Layers: Book One by Tl Alexander

about staying at the Villa. They love that place.”
    “I know that’s why I decided to gift it to them.
    “Oh my God, Lex. They’ll be over the moon.
    “I haven’t been there in years and they go several times a year. I wanted to give them the deed before they left but there was a hang up with paperwork. The agent that I hired in Florence didn’t get the paperwork filed in time.”
    “Well they’ll be thrilled to death.”
    “Everyone here seems so nice. I met Lester when Mary sent me to the kitchen with Marco’s dinners. He looks just like Mr. Clean.”
    I chuckle. “Yeah, just like. Nice man, but God bless Marco for sending me meals. Lester thinks the only thing vegetarians eat is tofu.”
    “So how is your investigation coming a long?”
    “Good. Better than good.”
    “Enough about me. I want details about you and Ken.”
    “He’s so good to me, Lex. At first I thought it would be weird because I represented his ex-wife, and I really like her. But he has never brought it up.”
    “You look happy, Jules.”
    “I am. When I look at myself in the mirror. I don’t recognize myself. I’m a content and fulfilled person.”
    “You’re in love, Jules. It’s written all over your face.”
    “Yes I am. He’s the one, Lex.”
    “Really? The one ?”
    “Yeah, if he ever asked me to marry him—I would.”
    “From the girl that said she would never ever marry. Just goes to show you—never say never.”
    “It scares the crap out of me, Lex.”
    “Why?”
    “Because we’ve only been dating for a few weeks and I already feel that I couldn’t live without him.”
    “Yeah, relationships are scary. Not like I’m an expert or anything but you don’t need to be an expert to figure that one out. So how is the…” I raise a knowing brow.
    “It’s fantastic.”
    And speaking of sex —Jules phone rings. She answers it and grins earring to earring. She holds up a just-a-second finger. Her smile is infectious and I find myself smiling along with her as she talks with Mr. Cain.
    I love Jules. We’re complete opposites but we seem to work well together. Jules is stunning. She’s always reminded me of a Barbie and yes, I find it ironic that Nick reminds me of Ken. She has the biggest blue eyes and a cute little Barbie nose. She’s curvy and proud of it.
    Jules looks at the world in color and yeah, she’s different, even a little wacko. Her misadventures are legendary and, at times, just plain fucked up. But hey, that’s just Jules. I think our connection runs deep because we both had unusual and difficult childhoods. Okay, we have issues—parent issues, relationship issues, trust issues and so on and so on.
    I watch Jules as she talks to her one. She’s in love and it looks good on her. Love is wonderful and scary. Okay, what the fuck do I know about it? Not much—I totally suck at it.
    Gram says you know he’s the one when your heart skips a beat. When you look at him, it skips, when he looks at you, it skips. When you hear his voice, it skips. When he touches you on your shoulder or you feel his breath on your neck…skip, skip. When he breathes in your scent, skip. When you breathe in his…skippy-skip. When I look at Jaxson, hear him, feel him, my heart doesn’t just skip beats, it almost stops. Crazy right? What the hell am I going to do?

 
THE KING RETURNS TO HIS CASTLE
     
    I’m lying in bed nestled in between my Beeb sheets. I feel something brush against my leg. It tickles and I kick it away. It returns and I kick at it again. Then it speaks but the words are muddled. It continues to muddle-speak and I tell it to shut the fuck up and go away. Then it laughs and tugs my hair. I swat at it. Then I hear it speak my name and I open one eye. It’s hot. Okay, damn hot but I’m damn tired.
    I was up late playing poker, shooting whiskey and smoking cigars with my new friends. It pulls on my hair again and I open the other eye. “What the hell are you doing?”
    “I’m sitting on your bed,