Page 15 of The Lake House (Southern Charm #2)

Chapter Fifteen

The day finally arrived. Julie was going to Australia. Her bags were packed and sitting by the front door. Blue stood guard over them. She’d showered and was dressed, making herself a cup of coffee in the kitchen when she heard the car pull into the drive.

She took a few sips of the scalding-hot drink, then poured the rest down the sink, her stomach flip-flopping with nerves. She checked her fanny pack again for her passport, tickets, lip balm, hand sanitiser and a few other odds and ends. It was all there.

Then she went to open the door. James was there, one hand poised to knock. Blue wagged his tail at James. He wasn’t much of a guard dog. James wore Dockers and a blue collared shirt. He smelled as though he was fresh from the shower.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

She nodded.

He grabbed her large bag while she took the carry-on and her purse. Then she followed him out to the black town car. The driver helped them with the luggage, and the two of them sat in the back seat while he finished up.

“I can’t believe I’m going overseas today. I’ve never been overseas before,” Julie said.

James arched an eyebrow. “Never?”

“Nope. I had a passport because I almost went to Haiti with a group from church last year, but the trip was cancelled.”

“Well, I consider it an honour that your first time is with me.” He laughed.

She blushed. “I’m glad I’m with you, actually, because at least I have someone to help me not do something truly stupid like… fall off the jet bridge.”

“That definitely would be stupid. But I don’t think that’s likely.”

“I’m so nervous. I feel like I’m going to burst out of my skin.”

He smiled. “This car just happens to come equipped with champagne. Would you like some?”

“Champagne? That would be perfect right now. It’s after five o’clock, right?”

“Even later in LA. That’s good enough for me.”

There was a bottle in a cooler between them. James popped the bottle open and poured them each a glass. It bubbled up to the top but didn’t spill over.

He held his aloft. “Here’s to our adventure together.”

She smiled and clinked her glass to his. “To our adventure.”

They drank and chatted excitedly about the trip all the way to the airport. Traffic was heavy, so it was nice that neither one of them had to worry about driving. And they had plenty of time to get there. Julie’s nerves gradually dissipated until she was completely relaxed by the time they arrived.

The driver unloaded their luggage, and they wheeled it inside to check in.

James was very helpful, walking her through every step.

The truth was, she’d never flown anywhere.

It was hard to admit at twenty-five years of age, but there it was.

She’d only ever driven to neighbouring states and had never gone far enough from home to need to take a flight there.

The process was starting to make her heart hammer again.

When they reached the gate, she sat down with a sigh of relief. “I can’t believe we actually made it on time. I thought we’d never get through that line at security.”

“It can take a while,” James agreed. “But we still have a little over an hour until boarding. Would you like to get a drink?”

“Yes, if we have time.”

“It’s after five here now.”

She laughed. “Perfect. Maybe we should grab something to eat as well.”

“They’ll serve us dinner on the plane, but we could get a little snack if you like.”

“I’d love something. I was too nervous to eat lunch.”

They found a small restaurant with a cozy English pub feel to it and sat at a booth in the back. Then they ordered an appetiser platter to share and a cider each.

“Do you remember when we found your mother’s homemade blackberry wine that Christmas when I stayed with you?” James asked as soon as the waiter left them.

Julie laughed. “I’d forgotten all about that. Yes! That’s right. The blackberry wine. She said it helped soothe her stomach. She used to get stomach aches all the time. If only she’d gone to the doctor, instead she learned how to make blackberry wine from Grandma.”

James nodded. “That was the first time I was ever drunk in my life.”

“I hope so. You were only fifteen.”

“And you were only twelve.”

“I know. I can’t believe I got drunk on wine with you at twelve. That’s terrible!”

“I was a bad influence, clearly.”

“I don’t think we knew it would make us drunk, though. Did we?”

“Oh, I definitely knew.” He winked at her. “I was a little bit curious what you’d be like with some wine. Of course, looking back now, I realise how bad that was. I should apologise… I hope you haven’t become an alcoholic or something.”

“I knew it was your fault!”

He laughed. “Definitely my fault. But I also have to admit that I kind of had fun with you that day. It was the first time I really felt like maybe we were friends, and that you didn’t hate me.”

“Hate you?”

“Yeah, you seemed pretty put out that I came to stay at first. I wasn’t sure how to get through to you. But the wine seemed to do the trick.”

“I definitely didn’t hate you, but I was probably a bit peeved that Mom was giving you all of her attention. Before you came along, it was just me and her. We were a team. Us against the world. And the world threw a lot at us, let me tell you.”

“I can understand that.”

Their food arrived at the table, along with the ciders. Julie took a big swig of hers. It was sweet and tart, perfect for how she was feeling. She ate a couple of fries dipped in garlic aioli.

“Over time, I grew to like you,” she said.

“I’m glad to hear it. I liked you a lot. Both of you. Although it was a hard time for me, being away from my parents and dealing with the divorce.”

“I’m sure it was. I realise that now. Of course, at the time I wasn’t thinking about that. I was focused on how you were horning in on my territory.” She chuckled. “It’s funny how selfish kids can be, huh?”

“Absolutely. But you weren’t too bad.”

“High praise!” She laughed.

He shrugged. “It’s about all a fifteen-year-old boy can say about a twelve-year-old girl.

Honestly, you were kind of annoying at times.

But you could be a lot of fun too, and by the time I left there, I knew you were someone I could trust forever.

Even now, I feel like I know who you are and that you’re the kind of person I could rely on just because of that time we spent together.

It’s a strange kind of connection, but a real one. ”

“I know what you mean. I feel it too. Like you’re steady, true, reliable. I trust you deep down, even though I don’t really know you. Or I haven’t known you in a long time.”

He nodded, eyes sparkling. “It’s nice. I don’t have any siblings. Or close friends. I’ve been so busy in recent years, studying, working… I haven’t focused on building those relationships. I have my friends at work. But we don’t hang out much after work.”

“I can understand that. I didn’t become a fancy doctor like you .

. .” She nudged him beneath the table with her foot.

“But I’ve been so focused on my studies that I can’t think of many people who’d miss me much now that I’m gone.

My ex-boyfriend probably noticed that I’m not there any longer.

And maybe the girl who lived next door to my dorm room.

My supervisor, of course, and perhaps some of the other PhD candidates.

But most of my good friends left after graduation and kind of drifted out of my life. ”

“It’s nice to have someone to talk to,” he agreed.

“Definitely.”

Before long, they finished up and wandered back to the gate just in time to board.

Their tickets were business class, so they were some of the first on board.

Julie was feeling a little buzzed and was beyond excited that her first time travelling was business class.

The chairs were enormous, with their own television screen and a bunch of other features in the armrest that she immediately started checking out.

James’ seat was right next to hers. The stewardess brought them each another glass of champagne while they waited for the rest of the passengers to board.

James handed her a couple of aspirin. “You should take these and have a glass of water. It’s good to drink throughout the flight, you can easily get dehydrated otherwise.”

She nodded. “Thanks. Good idea.”

He took some as well. Then they settled in for their journey.

Julie couldn’t wait to get there. She was happy to be travelling with James and having this adventure, but in the back of her mind, she was constantly aware that she might meet her sister and brothers for the very first time.

She only hoped they’d be as happy to see her as she was to see them.

She hadn’t told them she was coming. It felt too real, too scary, to set anything up.

And she might change her mind the moment the flight landed.

But if she missed this opportunity, she might never get another one. And the thought made her head spin.