“It must have scarred you though,” she said quietly, circling her wine glass with her fingertip.
“Not as much as losing my brother did… and seeing what that loss did to my parents. Damn near killed my old man.”
“Yet they forgave you,” she whispered, refusing to look him in the eye.
He hadn’t been sure they would, but it was a risk he’d been willing to take so they wouldn’t have to live with the pain and guilt of losing a child in the worst possible way. “I guess they did, eventually.”
“Did you have a close relationship with them before they passed?”
His father had died of a heart attack six years ago. He’d lost his mother to a stroke only a few months ago. “I lived my life. They lived theirs.” He tipped back his wine glass, draining it. “Things weren’t the same after my brother died, but then I never expected them to be.”
“Why did you decide to make this your part-time residence?” she asked, looking around. “I mean, it’s lovely, but—”
“It’s the house where my brother died? I thought about that. But we made a lot of good memories here too, as a family, before everything changed.”
She covered his hand with hers. “I really am sorry about my father. I hate that he made it his business to punish you when I’m sure you were already punishing yourself.”
He had punished himself after his brother’s death but not for the reasons she assumed. “You’re not responsible for his actions any more than my parents were responsible for mine… or my brother’s.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Does he know about us?”
“Us?” Her lips quirked. “Is there an ‘us’ now?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
“I like spending time with you. I’d like to do more of that.”
“So would I.” He was tempted to ask her if she was free tomorrow but opted to play it cool instead. “Are you trying to avoid answering the question about your old man?”
“No.” She inhaled deeply, shaking her head. “He doesn’t know about us yet. I’m sure if he did, he’d have paid me a visit by now.”
“To let you have it?” Even though he knew Juliette could take of herself, he didn’t like the idea of someone coming down on her, especially knowing he was the cause.
“He thinks he can run my life.” She crossed her arms, her chin jutting out. “He doesn’t. I keep telling him that I’m all grown up and I’ll do whatever the hell I want.” She rolled her eyes. “Strange how people around here thought I was responsible enough to run a whole town, yet my own father doesn’t think I’m capable of deciding what’s best for myself.”
“I happen to think you’re very capable.” He took her hand and pulled her forward until both of their elbows were resting on the table. Capable of turning me inside out. “And if your father gives you a hard time about me, I’d be more than happy to tell him where to go.”
“It just might come to that if we keep seeing each other.”
“I’ve got no problem with that.” Even though Juliette’s father was used to getting what he wanted, he’d never faced an adversary like Zeke before.
“Enough about him,” Juliette said, smiling when he kissed the back of her hand. “Tell me something. Zeke. Is that really your middle name?”
“It sure is.” He chuckled. “After my dad’s favorite ball player. He wanted that to be my first name, but my mother was sure the other kids would make fun of me, so she convinced him to go with something more traditional.”
“But you don’t mind being different, do you?”
“Nope.” He refilled both of their glasses, noting that that finished off the bottle. When the front door slammed, Zeke groaned. “Ugh. He’s back already.”
Juliette kicked him gently under the table as she hid her smile behind her wine glass. “Behave. He’s your best friend, remember?”
“Sometimes I wonder why.”
“Hey, guys.” Branson stood in the doorway, grinning at them. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” Juliette responded. “How was your night?”
“Can’t complain. I met this chick at Rusty’s a couple of nights ago. We hung out again tonight.”
“Really?” Juliette asked, quirking an eyebrow. “What’s her name? I probably know her.”
“Leeanna Davis.”
“No!”
“What?” Zeke looked from his friend to Juliette and back again.
“Davis!” Juliette said, shoving Zeke’s shoulder. “You can’t tell me you don’t remember the Davis family. Lee is Rush and Wes’s little sister.”
“She ain’t so little anymore,” Branson said, moving in to snag a piece of fruit off the platter Zeke had prepared for Juliette.
“I don’t remember Rush,” Zeke said, ignoring his friend. “He must have been quite a bit younger than me.”
“Yeah, I guess he was,” Juliette said, biting her lip. “But you remember Wes, right?”
“I didn’t know him, but I knew of him.” Zeke had been a year ahead of them in school and hadn’t paid all that much attention to the freshmen. “Why? What’s his deal?”
“He and his best friend, Colt, started Backwoods Outdoors and—”
“Seriously?” Zeke hadn’t realized anyone from their hometown had made it big. He was surprised the small town didn’t have a sign boasting about their near-famous hometown heroes. “That’s cool.”
“She didn’t mention that her brother owned Backwoods,” Branson said, frowning. “I wonder why.”
“Could it be you were too busy to ask about her family?” Zeke asked, not even trying to mask the sarcasm. He knew when Branson was out with a girl, hearing her life story was the last thing on his mind.
“Oh, please tell me you haven’t slept with her,” Juliette said, paling.
“No, I haven’t,” Branson said, looking affronted.
“But not because you haven’t tried,” Zeke guessed. “She shut you down, huh?”
