ago.
“Shit.” The word was meant only for me but Rory heard
me anyway.
He nodded a slow, sad agreeing nod.
“Ava’ll be down in a bit. We’ll have breakfast, you
can clear your head with some strong coffee. She’ll turn up – this
is Julia after all. Where can she possibly go?”
Rory nodded again and eased himself onto the same
stool that Julia had sat in just a few hours earlier. Turning my
back to him, I edged to the counter and gulped at the sight of
Julia’s wadded-up damp clothes in the kitchen sink. A quick glance
assured me he wasn’t watching, so I grabbed the boxers and the
shirt and shoved them behind the cans of cleaning concoctions in
the under-sink cupboard.
“What’s going on with her?” Rory’s head was in his
hands.
“I honestly do not know.” I hadn't strictly speaking
told a lie, but my stomach reacted sourly anyway.
“She's sneaking around. I just don’t know why. I
don’t know what she is up to.”
“Sneaking around? Julia? Like with another guy?”
“She has disappeared in the middle of the night four
times now. When she comes back, she gives me no hint about where
she's been. I don’t know what to think.”
“She’s having trouble sleeping. You know how she
likes to go for walks.”
“Does she? Since when?” he grunted.
After a quick dig through a basket in the top kitchen
cabinet, I found a half-full bottle of Pepto, Ava’s morning
sickness relief, and I chugged it.
“Has she called you?” My question was dumb; of course
she hadn’t called him.
Rory scoffed at me and then followed the noise up
with a look to me as if I was a complete idiot. “Has she called you ?” he asked bitterly, knowing that if she needed someone,
I am still the first person that Julia would call.
“Ava had nightmares last night,” I murmured,
realizing immediately that my comment had had nothing to do with
anything but I was desperate for a change in conversation.
The sound of coffee percolating and the open
refrigerator door helped me hide my desperation as I rummaged about
gathering eggs, milk and orange juice.
The whoosh of the glass door opening was followed by
Julia’s perfect accent, “Bloody hell, Rory, where have you been?
I’ve been looking for you!”
Julia's entrance surprised and distracted me, and the
plastic bottle of orange juice slipped from my full arms and
smacked the hard kitchen floor. The impact sent the bottle cap
flying and the ice-cold juice poured out at my bare feet.
“ Me ? Where were you ?” Rory shouted.
“Didn’t Ari tell you?”
“Did Ari tell me what? No! He’s acting like a
complete moron! What’s going on?”
I stood frozen, barefoot in a pool of orange
juice.
“Ari!” Julia stomped her foot and smiled at me. She
was fully dressed in her own clothes, her hair was done, her makeup
perfect. “Rory, I was here! I thought Ari called you!”
“What the hell, Ari!” Rory turned to me and I
remained in the juice with my jaw hanging open and my eyes too
wide.
“Uh.” I blinked.
Rory ground his teeth.
Julia tsked , stepped over the juice and
flopped her purse on the countertop. “I was here.” She kissed
Rory’s angry frown. “I couldn’t sleep. I swear, I tossed and turned
for hours, so I went for a walk up the beach – you know I do that
sometimes. Anyway, the rain came out of nowhere and I was nearly
struck by lightning! I was soaking wet. Thank goodness Ari still
leaves a key by the cactus, because I didn’t have my own keys or my
cell. I came in here and heard Ava and Max both screaming in their
sleep. Ari was running around in the dark house like a goon and
found me. He got me a pair of dry clothes and then rushed off,
promising to call you to tell you I was headed home. Why didn’t you
call him, Ari?”
Completely speechless, I stared dumbfounded at
her.
“What ever .” She moved past the breakfast bar
and pulled open a drawer filled with coffee mugs. She poured a cup
for herself and one for Rory and then
“Shit.” The word was meant only for me but Rory heard
me anyway.
He nodded a slow, sad agreeing nod.
“Ava’ll be down in a bit. We’ll have breakfast, you
can clear your head with some strong coffee. She’ll turn up – this
is Julia after all. Where can she possibly go?”
Rory nodded again and eased himself onto the same
stool that Julia had sat in just a few hours earlier. Turning my
back to him, I edged to the counter and gulped at the sight of
Julia’s wadded-up damp clothes in the kitchen sink. A quick glance
assured me he wasn’t watching, so I grabbed the boxers and the
shirt and shoved them behind the cans of cleaning concoctions in
the under-sink cupboard.
“What’s going on with her?” Rory’s head was in his
hands.
“I honestly do not know.” I hadn't strictly speaking
told a lie, but my stomach reacted sourly anyway.
“She's sneaking around. I just don’t know why. I
don’t know what she is up to.”
“Sneaking around? Julia? Like with another guy?”
“She has disappeared in the middle of the night four
times now. When she comes back, she gives me no hint about where
she's been. I don’t know what to think.”
“She’s having trouble sleeping. You know how she
likes to go for walks.”
“Does she? Since when?” he grunted.
After a quick dig through a basket in the top kitchen
cabinet, I found a half-full bottle of Pepto, Ava’s morning
sickness relief, and I chugged it.
“Has she called you?” My question was dumb; of course
she hadn’t called him.
Rory scoffed at me and then followed the noise up
with a look to me as if I was a complete idiot. “Has she called you ?” he asked bitterly, knowing that if she needed someone,
I am still the first person that Julia would call.
“Ava had nightmares last night,” I murmured,
realizing immediately that my comment had had nothing to do with
anything but I was desperate for a change in conversation.
The sound of coffee percolating and the open
refrigerator door helped me hide my desperation as I rummaged about
gathering eggs, milk and orange juice.
The whoosh of the glass door opening was followed by
Julia’s perfect accent, “Bloody hell, Rory, where have you been?
I’ve been looking for you!”
Julia's entrance surprised and distracted me, and the
plastic bottle of orange juice slipped from my full arms and
smacked the hard kitchen floor. The impact sent the bottle cap
flying and the ice-cold juice poured out at my bare feet.
“ Me ? Where were you ?” Rory shouted.
“Didn’t Ari tell you?”
“Did Ari tell me what? No! He’s acting like a
complete moron! What’s going on?”
I stood frozen, barefoot in a pool of orange
juice.
“Ari!” Julia stomped her foot and smiled at me. She
was fully dressed in her own clothes, her hair was done, her makeup
perfect. “Rory, I was here! I thought Ari called you!”
“What the hell, Ari!” Rory turned to me and I
remained in the juice with my jaw hanging open and my eyes too
wide.
“Uh.” I blinked.
Rory ground his teeth.
Julia tsked , stepped over the juice and
flopped her purse on the countertop. “I was here.” She kissed
Rory’s angry frown. “I couldn’t sleep. I swear, I tossed and turned
for hours, so I went for a walk up the beach – you know I do that
sometimes. Anyway, the rain came out of nowhere and I was nearly
struck by lightning! I was soaking wet. Thank goodness Ari still
leaves a key by the cactus, because I didn’t have my own keys or my
cell. I came in here and heard Ava and Max both screaming in their
sleep. Ari was running around in the dark house like a goon and
found me. He got me a pair of dry clothes and then rushed off,
promising to call you to tell you I was headed home. Why didn’t you
call him, Ari?”
Completely speechless, I stared dumbfounded at
her.
“What ever .” She moved past the breakfast bar
and pulled open a drawer filled with coffee mugs. She poured a cup
for herself and one for Rory and then