Page 10 of Romero and Juliette

“Bad news?” Juliette asks. Somehow, she’s standing close now.

“Just the guys,” I say. “They get chatty when they know I’m leaving town.”

“Bunch of mother hens,” she teases.

“Something like that.” Found family doesn’t begin to cover it. None of us are good at goodbyes, even for twelve hours.

Jude’s voice floats up from beneath the van. “Everything checks out from here.”

“I told you I was taking care of it,” Juliette says.

Jude slides back out, and his sister kicks his shoe. “Hey,” he says, coming to his feet. “Be nice.”

“I’m always nice,” she says.

“You used to be nice. Now you’ve gotten mean like your sisters.”

“They’re your sisters too,” she says.

Jude shudders, then looks at me. “You got sisters, Romero?”

“Nope. Only child.”

“Lucky bastard.”

Juliette leans in over my engine from this side of the van.

I should move. Go for a walk. A swim. Anything.

But I’m too late. Her sweet scent of oranges and spice hit my nose, and I swallow a groan. I move quickly away. “Gotta make a phone call,” I mutter, then step out of the garage bay and back into the heat.

chapter

five

Juliette

Sofia: I can see you staring at his ass from across the street.

Me: Whatever. Don’t you have some hair to dye?

Sofia: Doing highlights, actually.

Me: He has a spectacular ass.

Sofia: All of those military boys do.

Me: True, I suppose.

Sofia: What are you going to do about it?

Me: About what?

Sofia: Your crush on Mr. Tall, Dark, and Brooding.

Me: He doesn’t brood. He’s just more serious than some other guys.

Me: And I don’t have a crush.