Free Chasing Julia (Rhode Island Romance #2) by Sophia Renny

gaze averted from Tony as they drove away
from Galilee. She licked and nibbled at her vanilla ice cream cone, but she
wasn’t really tasting it.
    She didn’t know if
she should feel angry with him for prying into her intimate thoughts or
grateful that he was gently prodding her to move forward with her life.
    It wasn’t gratitude
she was feeling. She didn’t know what she was feeling really. It was all so
strange. Something between them was changing. It was there in the air between
them, almost tangible. She wasn’t sure she liked it. She’d always been so
comfortable with the adult Tony. He was fun. Charming. Easy. But she’d glimpsed
his darker, more serious side today; one that she hadn’t witnessed in years.
    He began to whistle
along with the classic Eagles tune playing softly on the radio. She flicked a
glance at him. He’d finished his ice cream cone. He had his right hand on the
steering wheel, his left arm propped on the window ledge. He’d rolled his
window down. He looked happy, carefree.
    Maybe she was
reading too much into things. It wasn’t as if he’d never touched her before or
told her that he loved her. He’d always been more demonstrative of his feelings
than Joe, more tactile and vocal in expressing his love for his family and
closest friends. But, before, the words had always been said in a friendly,
lighthearted way.
    It was probably
only because she was feeling so vulnerable and needy that she was reading more
in Tony’s words and actions than what was actually there. She was missing a
lover’s touch, that’s all.
    She and Tony were
simply good friends, maybe even best friends. Yes, she felt the same for him as
she did for Hannah. They were the two people who had stood by her the most
during these last few months.
    She relaxed. She
gobbled down the rest of her ice cream cone and cleaned off her fingers with a
paper napkin. She pinned a smile on her face and put gaiety in her voice as she
turned towards Tony. “Where are we headed now?”
    He kept his eyes
straight ahead. The corner of his mouth twitched. “You’ll see.”
    “More guessing
games?”
    “It’s not too far
away. Let’s stop here first.” He slowed the truck down and turned into the
parking lot outside a corner market. He flashed a brief smile at her as he
exited the truck. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
    She watched him
walk towards the building entrance. Her eyes lingered on his trim backside, his
tanned, muscled calves, the confident way he carried himself.
    Stop it. Just stop it.
    He returned a few
minutes later and placed a bag in the truck bed. “Not much farther to go,” he
assured her as he got back in the truck.
    Less than ten
minutes later they were turning onto a familiar dirt road.
    Julia gave a soft
gasp and leaned forward in her seat.
    “Remember this
place?” Tony asked, his voice a little raspy.
    “Yes.”
    He pulled the truck
under the shade of an elm tree and killed the ignition. “That was a good day,”
he said quietly, not looking at her.
    He hopped down from
the truck. She got out after him, watched him as he threw the grocery bag into
an ice chest and hefted the container from the truck bed. “Need any help?” she
asked.
    “Grab that bucket
and the net.”
    She followed him
down the narrow dirt path towards the water. Everything looked the same and yet
it was different. The colors seemed more vibrant. There was a different quality
to the air and the water, a sense of anticipation, as if this place had been
waiting for Tony and Julia’s return.
    What strange
notions she was having today. She’d been feeling so sentimental these past few
days. Perhaps it was nothing more than simply being away from work, venturing
outside her normal, defined schedule and the focus on clients and
responsibilities.
    They walked out to
the end of the weathered, wooden pier and set the supplies down. Tony turned
back to shore.
    “I can help you
find some sticks,” she offered.
    His gaze