“Oh yeah? What does it say?” Her cell phone buzzed, but she ignored it. She was entitled to a few minutes of downtime.
“It says that you liked him enough to take a chance on him.”
“I made a mistake.”
“Did you?” He regarded her carefully before he asked, “Was it a mistake because you two had no connection, or was it a mistake because you learned about his past?”
“I’m not sure we should be talking about this.” One of the diner’s longtime waitresses, Mae, returned with their drinks, and Juliette gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks.”
“You got it, hon.”
Branson sipped his lemonade while watching her do the same. “I’ve known Zeke a long time, and—”
“Was he going by Zeke when you two met, or is that a recent thing?” She’d wanted to ask Zeke himself, but it seemed inconsequential given the nature of their talk.
“I’ve only known him as Zeke. Did he tell you why he’s using his middle name now?”
“No, but—”
“He got tired of being defined by his past. He wanted to reinvent himself, and he has.”
“Good for him.” She’d always believed everyone deserved a second chance.
“For the record, Madam Mayor, he hasn’t just been surviving. He’s been thriving.”
She had a million questions about Zeke’s life, but it didn’t seem fair to put his best friend on the spot even if he had been the one to pique her curiosity. “He told me he’s an app developer.”
Branson flashed a grin. “I bet he didn’t tell you he sold one of his latest apps to one of the big dogs for a twenty mil, did he?”
She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she finally croaked, “Twenty million dollars? Do those guys really make that much?”
“The best do,” he said, shaking his head. “And Zeke’s the best. This is the eighth app he’s sold, and they’ve all been crazy successful.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
“Because he doesn’t like to brag. He’s honestly one of the most humble guys you’ll meet.”
“Zeke humble? Are you sure we’re talking about the same guy?” He’d struck her as self-assured. Not arrogant but definitely not humble either.
“He doesn’t talk about his success or take credit for his accomplishments. You know most guys who’d made as much money as he has would be bragging to anyone who’d listen, especially a girl they were trying to impress.”
“He’s not trying to impress me.” When Mae returned with their lunch, Juliette murmured her thanks. “At least not anymore. I told him there was no chance for us.”
“Because of your job?”
“For one. But I honestly did it for Zeke’s sake too. I got the feeling he wants to keep a low profile while he’s here, and dating me would only draw unwanted attention to him. That didn’t seem fair.” She tried to flatten her pastrami on rye, but it was no use, so she bit into it as best she could.
“So it had nothing to do with what happened to his brother? There isn’t a part of you that’s still judging him for taking another life?” He took a bite of his sandwich while she did the same.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?”
Juliette looked up to see Zeke standing over them. She had no reason to feel guilty. It wasn’t as if she’d invited his friend out to lunch for the sole purpose of pumping him for information about Zeke. Still, she felt uneasy as she imagined what Zeke must be thinking.
“Hey, buddy.” Branson smiled, gesturing toward the space next to Juliette. “Join us. We were just talking about—”
“Me.” He and Branson shared a meaningful look before he said, “I heard. Care to tell me why?”
“Just wanted to make sure Jules had all the facts before she decided to write you off.”
“I think she has all the facts she needs,” Zeke said through gritted teeth. “And any others should come from me, not you, don’t you think?”
Zeke was obviously concerned his friend would overshare, which made Juliette wonder what he was trying to hide.
Zeke suddenly seemed to notice they were drawing a lot of attention because he said, “I should get going. I just came into town to see if that little antique shop was still here.”
“What are you looking for?” Juliette asked. “Maybe I can help you find it.” She gestured to her half-eaten sandwich. “I’m not very hungry anyhow.”
“Thought you had to get back to work,” Branson said, looking amused.
“I do, but—”
“It’s okay, Juliette.” Zeke stared back at a few of the patrons who seemed to be watching their exchange with interest. “I wouldn’t want to drag you away from your work. You two enjoy the rest of your lunch.”
Juliette felt sick watching him leave. He clearly felt like an unwelcome outsider, and instead of acknowledging him as her friend—at the very least—she’d let everyone glare at him as though he was single-handedly trying to destroy their quiet little hamlet.
“Did you know he was going to be here?” Juliette asked. “Is that why you brought me here, so he’d see us together?”
“He may have mentioned he was planning to check out some shops on Main Street and maybe grab a bite here.”
“Then why did you bring me here?” Juliette asked, unable to hide her frustration. “He already thinks you and I are interested in each other. This just”—she spread her hands, nearly knocking her fork off the table—“gives him more reason to believe it.”
“Here’s the thing you need to know about my buddy,” Branson said, pushing his plate aside. “He’s stubborn. And he has a chip on his shoulder. When he thinks someone’s ready to write him off without a fair shot, he beats them to the punch.”
“So?”
“He’s ruined every good relationship he’s ever had that way. He assumes his partner’s going to break up with him eventually, so he dumps her first.”
“I don’t know what that has to do with me.” Though she couldn’t deny she found Branson’s theory interesting. “We’re not even friends, let alone a couple.”
