“From the way it sounds, she never had love and is going through all of that as well. Sounds like you two have at least one thing in common. Neither of you ever replaced the other. Maybe love is out there for you, John.”
“Quit being deep,” he said sarcastically. “I just need to get through Friday night with you and whoever my date is.”
“At least give her a chance. She's a nice person,” Julie said. “You going to court with me next week?”
“I wouldn't miss it,” he said with a serious tone. “That fucker won't get anywhere near you. I promise you that. We will all be there. There is nothing to be nervous about.”
John heard a noise through the phone.
“What was that?” he asked.
He still found himself worrying about his new sister. It was important that she felt safe and protected. He would be there for her at the drop of a hat.
“Your brother,” she said.
“Hey, beautiful,” he heard Ethan say. “Hey, bro.”
John laughed when he heard his brother speak into her phone.
“Don't be flirting with my woman,” Ethan said.
John shook his head even though they couldn't see him.
“I'll see you Friday, Julie,” John said.
“Call me if anything interesting happens in your life,” she said.
They hung up the phone and his thoughts went back to Sandy. Julie was right. Life must have been just as hard on her as it had on him. He knew the number he called for Sandy was a cell phone. Opening a new text, he thought for a moment. He wasn't ready to hear her voice again yet.
John: Sorry I blew up last night.
About ten minutes passed. He figured she wasn't by her phone, didn't have a text service, or didn't feel like talking to him. He went to his gym and took his frustration out on the bag that hung from the ceiling. Wiping the sweat from his face with his t-shirt, he grabbed his phone off the table on his way to the shower. He couldn't help but hit the button, and was happy to see a return text from her. Maybe she wasn't too upset with him.
Sandy: It was totally understandable. I've thought about how that moment would go for over twenty-six years. It wasn't any worse than I thought it would be.
John: Were you really planning to leave school after that semester?
He put his phone down by the sink in his bathroom and quickly took a shower. It was getting late, and he had to be up early for work. Once he was dry and slipped on a pair of boxers, he grabbed the phone and crawled into bed.
Sandy: I was. The biggest mistake of my life was letting you leave without me. I'm sorry I made you feel like I didn't care about you, John. You have no idea how wrong that is. It sounds like you did a great job raising your brother. He's lucky to have you in his life.
John: He's a pain-in-the-ass, but I love him. He's the only family I have. I have Julie too now. Sometimes that's a good thing.
Sandy: She cares about you.
John: She's had it rough. I'm glad my brother was there for her when nobody else was. She drives me crazy, but I would do anything to protect her. She's a pediatrician, but some stuff happened and she hasn't worked in a bit. Ethan wants her to stay home and be barefoot and pregnant. They haven't agreed on that yet. He has definitely met his match with her. She's a smart ass. I guess she had to be, with an older brother and Ethan around growing up.
Before John knew it, they had text back and forth for over an hour.
John: I better get some sleep for work.
Sandy: Okay. Thank you for texting me. I don't expect you to forgive me. I just don't want you to hate me. Be careful out there. Goodnight.
John: Goodnight.
Chapter 17
John couldn't help thinking about Sandy. He found himself wanting to tell her things through the day. One conversation through text was more than enough, he thought. He knew he needed to stop thinking about her.
He was ready for his date Friday night. It wasn't that he wanted to date one of Julie's friends, but he did want to move on with his life. Would he like the woman Julie picked, he wondered? It didn't matter. He was taking a step toward the future. A future that included living for himself.
John changed into a nice pair of jeans and a button up dress shirt. He wanted to be comfortable and knew he could talk Ethan into shedding the suit for the night. Julie wouldn't say anything to him if Ethan wore jeans as well.
He sat in the living room waiting for his brother to pick him up. When his phone rang, he felt a nervous but excited feeling. Maybe it was Sandy. He picked it up to see Kara's number. It had been a few days since they had spoken.
“Hey,” he said, as he answered. “How are you?”
They began talking about their last couple of days. John was happy to have a friend outside of the circle to talk to.
“You still talking to that guy from the beach?” he asked.
“I am,” she said. “I have my guard up though. I'm not letting him crush me. He seems so nice. I'm just not sure yet.”
John laughed. He was happy for Kara. They had connected in Florida. He had a great time with her even though there was nothing sexual between them.
“Remember how I told you about Sandy?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“You're not going to believe this,” he began.
John went on to tell her everything that had happened since he had gotten home. He was in the middle of a sentence when he heard Ethan yell from the other room.
“Come on. Julie's going to kick my ass if we show up late.”
John burst out laughing. His brother was the one that was late.
“Don't try to act like I was late. I've been waiting for you,” John yelled back.
Ethan walked in and sat down.
“I've got to let you go, Kara. My brother and his wife set me up on a blind date for tonight. I'll let you know what happens. Have a great weekend.”
Ethan's head went to the side, as he rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes.
