by Kim Karr
Archer opened the door wider, and when he did, the empty plate came into view. As soon as my gaze landed on it, I was reminded of what she’d done. Forgiveness could only go so far, but that wasn’t really what was holding me back.
There was more.
Aside from experiencing the oddest sense of déjà vu in her presence that made me feel uneasy, I knew firsthand what a wildcard she was. Someone who acted before thinking wasn’t anyone I could work with.
What was it they said about two peas in a pod?
Forcing myself, I averted my gaze from hers and nodded at Monty’s husband. “Yeah, everything’s cool. I was just getting ready to leave.”
Monty’s brows drew together as he looked at me.
I stuck my palm out to him. “It was nice to see you again.”
The wariness in his eyes didn’t stop him from shaking what was offered. “I hope once you’ve had time to think about things, you’ll change your mind.”
Not wanting to look like the asshole I couldn’t stop from being, I gave him a nod and then strode toward the door.
In the other room, the chatter was loud and animated. Rory and Remy were sitting at the large wooden table, and the wedding planner had joined them.
As soon as everyone noticed I had entered, the room fell silent.
Now I really looked like a real asshole.
Fucking fantastic.
Juliette stopped talking mid-sentence. Archer, who was looking through my sister’s idea book, sat frozen in place. And my sister and Remy, who were sharing a piece of that cake, set their forks down.
I swore even the birds perched upon the cake seemed to be staring down at me, and I found it fucking eerie.
“There you are,” Rory said in delight, “You just have to taste this cake.” She picked up her fork and held it out toward me. “It’s so delicious.”
Keeping the sarcasm to myself, I strode past Juliette and didn’t stop until I reached my sister. “I’m good,” I said tightly.
She pulled out the vacant chair beside her. “Well, at least sit down with us.”
Looking down at her, I kept my eyes right where they were. “I already told you I was leaving.”
Pouting her lips, she practically whined. “Jake, please don’t leave over a silly mistake. Jules has the best ideas, and I really want you to hear them.”
Huh . . .
Jules, short for Juliette.
Jules, the woman who was across from me looking like a deer in headlights.
Jules, the wedding planner who smashed cake in my face, who also happened to be the person my sister had ironically decided, after meeting with countless other planners, was the one for her.
Was Rory even for real?
Seriously, I thought I might lose it.
I didn’t.
I wouldn’t.
The bottom line was my baby sister was my responsibility, at least until she wed. And even though she was a fucking pain in my ass, I loved her and hated to disappoint her. With that being said, it didn’t mean that sometimes she didn’t push me to the limit.
Only after drawing in a deep breath could I answer her calmly. “Rory, I have to be at work in less than two hours, and now I need to get home and shower before I can grab something to eat.” I bent to kiss her. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Her eyebrows bunched together. “But I’m leaving to go back to Tulane tomorrow, and we haven’t made any decisions.”
Standing straight, I cursed. “Shit, that’s right. How about I come by after my shift and we have breakfast together?”
She popped to her feet. “Great. And we can talk about the wedding then?”
I barely suppressed a sigh. “Yes, we can talk about it then.”
Throwing her arms around my neck, she said, “You really are the best.”
With a shake of my head, I hugged her back. Less than twelve hours ago she was yelling at me over the phone, telling me that if I didn’t show up today to meet wedding planner number fifteen, I didn’t love her. “Remember that,” I muttered.
“Always.” She kissed me on the cheek and hurried around the table toward Juliette.
Juliette had a forced smile on her face.
“Tell me more about the wedding you did last summer,” Rory demanded.
Juliette seemed lost.
Rory went on. “The one with the antique furniture set in groupings outside carpets on the grass with crystal chandeliers hanging from tents.”
There was no way we were using this wedding planner, no matter how spectacular her weddings turned out to be. However, I wasn’t stupid. I’d break that news to my baby sister in the morning.
After shaking Remy and Archer’s hand, I strode back in the direction I’d come in but found myself stopping mid-step when I heard my sister’s burst of laughter.
Looking over my shoulder, I let my gaze settle on the quirky girl in the bird dress and took her in. Busy talking, her hands were moving with excitement, and all the tension that lined her face moments ago appeared to be gone.
Her dirty blond hair was tucked behind her ears, revealing a startling beautiful face with striking green eyes. The sun caught on the sparkle of her small diamond star-like earrings, and when it did, that feeling like I’d seen her before was stronger than ever.
Maybe she came into the ER with Archer when Monty was there or some other time. That had to be it.
I didn’t know how long I stood watching her, but it must have been only a matter of seconds. Still, as if sensing my gaze, hers lifted to meet mine. Although she continued to speak, her eyes widened, and something like panic entered her expression once again.
Having no idea why I wanted to ease that panic, I lifted my hand in a goodbye gesture.
What the hell?
Once I turned, I made certain I didn’t look back again.
As I made my way down the sidewalk in the blazing heat, the strangest emotion washed over me. For some reason, I was feeling like I’d been the one who had done something wrong.