“He’s writing you off not because he wants to but because he thinks you’re not willing to fight for a chance with him. Deep down, he knows you’d be taking a risk being with him, and he doesn’t think he’s worth it.”
Juliette glanced across the street at Zeke going into the antique store he’d mentioned. It had been a long time since she’d had such a strong physical reaction to the mere sight of a man. But was that reason enough to put everything on the line to continue seeing him? Assuming that option was still on the table.
“How do you know all this? Surely he didn’t come right out and tell you.” Zeke didn’t strike her as the kind of guy to talk about his feelings, especially with one of his buddies.
“He didn’t have to. When you know someone as well as I know him, you see the signs. I’ve seen him do this before—for different reasons—but the signs are always the same. He feels justified, like somehow the girl in question wronged him, but the outcome is always the same. He ends up alone, free to move on to the next meaningless relationship.”
“Maybe that’s what he likes, meaningless relationships.”
“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Branson sat back, stretching his arm across the back of the booth. “But you’d be wrong. He misses having a family. He wants that for himself, somewhere to feel he belongs. People who care about him.”
She couldn’t imagine why he would return to Vista Falls, of all places, if he wanted somewhere to belong. “I’m not so sure.” She bit her lip as she looked out of the window, waiting to catch another glimpse of him. “Didn’t seem to me like he was looking for anything beyond what we shared. One night.” But that wasn’t entirely true. He’d come after her the next morning and said he wanted more.
“Forget about what Zeke wants for a minute,” Branson said. “What do you want?”
“I have everything I want.” Liar, liar, her inner voice mocked. “A great job, fam
ily, friends. I like what I do. I have a purpose and—”
“No social life?” His lips twisted as though he was trying to suppress a smile. “Sorry, but it’s pretty obvious you eat, sleep, and breathe that damn job. I noticed you have a couch in your office. Bet you sleep there from time to time, don’t you? When you’re too wiped out to drag your butt home?”
She did sleep at the office on occasion, just as her father had. But long hours went with the territory. She’d known that when she decided to run for election and refused to complain about it now. “Maybe I’m making some sacrifices for my job, but—”
“You’re sacrificing everything for your job. Be honest. At least with yourself.”
She didn’t appreciate being called out by a man who barely knew her, but she had to admire his hutzpah. “It’s only a sacrifice if I don’t think the rewards are worth it. In this case, they are.”
“Is that so?” He chuckled. “So you can honestly tell me you didn’t have more fun with Zeke the other night than you’ve ever had on the job?”
Her eyes widened as she wondered what Zeke had told Branson about their night together. “Did he talk to you about…?”
“No, he didn’t. But don’t think I didn’t ask.” When her jaw dropped, he winked. “Hey, you can’t blame me. You’re hot. A firsthand account would fuel my late-night fantasies.”
“God, you’re such a jerk.” But Juliette couldn’t help laughing at his audacity. “What is wrong with you?”
“Plenty, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about, is it?” He pointed across the street, where Zeke was walking into the bookstore next to the antique shop. “The question right now is what’s wrong with you.”
“Me?”
“It’s obvious you’re into him, so what’s stopping you from going after him?” He looked around at all the old-timers gossiping over their tea. “These people? They’re the reason you won’t go after what you want? If that’s the case, I gotta tell you, I’m disappointed in you. I thought you were tough, that you didn’t back down or take shit from anyone—”
“Oh, shut up!” She balled up her paper napkin and threw it at him. “You’re getting your way. Happy now?”
“I’ll let you know when I see how this plays out.” She sprinted through the diner only to hear him call after her, “You’re welcome for lunch!”
Heedless of all the eyes on her, she turned around and mouthed, “Bite me.”
“Come back here, and I will!”
Chapter Six
Zeke thought visiting one of the few places that had always had a calming effect on him would help him forget the fact that his best friend was making inroads with the girl he’d slept with. It wasn’t as though it was the first time. They had the same taste in women and routinely shared, so to speak, but he didn’t want to share Juliette. With anyone.
He knew he had zero chance of a repeat performance with her, but he wanted those memories of her to be his alone. He didn’t want Branson to know how she kissed or the way her body felt or how her voice got all husky right before she…
“Hey.”
He looked down to see Juliette standing beside him, touching the spine of a book in his favorite section, the classics.
“Hey.” He looked over his shoulder to see if Branson was with her. He wasn’t. “Where’d your date go?”
“It wasn’t a date.”
“Sure looked like it to me.”
“Would it bother you if I went out with him… on a real date?”
He shrugged, struggling to project indifference. “Why should it? You’re free to do what you want. So is he.”
She stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the books. They were alone in the store save the clerk at the front, an elderly man with his nose buried in a paperback.
“Just a couple of days ago you were inside me,” she whispered, shocking him. “You’re telling me that you honestly don’t care if I do to your best friend what I did to you—”
“That’s it.” He grabbed her hand and dragged her through the aisles until they reached the front door. When they got to his truck parked by the curb in front of the book store, he opened the passenger side door. “Get in.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, looking at him over her shoulder.
