Dragonfly

Chapter 9

The next week drove me crazy between Jack’s continued silence and my obsessing over what it might mean. I decided to take Julian up on his offer to visit his studio. I’d never made it over while working on the story, and he was always a good distraction.

It was like a sauna in the small garage, and Julian’s shirt was off. The hot wax method of jewelry-making was very delicate and involved setting tiny shells in wax molds and then filling the molds with sterling silver. Once he had made a series of tiny silver shells, he started the task of soldering them together into a ring.

It was fascinating work, but as I watched him, studying the lines on his torso, I was distracted by how much he reminded me of Jack on the sailboat that day. It wasn’t just their similar build, but his movements and his focus. It was peculiar. If I just looked at Julian’s body, I’d swear it was Jack.

Or more likely, I was going crazy with missing my… whatever Jack was. I glanced up and caught Julian’s eyes on me.

“Were you just checkin me out?” He stood up straight, eyes slanted.

“No!” I answered too fast.

Julian grinned, pointing his torch at me. “You were checkin me out.”

I felt my cheeks turning pink. “I was not. I was thinking about Jack.”

He frowned and bent down again to continue working. “Where is the golden boy anyway?”

“His brother’s in town, so he’s been at home. Didn’t Lucy say anything about it?”

“Nah. She doesn’t talk about them.”

“What do you guys talk about?”

“Art. What I do… I guess me mostly.”

She knows what boys like. “You really like her?” I asked.

Julian shrugged. “She’s cool, I guess.”

He stopped and pushed his goggles back to examine the ring. I was sitting on a nearby bench holding a welder’s lens in front of my eyes to protect them from the white-hot light.

“Have you taken it up a notch?” I asked, wondering why I even cared.

He glanced at me. “No. We’re taking it slow.”

“Well, I love the ring. She’s going to be thrilled when she sees it. Of course, if she’s not, I’ll be happy to take it off your hands.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“So what’s the status on art school? Have you applied or what?”

He pulled off the goggles and grabbed a shirt, pulling it on as he spoke. “I’m building my portfolio now. I’ll probably make another piece like this to put in it, and then I have to go for an interview. Mom and I are going to drive over and tour the campus during spring break, and one of the galleries has offered to write me a recommendation and show some of my smaller pieces in their collection. And I’ve got your story now. Thank you.”

“Wow. I’m impressed. You’re really on top of things.”

“Didn’t think I had it in me?” He grinned.

“Of course not. It’s just, you’re always joking around and stuff. But not with this. You’re so serious.”

“What other choice do I have?”

I nodded and he picked up a cloth and started polishing the ring.

“What do you think about Lucy’s dad?” I asked, watching him. “Have you met him? Or her brother William?”