Finding Julia

by Desiree Holt

  “God, what a jewel she is. If I ever have kids, I’d want them to be just like her. Sure. The weekend sounds like a great idea. Let’s do it at my place, though. Sometimes I can’t think in the office.”

  “And by the way.” Julia frowned. “How come the free weekend? You actually going to leave your hot husband alone? By himself?”

  “Football weekend,” Claire told her. “He and Charlie and Wes are going to College Station for the A&M game and are spending the night so they can pretend they’re nineteen and party hearty.”

  Julia laughed. “Maybe next year they’ll grow up.”

  Claire gave her a rueful grin. “Don’t hold your breath. Anyway, it frees up Saturday and Sunday.”

  “All right. Let’s do it at my place, though, so Miranda can feed us yummy stuff. I’ll bring home whatever we’ll need when we leave here Friday night. You can show up bright and early Saturday so we can get started. I’m going to get one good night’s sleep before we dive in.”

  * * * *

  Courtney was actually pleased to go off with Beth for the weekend, even with a shopping trip on the agenda. Julia waved goodbye and said she’d see her Sunday afternoon. Claire arrived Saturday morning and by the time she left Sunday afternoon the structure of the plan was solid.

  Courtney arrived home shortly after Claire left, sporting a new haircut, the smallest amount of makeup Julia ever remembered seeing her wear, and dressed in Gap jeans and a soft pink T-shirt. Julia swallowed a giggle and smiled her approval.

  “Very nice. You look lovely, honey.”

  Courtney actually blushed. “Beth said if I’m going to work in your office, I might meet some cool people and I’d turn them off if I looked like the Queen of the Trailer Park.”

  Julia mouthed a thank you to Beth.

  “Can I go upstairs now? I need to make some calls.”

  “Of course. And I love your new clothes.”

  Courtney picked up the stack of shopping bags she’d dropped on the floor, her duffel, and clumped up the stairs.

  Julia turned to Beth. “I don’t know how you did it, but thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

  “Well, it was a struggle, but she finally gave in. I think she actually enjoyed herself. And I liked having her with me. I should do this more often. It’s good for both of us.”

  “Honey, you have a very busy life.”

  “Yeah, but I only have one sister. I need to keep remembering that.” She gave her mother a quick hug and kiss. “Gotta go. Meeting some people for Chinese food. Call me and let me know how it goes. And about the new account, too,” she added as she flew out the door.

  Monday, the race to complete the Connell Wilson plan kicked into high gear. By the time Julia and Claire collapsed over sandwiches Wednesday evening, they were convinced the plan was a winner.

  She arrived at the office early the next morning, determined not to forget any of her materials. Claire was already there, coffee in one hand, a folder in the other.

  “If this doesn’t do it, we don’t deserve to get the job.” Julia busied herself gathering what she needed.

  “Don’t jinx us,” Claire told her. “We do deserve the job, and I think we’ll knock their socks off.”

  Julia frowned. “You still don’t know how our name got in the hopper?”

  “Not a clue. I assume we’ll find out today. Every one of the big shots will be sitting in on the meeting.”

  “Oh, great.” Julia groaned. “Still with their grumpy morning faces on, I’ll bet.”

  “Cheer up, sweetie. We’ll wow them.”

  “Okay.” She slipped the final folders inside her new, oversized Coach briefcase, a Christmas present to herself. Then she snuck a quick look at herself in the mirror in the tiny powder room in their office suite. A successful entrepreneur looked back at her.

  Take that, Charles. Jackass.

  “Julia, you look terrific. You’ll knock ’em dead.” Claire’s voice was impatient. “Let’s get it on.”

  “Coming, Mother,” Julia grinned.

  The Connell Wilson headquarters took up three floors of the Alamo Bank Building in downtown San Antonio. Both women were slightly on edge as they stepped off the elevator into a large reception area. An earnest young man in a sports jacket, waiting at the security desk, hurried to greet them and take them to sign in.

