What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3)

by Lauren Hawkeye

  “Then expect me back,” she said, tempted to kiss him again.

  He squeezed her hands before releasing them. “Be careful. I’m going to go warm up in the shower and then call down to Country Furniture and see if they want me to come in.”

  She let her eyes enjoy the view as he headed for his bedroom. That man could wear a pair of jeans the right way. Damn, she had better get out of here before she decided to follow him into the shower.

  Twenty minutes later, Julie parked her car in the town parking area. Tugging her peacoat together, she decided to get out and get some fresh air by walking. Brookfield was one of those places where you could walk to most anything. Her first stop was a local woman’s boutique. Her wardrobe wasn’t going to be fitting too much longer, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for maternity clothes just yet. Maybe just get a few things in bigger sizes, so she would have things to wear after the baby was born, too.

  She glanced around the different racks, lost in thought until someone tapped her shoulder. She saw a familiar face but couldn’t quite place who it was.

  “Julie Miller! Oh my, long time no see. Heard you’re a big hotshot out there in New York City,” the redheaded woman said.

  Julie nodded.

  “Don’t tell me you don’t know who I am? I suppose you’ve met so many people you’ve forgotten us all back home. It’s Samantha Duncan—well, actually, Samantha Brown.” She held her hand up, showing off the rings on her finger. “I married Jake. Remember him?”

  Julie remembered Jake all right. He’d been her first boyfriend. The first boy she’d kissed, and he was also the first to break her heart.

  “Congrats. That’s exciting.” Julia smiled, trying to act like she cared.

  “Are you married?” Samantha eyed her hands.

  Not even close. “No, not married. Been a little too busy to settle down yet.”

  “Of course, you’re so busy. You know what they say though. If you wait too long to get married and have babies, you usually have a hard time conceiving. Me and Jakey are trying now.” She rubbed her belly.

  Julie had no problems getting knocked up. “Good luck. I hope it takes quickly for you.”

  “Oh, it should. We’re still young. So what brings you to town with your mama gone and all?” Samantha inquired.

  “Well, I didn’t actually know she was gone. That was a surprise.” Julie laughed.

  She cocked an eyebrow. “How long you been here?”

  “A week.”

  “Were you at your mama’s during the blizzard?” Her eyes widened.

  Julie nodded, and Samantha’s mouth dropped open. “Don’t tell me you were snowed in with that hunk, Mark Thomas? Oh God, if you were, I’m going to be so jealous. In fact, every woman in town will be chasing you to take your tiny little ass back to New York. Cara, over at Cut and Color Salon, has had her eye on him for quite some time.”

  Julie wanted to roll her eyes so bad, and she resisted but was happy to confirm Samantha’s fear. “I was snowed in with him.”

  “Did you guys … ya know?”

  Julie was surprised her jaw hadn’t dropped and landed on the floor. “What? No. Is that any of your business anyway?”

  “You bet your sweet bottom it is,” Samantha snapped.

  Julie rolled her eyes. Some people never changed.

  “So is there anything else I can get you today, or were you just looking? I’m not sure my clothes are high class enough for a New Yorker like yourself.”

  Was this woman serious? Knowing that she had been snowed in with Mark, Samantha was so jealous and no longer wanted her business. Thankfully, that boutique wasn’t the only place in town. Otherwise, Julie would make sure to only order online.

  “You’re right. This stuff isn’t what I’m used to.” Julie tossed her hair over her shoulder and strutted out of the boutique without a second look back.

  Her next stop was the local bookstore, The Reading Corner, where she prayed she wouldn’t know anyone. She really needed a pregnancy book. One of those week-by-week ones she had heard about, so she would know what the hell she was supposed to be doing and what the baby was doing.

  When she entered the bookstore, she inhaled. The smell of freshly printed book was one smell she loved. She could spend all day with her nose pressed into the pages of a brand-new book.

