Page 11 of Julian Shared
“Yes, dear?” he smiles.
I nod my head towards the pool with an amused smile. “What’s with the kids in our pool?”
“They are a strategic acquisition.”
I shoot Julian a hard look until he continues on with a sigh. “I borrowed them from their mother on the next lane over. You know the house with all those flamingos?”
“Sure do.” Everyone knows the house adorned with a flock of plastic flamingos. I didn’t know they came in colors other than pink.
“Well, they’re here while she takes a nap. I got them so we look more…family-friendly.”
“You improved our optics on the off-chance the commander shows up?”
The gaggle of children jumping in and out of the water are brown-haired. Each one sporting deep tans from the sunshine. If you squint from a distance, they almost look like they could be related to me.
And if you don’t notice their blue eyes.
Before I can decide whether to praise or scold Julian for the last-minute ruse, he gets exactly what he planned and plotted for.
The post commander walks out onto our deck, still dressed in uniform with his cap held under his arm. Shit. He lifts his hand to shield his eyes as he scans the backyard. When he spots Julian and I by the grill, he makes his way right over.
“At ease,” the commander chuckles. “I can’t stay for long, I just thought I’d drop by. Thank you for the invite, Mr. Flores.”
Julian perks right up. He loves when folks call himmisterFlores.
I didn’t have to ask him what he wanted to do with our surnames when we got married. Julian was more than happy to bury his father’s name and take mine.
“We’re so happy you could make it, even if it’s only to say hello. May I get you something to drink?”
“Sure, I’ll have some of that lemonade.”
He’s in for a treat. Julian squeezed those lemons by hand.
While he sips, we all chat. It’s light-hearted and surface-level fare. I’m just an NCO, so I’ll admit I’m surprised as all hell I’m even a faint ping on the commander’s radar. But he wishes us a happy anniversary, compliments our home, and asks me just enough questions that I get the distinct impression he’s trying to learn more about me to make some sort of judgment call.
“I’m glad I stopped by,” the commander quirks a smile. “I didn’t realize you were such a family man, First Sergeant Flores.”
He pats my back. Shit, that’s friendly.
“Sorry I can’t stay longer, but me and the missus are going to the VA hospital. Will deliver the good news on how much was raised at the bake sale today. Heard your mister’s muffins were a hit.”
Once the commander is gone, I shoot Julian a sharp look.
Julian shrugs, obviously pleased with himself.
“What? It worked, didn’t it? By the time the holidays roll around, your real brothers and sisters will be here visiting with their kids anyway.”
I can’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. This is why I married my boy. The sheer audacity of him sometimes.
???
Manuel shows up just about the time the little ones are being herded out of the pool and back home. He doesn’t come empty-handed. He has a bottle of wine for Julian.
It’s the cheap shit. The type that puts a photo of grapes prominently on the bottle so it can prove it’s made from real fruit.
“Oh, how…thoughtful,” Julian says with a smile so wide it looks painful. “I’ll go get some glasses for this.”
And what that means is he’s going to take the bottle inside and hide it somewhere.
