“What are you going to wear?”
“Your black dress.” Melissa peeled a soft cloth from a stack and opened a can of polish. Her hand was finally back to normal.
“I suppose that’s only fair,” Jules said.
“I’ll try not to ruin it.”
“It’s not like I have a right to complain if you do.”
Melissa didn’t laugh, and Jules looked up.
Her sister’s eyes were round.
“Dad,” Melissa said.
Jules didn’t blame Melissa for being concerned. “Dad’s reaction is a whole other—”
“Hi, Dad,” Melissa said more loudly in a brittle, bright tone.
Jules realized Melissa was looking past her.
A prickle zigzagged its way up her spine.
She turned to see her father, Roland, frowning in the doorway. He was unshaven, which wasn’t unusual. His plaid shirt was open at the collar, tucked into a pair of work pants, and he wore his usual scuffed leather boots.
“Is something wrong?” Jules quickly asked. She couldn’t imagine why he would have shown up unannounced.
He glanced contemptuously around the restaurant.
“Do you like it?” Melissa asked, her tone still unnaturally bright.
“It’s worse than I thought,” he said.
Jules fought a rush of indignation. “It’s going to be terrific. We’ve expanded the windows, refinished the bar.” She gestured, but the bar was completely covered with the drop cloth. “We’ve redone the floor, not to mention all the structural fixes, like the electrical.”
“And you’ve spent all your money.”
“Not all of it. Not yet.”
“We have a budget,” Melissa put in, sounding more confident. “It’s all laid out. And we’ve had fantastic help from...” She gazed through the windows, obviously looking for Noah. “Where’s Noah?” she asked Jules. “He was just out there.”
“Why are you here, Dad?” Jules asked, dropping her polishing cloth and moving away from the bar.
“Your mail was piling up.” He lifted a large manila envelope held in his hand.
Jules didn’t believe for a second that was his purpose. “You drove up from Portland to deliver our mail?”
“And to talk some sense into you girls.” He gazed around the room again. “But I can see that I’m too late. The damage is done.”
“Damage?” Jules raised her voice. “Is that what you call our work?”
“I call it folly,” he said.
“If that’s the only reason you’re here—” Jules began, prepared to send him packing.
“Please don’t,” Melissa broke in. “I hate it when we argue.”
Roland took a few paces and tossed the package of mail on the nearest table. “Then listen to reason.”
Jules crossed her arms over her chest. As always, when it came to her father’s temper, she felt protective of Melissa. “We’ve been through every bit of this before.”
“Is there a problem?” Caleb appeared in the doorway.
Roland turned and it seemed Caleb recognized him instantly. His brow went up, and his nostrils flared.
“You’re a Watford,” Roland snapped.
“Caleb Watford, Mr. Parker.” Caleb seemed to hesitate, but then stepped forward to offer his hand.
Roland didn’t shake. “What the hell are you doing here?” He shot an accusatory stare at Jules. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“Mr. Parker,” Caleb said.
Roland pointed a finger in Caleb’s direction. “I’m talking to my daughter, not to you.”
“He’s our neighbor,” Melissa said in a conciliatory tone. “He and Matt—Matt owns the marina—have helped us with the—”
Roland’s complexion turned ruddy. “You accepted help from a Watford?”
“I’m not my father,” Caleb said in a deep, level voice.
“Get out!” Roland shouted. “This is Parker land, and you’re not welcome here.”
“I’d like to apologize to you,” Caleb said to Roland. “On behalf of my family.”
Roland’s hands clenched into fists. “Did you not hear me? Do I need to repeat myself?”
Caleb didn’t move. “We’re never going to resolve this if we don’t talk to each other.”
“We’re not resolving anything. There’s nothing to resolve.” Roland took a step toward Caleb. “Get out of this building and away from my family.”
“Dad!” Melissa sounded horrified.
Jules felt like she might throw up.
Caleb raised his palms and took a step back. “I can see this is not the time.”
“There’s never going to be a time,” Roland spat.
Caleb turned and walked away.
Jules shook herself out of her stupor. She realized Caleb must have had a good reason for coming. He’d agreed to stay away, and he’d been respecting her wishes.
“Caleb, wait,” she called, rushing after him.
Her father reached for her on the way past, but she avoided him, bursting through the open door.
“Caleb,” she called again.
He stopped in the parking lot next to the SUV.
“Why did you come?” she asked, halting a few feet back from him.
Heaven help her, she wanted to barrel forward into his arms. The decision to keep her distance had been the right one. But she missed him, never more acutely than while he was standing so close.
“They’ve set a court date,” he told her, his tone remote. “It’s Monday. I came to give it one last shot, to see if we could find a compromise.” He nodded past her. “When did he show up?”
“Just now. He’s here to tell us we’re fools, that we should give up this nonsense and come home with him.”
Caleb gave a dry chuckle. “Ironic. He and I agree on something.”
“I’m sorry.” She gestured behind herself. “He can be...”
“Pig-headed?”