“Who would Kara be?” Ethan asked.
“None on your business little brother,” John answered. “You're wearing jeans tonight.”
Ethan looked at him and shook his head no.
“You afraid of your wife?” John asked.
“No,” Ethan answered. “I can wear what I want.”
John couldn't help but laugh.
“You are so whipped. I never thought I would see the day.”
“Shut the hell up,” Ethan snapped. “I'm not whipped. I do what I want.”
“I wonder what Julie would say about that.”
“I let her think she has all the control. It's easier that way,” Ethan replied. “My woman always does what I want. I just have to ask her the questions at the right time.
They both started laughing.
“Who's Kara anyway?” Ethan asked, as they walked out the door.
“A friend,” John answered.
“You have friends outside of us? That can't be. Maybe I need to start watching after you.”
“You're all grown up. It's time to live my life to the fullest. There's no reason to watch out for me. I'll be just fine.”
Ethan shook his head and laughed.
When they walked in Ethan and Julie's, she looked down at John's jeans and back up to his eyes.
“Ethan said we were wearing jeans tonight,” John said with a smirk.
“I did not,” Ethan said.
“Pussy,” John mumbled. “I agreed to go on this date. Leave my jeans alone. I wanted to be comfortable. That way I can give your friend a relaxing time.”
“You're so full of shit,” Julie said.
Ethan leaned over and kissed Julie on the forehead.
“You tell him, baby,” he said. “I'll be right back. Since he's wearing jeans, I am too.”
She shook her head and smacked his ass when he walked away. John knew Ethan would be thrilled to get out of the suit for a night.
“Have you talked to Sandy?” Julie whispered, as so
on as Ethan was upstairs.
“We text back and forth right after I talked to you. I apologized for freaking out on her. It's crazy how easily we got into normal conversation. We haven't spoken since. I'm not going down that road again.”
“Do you think you two could ever be together again?”
“I'm not sure. It's been a long time. What's my date's name tonight?”
“Nice job of changing the subject. Her name is Cindy. She's a nurse at the hospital I worked at. I think you're going to like her. Give her a chance.”
“Of course,” he said. “Anything for my favorite sister.”
“Whatever,” she said, as she smacked his arm.
Ethan came down the stairs and they left. Cindy was meeting them at the restaurant. They were already seated when Julie stood up and walked toward the door. John looked up to see a very attractive woman hug Julie.
“Not bad,” Ethan said.
“I'm so telling Julie you said that,” John joked.
“Fuck you, man,” Ethan snapped.
“I love you, bro,” John said with a smile. “I enjoy watching your wife put you in your place.”
The two women walked back to the table. Cindy was as tall as John. She had long brown hair and blue eyes. He wasn't sure how old she was. A few years younger than him maybe. Both men stood.
“This is John,” Julie began. “This is Cindy.”
John pulled out Cindy's chair for her and she smiled. They all sat down and looked over their menus. Julie scooted closer to Ethan and leaned in to kiss his cheek. She gave Ethan so much shit, but John could see her insecurities shine right through. He hoped that one day she would realize what an amazing person she was. Ethan pulled her in for a hug and whispered something in her ear. Her whole face lit up as her cheeks turned red.
“Knock that crap off over there,” John said before turning to Cindy. “Julie said you work at the hospital. Do you like it there?”
John knew it was going to be a long night. He wanted to give Cindy a chance, but his mind kept going to Sandy. Focus, he thought to himself.
Cindy began to talk about her job and how much she loved working with kids. She asked John about being an officer. The conversation flowed nicely between them. Most of the time they talked about work, but that seemed pretty normal. John really hadn't had many hobbies. His life revolved around working and Ethan. He worked out, but that was for his job and to relieve stress. It wasn't really a hobby. Watching sports was something he did often, but he needed to get out and do things. They had all eaten dinner and were waiting for dessert. Julie seemed happy with the way John was acting.
Just as the waitress delivered their food to the table, Julie looked up at the door. Cindy held a fork full of her cake up for John to try it. John saw a nervous look on Julie's face. He leaned in and took the bite of food. Chill out Julie, he thought.
“John,” a woman said.
He turned his head to see Kelly standing there. She was with a man, two kids, and Sandy, who stood in the back of the group. John could tell she was trying to blend in. She wasn't invisible.
“Kelly,” he said, as he stood to say hello. “How are you?”
He could feel Sandy trying to shrink down, but it wasn't working.
“I'm good,” she said. “This is my husband Eric and our kids Eric and Sarah. You already know my mom.”
John shook Eric's hand and looked down to shake each of the little one's hands.
“It's nice to meet you,” John said. “This is my brother Ethan. This is Cindy. You already know Julie.”
John saw Ethan pay closer attention when he mentioned them knowing Julie.
“This is Sandy and her family. She's the one that was in the accident the last time I left dinner.”