As if that wasn’t the most screwed up thing ever.
I mean come on . . . I could still taste her, no not her, the chocolate she threw at me . . . on my lips.
And it pissed me off.
It really did.
A Penny For Your Thoughts
JULES
AT FIVE A.M. IT WAS hard to be perky, even if you were a morning person, but it was even harder when you felt like the four walls that surrounded you were closing in.
My life was such a mess.
I stretched and looked around. The ordinarily comforting feeling that being in this house had once given me had faded months ago.
Hopping out of bed, I went into the small bathroom I shared with my cousin and sighed at the mess on the counter. Bandages, tape, scissors. Sighing, I brushed my teeth and then put everything away.
After Jaxson and I broke up, I let him keep our apartment and everything in it. In order to save enough money to buy all new household necessities, I moved back home for what was supposed to be a few short months. That was nine months ago, and now with my savings entirely depleted and little money to spare, securing a place of my own had been pushed to the back burner.
Whenever I thought about it, I couldn’t believe I was in my late twenties and living with my uncle and cousin.
As I climbed out of the shower, I drew on my robe and then closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.
What happened yesterday was bad.
So, so bad.
And the worst part was, Rory loved me and wanted to hire me. It was just she couldn’t because she really wanted her brother’s approval, and she doubted that was going to happen.
So did I.
Thank God my uncle had left Atlanta to go to his farm immediately following our lunch meeting. Having to tell him about what I’d done wasn’t anything I was ready for. At least while he was gone, I didn’t have to.
Heading down the back stairs to make coffee before getting ready, the dark form hud
dled at the kitchen table startled me. When I let out a terrified shriek, I stumbled forward. Barely keeping myself from tumbling down the stairs by grabbing the railing, I felt like I was free falling.
For a few agonizing moments, my body lurched forward into empty space and I thought, “This is it.” I was going to fall and crack my skull or fracture my spine, or worse, be burdened with some long debilitating injury that would force me to have to kiss my job goodbye without a fight.
But then I managed to somehow keep both feet on the step. I might have saved myself, but the stack of empty dishes I had been carrying in my hands from my food binge last night wasn’t so lucky. With first a roll and then a crash, the plates and bowls broke into tiny pieces all over the wooden floor.
Could my life get any worse?
“Nice,” said the voice I knew, even if darkness obscured the mouth it was coming out of, I knew who it was.
“Darn you, Finn! You scared me!” I put a hand on my heart, the other still on the railing. I really thought I might just faint before I forced myself to breathe.
“Sorry,” he said quietly as he got up and strode toward the broom closet.
Shakily, I sidestepped the glass and flicked the light on. Then I carefully tiptoed to the sink to pour a glass of water. With the drink in my hand, I watched as Finn grabbed the broom. Although I knew I should, I didn’t want to ask him why he had been sitting in the dark.
Like a coward, I didn’t want to talk with him about where he’d been all night or his new job, and that wasn’t fair.
Finn was always there for me. He had been a shoulder to cry on when I needed someone. Not only had he helped me move out of my apartment after my breakup, but he had also been there for me when I started to second-guess my decision, about everything. Finn was like the brother I never had.
After gulping the water, I refilled it and turned around. “I’ll do that,” I told him.
“I got it,” he said, sweeping the pieces into the dustpan.
It was hard not to notice the bruises on his knuckles, but I knew better than to ask if he needed anything. We’d gone round and round over his nighttime activities one too many times, and each time we argued, he only pulled away from me more and more.
Resigned to keeping my mouth shut, I leaned against the counter and took in his clothing. Jeans, T-shirt, hoodie. “You’re up early or is it late?”
I already knew the answer.
Dumping the broken glass into the garbage can, he glanced over at me. “I got home a few hours ago, but I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been sitting here thinking about today.”
“Ah.” There wasn’t much more to say than that, so I went with, “How about a cup of coffee?”
That got a laugh from him. “Um, no. I need to grab a few hours of sleep before I have to go to work.”
Setting my glass in the sink, I walked to the other end of the counter and switched on the coffeemaker. My uncle had one of the fancy kinds that ground the beans and heated the water to just the right temperature.
After Finn put the broom away, he headed for the stairs. “What time do you want me to start, anyway?”
Opening the cupboard, I grabbed a mug and answered him. “I have to go in early, but you don’t have to be there until at least ten.”
He stretched and yawned. “You sure? I can come in earlier.”
I pressed the brew button, and the machine spat and hissed, burping out black liquid. “I’m sure. That will give me time to figure out what you can do since at the moment we have no clients.”
He cocked one eyebrow upward. “Things are that bad?”
Lifting my cup, I considered adding some whiskey, that’s how bad things were. “They’ve been better,” was all I said.
He strode over to the counter. “Jules, how bad?”
Surprise gripped me at the earnestness in his tone. “I have no more money to float the business next month,” I said shakily. “I’m broke and so is it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Never mind.”
