“I don’t want to look like a fool. I’ve been down the road of public humiliation and the scenery sucks. Why would I be jealous? You said yourself Ethan’s like your brother.”
Julia studied him then placed a soft kiss on his mouth. “I’d never do something to make you look like a fool. Scout’s honor.”
“I can’t imagine you as a Girl Scout.” Sam forced his lips to curve into a smile, wondering at his odd reaction. He wasn’t the jealous type, and he knew how happy Ethan and Lainey were together. “Let’s find them.” He took Julia’s hand again.
A number of people waved or stopped to say hello as they made their way through the crowd. At first, Julia tensed at every new greeting. Eventually he felt her relax, but she never loosened her death grip on his hand. He wanted to protect her, he realized, and also to show her she could belong to this community again. The people of Brevia had welcomed him, and if Julia gave them a chance, he was sure they’d accept her.
They caught up with Ethan and Lainey and grabbed a table near the makeshift dance floor. The sisters bantered back and forth, making Sam wish for a better relationship with his own brother.
Even before Scott had cheated with Sam’s fiancée, they hadn’t been close. Sam had been the responsible brother, stoic and toeing the line, while Scott had been wild, always getting into trouble and constantly resenting his older brother’s interference in his life.
“How are things around town these days?” Ethan asked as he set a second beer on the table next to Sam.
“Quiet for a change.” Sam took another bite of pasta then swallowed hard as Julia tilted back her head to laugh at something Lainey said. The column of her neck was smooth and long. He ached to trail a line of kisses across her skin.
He pushed away the beer, realizing he was going to need his wits about him to remain in control tonight.
“Were you involved in the drug bust over in Tellet County a few nights back?”
Julia stopped midsentence as her eyes snapped to his. “What drug bust? Sounds dangerous. Why didn’t I hear about a drug bust?”
Sam threw Ethan what he hoped was a shut your mouth look.
“Sorry, man,” Ethan said quickly. “Hey, Lainey, let’s hit the dance floor.”
Lainey popped out of her chair. “Love to.”
“Cowards,” Julia muttered as she watched them go. She turned her angry gaze back to Sam. “You were saying?”
“A meth lab outside the county lines,” he told her. It had been a long time since anyone had cared about what he was doing and whether it was dangerous or not. “It’s been kept quiet so far because the sheriff thinks it’s part of a bigger tristate operation. We want to see if we can flush out a couple of the bigger fish.”
She tapped one finger on the table. “I don’t like you being involved in something like that.”
“It’s my job, Julia.”
“I need to know about these things. I bet Abby Brighton knew where you were during the drug bust.”
“She’s my secretary. Of course she knew.”
“We’re engaged.”
“Is that so?”
To his great amusement, she squirmed in her chair. “As far as everyone around here thinks. I need to be kept informed.”
“Why?”
“To know whether I should worry.”
“One more reason I wouldn’t be a good bet in a real relationship. Ask my ex. I don’t like to report in. I don’t like anyone worried about me.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “My job is dangerous almost every day. I deal with it, but I don’t expect you or anyone else to.”
“No one’s allowed to care about you?” Her eyes flashed, temper lighting them.
“I don’t need anyone to care.”
“The Lone Ranger rides again.” Julia pushed away from the table. He grabbed her wrist so she couldn’t escape.
“Why are you mad? This doesn’t have anything to do with you. We have a business arrangement. That’s what we both wanted. It’s not going to help either of us to be emotionally involved with the other one’s life.”
“Some of us care, whether we want to or not.”
Her eyes shone and his heart leaped in his chest. He pulled her tight against him, aware they were gathering stares from people standing nearby. “Thank you for caring. I’m not used to it, but it means a lot.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry I’m bad at this. Even for pretend.”
“You’re not so bad,” she whispered.
“Do you want to dance?”
“Do you?”
He grinned at her. “Hell, no. But I can make it work.”
“Give me a minute. I need to catch up with my mom and Joe, make sure Charlie’s okay.”
He studied her. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re avoiding me right now.”
She shook her head. “I want to find Charlie.”
“They headed back toward the game booths. I’m going to say hi to the mayor and I’ll meet you over there.”
The gym was full, and without Sam at her side, Julia got a little panicked by the crowd.
She moved toward the far end of the gymnasium where the carnival booths were set up, then veered off quickly when she saw two women from her high-school class standing together near one of the attractions. One was Annabeth Sullivan, whom Julia felt friendlier toward after their conversation at the salon. The other was Lucy Peterson, their graduating class’s valedictorian. Julia had always been uncomfortable around her. She’d made it clear during high school that Lucy was persona non grata and knew the slightly chubby teen had suffered because of it.
