It was the last thing Jules wanted to do, but somehow she found herself back on the sidewalk anyway, wearing her long coat while the evening air grew even colder. Her stomach growled. She was starving, and there was nothing to eat in her apartment.

And yet instead of heading in search of food or shelter from the cold, Jules lingered on Vivian’s sidewalk, touching her own lips. Even at the tail end of winter, they still seemed to glow with heat.

Our first kiss. She grinned so hard, her face hurt. She bounced up and down on her toes and looked upward. Clouds covered the stars, but it was still the most beautiful night sky she’d ever seen.

Chapter 44

Chapter 44

There was no buzzkill like talking to your parents.

Jules had enjoyed her kiss afterglow for all of two hours before they had called to say hi. Now she was flopped back down on her couch, trying to figure out what to tell them about her life, imagining the conversation as if it were a military letter with whole stretches of text blacked out for security reasons.

She wanted to talk about Vivian. She wanted to pick her parents’ brains about parenting and what babies were like and what she should do about all that. She wanted to ask about the secret to long, happy relationships. She wanted them to be excited for her, to be glad that Jules had…something…with the most fascinating woman in the world.

But she had to keep her mouth shut because the exact opposite would happen, and no way was Jules equipped to deal with that right now. She was about to burst tonight after that kiss, after all the wonderment of starting down a new path with no idea where it would lead.

“What about your writing?” her dad asked. “Got any more irons in the fire?”

“Not yet,” she admitted. “I know I should. Simon always told me that once I finished something, I should start something else right away.”

“Sounds like a recipe for burnout to me.” Her mom’s voice was firm. “I know that nobody at Du Jour ever stops working, but take some time for yourself once in a while.”

Her mom had been telling her that since high school. “I like keeping busy. And Simon’s right—I need to build momentum.”

“Well…” her mom began.

“I’ve been thinking about my career, in fact. Where I want to end up someday.”

Whoa, where had that come from? Jules hadn’t been thinking about anything of the sort. She’d been too busy.

“Yes?” her dad asked. “Changed your mind about fashion?” He sounded almost hopeful.

She scowled. “No. I still want to work in fashion, and I want to write.”

After a pause, her mom said helpfully, “So you want to keep doing what you’ve been doing?”