“She’s a good girl.” Juliette took a healthy swig of her wine. “From a good family. She doesn’t sleep around.”
“Sounds like you know her pretty well,” Branson said. “Care to fill me in?”
“Are you going to see her again?” Juliette asked, ignoring the question. “Please tell me you’re not.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because you’re just visiting,” Juliette said as though it should have been obvious. “She needs someone who’s gonna stick around.”
“What is it with you girls?” Branson asked, snagging another strawberry off the platter. “You’re always worrying about tomorrow instead of having fun today.”
“That’s not true,” Juliette argued, gesturing to Zeke. “I was living in the moment when I hooked up with your friend here.”
It disturbed Zeke that she was still referring to it as a hook-up. It felt like a lot more than that to him. “But you don’t think your friend is just looking for a good time?”
“No, she’s not like that. Or at least she wasn’t.” Juliette polished off her wine before setting her glass down with a thud. “I’ll admit I haven’t spent much time with her since she got back.”
“Got back from where?” Zeke asked before biting into a berry. He’d had plans for the fresh cream that accompanied the fruit, but those were shot to hell now that his friend had crashed their party.
“She was getting her master’s in San Francisco,” Juliette explained. “She just got back last month.”
“You gonna spend the night here?” Branson asked Juliette.
Zeke glared at him. “What’s it to you?”
Branson raised his hands, half smiling. “I was just gonna offer to drive the lady home. Looks like you two have knocked a few back, and I wouldn’t want either of you to have to drive.”
“Aw, that’s sweet,” Juliette said, standing. “I’d love a ride. Thanks.” She turned to Zeke. “I can walk to work from my place. Would it be okay if I pick up my car tomorrow?”
“That was rude of me,” Juliette said, looking at the remnants of their dinner. “You made an incredible meal for me. The least I can do is stay and help you clean up.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, rounding the table. “I’m sure you have an early morning. I, however, can sleep ‘til noon.” He drew her in for a hug and whispered in her ear, “I just wish you’d be waking up beside me.”
She winked before kissing his cheek. “Thanks for a nice evening.”
Nice? A kiss on the cheek? Why did he suddenly feel as though he’d lost ground with her?
Juliette patted his chest before hooking her thumb over her shoulder. “If you don’t mind, I’d like a little alone time with your buddy here.”
“Why?”
“To warn him that if he hurts Lee, he’s going to be answering to me.”
“Ohhh,” Branson joked, waving his hands. “Now I’m really scared.”
“You should be,” Juliette said, glaring at Branson before hooking her arm through his.
Zeke watched them leave as he wondered what the hell had just happened. No kiss good night? No promise to call him later? Just a perfunctory thank-you before she took off with his best friend?
One thing was for sure. Green was not his color.
***
“I want to talk about you and Lee,” Juliette said once she’d strapped on her seat belt.
“I’d rather talk about you and Zeke,” Branson challenged, shooting a sidelong glance in her direction.
“We’ve already covered that.”
“You must have taken my advice,” Branson said, looking pleased with himself. “You’re welcome.”
Though she did feel she owed him for talking her into giving Zeke another chance, she was too proud to admit it. “I’d like to think you and I are getting to be friends.”
“Sure,” Branson said, curling his hand around the steering wheel of his rental car. “You can never have too many friends, right?”
“Is that what you and Lee are, just friends, or would you like to be more?”
The Leeanna Juliette remembered was sweet and innocent—with two big brothers who had strong opinions about the men she dated. The last thing Juliette wanted was for them to have another reason to dislike Zeke.
Branson chuckled. “What kind of question is that?”
“I mean, do you just like hanging out with her, or do you want to sleep with her?”
“I always want to sleep with a beautiful, single woman.”
“So it’s like that, is it?” Juliette wasn’t surprised. She could tell Branson was fun and flirtatious the moment she met him, the kind of guy who never took anything too seriously.
“As long as we’re playing twenty questions…” Branson said, pausing when Juliette pointed at the turn she wanted him to make. “It’s my turn to ask one. What are your intentions where my buddy’s concerned?”
Juliette suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. She knew he was just asking that to get back at her for questioning him about Leeanna. No way was he seriously worried that she could hurt Zeke. “We’re getting to know each other better.”
“And?” He rolled his hand. “What then?”
“Then I guess we decide if we want to keep seeing each other when he’s in town.” She pointed right when he pulled up to a stop sign.
“Would that be enough for you?” Branson asked, glancing at her. “Seeing him a few times a year?”
A few times a year? Her heart sank, but she glanced out the window to hide her reaction. “That’s how often he plans to use the place?”
“That’s what he said when he decided to fix it up instead of selling it. He said we could have parties here a few times a year, invite the whole crew to spend a few days.”
“The whole crew?” she asked quietly. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“Honey, it’s a different world in LA. I guess we all run with a bigger crowd. Parties and clubbing, that’s the norm every day. To be honest, I was shocked when Zeke told me he wanted to slow down a little, spend some time in this pissant little town.” He looked chagrined as he muttered, “Sorry. I know you love this place, but it’s just not our style.”
