves bathed in amber light, and the stamped-copper tile ceiling. She admired the grain in the tabletops’ honey-colored wood, and the chairs with their leather seat cushions and woven-rattan backs. It was thoroughly classy without being over-starched.
Julia’s dad could stand to take a page or two from this restaurant’s playbook. She had been to some of the best and most expensive restaurants in the world with Kevin and his family, but this place somehow managed to combine special occasion vibes with the feeling of entering a friend’s home.
After taking their seats and ordering their non-alcoholic drinks, William reached across the table for her hand. “Have I told you how beautiful you look in that dress?”
Julia sat back just enough to peer in disbelief at her solid red dress, with its V-neck and cap sleeves. “It’s just one of those non-wrinkle things. Something I can fold down to the size of a credit card and change into after dance class.”
But his smile only widened as his eyes swept over her, lingering on the mermaid pendant resting in the hint of cleavage above the V-neckline. “So I guess that's what you’ve been doing.”
“Doing…?”
“To stay fit. You asked me last week what I was doing to keep in such good shape.” He ran his fingertips up her arms, coaxing goosebumps from the skin there. “Bollywood dance is obviously what you’ve been doing.”
Julia smiled. “That, yes; but my job is a workout in and of itself. I carry around some big jugs.”
He laughed out loud at this. His stunning eyes were an even more unreal shade of blue in this light, and her pulse fluttered at the intensity of his gaze. She wondered if he, too, was thinking of what happened Monday.
He said, “I have a surprise for you.”
“What is it?”
“Well, if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it? ”
She harrumphed. “Lame.”
“So, don’t take this the wrong way, but for me to show it to you, we’ll have to go back to my apartment.” His coy grin sneaked in from the side. “I don’t mean we have to go inside my apartment. Just to it.”
“But I thought going inside was part of the plan,” she said. “I brought my bundling board.”
He pretended to search underneath the table. “Does your bundling board fold down to the size of a credit card, too? And besides, isn’t it a bit too late for bundling boards? I mean, considering our Monday extracurriculars.”
“It’s a figurative bundling board, and tonight, we’re gonna be chaste as fuck.”
“Oxymoron much?” William retorted, and at the same time, their server arrived with their drinks. From the smirk on her face, it was obvious she had heard every word; and after she left, Julia and William spent the next five minutes snickering behind their hands like teenagers, until tears stung their eyes.
After rolling their eyes in ecstasy at their bourbon-glazed pork chops and South Carolina-style shrimp and grits, they staggered, bloated, to William’s apartment. Julia rested her head on William’s shoulder, groaning in pain and trying very hard not to burp or fall asleep standing up.
They crossed Van Ness, and William led Julia around the corner and up the block, until he stopped directly in front of his apartment. He stood there on the curb with a little smile, as if waiting for her to notice something.
“What?” she said, looking all around. She saw nothing out of the ordinary.
That’s when he placed his hand on top of a silver Jeep parked along the curb. “Here she is. All mine.”
Julia gaped, first at the Jeep, then at him. “Wait – you bought a car?”
“Not a car. A Jeep.”
She walked around the Jeep, taking it in – a Wrangler. “Why?”
“Um... because I’m a very big boy now?” he joked. He shifted his weight, as if self-conscious. “I realized I’ll be doing a lot of back and forth between my apartment and your house. And if I ever want to bring Robert anywh ere, I’ll need a safe way to chauffeur him. For that matter, sometimes I might want to chauffeur all of you.” He hesitated, fixing his keen gaze on her. “Plus, I hope this doesn’t sound incredibly chauvinistic, but I worry about you taking the bus on Thursday nights from the Mission to the Castro. I mean, I didn’t even feel comfortable riding with you last Thursday.” He patted the roof of the Jeep again. “So now I can take you myself.”
Who knew that watching a hot guy turn into a family man would be such an aphrodisiac? Clearly, she was getting old. “Okay… wow. But do you have a driver’s license?”
He startled her with a loud guffaw. “Is that a serious question?”
“I mean, I know you have one for a motorcycle, but–”
Sliding his arm around her waist, he yanked her right up against him and silenced her with a firm kiss on her mouth. “Yes, dork. For a car, too.”
“Well,” she said, still smiling, still breathless from his kiss, “I mean, you’ve never owned a car before, have you?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean I've never driven one.” He retrieved a key from the pocket of his jeans, unlocked the passenger door, and held it open for her. “So get in.”
“Wait – I thought we were going back to your apartment to practice safe chastity.”
He laughed, but his look was apologetic. “I hate to admit it, Julie, but I’m pretty wiped. It’s been a long week, and my busiest day is tomorrow.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, peering earnestly into her eyes. “Plus, you look pretty tired, yourself.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said, smiling up at him so he would know she wasn’t really offended.
“Well, aren’t you?”
“Tired?” In truth, she was about to fall asleep standing up. “Sure, but only because making out isn’t on the menu. If it was, I’d be getting my second wind right about now.”
He grinned, shifting his arms around her waist a bit tighter, but said nothing.
“Wow, look at us, turning into geezers!” But she cast his new Jeep some serious side-eye again .
“Oh my God, woman; do I have to lift you and put you in there myself?”
To her own dismay, the mental image of him cave-manning her into his car inflamed her libido all over again. “Yes.”
He laughed and swept his hand toward the car in an after you gesture. “Get in, you menace.”
“Aye aye, cap’n.”