SHADES OF LOVE

CHAPTER 23

Don't worry, everything is going to be groovy and amazing.

Not your words. Something like that would never come from your mouth. It was the slogan for the natural foods restaurant Julia insisted you both tried for lunch.

You pushed your spoon through your açai bowl, which per the menu was made with love. Truly it shouldn't be that bad. Then again, you did ask for no chia seeds, no green foods powder and no anything you'd never heard of. That left you with a bowl of berries and yogurt. And how bad could that be, right? Again, it was made with love.

Julia gave you a smile as she set down her wheatgrass shot and picked up her watermelon juice. "You should try this, it really is so good."

Feigning gagging, you shook your head. "I tried it at that café we had lunch a few weeks ago. No thank you." You watched as she set the cup down and grabbed her black bean burger. "How's everything going at the shop?"

"Same old. I've been scanning the new trends for next season. We'll have a whole slew of new shoes coming in later this month, and I think you'll love quite a few of them."

"Ooh, just let me know as soon as you get them."

"Will do." She quickly chewed and swallowed, then said, "I'm sorry about your weekend. That sucked major ass." She looked across the table at you. "But I'm glad you returned safe and sound."

"Yeah," you mumbled with a little shrug, scooping the yogurt into your mouth. "David called Saturday," you said as casually as possible.

Julia's brows rose. "What'd he want?"

"It's his birthday this weekend and he's having a family lunch. He asked me and Alice to come over."

"Hmm." Her head tilted a little as she studied you.

A moment of silence later, you said, wincing inwardly, "Would you come with us?"

Her lips pursed. "You mean as a chaperone? Don't you trust yourself?"

"Julia," you began, in that low warning tone parents save for bratty children, "I'm not getting back together with David—ever—and you know that damn well. He said he'll invite you over, too. I want you there with us because I think it could be fun, and because I don't want to lead him on. He agreed we'd go as friends, but I think the concept needs to be drummed into him, just to be safe. And fair."

"So you should've just said no and told him you'd drop Alice off to spend the day with him."

"I tried."

"No is no, sweetie. Not that difficult."

"Shut up." You pinched a berry from your bowl and dropped it into your mouth. "It's bad enough I got guilted into going."

She scowled. "What the hell do you have to feel guilty for?"

"David got his ass kicked because of me!"

"Nooo, he got an ass-kicking because he kissed a girl who was taken, without thinking about the consequences."

"Look, I don't need another lecture about David, okay?" You could argue but deep down you knew she was right. Sighing, you asked again, "Will you go with me, please?"

A napkin flew across the table at you. "Yeah, I'll go. You're right, it could be fun. I can lecture David instead."

You chuckled and shook your head. "Thanks."

"Mmmm...this is so good. You have to try it," she said, offering you the last bit of her veggie burger.

"No, I'm good," you told her, pushing your empty bowl aside. That was not yogurt, by the way. "Want to tell me about that dress and that hot factor of about a fifteen on a scale of one to ten?" You pointed at her.