Lucy had gotten her revenge, though. Because of her work in the school office and her access to the files, she’d found out about Julia’s learning disabilities. She hadn’t told anyone outright, but had spread the rumor that Julia had only graduated because she’d slept with one of her teachers and he’d fixed her grade.
She’d told Julia that if she denied it, Lucy would tell people the real reason she had so much trouble in school. Having a reputation as a slut hadn’t been half as bad as the school knowing about her LD.
She ducked out a door and into the cool night air, walking toward the football field situated next to the main building. Two streetlights glowed in the darkness as her eyes scanned the shadowy length of the field.
She’d spent so much time here in high school. If she’d been queen of her class, this was her royal court. She’d felt confident on the field in her cheerleading uniform or on the sidelines cheering for Ethan. She’d hated falling back on her looks, but the insecure girl who had nothing else to offer had exploited her one gift as best she could.
Now she breathed in the cool night air and closed her eyes, remembering the familiar smells and sounds.
Her memories here were a long time gone. She was no longer a scared teenager. She had Charlie to protect. She’d made mistakes and was trying her damnedest to make amends for them. There was no way of moving forward without finally confronting her past, once and for all.
Chapter Ten
She took another breath and headed toward the school, determined to hold her head high. She had as much right to return to her high school as anyone.
Once inside, she stopped at the girls’ bathroom to sprinkle cold water on her face. When a stall opened and Lucy Peterson stepped out, Julia wondered if she’d actually conjured her.
“Hi, Lucy.” The other woman’s eyes widened in surprise.
Lucy hadn’t changed much since high school. She was still short and full figured, her chest heaving as she adjusted the wire-rimmed glasses on her face.
“Hello, Julia. I didn’t expect to see you here. I’m in town for the weekend for my parents’ anniversary. Normally I wouldn’t be caught dead back in this high school. I live in Chicago. I’m a doctor
.” Lucy paused for a breath. “I’m babbling.”
“What kind of doctor?” Julia asked.
“Molecular biologist.”
Julia nodded. Figured. Julia knew better than to compare herself to a genius like Lucy. “That’s great.”
The two women stared at each other for several long moments. At the same time they blurted, “I’m sorry.”
Relief mixed with a healthy dose of confusion made Julia’s shoulders sag. “I’m the one who should apologize. I know I was horrible in high school. You were on the top of my list. Not that it matters, but you should know I was jealous of you.”
Lucy looked doubtful. “Of me? You were the homecoming queen, prom queen, head cheerleader, and you dated the football captain. I was nobody.”
“You were smart.”
“I shouldn’t have spread that rumor about you.” Lucy fiddled with the ring on her left finger. “You weren’t a slut.”
“There are worse things you could have said about me.”
“You weren’t stupid, either.”
Julia made her voice light. “The grade record would beg to differ.”
“I read your file,” Lucy said slowly. “It was wrong, but I know you had significant learning disabilities, which means...”
“It means there’s something wrong with my brain,” Julia finished. “Stupid is a much clearer description of my basic problem.”
“You must have been pretty clever to have hid it all those years. I’m guessing you still are.”
“I cut hair for a living. It’s not nuclear science. Or molecular biology.”
“That’s right. My mom told me you’d taken over the Hairhouse.”
“I’m working on it. The loan still needs to go through.”
“Are you going to keep the name?”
Julia relaxed a little as she smiled. “I don’t think so. ‘The Best Little Hairhouse in Brevia’ is quite a mouthful.”
Lucy returned the smile then pulled at the ends of her hair. “I’m in town until Tuesday. Could you fit me in?”
“You don’t hate me?”
Lucy shook her head. “In high school, I thought I was the only one who was miserable. Once I got away from Brevia, I realized lots of kids had problems. We were all just too narcissistic to see it in each other. Some people can’t let go of the past. I’ve moved on, Julia. I’m happy in Chicago. I have a great career and a fantastic husband. I don’t even mind visiting my mom a couple times a year, although I avoid the old crowd. I know in my heart they can’t hurt me because their opinions don’t matter. I don’t hate you. You probably did me a favor. You made me determined to escape. Now I can come back on my own terms.”
“I’m glad for you, Lucy.” Julia checked her mental calendar. She’d trained herself to keep her schedule in her head so she didn’t have to rely on a planner or smartphone. “How about eleven on Monday?”
