“I might fight tonight. I’m that worked up. Please tell me you didn’t know about what was going to go down at the little West dinner party.” She watched his face, certain she could tell if he was lying. He reminded her so much of her brothers it was eerie.
“I had no clue. I swear on my mother.”
That was enough to convince her. “Maribel knew. She told me. I was going to stay at her house, but I stormed out. It seems my list of friends is growing shorter by the minute.”
“I’ll be your friend,” Aden said with pity. “I can’t say you’ll be glad for it though. I’m a pain in the ass.”
“I can tell. You’re so much like my brothers. All five of them.” She took a sip of the beer and slid onto the barstool. “They’d know what to say right now.”
“That’s a lot of pressure. I only have one sister and I never seem to say the right thing to her. She’s always pissed off.”
“I didn’t say their advice wouldn’t piss me off. Of course it would. But they’d probably be right.”
“Then let me take a crack at it.” Aden put a hand up to his chin and considered it. “If you were my sister I’d tell you that if Hugo meant the stuff he said tonight when he left, you should call him.”
“What?”
“That dude knew he was out of a job, a great job. He knew he’d screwed things up real bad. A lesser man would have stormed out and acted like he didn’t give a shit.” Aden shrugged as though it was his humble opinion.
“In the moment that mattered, he didn’t pick me.” Junie tried to imagine if the roles were reversed. If it came down to her future or his love, what would she choose? Was it really that simple?
“If you’re looking for someone who’s going to be perfect the first time every time, you might as well buy a bunch of cats and swear off men. We suck. We’re terrible creatures who are either thinking about sex or talking about sports. That’s it. But every now and then we meet a woman who brings out something more in us.”
“This is nothing at all like the advice my brothers would be giving. We’d be trying to figure out where he parks his car so I could slash his tires.”
Aden laughed. “I have a big corporate job now. I’m turning over a new leaf. I’m trying to be more practical. More mature. And he doesn’t have a car here in town; he’s using a car service.”
“How did things get so screwed up?” She rested her elbows on the bar and then her chin in her hands.
“Were things not screwed up before?”
She began to answer then hesitated. Of course they were. Things were incredibly screwed up before this. “Yes. That’s why I was here. Trying to change what sucked.”
“So now you’re way further down the path. You’ve made real progress. Don’t get me wrong, I was holding my breath hoping James was going to sign on the dotted line too. But he did say he’d make some calls for you. And did you see the look on Libby’s face. She thought you were perfect. You’re going to keep going.”
“So basically you’re saying this is an extension of how crappy my life already was, and I shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it?”
“Right. Quit acting like you were a millionaire who lost everything. You already had nothing.”
“This is all very comforting.” Junie sighed and looked over at the television. There was nothing good on tonight, but this already felt better than being alone.
“You should call Hugo. The guy is probably wandering the streets alone, looking for a bridge to throw himself off of.”
“Why are you so sure he deserves another chance?” Junie wasn’t challenging Aden. She was desperately hoping he had a good answer.
“Can you imagine if the situation was reversed? If you loved him that much and you had to choose?”
“I would do right by him,” Junie asserted but it fell flat. “Though it might mean I’d be failing myself or my family.”
“Sometimes the demons win. They shout down our better angels, and the next thing you know the woman you love is walking away.”
“You’re good at this.” Junie was gaining perspective by the second, though she didn’t want to admit she could see his point.
“I’m usually on the other side of the bar when I’m doling out all this really good advice to strangers. I’m even better when I’m sitting with a friend.”
“I don’t know what to say to him.”
“Trust me, you dial the number and that will be saying plenty.”
She lifted her phone and touched the screen to bring it to life. Before she could decide, there was an unfamiliar number flashing across the screen.
“Hello?”
“I’m sorry to call you so late. It’s Libby West.”
“Oh hi, Libby.” Junie exaggerated the name to ensure Aden was completely up to speed with how crazy this was. “I’m sorry again for crashing the dinner and how things went.”
“Don’t be, there is a silver lining.” You could practically hear Libby’s smile spreading widely as she spoke. “James is ready to move forward. Come into the office on Monday. I’ll be there. We can talk through all the details.”
“What? What changed his mind? I hope you don’t just feel sorry for me. If you do I guess I can live with that because I really want this to work out, but I hope that’s not why.”
“It’s not why.” Libby laughed. “Gosh you and I are a lot alike. I’ll admit your story was compelling and maybe that’s why I wanted to hear you out. But Mathew ran the numbers once I forced him to. You’ve done so much of the leg work, and your passion is going to propel this forward. We can help take you the rest of the way.”
“Really?” Junie put her finger in her other ear and pressed the phone tight to make sure she wasn’t missing anything. “Are they sure?”
“Junie, don’t doubt yourself. That was always my biggest mistake. Come in the office on Monday. Bring everything you’ve got. James launched right into an investigation. He talked to the lawyer who helped you with the patent. He talked to the lab workers you brainstormed with. Anyone you came in contact with, he called tonight.”
“I’m sorry if what we did was against the rules.” Junie felt a lump of guilt clog her throat.