  Right in the front of the store was a shelf of latest releases. She smiled. One of those was one she had been an editor of. She walked over, picked up the book, and found her name. She loved the acknowledgements in books. They always said stuff like, Without my wonderful editor, Julie Miller, this story wouldn’t be where it is today. Sure, she played a role, but all she did was find the mistakes. The author was the one who spent countless hours creating the gem. She should be thanking them for giving her the great job she did.

  She quickly found the aisle she was looking for. There were so many pregnancy books—how did she choose the right one? She picked up several and decided to get each of them. You could never have too much reading material. She then stopped back by the newest release shelf and picked up the latest James Patterson for Mark. She wasn’t sure he had it yet, but this one had only come out a week ago so she figured, with the snow, he didn’t have it.

  She laid her books down at the register. Alyssa, the store owner, came from the back. Julie recognized her but decided to leave it alone. She didn’t need someone else wanting to chase her out of town.

  “Did you find everything okay?” Alyssa asked.

  “Yes. Great little shop you have here.”

  “Thanks. It’s my pride and joy.”

  “Well, you can really tell.”

  Alyssa read her the total and Julie paid her.

  “Thank you so much for shopping at The Reading Corner.” Alyssa handed her the bag.

  “I’ll be back, don’t worry.” Julie looped the bag on her arm and left the story. This time she left un-shattered—thank goodness.

  Alyssa didn’t come across as the town gossip crew, so even if she did recognize Julie, Alyssa wasn’t about to be telling everyone that she’d seen her buying multiple pregnancy books.

  Jeez, she really had to stop caring, but it was people like Samantha that made her not want anyone to know. They were the type of people that made this embarrassing. Hell, she was thirty years old. Why should she be hiding it at all? It wasn’t like she was sticking around. Everyone could assume she was here for a visit and then going home to her boyfriend.

  Julie froze on the sidewalk when she realized she hadn’t wanted to stay here. She took in the town and knew this was the perfect place to raise her child. Why was she even considering getting a tiny apartment back in the city and raising her child there? Daycare alone would cause her to have to get a second job. The baby would only see her grandmother maybe twice a year.

  But could she stay here? Sure, she could edit books anywhere and, with technology, she could easy video conference with clients. There were plenty of people she knew who could watch the baby when she needed someone to. Heck, her own mother could—if she ever returned.

  This was all way too much to be thinking about right now. It wasn’t like she was leaving today. She hadn’t even talked to her mother. That was a whole other subject to think about. At the moment, she was hungry, and there was only one place she wanted to go and that was Luigi’s Pizza. The pizza was homemade, made with all fresh ingredients and absolutely mouth-watering. She was drooling just thinking about it. Thankfully, it was right across the street from the bookstore.

  Stepping through the doors, Julie breathed in the aroma. This smell was a close second after the new book fragrance. As she was debating on whether to eat here or take a pizza home, she spotted Claire in a booth. She headed over and took a seat in front of her.

  “Hey, girl!”

  Claire’s eyes lit up. “Well, you’re finally out.”

  “God, yes. I’m free.”

  Claire leaned forward and whispered, “Heard you had a run-in with Samantha.”<
br />
  “What! Already?” One thing never changed—gossip traveled fast. “She was just rude.”

  “Rumor has it Cara is picking up a pie from the bakery and will be heading out to your mom’s place real soon to deliver.”

  Whoever this Cara woman was, she must feeling very threatened. She’d have to ask Mark about her. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I wish I was.”

  Julie leaned back in the booth, shaking her head. Some of the women around here were ridiculous. Maybe she didn’t want to stay. People minded their own business where she came from. No one cared if you were having a baby out of wedlock.

  “What’s in the bag?” Claire asked.

  Julie shoved the bag across the table to her.

  Claire peeked in, and her face lit up. “So I was right?”

  “Yup.”

  “And that’s why you’re home?”

  She rubbed her palm along the edge of the booth. “I wanted my mom. I needed her to tell me it was going to be okay.”

  “Are you involved with the father?”