Ethan stood and shook hands with the family.
“My brother develops video games,” John said to the little boy.
“Really,” Kelly said. “That's what my brother does. He's such a nerd.”
She looked at Ethan and her eyes widened.
“I didn't mean it like that,” she stumbled over her words. “I meant that was all he did. He is crazy about that stuff. I just don't get it. I've tried to be supportive and look at what he does. All that code jumbles together for me. I told him I'll be a tester, but that's as far as it gets.”
“Don't worry about it,” Julie said. “I mess with Ethan about it all the time. The code makes no sense to me, but I love playing the games. He has me hooked. There are days I sit all day and jump up to make dinner as he's walking through the door.”
“Where does your brother work?” Ethan asked.
“I'm not sure. I think he is working at the college he graduated from,” Kelly answered.
When Ethan reached forward to shake Sandy's hand, he stopped.
“You look so familiar,” he said. “Where do I know you from?”
“I don't remember ever meeting you,” Sandy said. “We better go and leave you to your dinner.”
John could see the hurt in Sandy's eyes, as she looked over at Cindy. Julie looked at him and smiled.
“If your son would like to see my work, you can all come over for dinner one night. It seems Julie knows you as well. Maybe I could talk him into working for my company. I'm always looking for passionate developers,” Ethan said. “It's not always easy to find people who love what they do.”
“I'll let him know,” Kelly said.
John could feel the tension oozing off of Sandy. Even with everything they had been through, he felt sad to see her that way. The family walked away, and they returned to their seats.
“I know her from somewhere. She's about your age, John. Did you go to school with her or something? Do you know her?” Ethan asked.
John wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to lie to his brother. It was the one thing he promised he would never do. It might have been well over twenty years since he had made that promise to Ethan, but he knew that it was one of the most important things he had ever told his brother.
“I did,” John answered, turning his attention back to his dessert.
Ethan sat quiet for a minute before John heard him gasp. John had pictures of Sandy. Ethan found them years before. That was where he had seen her. John knew he realized it.
“So,” Julie said. “How's your dessert?”
“You and your food,” Ethan said with a laugh, as he looked up at John.
Julie reached over and took a piece of Ethan's cake onto her fork. She slowly slid the bite into her mouth and moaned as she licked the fork clean. John and Cindy both started to laugh.
“That's my dessert,” Ethan said, as he did the same to Julie's cheesecake.
Conversation began to flow at the table again, but John couldn't keep his mind on it. He couldn't help but watch Sandy from across the room. She looked over at him with a smile. Even after all of the years that had gone by, he could see the sadness in that smile and knew she was full of shit. He had always been able to read her like a book.
“John,” Julie said. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” he answered. “I just feel a little off. I'm not sure what it is. Sorry about that.”
John jumped back into the conversation but kept looking across the room. Cindy was very nice. He felt bad for not being completely there for their date. Everything had been fine at first. He needed to give her the attention she deserved.
“Would you like to go back to our house and watch a movie?” Julie asked.
“That sounds awesome,” John said, as he turned to Cindy. “Would that be okay with you, or would you like to go the movies instead? Ethan has a nice setup.”
“That sounds good,” Cindy answered. “I can meet you guys over there.”
“Would it be okay if I went with you?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“You can speed if he's with you,” Julie joked.
“No,” John said. “I already told you it doesn't work that way.”
Ethan laughed and shook his head. They
all stood, and John could feel Sandy's eyes on him as they left. He walked with Cindy to the car. She walked to the passenger side and handed him her keys.
“Would you mind driving?” she asked.
He nodded and opened her door for her. They talked about work and family on the way to the house. She had a large family. He could tell they were close from how excited she was to talk about them. Her career took a bit longer to take off, so she had only been at the hospital for two years. He thought about how different their lives were. John was ready to leave his job and she was just beginning. He had been through raising Ethan and working his ass off. She talked as if she wanted to have a baby. He knew she was younger than him, but he couldn't see himself having kids of his own.
The four of them settled in and watched a movie. When it was over, she offered to take him home. He didn't want her to go out of her way, and he knew he wasn't going to invite her in. There were to many things on his mind. She was a sweet person but not someone he saw himself with. He didn't want to take advantage of the situation either. She left to go home, and Julie began to ask him his thoughts of Cindy.
He was happy he went out that night. It made him realize that he needed to make some decisions and do something about them. Maybe he could find a woman to spend his life with. He just had to find someone that was in the same place as him. She needed to be done with wanting to have children, sweet, honest, and willing to travel with him. He didn't want someone to take advantage of what he had to offer. She needed to be genuine. He knew he wouldn't find the type of love that was life changing, but he thought maybe he could find someone he would want to spend his days with.
“Come on,” Ethan said, as he nudged John's leg to bring him back to the moment. “I'll take you home.”
Rescue of Love (Bachelor Billionaire #4) Page 9