Julian wondered how long it would take for Beckett to figure out what he had done. “Remember when you were in the shower, and I asked for your passcode?” He waited until Beckett nodded, and his brows slid together under his Oakley’s. “I synced our calendars. I decided you probably thought we were that far into our relationship to join our calendars.”
The syncing had been a spontaneous choice. Designed to confuse and tease Beckett. The added benefit for Julian was that he’d already started to miss Beckett and Woofer. It helped his swinging emotional states to see Beckett’s scheduled activities for the day.
“Ah…” Beckett started, grinning like a Cheshire cat—a sweet, smiling kitty cat. “We’re in a relationship?”
The doe-eyed expression had Julian giving a dramatic eye roll. “I’m standing in the middle of the parking lot, letting the sun’s violent rays touch my skin without sunscreen… This has to be bad for my complexion. I’m risking a wrinkle and dark spots to talk to you privately. So yeah, we’re in some sort of an it’s complicated relationship.” Julian wasn’t even freaked out by confirming their status out loud. “By the way, know anything about the tan sedan sitting in the back parking lot?”
Some of Beckett’s excitement faded as he pulled the sunglasses off his face. He squinted as if he could see past Julian to the vehicle in the furthest lot. Beckett clearly wasn’t sure if Julian was testing him or asking a legit question, so he turned the phone’s screen to show the evidence parked in the distance.
“Julian…” Beckett started, giving a wince.
“Julian…” Julian mimicked, loving the way Beckett squirmed.
When no excuse readily came, Beckett’s shoulders slumped as a heavy sigh escaped. His gaze lowered to his feet. “Look, I like the idea of someone keeping an eye on you when I can’t. He’s a good friend. He’ll take this job seriously.”
“Beck!” A booming masculine voice stopped Beckett’s explanation midsentence. It gained all of Beckett’s attention as he swung his head to the right. Julian did, too, as if he could see the man with such a commanding tone. “We need you, son!”
“Turn the phone so I can see him,” Julian instructed.
Beckett did as he asked.
“I’ll be there in a minute.” Beckett’s sweet-hearted tone changed. A tough voice barreled from his chest. Julian couldn’t see Beckett’s father clearly. He stood on a large wraparound porch with his fists resting on his hips and a round belly sticking out. Beckett and his father shared similar features, showing hints of what Beckett might look like as he aged.
“I should go.” Beckett turned to face the screen. “Don’t send Marc packing until you and I talk more. He’ll stay out of your way, I promise, but if something goes wrong, he’s right there to help.”
“We’ll see.” Julian never gave in prematurely and didn’t want to start now. “Call me later.”
Beckett gave a two-finger whistle over his shoulder, drawing Woofer’s attention. The dog bounded forward as Beckett started in the direction of his father.
“Don’t do anything until we talk again. Promise me,” Beckett pleaded. It seemed Julian was shit to go against what Beckett wanted and gave a nod before disconnecting the call. Julian felt so damn good he closed his eyes and lifted his face to the sun, grinning. In the measures of his life, he’d reached another milestone. His happiness was back. Damn, it felt good.
Chapter 27
The reclining chair had a comforting, familiar squeak as Beckett leaned back, taking his cell phone with him. Randy’s instant irritated gaze shot toward Beckett. They were three hours into their preparations, and every single time Beckett pushed back in the seat, the noise seemed to grate on Randy’s last nerve, drawing his immediate ire.
“My God-da,” Randy declared, shifting his angry gaze toward Beckett again. “Stay off the fucking phone. You’re making this take so much longer than it has to. You’re killing me.”
The papers in Randy’s hand went flying as he tossed them in the air. Beckett didn’t care in the least. He was proud he’d made it a full fifteen minutes before responding to Julian’s latest text. His thumbs worked furiously on the small screen until his text messages app opened.
“What are you gonna do when you can’t talk to this guy for three days?” Randy asked, pushing out of his seat.
“I’ll have the satellite phone,” Beckett answered absently as he read Julian’s latest message.
If Beckett read between the lines properly, Julian seemed genuinely happy. The tone of the lighthearted texts and the way Julian consistently carved out time to talk to Beckett during his busy day was far different from the cynical, sarcastic persona Julian used as a shield against the world.
His heart warmed, all the Julian-induced tingles ran up and down his arms, leaving a trail of goose bumps as if Julian were right there with him, touching him in that tender way he had. The things Julian shared might be superficial—he’d sent the details of his management training—but it didn’t matter. Julian was blooming right in front of Beckett’s eyes. A surprising change.