Page 63 of The Summer for Us
Juliette nodded with a playful sigh, getting out of her daze. She beamed at me, and I knew I would never get tired of the sight. “Let’s see what you have planned, then, handsome.”
“You’re in for a treat, city girl.”
I drove Juliette to my favorite spot in Golden Falls, right on the edge of town by the lake. It was a picture-perfect lookout spot that was tucked away from everything and everyone and, in my opinion, had the best view of the sunset. I had initially thought about having a picnic dinner with Juliette by the lake, and we would wrap up by watching the sunset, but Cooper told me there was a rare geomagnetic storm happening tonight—which meant we would possibly see the northern lights. So, instead I picked Juliette up just before sunset, which this time of year was around 8:30 p.m. It would be completely dark by around 10 p.m.
I had blankets and pillows ready in my truck bed for stargazing once the sun set, plus a couple of dips, chips, and a bunch of Juliette’s favorite snacks. Lily also made us cookie dough brownies—a recipe she’d been trying out. Juliette always gravitated toward Lily’s chocolate treats when she stopped by Purrfect Blend.
“Oh, Wes, this is beautiful,” Juliette marveled as she hopped out of my truck.
I backed in when I parked so we could sit in the truck bed and see the water. I grabbed the paper grocery bag, blankets, and pillows from the backseat and rounded the vehicle, opening the tailgate with ease. I had the radio on, too, soft music playing through the windows.
I hopped up in the truck bed and extended my hand to Juliette, helping her up.
“What makes this spot your favorite?” she asked as we got the various snacks, blankets, and pillows set up.
“It’s always been a great spot to come to think and unwind. I’ve never seen anyone else here. Parts of town and the lake can get so busy, so it’s nice to know I can come here to get away from it all. This view is why I love Golden Falls so much. The trees, the water, the birds chirping, and various wildlife running around. I don’t want this town to lose that, even as more people are coming here.”
“It’s beautiful. There are so many spots in town that would go perfectly on a postcard, but this is my favorite one so far. Don’t worry—I won’t share your secret spot with anyone.” She looked down at the cheeses, crackers, dips, brownies, and gummy worms I had bought and eyed me skeptically. “Do we have the same taste in snacks or did you buy literally everything I love?”
“A little bit of both…but mostly the second one.”
She gave my arm a gentle nudge. “This is supposed to beourdate. You can’t just buy everything I like.”
I scoffed. “Says who?”
Juliette laughed, playfully rolling her eyes. “This is already the best first date.”
She scooted closer, and I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her into my side and kissing the top of her head.
I could stay like this forever.
38
JULIETTE
Wesleyand I could talk for hours now that we were comfortable with each other. He was chatty when he wanted to be! We’d talked about anything and everything over the last couple of hours: favorite music, what we wanted to accomplish in the next five years, what we looked for in a partner, people in our lives who influenced and motivated us. All the while, we made good progress on the snacks.
“What’s one place you really want to visit?” I asked.
We were both lying down. I was on my side with my head on his chest and my leg draped over his. He had his arm wrapped around me, his fingertips tracing up and down my skin.
“Alaska,” he answered without any hesitation. “Every picture or video I’ve seen looks absolutely stunning. Plus to be surrounded by mountains and nature like that? It would be perfect. I’ve yet to see any mountains, so that’s at the top of my list.”
“Hm…” I looked him up and down. “Yeah, I could see you as a rugged mountain man,” I teased.
He shook his head with a laugh. “What about you?”
I thought about it for a moment, about how I’d be ready to travel anywhere if it meant going with him. If it meant continuingthis.
“I’d love to go to Italy,” I finally answered. “The food, the wine, the history. I could easily spend weeks there, but even if I only got a small taste of it, I’d be happy.”
“You could probably spend some of the prize money on a trip, huh?” he teased, giving my side a gentle nudge.
“Yeah, probably.” I rolled my eyes playfully. “My parents recently bought a house in Florida, so I would like to help them pay that off. Then I want to make sure I have some sort of job. My brother will likely tell me to invest whatever is left, and I’ll listen because, annoyingly, he’s right. Just don’t tell him I said that.”
Wes looked down at me thoughtfully. “That’s really nice of you to do that for your parents. You should do something for yourself, too. Even if it’s not as big as a trip. You deserve it.”
I wanted my parents and brother to meet Wes. I wanted these different parts of my life to come together…but would they? I thought back to Lily’s words earlier this week about talking to Wesley about our future. Or, I guess, if we even had a future.
