Forbidden Boy

“Not even a little,” Julia

it made it even more special.

“I like that rule.” Chloe nodded thoughtfully.

“Saving your fireworks until after the fireworks. Very classy. Besides, you’re going to be working at cute-guy headquarters this summer. And you’re going to be the only girl there. We’ll need some sort of complex rating system to sort through all your options.”

“My little girls are growing up. I don’t think I like this,” Dad muttered pitifully. “One day it’s tea parties and art classes, the next it’s boys, boys, and more boys.”

“Oh, Daaad!” Julia

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Hailey Abbott

“Jules, sweetie, I don’t know how you’re going to hold down a job if you’re in the habit of sleeping until noon,” Dad teased.

“I wouldn’t say that sleeping in once constitutes a habit,” Julia

“Not a habit, per se.” Chloe smirked. “At least not yet. Wait until you run into that guy again; then we can start predicting recurrences.”

“Thank you, Captain Statistical Analysis,” Julia

Anyway, I’m going to be spending the entire summer number one, painting, and number two, surrounded by the aforementioned hot guys. I think I’ll find it in my heart to pull myself out of bed and get to work somehow.” Julia

“Point taken,” Chloe admitted, laughing. “Honestly, Jules, I can’t think of anyone else who could make working on a construction site sound so . . . appealing.”

“Are you kidding me? It’s going to be fantastic!

Sunshine, boys, making things and then painting them?

I can’t wait to start!” Jules gushed.

“And I,” Chloe cut in, not-so-subtly redirecting the conversation, “can’t wait to hear more about this guy you met last night. Tell me everything already!” Julia

Forbidden Boy

flashback to the night before.

“Chloe, stop picking on your sister,” Dad interceded halfheartedly.

“Daaaaa-aad!” Chloe practically squealed. “Don’t even!

You know you want to know almost as much as I do!” Chuckling, their father admitted, “You know, I’m not sure that’s true. It’s just that I’ll lose my parenting license if I don’t tell you to cut it out at least twice a day. Carry on, then.” He smiled, picked up his plate, and headed back into the house.

Chloe lazily swatted at a seagull that was flying per-ilously close to her plate. His bird buddies squawked overhead, egging him on to fight. Glad of the distraction, Julia

“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about,” Julia

“Oh my God. You’re totally gone for this guy!” Chloe was now in full squealing mode. “Jules has a boyfriend!

Jules has a boyfriend!”

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Hailey Abbott

“Um, excuse me?” Jules interjected. “Which one of us has the hot di

Boyfriend, what?”

“Seriously, though, Jules. Things looked pretty intense last night. I haven’t seen you click with a guy like that in . . . welll. . . ever,” Chloe prompted, her voice more serious.

Julia

It’s true. Talking to him just seemed so natural, Chloe.

Like everything fit.”

“He was pretty cute.” Chloe nodded, popping another grape into her mouth.

“And not just that,” Julia

“Here, here!” Julia

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Chapter Three

!

Julia

Hailey Abbott

the middle of the sky. Ha

Usually, making art chilled Julia

Today, however, as sweat beaded across her forehead and Lily Allen’s voice bounced out of her iPod, Jules felt like she was fighting a losing battle. She just couldn’t focus. Her mind kept floating across the beach. When the breeze came up off the water, she was in heaven. She stuck the end of her paintbrush in her messy bun for 34

Forbidden Boy

safekeeping and walked around the canvas, first clockwise, then counterclockwise. She picked up her easel and shuffled a few feet to the left, then to the right again.

Julia

The second Jules’s toes hit the salt water, she felt her good mood come rushing back to her. She walked in up to her waist, then ducked down, letting the waves rush up to her shoulders, cooling her down instantly. She swam out a few feet and bobbed around, surveying the scene. Some guys from town were tossing a football by the edge of the water, trying not to take out the occasional low-flying seagull. On either side of her, surfers were flexing their strong arms and pushing up onto their boards before gracefully gliding to shore. Mixed in with the boys, Julia