by Cate Beauman
Neve smiled, following Julie’s gaze around the festive entrance. “We hire out for the exterior lighting, but everything inside they’ve done—exceptionally well.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite so pretty.” And she meant it.
“I’m sure Thomas and Ferra will be pleased by such a lovely compliment.” She smiled at Julie again. “Your cheeks are rosy.”
“It’s cold.”
“A nice hint of pink adds to your beauty.” Neve touched her palm to Julie’s cheek.
Julie took a small step in retreat, not ready for motherly gestures. “Thank you.”
“It looks like you were busy today.”
She glanced down at the bags in her hand. “Yes. I went to Faneuil Hall and the Aquarium.”
“Taking in a little culture,” a man said from the shadows in the dimly lit dining room. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Julie stared at Noah Porter as he stepped into the lights of the entryway. He was well-built, his shoulders broad in his suit coat—not as toughly cut as Chase, but he exuded an intimidating power nonetheless. His hair was black and his skin golden. She recognized the deep dip in his top lip and his hazel eyes so much like her own, but his were cold as they held hers.
“Noah.” Neve welcomed him closer, outstretching her arm to rest around his waist. “This is Julie Keller.”
He closed the distance between them, taking Julie’s hand as he looked her up and down. “Not half bad.”
Julie blinked her surprise at his less-than-friendly tone and pulled away. “What does that mean?”
“It means you actually look like you could be her.”
“Please excuse Noah. He’s had a long day,” Neve said with an unmistakable warning in her schooled voice.
“There was nothing wrong with my day,” he corrected, still holding Julie’s gaze. “You should probably know my mother’s prone to believing every woman with black hair and hazel eyes is the long-lost Alyson. We do this whole ‘you’re the real Alyson Porter’ routine every couple years or so.”
“Noah,” Neve snapped.
“You haven’t been the first and won’t be the last,” he continued, despite Neve’s nasty scoff in her son’s direction.
Julie swallowed as she glanced from Neve to Noah, clearly caught in the middle of deep familial tensions. With no intentions of sticking around, she directed her attention to Neve. “Um, I want to apologize again for missing dinner.”
Neve took her hand. “Tomorrow.”
She nodded.
“Perhaps I’ll see you at breakfast.”
“Okay. I’m going up.” She gestured to the ceiling and started up the stairs, ignoring Noah. Hurrying to her room, she shut the door and locked it, more than a little uncomfortable with the man downstairs. Clearly Noah didn’t want her to be Alyson any more than she did.
Sighing, she set her shopping bags by her suitcase and changed into her pajamas. She went into the bathroom and drew warm water from the sink’s faucet. Grabbing the bottle of cleanser from her travel bag, she stopped to study herself in the mirror, seeing Neve so clearly in the face staring back at her. With a shake of her head, she looked away and scrubbed off her makeup, then brushed her teeth. She reached for her moisturizer just as her phone rang. Frowning, she walked back into her room and smiled when she saw that it was Chase. “Hello?”
“Hey.”
Her smile widened from the sound of his voice. “Hi.”
“What are you doing?”
“Getting ready to crawl into bed.”
“It’s nine fifteen.”
“I’m tired,” she lied. If she were in Washington, she would just be finishing up with her last class of the evening.
“Do you want me to let you go?”
“Nope.” She pulled back her covers and settled in, resting her head on the pillow and snuggling under the blankets. “I don’t think I can sleep. What are you doing?”
“Lying in bed.”
She laughed. “Then why are you giving me a hard time?”
He chuckled. “It seemed like the thing to do. How did today go?”
Her smile vanished. “Okay.”
“That good, huh?”
She nuzzled her cheek farther into the pillow, comforted that Chase knew her well enough to read her by one simple word. “Neve showed me Alyson’s room and tons of pictures.”
“How was that?”
Awful. “I—I knew the name of Alyson’s stuffed bear. Smiley. I looked at it and said his name. It just popped out.” She shuddered out a long breath, shaken all over again.
“Huh.”
She nibbled her lip, slightly embarrassed to confess the rest. “I blew off dinner—gave fifteen minutes’ notice and didn’t bother to show up.” She shook her head as her cheeks burned. “I couldn’t do it. After the pictures and the bear, I just needed to get out of here.”
“You did what you needed to.”
She shook her head again, unable to let her lack of manners go as easily as Chase was willing to. “I was rude.”
“So we’ll do dinner tomorrow night when I’m there.”
She wanted him back here lying next to her right now. “You think you’ll be back?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Okay.” She pulled her covers tighter around her. “So I’m meeting the babysitter in the morning—the woman who was watching Alyson the night she disappeared.”
“Jules, why don’t you wait for me?”
“I can’t. I feel like I’m suffocating. I need to know so I can go home and put this behind me.”
“I’m sorry you’re doing this by yourself.”
“I’m not by myself.” She rolled to her back. How many times had they done this—talked while they both lay in their beds a few hundred miles away from each other? “My life’s a mess right now, but this feels good, Chase. Having you on the other end of the phone feels good.”
The line stayed silent for several seconds.
She frowned. “Chase?”