She loved Vista Falls, and while she knew small-town life wasn’t for everyone, she’d hoped it might someday lure Zeke back. “So you don’t think there’s a chance Zeke could ever be happy in a place like this?”
Branson laughed. “Not a chance.”
She pointed at her little gray board-and-batten house with the yellow door and wraparound white porch. “That’s me. Home sweet home.”
He coasted to the curb before putting the car in park. “Uh, look, I’m sorry if I offended you. It’s just—”
“You don’t have to explain.” She leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I get it. Thanks for the ride.”
Everything was clearer to her now. Zeke was lining up a hometown connection for his quarterly visits. If she was really lucky, maybe he’d invite her to his next party. The bastard.
***
Zeke looked up from his channel surfing when Branson walked in. “Hey, you get my girl home all right?”
“Uh, yeah.” Branson looked uneasy as he rubbed the back of his neck. “But I may have said some things I shouldn’t have.”
Zeke turned off the tube before tossing the remote aside. “What the hell did you say to her?” There was only one thing he could think of—the last thing he’d ever want her to know.
“I told her the truth, that you said you’d be using this place a few times a year. To party.”
“You dumbass,” Zeke said, scowling at him. “Why’d you tell her that?” He’d spent the last several days trying to convince her she could take him seriously, and with a few words, Branson had probably undone all of his hard work.
“I figured you would have already told her what your life is like back home.”
Zeke had come to Vista Falls to get away from the rat race in LA. Even though he had a big house there, he’d felt as though the walls were closing in on him. The fast-paced, never-ending party was slowly wearing him down. “No, we didn’t talk about that.”
Branson sat down beside him, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. “So what’d you talk about then?”
“Everything. Nothing.” He rested his head on the back of the sofa, staring at the ceiling. “I got to know her, what she likes, what she doesn’t like, what makes her laugh…” That was his favorite part, making her laugh. God, he was getting soft.
“You’re really into her, aren’t you?”
“I guess I am.” There was no guessing about it. He was past interested, bordering on obsessed. He’d thought about her every minute since she walked out the door.
“Uh, then maybe you should think about calling her.” Branson reached for the remote. “You know, smooth things over.”
“I wouldn’t have to smooth things over if you’d learn to keep your big mouth shut,” Zeke said, glaring at him.
“Point taken,” Branson said, rolling his eyes. “I’ll mind my own business from now on.”
“I doubt it,” Zeke said, standing.
As he walked out of the living room, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the number she’d called him from earlier. He ran up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door before she answered. The tone of her voice told him Branson had done more damage than he’d feared.
“Sorry to call so late, but Branson said I might have some explaining to do.”
“Why would you? You don’t owe me any explanations.”
Which he knew was code for “explain yourself now, asshole.”
“Branson wasn’t lying about the plan.” He lay down on his king-sized bed, pulling the pillow she’d slept on against his chest. “When I decided to renovate this place, it was because I thought it might be nic
e for me and my buddies to have a quieter place to kick back. Life in LA can get pretty crazy.”
“I’m sure it can.”
He could tell he wasn’t wearing her down. “But here’s the thing…” He sighed, inhaling the subtle scent of her perfume on the fabric. “I’m lying here in my bed and can’t stop thinking about how good it felt to have you right here with me.”
“Zeke…”
“Just hear me out.” He wasn’t good at laying it all on the line, especially with women, but something told him if he didn’t take advantage of every opportunity he had with Juliette, he may not get another. “Given the choice between having my buddies here to party and having you here in my bed, I’d choose you every time.”
“Good to know.”
He’d meant it as a compliment but realized, too late, that she had assumed he was choosing the sex, not her. “I’ve had a good life.” He rolled onto his back and stared at the painted wood beams. “Since I got out, I mean. I’ve got more than I probably deserve. A great job, tons of money, lots of friends… it’s a life of excess in a lot of ways.”
“Sounds like it.”
He could tell she didn’t understand or approve, and he couldn’t blame her. His life in LA was so different from her life here they could have been on different planets. “I never wanted more.” He bit his lip, wondering how much he should reveal. “Relationships have always been an afterthought, you know, when I had the time and the energy.”
“Sounds familiar.”
At least they could agree on that. “But there comes a time when you get kind of lonely, right?” When she didn’t respond, he took a deep breath and added, “Or maybe you only feel that way when you connect with someone who means something to you. They leave, and you feel… alone.” He swallowed, wondering when she was going to put him out of his misery. He felt like he was rambling, but her silence was killing him.
“I know what that’s like,” she said softly. But she hadn’t said he was the one who made her feel lonely when they were apart. She could have been talking about anyone.
“You do?”
“Sure, I do.” She sighed. “Don’t we all? We’ve all been young and in love before, right? Couldn’t get enough of that person?”
Coming Home (Vista Falls #4) Page 7