  “Ms. Westbrook? Ms. Patterson?”

  They both nodded.

  “I’m Jeremy, an intern in the marketing department.” He handed them two plastic ID badges. “You’ll need to wear these while you’re here, if you don’t mind. Everyone’s waiting for you in the boardroom, if you’ll just follow me?”

  He led them down a long carpeted corridor ending at two mahogany doors. Jeremy opened them to expose a sea of corporate faces gathered around a table nearly as long as the corridor.

  Julia tried to catalog them quickly, knowing Claire did the same. There were at least fifteen people, some dressed in corporate attire, some in athletic gear. They were divided about half and half between male and female. Sometimes that was good, sometimes bad. Women often wanted to flex their muscle in front of their male counterparts, and men often needed to let the women know how much smarter they were.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Julia glimpsed one person, a man in a navy sports jacket and grey slacks, standing at the coffee urn with his back turned. Something about him drew her attention, but then an older man in a dark grey suit came forward, distracting her.

  “Thank you for coming.” He shook their hands. “I’m Alan Wilson, CEO of Connell Wilson. I’ll introduce everyone here but please don’t think we expect you to remember their names.”

  “Oh, we’ll manage.” Claire answered, with her usual brashness.

  “So Hey You will do just fine if you need to speak to someone.” He smiled easily and Julia relaxed a bit. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  Wilson went around the table, identifying each person by name and position. Julia noticed Claire quietly turn on her pocket recorder so she could write everything down later.

  “The gentleman hogging the coffee machine joined us only recently. We were lucky enough to steal him away from his previous position. We call him our senior whiz kid, and he’s the real impetus for your invitation.” The man turned and Julia nearly fainted. “Let me introduce our new corporate vice president, Luke Buchanan.”

  Julia felt as if a vacuum suddenly sucked every bit of breath out of her. Her body turned icy cold but her face felt hot, flushed. Her heart thundered and her pulse beat a jungle tattoo. For a desperate moment, she thought she might throw up. She curled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking, praying her legs would not collapse under her. Luke! She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. He still could ignite her with just his presence.

  All the nights she’d lain in bed keeping his image close to her, remembering the feel of his hands on her body and the hot press of his mouth. The way he’d brought her to climax over and over again and made her feel wanted and desirable.

  Not a day went by that she didn’t regret the circumstance that forced her to walk away from him, full of despair that she’d never see him again.

  She noted how well he’d aged, his body only slightly thicker, his dark brown hair attractively tinged with grey. His face showed a few more lines, and there was a new tension in his body. But he was still wonderful Luke, the man who would always own her heart.

  I love you.

  His words were permanently imprinted on her brain. On the bad, awful nights, she’d hugged them to her like a lifeline.

  He came over to her now, hand outstretched. “Nice to see you again, Julia.” His face was impassive but his eyes were speaking volumes to her.

  “Nice to see you again, too, Luke.” She didn’t know where she found the voice to answer him. At the touch of his hand, her body went on full alert. Oh God, how could she do this?

  Beside her, Claire did her level b
est to be unflappable, but Julia knew she was taking in every detail and nuance.

  “Alan went along with my suggestion to give you a shot at this before we make a decision on an agency.” His gaze was boring into her. “I explained what a good job you’d done for us at Hot Ticket and how well that turned out.”

  “Thank you.” She was afraid she might faint. Her hand, when she retrieved it, tingled from his touch, and her whole body threatened to melt.

  “Thanks for asking us in, Luke.” Claire extended her hand. “Nice seeing you again after such a long time.”

  “You too, Claire.” They exchanged grins.

  Somehow, Julia pulled herself together and she and Claire set up the materials. Despite the shock that threatened to immobilize her, regardless of Claire’s burning curiosity that was almost a living thing, they managed to put on a powerful presentation. Each person at the table asked specific questions. Claire recorded everything so they could get information later for whatever they couldn’t answer now.