He leaned forward, his gaze narrowing on me. “Don’t shut down, Jules. Tell me what’s going on.”
And so I did.
Tears filled my eyes as I told him everything. How I thought I could run this business, but couldn’t. How I didn’t want to disappoint Uncle Edward, but how I might have already ruined everything he had worked for his entire life. How I didn’t have the money to pay next month’s business expenses.
How I had failed.
How I wanted out.
Finn reached across the counter and curled his hand around mine, squeezing it reassuringly. “I’m going to get you out of this mess.”
“I don’t think you can,” I whispered.
He squeezed my hand again. “I can try.”
I smiled indulgently at him and then hugged him. “Go get some sleep. I’ll see you at work in a few hours. We can talk then.”
With that, he gave me a nod and turned around.
I took a sip of my coffee as his heavy black boots pounded up the steps. I appreciated the sentiment, but there wasn’t anything he could do to help me. I needed ten thousand dollars to cover next month’s expenses, and without any clients, that was never going to happen.
The coffee was strong and good, and I hoped it was the jolt I needed to get this day started because all I really wanted to do was climb back into bed and sleep.
I sat in the chair Finn had vacated and started to think about what to do next to turn things around. All I had was until the end of the summer, and I already knew that wasn’t nearly long enough.
Then there was the accounting issue. How could I make my funds stretch far enough to pay the bills? The answer was simple—I couldn’t.
Worry was high on my mind.
I needed to tell Uncle Edward he should list the business now, before it was bankrupt and impossible to sell, and I would. Soon.
The square of stained glass over the sink lightened before I realized I’d been sitting there way too long. Daylight was dawning. I had to stop moping around and get ready to go to the office.
Just as I finished loading my cup in the dishwasher, I heard my cell ringing from upstairs. Heart racing, I rushed up the steps and didn’t even care when I tripped and landed hard on my knees. I just got up and kept going.
This had to be my uncle. No one else called me this early. Biting out a curse, I scrambled up the hardwood as fast as I could. The last thing I needed was for him to have any reason at all to come home, and not being able to get ahold of me would definitely be reason enough.
Almost smacking my head into the door, I pushed it open and threw myself across the bed to snatch my buzzing phone from the nightstand. I frowned at the number on the screen.
I didn’t recognize it.
The cold caller was going to get a word or two from me for calling this early. That was for sure. Deflated, I answered with a very snarky, “This better be important.”
“Hello, this is Rory Kissinger. Am I speaking to Jules Easton?”
I jumped to my feet. “Yes, Rory, it’s me,” I said sweetly. “Sorry about that. I thought—never mind. How are you?”
“I’m good. Listen, I was hoping I could see you this morning.”
My pulse started going wild. “Of course. What time did you have in mind?”
“Now would be good.” I glanced at the clock. “And if you could come to me, that would be terrific.”
I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was still in my robe, and my damp hair was a mess. “Sure,” I said. “I can leave within the next thirty minutes.”
“Super great,” she said in excitement.
“Did your brother change his mind about hiring me to plan your wedding?” I asked, surprised he’d had a change of heart at all, let alone so quickly.
She hesitated before speaking. “Well, not exactly . . . but we can talk about that when you get here. I’ll text you the address.”
At this point, did it truly matter? “Okay, can’t wait to hear what you have to say. See you soon.”
“Jules, wait,” she said.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Do you think you could hurry?”
“Yes, of course, I can,” I said, and then I hung up, wondering if there was a fire sale or something, before rushing around like a crazy woman to get ready.
It wasn’t like I had anything to lose.
Little did I know just how untrue that statement would turn out to be.
From the Fire into the Frying Pan
JAKE
THE SWELTERING HEAT WAS REALLY starting to piss me off. Then again, just about everything was doing that lately.
Warm days had every Tom, Dick, and Harry out on the street. Mix the extremely high temperatures with alcohol, drugs, and handguns and the results weren’t anything pretty.
As I headed across the large room, the green linoleum felt especially hard under my feet. After fifteen hours on them, anything would.
The twenty-six beds lining the three U-shaped walls were cluttered with wires, monitors, and charts, but for now, everything in this unit was quiet. Exhaling a deep breath, I unwrapped my stethoscope from my neck and shoved it into my pocket.
Walking out to the reception area to dictate some notes, I was pleasantly surprised when the main ER doors opened, and the sunlight practically blinded me. Thank fuck this night was over.
In came a man with his hand wrapped in a bag of ice. He wasn’t running or screaming, so it was safe to assume all his appendages were still attached. As he waited in line at the window to give Gladys, the night receptionist, his information, the night nurse looked over at me. “What do you say, you and me one last time?”
It didn’t go over my head that she was talking about more than the patient. I shook my head. “Not a chance.”
Those long lashes of hers blinked. “Come on, Dr. Kiss, just one more,” she purred.
That whole don’t dip your pen in the company ink thing, yeah, well, I think I’d finally learned my lesson. “About that. Could you stop calling me Dr. Kiss? Now I have patients calling me that in public.”