“Stubborn. He’s always been that way. He loves us, but he can’t see past... Well, you know what he can’t see past.”
Caleb’s gaze unexpectedly softened. “Can you see past it, Jules?”
She’d already seen past it. She’d already seen way past it. But she could never admit that to him. “Not while you’re stomping on my dreams.”
He gave a sharp nod. “That’s what I thought.” He opened the driver’s door. “I’ll see you in court.”
He drove away, and she felt pummeled from all sides. For the first time in years, she wondered if she could do it. Maybe her father had been right all along. Maybe she was a fool to get anywhere near the Crab Shack, never mind the Watfords.
And maybe Caleb was right. Maybe she should cancel the noncompete and at least get out of the court case without wasting all their money. There was also the possibility that Noah was right. Selling out to Caleb would at least cut their losses. She and Melissa could take the money and find something else to do. Somewhere not here. Somewhere where she wouldn’t see Caleb anymore.
And what about her sister?
How could Jules know what was right? How could she choose?
* * *
Noah’s pickup was parked at the end of the Crab Shack access road, and he sat in the driver’s seat. Caleb pulled over, exiting his own vehicle. He walked up to the window.
Noah unrolled it.
“What are you doing?” Caleb asked.
Noah stared straight ahead, jaw tight, lips narrowed. “Feeling like a coward.”
The answer shocked Caleb. “Why? What happened?”
“Her dad showed up.”
Caleb leaned his elbow on the open window, feeling sympathy for Noah. “He just kicked me out of the Crab Shack.”
“I wasn’t waiting around for that to happen to me.”
“At least you would have had company.”
Noah’s jaw tightened even further. “I won’t put Melissa in that position. She’s not going to have to explain me to her father.”
“So, you asked her out?” Caleb guessed.
“I did.”
“She said yes?”
The question brought a ghost of a smile to Noah’s face. “She was pretty excited. I was excited, too.”
“So what’s the plan now? Are you going to break her heart?”
“Her heart’s not involved yet, and I’m going to keep it that way.”
“You can’t really be afraid of her old man.” Caleb would be sorely disappointed if he’d misjudged Noah so badly.
The look Noah gave him told him he hadn’t. “I’d take on a hundred guys like him. It’s Melissa I’m protecting, not myself.”
“Then you’re making a mistake.”
If Noah stood up to Roland, he just might win. He had a good explanation for his criminal record. And at least he wasn’t a Watford. If Caleb had thought fighting Roland would get him anywhere near Jules, he never would have left the restaurant.
Noah sat silent, his hands clenched around the steering wheel.
Caleb stood between the idle heavy equipment costing him a fortune on the Neo site and the half-finished Crab Shack that meant so much to Jules. He wished he was only an ex-con who was self-conscious about his profession.
“You want to fight for her,” he said to Noah. “And you want it pretty bad.”‘
“I want to fight for her,” Noah agreed.
“She’s waiting. It might be ugly at first, but what guy didn’t have some kind of battle with a woman’s father?”
“Not like this,” Noah said.
“Not like this,” Caleb agreed. “But it could be a whole lot worse. Look at me.”
“You’ve got it bad for Jules?”
“I’ve got it bad for Jules.” And it was getting worse. Day by day by day, it was getting worse.
“At least you’re a rich, successful guy.”
“At least your families aren’t mortal enemies. I don’t know what you’ve heard...”
“A little,” Noah said. “I get the gist.”
“Well, Roland Parker just finished meeting me. I have to think you’re going to look pretty good in comparison.”
Noah shook his head in obvious self-deprecation. “I really am being a coward.”
“You’re protecting Melissa. You’re just doing it wrong. Get back out there.”
Noah reached for the ignition key. “I will.”
He started the engine and drove away in a cloud of dust.
Caleb watched the loud, battered truck until it came to a stop in the parking lot. The engine went silent, the waves and the wind taking over. Caleb felt a rush of envy. He’d give a lot to be walking back into that room to fight for Jules.
Ten
Numb, Jules was back inside when Noah’s truck slid to a halt outside the restaurant.
“Well, there he is,” Melissa said, all but rushing for the door.
“Not that Watford again,” her father growled.
“It’s Noah,” Melissa answered over her shoulder.
“Our contractor,” Jules clarified, ordering herself to get her emotions under control.
Noah jumped out of the truck and took Melissa into his arms, kissing her soundly.
“Contractor?” her father asked.
“They’re also dating.” Jules had never seen such a display of affection from Noah.
“Melissa has a boyfriend?”
“He’s not exactly—”
Before Jules could finish her sentence, Roland left the building.
Jules’s first instinct was to follow. But she was tired. And this was Melissa and Noah’s situation. They didn’t need her inserting herself into the middle.
She moved to the nearest chair, sitting down to take a minute for herself. When she let her mind go blank, an image of Caleb danced in front of her eyes, looking handsome as ever.
She dismissed the idea, telling herself to change focus. As she did, her father’s stuffed manila envelope came into view.