  “We were together a while. I moved in officially about two months ago. I was there all the time anyway. Well, I was so caught up in life, I didn’t realize I was late. When I realized it had been over three months, I took a test, and when I told Jeremy, he told me to have an abortion or leave.”

  “So you left?”

  “Yup, took anything that was important to me, tossed it in the trunk, and here I am.” It still felt like a dream. Being pregnant hadn’t really sunken in yet.

  “Well, you know we’re glad to have you back.” Claire smiled.

  She sighed. “I just don’t know.”

  “Know what?”

  “Thankfully, with my job, I can do it most anywhere. But do I really want to come back here? But then I think New York City is not really ideal for raising a baby on my own.” Julie rested her chin on her knuckles. “I want my mom.”

  Claire frowned. “Have you called her?”

  “Many times. She hasn’t called back.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  A waitress came over and asked if Julie wanted anything. Claire told her to order, so Julie got a vegetarian calzone and a glass of water.

  “Vegetarian? No wonder you’re so damn skinny.” Her friend giggled.

  “I eat meat. I guess I’m just so used to New York and staying with the in-crowd. Currently veggies are in, the more organic the better.”

  Claire rolled her eyes. Julie’s phone buzzed, so she fished it out of her purse. Several e-mails had come through from her boss and one from Jeremy. She scrolled though, seeing that a specific author had requested her for their edits. She could reply later. She was most interested in what Jeremy had to say.

  Jules,

  Where the heck are you? You just up and left. Tried calling you, but it just went to your voicemail. Figured your nose was always glued to the phone, and I might get a response this way. I’m sorry for how I acted. Come home so we can talk about what to do with our little problem. We are too good together to let that get in the way.

  Love you,

  Jeremy

  Julie let out a frustrated sigh. She quickly responded to him that she was in Brookfield visiting her mom. And that there was no problem between them. He had the problem. After sending the e-mail, she tossed the phone onto the table.

  “I hate that man, I think,” she said.

  “Who?”

  “Jeremy. I had an e-mail from him. He wants me to come home, so we can discuss our problem. As if.”

  She scrunched her nose. “Sorry. Ooh, here comes our food.”

  The waitress returned with their food. In front of Julie was a massively huge calzone. She could not wait to dive in and taste it. The first bite told her Luigi was a genius, and no place in New York had anything on him. Luigi’s Pizza was a little piece of heaven here on Earth.

  “You haven’t brought up Mark. Did you guys ever ravish each other?”

  Julie laughed as her cheeks burned.

  Claire dropped her fork. “You did! I knew it. Is he a good kisser?”

  “He is. But, you know, I really shouldn’t kiss and tell.” She stuck her tongue out.

  “Anything else happen?”

  “No, just a few kisses.” Julie took another big bite of her food.

  “Have you figured out yet who this Annabelle is?”

  Julie paused and shook her head. Mark put his trust in her, and she was not about to break that. Even though Claire was like a best friend, his story wasn’t hers to tell. “Not yet.”

  They spent the rest of lunch talking their own gossip as Claire filled her in on who married who and so on. They talked long after the food was gone. As it got later in the afternoon, though, they both knew they should be heading to their homes. Once the sun dropped, everything was going to freeze, and no one wanted to be out.

  Julie hugged Claire tightly, and Claire snuck in a quick belly rub. “I can’t wait until you have a big bump and ten pounds on you.”

  “Oh, I can wait for that. Though a cute bump might be nice.”

  “Call me if you need me.” Claire released her. “Watch the weather too.”

  “Oh, I will.” Julie chuckled.

  As she headed back to her car, the air was crisp once again. The clouds looked fluffy, and she worried more snow was coming. Snow was still everywhere, and huge piles loomed on each side of the streets. Some people’s cars were still buried. There was a thin layer of ice building on the snow, and the last thing Brookfield needed was a fresh layer of snow on top of the ice.

  Either way, she was getting back to the house as quickly as possible.

  When she pulled up to her mom’s, Mark was gone. Hopefully he made it back soon. Once inside, she decided to try and get the fire going. How hard could it be?