“Read to me—a chapter.”
She let loose a quiet breath of relief when he finally spoke again. “Okay.” She reached for To Kill a Mockingbird and read chapter four, closing the book when she finished the last word. “That’s all for tonight.”
“I thought I could do chapter five.”
Her brow furrowed again. “How are you going to do that?”
“I downloaded the book.”
She grinned as her heart gave a helpless flop. “You did?”
“Sure. Why not?”
She could imagine his casual shrug as he spoke, and she smiled again. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
He read to her and she closed her eyes, picturing the world he brought to life as he continued on for several more pages. “Are you sleepy yet?” he asked after a pause.
Surprisingly she was. “I’m getting there.”
“It’s after ten. I should let you go.”
“Okay.”
“Text me before you meet with the babysitter, or at least after. I’ll be back at the Porters’ for dinner.”
“I’ll see you then.”
“Hey, Jules?”
She yawned and turned off the light. “Yeah?”
“I’ve been thinking about our conversation this morning. I was careless with you.”
She didn’t want to talk about the past. She wanted to savor now. “That was a long time ago.”
“I’m still sorry for it. I’m sorry I broke your heart.”
She touched her hand to her chest, certain he was turning her insides into a mess of sloppy goo. “I’m just happy we’re here. That I have you back in my life.”
Silence stretched out on the line again. “I should go.”
“Okay. Good night.”
“Night, Jules.”
She hung up, staring at the artificial candlelight in her window as she pressed the top of her phone to her lips, fighting to bury a dangerous wave of longing. “Friends,” she
whispered. She and Chase were friends.
~~~~
Chase hung up, gripping his phone in one hand as he rested his head on his folded arm. He lay sprawled across the bed in his boxers, his impromptu pajamas after his unexpected stay in Portland, and smiled, thinking of Julie curled up under her blankets in the sexy t-shirt she wore last night. It had been good to talk to her, to hear about her day. For years, they’d ended their nights exactly as they did just now.
During his teen years, she’d been the last person he spoke to before he went to sleep and the first person he thought of when he opened his eyes. Hell, Julie was the first person he’d thought of every morning for the last decade. But this was different. They were starting brand new. Jules needed his help—his support while they tried to get to the bottom of this Alyson Porter mess.
She’d had an awful day, and tomorrow didn’t sound like it was going to be a whole lot better. That’s why he wished he were cuddled up with her reading To Kill a Mockingbird. That’s why he wanted to fall asleep in her bed and open his eyes to see her in the morning.
He rushed up with the stirrings of panic, knowing his lame justifications weren’t exactly true. He couldn’t deny that he still had a few residual feelings to work out when it came to Jules—and he was dealing with them, but their conversation just now felt comfortable—too much like old times. He planted his feet on the floor and settled his elbows on his thighs, rubbing at his neck. “I’m not doing this again.” Friendship was what they both wanted, the only option that made sense. They weren’t eighteen anymore. Life was no longer simple. There was no point falling back into old patterns when the results would be exactly the same.
He collapsed back against his pillow and set his phone on the table where he could reach it easily if Julie needed him. They needed to get Julie’s stuff figured out. He needed to bring her back to Washington and get back to his life in California—the sooner, the better.
Chapter Twenty-two
Julie poured the eggs she’d whisked into the pan of mushrooms, red peppers, and spinach she was sautéing, happy to be doing something other than watching the sun rise above the trees from her bedroom window. When she’d walked downstairs a few minutes ago, Ferra had been ready to prepare her breakfast, but Julie assured Neve’s cook and housekeeper she could make her own—wanted to make her own. It was seven thirty and she was restless, completely thrown off by her lack of routine. For eight years, she’d eaten her morning meal—usually yogurt and oatmeal—then filled her day with classes or massages. She couldn’t teach or offer therapeutic treatments, but she could make a frittata. And at nine, she was meeting with Becky.
“Good morning.”
Julie glanced over her shoulder, doing a double take; Neve stood in the doorway dressed in designer jeans and a pretty feather-gray sweater instead of her typical power suit or tailored slacks. “Good morning.”
“What are you up to over there?” Neve asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Making a frittata.”
“A frittata?” Neve walked over to stand at her side, sniffing at the steam rising from the pan. “Smells good.”
“It is good.” She smiled, sprinkling in a mixture of feta and mozzarella.
“You don’t have to prepare your own meals here.” Neve cupped the mug in her hands as she leaned back against the counter. “Ferra could have helped you.”
“I don’t need help. I like to cook.” Julie winced, recognizing the bitchy edge to her tone. “Uh, there’s plenty here,” she tried again as she pushed the eggs around to prevent burning, remembering that this situation wasn’t necessarily any easier on Neve. “Definitely enough for two.”
“I would love to try some.”
Julie nodded. “This is an old family recipe. Gram’s mother taught her, Gram taught Mom, and Mom taught me. Gramps always liked ham and bacon in his, but I prefer vegetables.”
“Traditions.” Neve smiled. “Did you and your mother cook together often?”