  At noon, staff from the corporate kitchen delivered and served lunch at the boardroom table. Julia, like Claire, did her best to chat informally with as many people as possible. She noticed Luke carefully kept his distance, letting her do her thing.

  At last it was over, and they began packing up their things to leave.

  “I have to say I’m impressed,” Alan Wilson told them. “I didn’t know what to expect when Luke recommended you. We’ve pretty much stuck to the same two or three agencies for our work.”

  “We appreciate the opportunity,” Claire said.

  “Well, like everything else he’s suggested since he came on board, your work is both interesting and exciting. Quite an innovative marketing plan.”

  “Thank you,” Julia murmured.

  “You came up with terrific suggestions for the product name change, too.” He thought for a minute. “I’ll need to go over this with my executive committee and digest your presentation. And of course, Luke will have the final say. But I think I can safely say you’ll be getting a call for further discussion.”

  Tired and tense as she was, Julia still felt excitement surge through her. She and Claire managed to shake everyone’s hand again, express their appreciation for their time, and make a graceful exit to the elevator.

  “Wow!” Claire tried to high five her as they were waiting in the hall.

  “Wow? We don’t have the account yet.”

  “I’m not talking about the account, honey. I’m talking about that gorgeous man with the sexy voice. He just gets better looking with age. I can’t believe you’ve stayed away from him all this time.”

  “Leaving everything else out,” Julia told her, “I walked away from him. Didn’t even call him for a long time. I thought for sure he’d hate me by now.”

  “Not even close.”

  The deep voice still sent shivers up her spine. Julia turned to find Luke standing almost directly behind her. She caught the familiar scent of his spicy aftershave and the memories it conjured up made her weak in the knees. She needed to get out of here. Now. But she couldn’t make herself move.

  “Excuse me?” Well that was a dumb response.

  “I said, no, I don’t hate you. Although I’d say we have some unfinished business.” He looked at Claire. “I’m happy to see you again. Thanks again for jumping in for Julia to finish the Hot Ticket campaign when she was…ill.” He turned his gaze to Julia. “I assume you’re feeling better these days?”

  “Yes.” Her words came out in a whisper and she clutched her Coach bag in a death grip. “Much better.”

  “Good.” His eyes held that same heated look she’d never forgotten, ratcheting up the beat of her pulse. “Then there’s no reason you can’t join me for a drink and dinner, is there? I’d like to have a chance to catch up on your life.”

  “Oh, I don’t think…” No, no, no. Alone with Luke? Not possible.

  “That’s right. Don’t think.” Claire was firm, as if reading her mind. “You need a night out. And don’t worry about the brat. I’ll stop by the house and check on her and Miranda.”

  “The brat?” Luke raised his eyebrows.

  “My daughter.” Julia wet her lips. Your daughter. “I… I have a teenager.”

  “Oh.” A strange look washed over his face. “I wasn’t aware of any children other than the twins. Last time we saw each other I was under the impression…” He let his voice fade.

  That she was close to being divorced. Yes, she had been. And now he’d found out she had another child. She knew exactly what he was thinking. That she’d gone from his bed to Charles’s and everything that happened between them was a lie.

  “I’m sorry.” She dug deep for the courage to resist him. He was so close to her she couldn’t breathe. “I don’t think I can take the time for dinner, but thank you anyway.”

  “Just a simple meal?” he pressed. “For old time’s sake?”

  “Luke, this isn’t a good idea.” Butterflies awakened in her stomach and her palms began to sweat. No way could she be alone with him for an evening, only… She’d have to explain Courtney. Answer questions about the mess of her life. Tell Courtney and the twins. Explain why she’d waited all these years, kept it secret for so long. And then there was Rod. By now she might have the spine to stand up to him, but how could she let his rage spill over to Luke? Maybe affect this new position he had. How much influence did Rod and the firm actually have?

  Oh, God, she was making herself crazy. But everything she felt for him burst through to the surface like a geyser erupting. She couldn’t walk away from him again, no matter what.

