Page 25 of Barefoot Dreams
Yeah, he’s perfect for Julie…
“So, you own this tattoo shop?” I ask Alec as he locks up the front door while Jacob went over to talk to seagulls. Apparently, they were in distress.
“Yeah, this baby is mine and Jacob helps around when he can.”
“That’s pretty cool,” I admit, realizing that so much had actually changed in LC over the years. None of us are kids anymore.
“Thanks.” Alec smiles. “If you ever want something done, just holler. We’ll get you set up.”
I nod in thanks as he calls for Jacob to leave the birds alone and come over.
“So, what’s his story?” I nod toward the Viking. “He wasn’t here before.”
“Nope, he moved here not too long ago from Chicago. Jacob’s family really sucks, and he needed to be someplace else, so we adopted him.”
“I see. I guess he settled right in.”
“Understatement of the year.” Alec laughs. “There isn’t a soul here who doesn’t love the guy.”
Yeah, including my girl…
“Have they been dating for a while then?” I ask before I can stop myself.
“Who?” Alec frowns.
“Him and Julie.”
A huge arm drapes over my and Alec’s shoulders. “Man, I knew you had it bad for her,” Jacob states with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Had it bad for whom?” Alec frowns some more.
“Brother.” Jacob sends him a look. “Open your eyes, our boy here is head over heels for my Julie-San.”
“She’s not yours,” I grit out before I can stop myself and that shit-eating grin of his only grows wider.
“See?” He waggles his eyebrows while Alec gapes at both of us before whisper-shouting, “Seriously?”
“No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend. You’re clueless,” Jacobs tells him.
“Look whose duck is quacking! I don’t see any girlfriends around your Viking ass either.”
“That’s about to change,” he says taking a deep breath of the salty air around us. “I can smell it in the air.”
“Mm-hmm, sure.” Alec gives him an unamused look. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“I swear. I feel my wife coming my way very, very soon.”
“The day any sane woman decides to tie herself to you will go down in Loverly Cave history.”
These two continue bickering and teasing each other like an old married couple but I tune them out because there’s only one question I desperately need an answer to.
“So, you and Julie are not…you know, together?” I ask, breaking up their conversation. My hand nervously rubbing the back of my neck.
They both stare at me before Jacob says, “Nope. Not even close, but…” He trails off, puckering his lips.
I stay right where I am, my eyes drilling into him to finish that thought but he’s clearly waiting for me to press the matter.
“But what?” I grit out and Jacob sighs with exaggeration.
