Navigating Hermes (Book Two)

Chapter Twenty-One

I'm still loving the theories you're leaving in the comments! I also found the comments aimed at Hamish very amusing and you're all right, he is an asshole (and dare I say, an Egg). Spoiler alert for those making guesses: There are a few hints in this chapter as well as to what's really going on so keep leaving your theories in the comment. Whoever guesses correctly (or whoever is closest) will have the reveal chapter dedicated to them so the rest of you can also congratulate them on their amazing guess! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you next week while I'm in the midst of moving to my house :) - Amy

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     The next morning for Julie was dedicated to spending quality time with Hamish. Though he hadn't offered much information about his visit back home, claiming it was boring, it did make Julie think about him meeting her family. One thing they had in common was that neither of them had met each other's friends or families, which Julie was starting to realize was strange. While she had been keeping Hamish a secret, the topic of her meeting his family or friends had never come up.

     "You know how you're going to meet my family fairly soon?" Julie asked as she sat down at her marble dining table. She rarely sat there to eat, but she'd made up a large platter and it fit better there than on her island.

     Hamish nodded in response, taking a seat as well.

     "Well," Julie started, dragging out the word, "I was wondering when I might have the chance to meet yours?"

     Hamish's face paled slightly. "Uh... I don't know."

     Julie raised an eyebrow, finding his reaction strange. "What do you mean?"

     "I mean, meeting your family is still an entire month away and yours celebrates Christmas in the more traditional sense," Hamish replied.

     "I thought yours did as well?" Julie questioned.

    Hamish shook his head. "They celebrate it as in, my brother and I got presents growing up, but not like your family does. They have us over for dinner, but no one else is invited. It's just myself, my brother and my parents."

     Julie's face scrunched. "I thought your brother was in a long-term relationship."

     "He is," Hamish replied, "but my mother is scary and strict so she doesn't allow anyone else to attend. She wouldn't care if they were married."

     "Yikes." Julie frowned. "That doesn't sound like fun."

     "It isn't," Hamish agreed. "I think a good time would be later in the summer. At that point we'll have been together for a more serious amount of time. Though, I will have to refer to you as my girlfriend."

     Julie smiled at him. "I know I've been weird about the labels thing, but I'm ok with you calling me that when talking to other people if it makes things easier."

     "Really?" Hamish looked pleasantly surprised.

     "Really," Julie confirmed. She added extra butter to a piece of toast before throwing a few cheese slices onto it and sighed at the nice taste before looking back at Hamish. "I might even be ok with officially labeling our relationship in the near future."

     Both of Hamish's eyebrows rose. "Well that's exciting news." He smiled before taking a bite of a bagel. "Want to hear something else exciting?" he asked.

     Julie nodded immediately and she leaned in slightly. "Always."

     Hamish pulled out his cellphone and looked around for a moment, sparking Julie's curiosity further. "I wish I'd asked you this sooner, but I was hoping that with your dad being your boss that you might be able to get some vacation time off with short notice."