She reached for it and flipped open the flap, grateful for the distraction.
It was mostly junk mail. She couldn’t imagine why her father had saved credit card company solicitations and letters from local politicians. There was a letter to Melissa from her college, which she set aside. And there was a notice for Jules from her medical clinic.
She opened it, finding a standard reminder to book an appointment. She needed a routine physical and her hormone shot was due. She scanned over the date then did a double take.
It couldn’t be right. There had to be a typo.
She reread it. Then she reread it again. Dread slowly built up, elevating her temperature, making her skin prickle with anxiety. She searched her memory, desperately trying to pinpoint the last shot.
She couldn’t remember. There was nothing in her memory that could dispute the date on the clinic’s letter. If she couldn’t dispute it, then she had to allow for the possibility that it was right. And if it was right, her shot was late. It was late by over a month.
She told herself not to panic, even as her hand went reflexively to her stomach.
No way. It couldn’t happen. Even with a late shot, the mathematical odds were in her favor. They were far and away in her favor.
They had to be.
The alternative was beyond unthinkable.
Her gaze went to the trio outside.
Melissa was smiling. Noah looked relaxed, and her father was nodding at whatever Noah was saying.
Jules didn’t have time to puzzle at her father’s uncharacteristic calm. She had to find out. She had to know for sure. And it couldn’t wait until morning.
She gripped the letter in her fist and rose from the chair, grabbing her purse on the way out the door.
“I’m heading to town. Need anything?” She didn’t look at them as she breezed past. She wouldn’t have heard if they’d answered.
She wrenched open the door of the minitruck, panic pulsing through her brain cells.
She couldn’t be pregnant. It would be a disaster of epic proportions.
As she headed for the Whiskey Bay plaza drugstore, she forced herself to think positively. She wasn’t pregnant. She didn’t feel pregnant. She felt like a perfectly ordinary twenty-four-year-old woman.
Okay, maybe a panicky twenty-four-year-old woman. But that would be short-lived. She’d take a pregnancy test. She’d reassure herself. She’d breathe a huge sigh of relief. Maybe she’d laugh at herself. Then she’d get back to worrying about the easement.
The easement seemed like a smaller problem now. It was surmountable. With a sympathetic judge, their lawyer thought they had a good chance of winning.
Perhaps this scare would turn out to be a blessing in disguise. It would put her world in perspective. She’d defeat Caleb in court. He’d be forced to leave the easement in place. And the Crab Shack would proceed as planned.
No competition. No baby. No tie to Caleb whatsoever. It was exactly what she wanted, exactly what she needed, even if the thought of never touching him again did leave her hollow.
She was in and out of the drugstore without a fuss. She checked the pregnancy test instructions, confirmed the timetable, then stopped at the public restroom in the lookout park. It was the place Caleb had brought her for that first burger, the night Melissa had been hurt.
She didn’t have time to ponder the irony as she walked past the parked cars. Couples and families and groups of teenagers played and picnicked on the grass. Groups walked along the cliff path, chatting
and laughing, their hair blowing in the breeze.
To them, it was a perfectly ordinary day.
Jules was shaking slightly as she entered a stall. Sunlight streamed through the high windows. Disinfectant invaded her nose. A woman and her young daughter chatted as they washed their hands. And down the row a toilet flushed.
Jules tore into the test, discarding the box in the waste bin. She reread the instructions then gritted her teeth, her heart pounding and her lungs rapidly inhaling and exhaling the warm, close air as she urinated on the stick.
She checked her watch, closing her eyes and regulating her breathing as she waited for the minutes to tick past. She concentrated on what she’d do after. She’d have to pick something up at a local store, something that was plausibly important enough for her to have rushed out of the restaurant.
Maybe something for dinner. Her father’s favorite was lasagna. She’d go back to the plaza and pick up the fixings for lasagna. That way she’d look like a good daughter rather than an irrational one.
Dangling the test by her side, out of her sight, she opened her eyes and checked her watch. There were just a few seconds to go. She counted down.
Then she took a very deep breath and lifted the test, half turning away and squinting her eyes like she did in a horror movie.
It didn’t help. She could see the result. It was positive.
She was pregnant.
Another toilet flushed. Someone’s keys clanked as they set them down on the metal shelf and a tap turned on, roaring into the sink. Voices shouted outside, while a seagull screamed.
Jules stared at the two lines in the test window. How could she have been so stupid? Why had she made love with Caleb? She’d never, ever, not even once mixed up her shot dates before now.
How could the universe have played such a cruel trick?
Her phone rang inside her purse.
It would be Melissa, but Jules couldn’t answer. There was no way she could talk right now. She knew if she didn’t answer, Melissa would worry.
Melissa was going to have to worry.
She’d probably be happy in the end. Because the Crab Shack would fail, her father would definitely be happy in the end. And Caleb, Caleb would be the happiest of them all. He was about to get everything he wanted.
From Temptation to Twins Page 16