“Somewhere we can talk without an audience.” Though he was pretty sure if she left with him, people would be talking of little else for days.
“I have work.”
“You should have thought of that before you lit the fuse.” He laid his hand on the small of her back, nudging her forward. “Now get in.”
She sighed before doing as she was told, but Zeke knew she wouldn’t have gone with him if she wasn’t craving time alone with him. Juliette didn’t strike him as the type of woman to follow anyone’s orders.
He was silent while he pulled out of the spot and stopped at the one and only stoplight in the downtown district. He pulled into a park a few minutes from her office. “Looks like we have the place to ourselves. You wanna take a walk?”
“Sure.” She jumped out before he could help her down, and he winced when he saw her go over on her ankle.
“Damn it! Why didn’t you let me help you?” He found her leaning against the side of the truck, grimacing. “You could have hurt yourself in those goddamn heels.”
She rested her hand on his shoulder when he bent to check her ankle. “I always assumed men thought high heels were sexy.”
“Is that why you wear them?” he asked, crouching to rotate her ankle. “To look sexy? ‘Cause I gotta tell you, sweetheart, you don’t need any help in that department.”
“I usually hate it when men call me that,” she said, watching him.
“What? Sweetheart?” Her ankle didn’t appear to be sprained, but he hadn’t seen her put any weight on it.
“Sweetheart, honey, baby…”
He chuckled. “You don’t leave a guy with a lot of options, do you?”
“But I like it when you call me that.” Her voice had a breathy quality when he stood up, looking down into her eyes.
“I’ll have to keep that in mind.” He was dying to kiss her… but not until he found out why she’d agreed to have lunch with his best friend. “Can you walk on that ankle?”
“I think so.” She grimaced when she put weight on it, but after walking a few steps, it seemed to get easier. She pointed at an iron bench in front of a small man-made lake. “Do you mind if we sit on the bench over there? Walking in these heels probably isn’t a great idea, and my flip-flops are in my car.”
“Sure.” He put his arm around her waist in case she needed to lean into him for support—or so he told himself. “Nice spot.” There was a fountain spraying water and a drawbridge that ducks passed beneath.
“This park was one of my first projects when I got elected. I wanted something for everyone: trails for dog walkers and joggers, a playground for the kids, a few nice spots for nature lovers to just sit and watch the birds and…”
He hadn’t realized he’d been staring at her until she stopped talking. “You really love this town, don’t you?”
“I do.” She smiled, staring at the water. “I love what I do and the people I do it for.”
He grunted, trying to remember a time when he’d loved the people of Vista Falls or they’d loved him. It seemed too long ago to remember. She reached for his hand, surprising him. “You sure you want to do that? Never know who might walk by.”
“I’m willing to risk it.”
“You wanna tell me why you were having lunch with Branson?”
“I was wondering how long it would take for you to get around to asking me about that.” She smiled. “He popped into my office and lured me out with the promise of feeding me. How could I resist?”
“So that’s all there was to it?” She was wearing a pretty sapphire-and-diamond band on her right hand, and he turned her hand over to watch the gemstones catch the sunlight. “You didn’t go out with him because you’re inte
rested in him?”
“I know this may surprise you,” she said quietly, watching the ducks, “but when I sleep with someone, I have a hard time not getting attached. I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of experience with casual sex. Most of the people I’ve slept with I’ve been in a relationship with, so what happened between us the other night was… new for me.”
“You didn’t answer my question about Branson.”
“I was trying to… in a roundabout way.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “It would be hard for me to think about someone else when all I’ve been able to think about is you.”
He smiled, feeling a small measure of satisfaction knowing he wasn’t alone on that track. “You must have a million questions.” Part of the reason he’d made an excuse to come downtown was because he wanted to give Juliette a chance to ask him anything that had been on her mind since she learned the truth about him. “I got the feeling you were holding back last night at my place. I want you to know you don’t have to do that. If you have a question, just ask.”
“It can’t be easy to talk about what happened.”
“It isn’t.” And there were certain things about that day he would never tell her, but he wanted her to understand him better. “But I’m willing to try.”
“Was it horrible? Being shipped off to that juvenile detention facility?” She shook her head. “Forget I asked that. Dumb question. Of course it was.”
“It wasn’t all bad,” he said, grateful that she’d opted to focus on that part of his story instead of the day of the shooting. “It toughened me up, gave me a lot of time to think about my future, what I wanted to do when I got out.”
“Speaking of what you do.” She tilted her head, looking at him as a slow smile built. “Your friend tells me you’re more than just some app developer. He says you’ve made an obscene amount of money selling some ridiculously popular apps.”
“God, he has such a big mouth.” He didn’t try to hide his wealth from the women he dated. Most saw his car collection and houses, so they knew he’d cashed in along the way, but he didn’t want that to be the reason someone liked him. Not that he thought his money would change the way Juliette felt about him. He got the impression money was low on her list of priorities. Why else would she have chosen to be a small-town mayor?
Coming Home (Vista Falls #4) Page 5