“Every single one of them thought you were a joy. You made quite the impression in the lab. They thought you had some great ideas. James isn’t easily impressed, but I could tell the way they were talking about you was resonating with him.”
“Is this real?” Junie asked, knowing exactly how ridiculous her question sounded.
“It’s not that long ago I was asking questions just like that. Your life can change but only if you get out of your own way and let it. Opportunity is knocking, and I completely understand the impulse to hide, but I’m telling you, this is your shot.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Junie admitted sheepishly.
“Figure out what to say in the office on Monday. We’ll see you then. My first call in the morning is going to be to Hugo. I’m not sure if that matters to you. James gave it some thought and after we talked it out he still has a lot to offer the company. There were a lot of emotions involved here and even though James would never admit it, he’s been there himself. I’ve learned a lot from my husband but one thing I’ve taught him is second chances are worth handing out every now and then. We’re a large company so if you have any concerns about that we can accommodate.”
“It’s not a problem. I’m happy for him. I want to know he’s all right.”
“Good girl.”
Junie hung up the phone and stared at Aden in astonishment. “They’re actually interested. I have a real shot.”
“Good,” Aden said, gesturing to the bartender to bring them another round. “Now you have another phone call to make.”
“They’re going to still give him the job. Libby is going to call him in the morning. I don’t know that I want to tell him anything about it.”
“Why?”
“It’s not my place to say anything and they could change the
ir minds. But if I don’t tell him I’ll feel awful too. He lost everything and now I’m going to call him and tell him it all worked out for me? That doesn’t seem right.”
Aden winked at her. “It’s perfect. His reaction to your happiness is the best barometer you can hope for.”
“You’re clever.” Junie lifted her glass and tapped it against his as if to say cheers to this shitty day.
“Cheers,” Aden replied.
Junie clicked her phone back to life and looked at Hugo’s name. “I’m going to go outside and call him.”
“It’s a rough area,” Aden reminded her.
“I’m a rough person.”
Chapter 27
Junie put the phone to her ear and tucked herself against the outside wall of the pub. The brick was cool and scratchy against her back as she waited to hear Hugo’s voice. But all she got was his voicemail. It would be easy to read into that. Was it a rejection? Was he really just wandering around town taking stock of his life?
“I was wondering if you’d look disappointed,” Hugo said as he came from around the corner with his phone in his hand. “I thought you might be here.”
“You were coming to find me?” Junie gulped at the sight of him. Against all her better judgment and logic she was desperate to fall into his arms.
“I told myself I wouldn’t, but apparently we’ve proven by now I’m a weak and selfish man.” He didn’t smirk, instead his head fell low.
“You’re not either.” Junie nearly reached out for him but something held her back. If she hadn’t just gotten the good news from Libby would she be so quick to forgive him?
“I was going to go back up north and try to pretend none of this ever happened.” He kicked at the loose gravel and rubbed at a pain in his temple. ‘The problem is there is no way to pretend you and I didn’t happen. As a matter of fact I’m standing here trying to memorize every inch of you so that it might be enough to last me forever. I can tell you already it won’t be.”
“I can’t blame you for wanting to better yourself, Hugo. You made it perfectly clear your life’s priority was gaining enough success to feel separate from your father and to know you’d never need him again. James gave you the path to that.”
“Please don’t let me off the hook that easy. I don’t deserve it. I just wanted a chance to talk to you one more time and let you know whatever you need I’m going to make sure you’re all set. Stay in the hotel as long as you want to. I’ll help you get a flight back to Boston.”
“That’s nice of you.” Junie stepped in closer to him and took note of his look of astonishment. “I don’t think I’ll be going back there any time soon. I just got a call from Libby. I’m meeting with them. They liked the data and they’re ready to move forward with my design. It sounds like it’s going to work out.”
“What? Are you sure?” Hugo asked. There was no flash of jealousy. No hesitation at all. “That’s amazing. You must have really impressed them. I knew you would.”
“But what does that mean for you?” Junie didn’t spend much time relishing in her victory when she realized what Hugo had lost.
“Who cares? You’re finally getting everything you wanted.”
“You aren’t worried? You’re actually happy for me even though you don’t know what tomorrow will bring for you?”
“Of course I’m happy for you. This is what I wanted. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. You need to make sure you’re ready for everything coming your way. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Just one thing.” Junie felt a wash of calm take the place of what had been an endless flood of nervousness and pain. Her mother had always told her when she knew something was right there would be no missing the signs.
“Anything,” Hugo said, closing the gap between them. “What do you need?”
“You,” Junie said simply. “I know it’s going to be complicated and messy. I know you burned a bridge with James. Asking you to stay here with me isn’t fair, but I’m asking anyway. I don’t want to do this without you.”
“The last time I had to choose between you and something else, I blew it. I promise you that will never happen again. If you want me here, then that’s where I’ll be.” He cut the distance between them to a few centimeters, his lips hovering over hers. “For the rest of my life, if I ever have to choose, I will always choose you.”
“For the rest of my life,” she whispered, “I’ll make sure you do.”
* * *
The End
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