  She stood there, mind spinning and whirling, unable to make her feet move.

  Luke watched her with questioning eyes then looked at Claire. “So it’s all right with you if I capture your partner for a few hours?” He asked as if Julia had not said a word. “You can handle things for her?”

  “Absolutely.” Claire was already moving toward the elevator when Luke put a restraining hand on her arm.

  “I think we forgot to give you a folder you’ll need. Could we go back in the conference room for a minute?” To Julia he said, “I’ll be right back.”

  They were back in seconds. Claire, grinning broadly, kissed Julia lightly on the cheek. “Don’t hurry home. I’ll clue Miranda in. You deserve a night out. And if Courtney makes a scene, I’ll take her home with me and do the school delivery and pick up tomorrow.” She stepped into the elevator and was gone.

  “What? I’m… Wait. I don’t…” But the elevator doors were already closed. Julia turned back to Luke, curious. “What did you forget?”

  “Let’s get my car.” He ignored her question. “I know just the place to take you.”

  “Luke…”

  But he was an unstoppable force, gentle yet firm as they took the next elevator down to the parking garage. She’d barely pulled in her scattered thoughts when they were in his car and pulling out onto the street. He made easy small talk as they drove to the restaurant. Julia, however, was so uptight she either babbled or said nothing at all. The electricity in the car sizzled and snapped around them and the sexual tension, raring back to life, was so thick she was sure she could touch it.

  She gasped in surprise when they pulled up in front of Harry’s House, a restaurant newly opened in an old Victorian home. Friends and clients raved about it, but it wasn’t a place she’d been to yet. And nowhere she’d expected to see the inside of any time soon, since it had developed a reputation as a truly romantic rendezvous. Claire had waxed dreamily eloquent about it when Brad took her there for their anniversary. Although a couple of the rooms could accommodate parties as large as ten, it was mostly a place for lovers, for romance, for intimate dining. This wasn’t a place for casual conversation.

  Oh well, she thought. At least they wouldn’t be out in the open for every set of prying eyes in San Antonio.

  Julia could feel her heart race as Luke helped her fr
om the car, eyes glittering.

  “I believe this is our evening.”

  Chapter 15

  Julia barely recollected entering Harry’s House or Luke speaking to the host in quiet tones. Or climbing a winding flight of stairs and being ushered into a dining room for two, the table set with exquisite linen, china, and crystal. Her mind simply wouldn’t function.

  For fourteen years, Luke Buchanan had lived in her dreams and in her mind. Her heart. Memories of him were what kept her warm through the stressful time with Charles. She’d refused any anesthetic when Courtney was born for fear she would shout out his name in her delirium. And each time she looked at the perfect baby, visions of their nights together flashed across her mind. She’d never expected to see him again. Certainly not like this, a bombshell dropped at her feet waiting to explode.

  He held her chair for her, waiting until she was comfortable before sitting down himself. Glancing around, she noticed a long couch and two comfortable chairs against one wall along with interesting Victorian accessories.

  Luke grinned at her, noticing her eyes sweep the room. “They actually use that area for serving cocktails. Gives people a more relaxed atmosphere. Don’t worry, Julia. I don’t plan to ravish you on the couch.”

  “Oh. I didn’t…”

  “Yes. You did. But rest assured, for what I have in mind I need something far more comfortable.” He reached across the table and took both of her hands in his. “Tonight I wanted someplace private to talk to you and this seemed the best idea at the time.”

  “It’s fine.” She trembled, still focused on the words ‘what I have in mind.’ As his hands touched hers, sparks shot through her, firing every nerve ending. God, fourteen years and he still affected her the same way.

  A knock on the door preceded the waiter’s entrance and his quiet request for their drink orders. He stood discreetly to one side, pen and pad poised.

  “Canadian and Coke for me,” Luke told him, “and amaretto on the rocks for the lady.” He looked at Julia who nodded confirmation. “Make them doubles so you won’t need to come back quite so soon. And one of those little platters of crackers and cheese.”