Read Online What if I Fly? by Jayne Conway - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jayne Conway
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were a figment of Julia’s imagination. But here you are, in the flesh!”
“Has Julia been talking about me?” Will asked, rising to shake Gabby’s hand.
“Hmmm…you could say that. Or was that some other guy named Will you were talking about, Jules?” Gabby coyly smiled at Julia, batting her eyelashes.
Introductions made, Gabby sat in the empty seat across from Will, beside Ellie.
“So…” Gabby leaned across the table toward him, “Now that I know you’re real, let me ask you a question.” She crooked her finger, beckoning him to come closer.
He laughed and leaned in, eyebrows raised. “When, dear Will, are you going to ask our fair Juliet out on a proper date? I mean, hanging out on docks, looking at the stars is romantic, sure, but how about dinner at a restaurant? A movie at the Showcase?”
Will opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and turned toward Julia with a smile, while Gabby and Ellie stared at him expectantly. He had every intention of asking Julia out on a ‘proper date’ but he wasn’t going to do it in front of an audience.
Julia’s face had turned beet red and she rose to her feet, saying, “I need a drink. Anyone want a drink?” All hands flew into the air. “I’ll grab a couple of pitchers,” she said and made her way to the bar, Will close behind her.
Five months later, he’s sitting at Rockwell Park, kicking himself for being so insensitive to Julia’s feelings at the wedding the night before. They’d come so far since Thanksgiving. Every time they were together, they grew a little closer, a bit more intimate. He never pushed her, sensing there was more to her reluctance than modesty, afraid she would disappear if he moved too fast.
Freezing on the dock, Will finally understood how deeply she’d been hurt by her parents’ divorce, made the connection between the pain she’d experienced and her need to keep him at arms length.
He closed his eyes and hung his head in shame. He didn’t need to have a talk with Ellie about his relationship with Julia. He finally gets it.
Julia’s afraid of being abandoned.
And that’s exactly what he did last night at the wedding. He left her to fend for herself and unintentionally fed her to the wolves.
Chapter Five
Julia has no desire to see Will. It’s almost Memorial Day, her semester is just about over and she’d prefer to stay in New York this summer. She’s been kicking herself over the past six weeks for being so stupid, for letting herself fall in love with Will. She knows better!
Since the wedding, Will’s called her and left a few messages on her machine. She spoke to him once, an incredibly awkward conversation. He apologized, she made small talk. He’s trying to make things better, but she doesn’t see how that’s possible. I don’t even know who he is! And Julia doesn’t want any part of the world Will introduced her to that night. If that’s the sphere he operates in, he can do it without her.
She was offered a job as a live-in nanny in the Hamptons for the summer and had accepted it, but was forced to back out when her father called the night before her last final. Her grandmother had a heart attack and wasn’t doing well. In a panic, Julia rented a U-Haul, loaded it, and was on the road the second she finished her exam the next day.
The first time Julia visited the hospital, she was afraid to approach the bed. Her grandmother was hooked to all kinds of machines with lights blinking on and off, an IV taped to her arm. Gram looked so tiny, so fragile. She’s always been small, but she seemed to shrink considerably since Julia’s last visit home.
Hospitals have always made her uncomfortable, and she avoids them if at all possible. When her other grandmother was dying, Julia hardly visited her and still regrets it. She won’t do that again, she couldn’t live with herself if she wasn’t there for Gram. Julia tiptoed across the room and sat in the chair
“Has Julia been talking about me?” Will asked, rising to shake Gabby’s hand.
“Hmmm…you could say that. Or was that some other guy named Will you were talking about, Jules?” Gabby coyly smiled at Julia, batting her eyelashes.
Introductions made, Gabby sat in the empty seat across from Will, beside Ellie.
“So…” Gabby leaned across the table toward him, “Now that I know you’re real, let me ask you a question.” She crooked her finger, beckoning him to come closer.
He laughed and leaned in, eyebrows raised. “When, dear Will, are you going to ask our fair Juliet out on a proper date? I mean, hanging out on docks, looking at the stars is romantic, sure, but how about dinner at a restaurant? A movie at the Showcase?”
Will opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and turned toward Julia with a smile, while Gabby and Ellie stared at him expectantly. He had every intention of asking Julia out on a ‘proper date’ but he wasn’t going to do it in front of an audience.
Julia’s face had turned beet red and she rose to her feet, saying, “I need a drink. Anyone want a drink?” All hands flew into the air. “I’ll grab a couple of pitchers,” she said and made her way to the bar, Will close behind her.
Five months later, he’s sitting at Rockwell Park, kicking himself for being so insensitive to Julia’s feelings at the wedding the night before. They’d come so far since Thanksgiving. Every time they were together, they grew a little closer, a bit more intimate. He never pushed her, sensing there was more to her reluctance than modesty, afraid she would disappear if he moved too fast.
Freezing on the dock, Will finally understood how deeply she’d been hurt by her parents’ divorce, made the connection between the pain she’d experienced and her need to keep him at arms length.
He closed his eyes and hung his head in shame. He didn’t need to have a talk with Ellie about his relationship with Julia. He finally gets it.
Julia’s afraid of being abandoned.
And that’s exactly what he did last night at the wedding. He left her to fend for herself and unintentionally fed her to the wolves.
Chapter Five
Julia has no desire to see Will. It’s almost Memorial Day, her semester is just about over and she’d prefer to stay in New York this summer. She’s been kicking herself over the past six weeks for being so stupid, for letting herself fall in love with Will. She knows better!
Since the wedding, Will’s called her and left a few messages on her machine. She spoke to him once, an incredibly awkward conversation. He apologized, she made small talk. He’s trying to make things better, but she doesn’t see how that’s possible. I don’t even know who he is! And Julia doesn’t want any part of the world Will introduced her to that night. If that’s the sphere he operates in, he can do it without her.
She was offered a job as a live-in nanny in the Hamptons for the summer and had accepted it, but was forced to back out when her father called the night before her last final. Her grandmother had a heart attack and wasn’t doing well. In a panic, Julia rented a U-Haul, loaded it, and was on the road the second she finished her exam the next day.
The first time Julia visited the hospital, she was afraid to approach the bed. Her grandmother was hooked to all kinds of machines with lights blinking on and off, an IV taped to her arm. Gram looked so tiny, so fragile. She’s always been small, but she seemed to shrink considerably since Julia’s last visit home.
Hospitals have always made her uncomfortable, and she avoids them if at all possible. When her other grandmother was dying, Julia hardly visited her and still regrets it. She won’t do that again, she couldn’t live with herself if she wasn’t there for Gram. Julia tiptoed across the room and sat in the chair
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