Forbidden Boy

“Bill, have you seen the detail work on Julia

Forbidden Boy

not news to me,” he said matter-of-factly. Then he turned and headed out of the courtyard, calling over his shoulder, “Lunch break’s at one-thirty today. If you want pizza, it’s three bucks.”

It wasn’t until Bill had left that Julia

Remi shifted his weight from one foot to the other while Julia

“Um, well, okay. ’Bye,” Remi blurted, dashing out of the courtyard.

“Yeah, ’bye,” Julia

163

Chapter Seventeen

!

Julia

Forbidden Boy

she’d know what she was supposed to do. Gri

When Julia

“Who starred in the eponymous show about a news-caster in Mi

“Oh, even I know this one,” muttered Dad. “Mary Tyler Moore.”

“Chloe, do we really have to go through the additional cards?” Julia

“Do you have any better recreational suggestions?” Chloe countered, probably not meaning to sound quite so snippy. “Shall we do dramatic readings from the latest 165

Hailey Abbott

Publishers Weekly?” Chloe drawled, holding up a copy of their dad’s magazine. “Or should we watch another movie that we’ve all seen five times? Now that would be fun.”

Julia

“No Pictionary,” her father pleaded. “I’ve already been humiliated on the board game battlefield by one daughter today. I’m not going back for seconds.” Unable to reach consensus, they drifted to separate parts of the house. Dad went into his studio and Chloe clomped upstairs, while Julia

Julia

She’d been hoping to give it to Dad and Chloe today, but her grand plan required sunshine. So she remained at her post in the window seat, looking out over the beach with a book in her lap.

At the first hint of sun, Jules jumped at her chance.

“Daaaad! Chloe! Come in here!” She knew her dad was getting things together for a meeting with his editor in New York next week, and Chloe was talking on the phone with one of her sorority sisters, but time was of the essence.

166

Forbidden Boy

Julia

“Chloe Elise Kahn, you have five minutes to get your butt downstairs and out onto the back deck!” Chloe put her hand over the receiver and looked at Julia

“Nothing’s wrong, but it’s important.” Julia

“Now?” Chloe mouthed. “Really?”

“Really! Now go. Go, go, go! And get Dad on your way out.” Julia

Before Chloe had a chance to argue, Julia

Sharing space with dozens of art books and a complete collection of her dad’s children’s books were a half-dozen framed family photos. Julia

Hailey Abbott

mother/daughter easels. Ha

Julia

When Julia

“Sweetie, are you all right?” her father said, breaking the ice.

Julia

She handed the wrapped canvas to her father, who took a seat next to Chloe on the deck. As Dad and Chloe unwrapped the brown paper together, Julia

168

Forbidden Boy

“Oh my God! It’s amazing. It’s beyond amazing,” she gushed.

“Mom started this before she got sick and I wanted you guys to have it.” Julia

“Julia