  She tossed in a few new logs into the fireplace then wondered what she needed to do. What next? She remembered her father had always crumbled newspaper and tossed it in lighted. A quick search showed a pile on the end table. She balled one up and grabbed the lighter. She lit the paper then threw the ball toward the wood. Nothing happened. Maybe another one. So she repeated it and tossed it in. A little fire started, but the paper was almost gone and not enough wood was on fire yet. There was a small stack of tiny pieces of wood. She lit one and held it, letting the flame touch the wood.

  This could take forever. She wedged the wood between two logs then got another stick and did the same. Finally, a fire started. She had done it. She jumped up and down and started to spin around in a little booty-shake dance. Her dad would be so proud. Heck, maybe even Mark would be. Wait until he got back and saw.

  She went to wash her hands in the kitchen. A note was taped to the fridge, saying he would bring dinner home. Even though she’d devoured her calzone, she could definitely eat again. The joys of being pregnant. At least she hadn’t gotten sick in a few days.

  A car door shut out front. She skipped to the front door, ready to show Mark her glorious fire. Throwing the door open, it wasn’t Mark on the other side. A woman waited with some sort of pie in her hands.

  “Hi, can I help you?” Julie asked.

  “Hi, I’m Cara.” Her smile bright as she held a pie tin in her small hands.

  “Hi, Cara. Thanks for the pie. Are you welcoming me home?” Julie was being sarcastic. She couldn’t believe Claire had been right. This woman was so jealous of her that she had pranced over here dressed to the nines in hopes to dig her claws in Mark.

  “Actually,” she tossed her bleached hair behind her shoulders, “I was bringing it to Mark. It’s his favorite.”

  “That is so sweet of you. We will definitely enjoy eating this after dinner tonight. He’s out right now picking it up.”

  She knew she shouldn’t be so rude and if her mom was her she’d smack her, but her pregnancy hormones were kicking in. And, well, frankly, she just felt like being a bitch as she took the pie from Care’s hands.

  “Well, please tell him I stopped by.” C
are stepped back, tears building in her green eyes.

  “I will, sweetie. Thank you for the pie.”

  Julie shut the door and set the dessert down on the coffee table. She sank down on the couch, realizing she was acting like a jealous girlfriend. And that wasn’t what she was. She’d only shared a few kisses with this man, and she was just as bad as Cara. When the truth was, Mark was in love with someone else. Someone she or Cara could never compete with. Could anyone ever really get over a loss like he had?

  Before she knew what she was doing, she was entering his bedroom. She had to see what Annabelle looked like, and the tiny child he’d only known for such a short time. On the dresser sat a photo frame. It was of the three of them. She picked it up and brushed her fingers across the photo. Annabelle was beautiful. She’d had long brown locks with a natural wave to it. Green eyes that looked as if they could see into your soul. She held a tiny, bald baby boy, who as swaddled up in a yellow blanket. Then there was Mark. His brown hair was a little longer than it was now. His arms were wrapped around Annabelle’s shoulders. But he wasn’t looking at the camera. His gaze was on his son. Even though it was hard to see his eyes in the photo, she could see in his expression the happiness and love he had for them.

  Julie set the photo back where she had found it. She glanced around the room but didn’t see any other photos. This was the only one. She was half tempted to take a peek in his nightstand but knew that would be invading his privacy even more than she was doing now.

  With one last look at the photo, she knew she needed to get out of his room before he got home. She headed back to his bedroom door. Just as she stepped out and shut the door behind her, Mark walked in the front, which had a clear view to his bedroom. Mark gave her with a questioning look. How was she going to explain this?

  Chapter Nine

  “Were you in my room?” Mark stared hard at her, trying to get a read of why she’d have been in there.

  Julie bit a nail just as she always did when she was nervous. “Yes.”

  Well, at least she was honest, but he still didn’t see any reason for her to be in there. He dropped the take-out he had picked up on the coffee table next to a pie. Pie? He wondered if Cara had come by.