Julie shook her head as she transferred the pan to the broiler and set the oven timer. “Mom was pretty busy. She worked open to close at the daycare Monday through Friday, but Gram and I cooked a lot. And Nana liked to invite me over to ‘play in the kitchen’—Chase’s grandmother. Nana always called me her favorite girl.” She smiled with the memory. “I loved it. She taught me a few of her secret recipes.”
Neve sipped her coffee. “That sounds lovely.”
“Yeah.” Julie pressed her lips together, watching the seconds count down on the digital screen, realizing she’d gone on about her family. Neve probably didn’t want to hear about the Kellers and Riders, especially when Neve thought she was Alyson. She cleared her throat. “So this is about ready.”
“I’ll get the plates.”
“Great.” Julie pushed her hand into a mitt as the timer beeped. She pulled the pan from the oven, scrutinizing golden eggs and colorful veggies. “Perfect.”
“Here you go.” Neve set plates and silverware on the counter.
“Thanks.” She served up hearty slices of the pan omelet. “This one’s for you.”
Neve took the dish Julie handed her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She sighed as Neve walked away. Not the best start to the morning, but not the worst either. She followed Neve to the breakfast room off the kitchen overlooking the front lawn and took her seat at Neve’s side, studying the woman in her casual clothing, realizing how much more they looked alike dressed so similarly in everyday attire.
“Should we eat?” Neve asked with a smile. “This looks wonderful.”
Julie nodded and bit into her eggs, relieved to find that the meal was indeed perfect. As she glanced around at the sweeping snow-covered land and elegance of the Porter home, she needed Neve to see that the Keller’s humble breakfast was good.
Neve sampled a bite. “Mmm.” She rolled her eyes. “Delicious.”
“Thank you.” Julie ate more, comforted by the taste of something familiar. Her gaze kept wandering to the brick wall surrounding the grounds. “How did they take Alyson past the gate and walls?”
“Unfortunately we didn’t have either at the time. Even after Alyson was taken, I didn’t want them. I was afraid she would find her way home somehow and not be able to get to the front door.” Neve shook her head. “Silly. But grief makes you think silly things, unrealistic things, because you want them to come true so badly.”
Julie nodded, not sure what to say.
“It took a good year of Jay’s pestering for me to even consider it. Then we got a letter in the mail from someone saying they had taken Ally and were coming for Noah next. It turned out to be a disgusting hoax, but Jay had a company start on the walls the next day.”
Julie set down her fork, her appetite completely gone, wondering how anyone could be so cruel to a grieving family. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry I disturbed you. It was a long time ago.” She gave Julie’s hand a gentle pat. “Please eat your breakfast.”
Julie picked up her fork, hesitating with the next bite as Neve watched her.
“So, you teach yoga?”
She nodded as she swallowed, grateful for the not-so-subtle change in topic. “I’m also a massage therapist.”
“Very nice.”
“I like it.”
“Your studio is lovely.”
It was hard to believe that just days ago, Neve had been in her space, and now she was here. “Thank you.”
“Your family must be proud.”
Trickles of tension crept back as the subject changed yet again and Julie tried to gauge what Neve wanted from her. Was she looking for someone to prosecute or was she interested in how she grew up? “My mother and Gramps passed away when I was seventeen.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
She studied the sympathy in Neve’s eyes, realizing she meant what she said.
“They died in a car accident late in the summer of my junior year. My Gram passed away when I was twenty-one
.”
“Do you have brothers and sisters?”
She shook her head. “Chase and I grew up together. His Nana lived next door. He spent summer and winter breaks with her. She passed away a few weeks ago. Pop died when we were ten.”
“You and Chase are very close.”
She grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth, expelling a half laugh. “Mmm. We were then we weren’t for a long time.”
“I don’t mean to pry.”
She shook her head. “No. You’re not. I’m just trying to explain to you what I can’t explain to myself.”
“He’s very handsome.”
Julie nodded.
Neve looked down at her plate, sliding Julie a glance out of the corner of her eye.
Julie smiled. “He’s gorgeous—always has been.”
Neve grinned. “You two look quite stunning together.”
“We’re friends—barely even that,” she admitted.
“But he’s here with you.”
“He is.” She nodded, thinking of their phone conversation last night. She peeked at her watch. “Shoot.”
Neve sat up straighter as her eyes registered alarm. “What?”
She stood, grabbing her plate. “I’m sorry, but I need to call a cab.”
Neve’s brow furrowed. “Oh?”
“I have some things to do today.” She brought her dirty dishes to the sink with Neve following.
“Then use one of the cars.”
She shook her head as she ran hot water over her dishes. “I couldn’t.”
“You certainly can. I insist. Thomas keeps all of the vehicles in good shape.” She touched Julie’s arm. “I insist.”
She shut off the water and turned, well aware that taking Neve up on her offer would save a lot of time. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Come with me and let me write down a couple of codes for you so you can come and go.”
She followed Neve to the small desk situated by the huge double-door pantry, thinking of Noah’s nasty comments about her being the next want-to-be Alyson. Noah thought she was here to take advantage of Neve’s desperate desire to find her daughter—as others clearly had in the past. “But you don’t even know me.”