Lucy nodded. “Maybe we could grab lunch after. I may not care too much about certain ladies’ opinions but I wouldn’t mind seeing their faces if we showed up at Carl’s.”
“I’d love that.”
“I’ll see you Monday.” With a quick, awkward hug, Lucy hurried out the door.
Julia studied herself in the hazy mirror above the row of bathroom sinks. She felt lighter than she had in years, the weight of her guilt over how she’d treated Lucy finally lifted. One past mistake vanquished, only a hundred more to go.
“She’s right, you know.” The door to one of the stalls swung open to reveal Lexi Preston.
Julia’s shoulders went rigid again. “Eavesdrop much?” She took a step toward Lexi. “I don’t suppose you’re going to put that conversation on the official record? It didn’t make me out to be the deadbeat you’re trying to convince the court I am.”
“I don’t think you’re a deadbeat,” Lexi said, sounding almost contrite. “You’re not stupid, either. But I have to do my job. The Johnsons—”
“They call the shots, right? You do the dirty work for them, digging up damaging information on me and probably countless other family enemies.”
“It’s not personal.” Lexi’s voice was a miserable whisper.
Julia felt a quick stab of sympathy before her temper began to boil over. She was always too gullible, wanting to believe people weren’t as bad as they seemed. It led to her being taken advantage of on more than one occasion. Not this time, though.
She had to physically restrain herself from grabbing Lexi’s crisp button-down and slamming the petite attorney into one of the metal stalls. “How can you say that? You’re helping them take my son away from me. My son!” Tears flooded her eyes and she turned away, once again feeling helpless to stop the inevitable outcome.
“I don’t want you to lose your son,” Lexi said quietly. “If I had my way...” She paused then added, “Hiding who you are and the reasons you did things isn’t going to help your case. You’re not the one with the big secrets here.”
Julia whirled around. “Are the Johnsons hiding something? Do you have information that could help me keep Charlie?”
Lexi shook her head. “I’ve said too much.” She reached for the door. “You’re a good mother, Julia. But you have to believe it.”
Julia followed Lexi into the hall, but before she could catch up a loud crash from down the hall distracted her. She heard a round of shouts and her first thought was of Charlie.
Chaos reigned in the gymnasium as people pushed toward the exits. Julia stood on her tiptoes and scanned the crowd, spotting Joe Callahan with his arm around her mother near the bleachers. Vera held Charlie, who was contentedly spooning ice cream into his mouth, oblivious to the commotion.
Julia elbowed her way through the throng of people to Vera and Joe. “Charlie,” she said on a breath, and her son launched himself at her.
“Banilla, Mama.”
“I see, sweetie.” She hugged him tight against her.
“Why is everyone rushing out of here?” She noticed that many older folks, like Joe and Vera, hung back.
“Big fight outside,” someone passing by called. “Eddie Kelton caught his wife in the back of their minivan with his best friend.”
“He’s going to kill him,” the man’s companion said with a sick laugh. “Someone said Eddie’s got a knife.”
Julia grimaced. She’d gone to school with Eddie’s older brother. “The Keltons are not a stable bunch,” she murmured.
Joe patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, hon. Sam will handle it. I’d be out there but I don’t want to leave your mom.”
“Such a gentleman.”
“Sam?” Julia’s heart rate quickened. “Why is Sam out there?”
“Because he’s the police chief.” Vera spoke slowly, as if Julia were a small child.
“He’s not on duty. Shouldn’t they call a deputy?”
“Cops are never truly off duty,” Joe said with a sigh. “But Sammy can take care of himself.”
“Eddie Kelton has a knife.” Julia practically jumped up and down with agitation. Her palms were sweating and clammy. Sam could take care of himself, but she couldn’t stop her anxiety from spilling over. “This isn’t part of the evening’s entertainment. It’s real life.”
Joe nodded. “Being the wife of a law-enforcement officer isn’t easy.” He patted her shoulder again and she wanted to rip his wrist out of the socket. He pulled his hand away as if he could read her mind. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll check on him. I may be rusty but I could handle a couple troublemakers in my day.”
Vera gave a dreamy sigh. A muscle above Julia’s eye began to twitch.
“I bet you were quite a sight,” Vera practically purred.
“You know what would make me feel better? If I go and check on him.” She sat Charlie on the bleachers. “Stay here with Grandm
a, okay, buddy?”
“Gramma,” Charlie said around a mouthful.
“I’ll escort you,” Joe said in the same cop tone Julia’d heard Sam use. “If you’re okay for a few minutes on your own?” he asked Vera.
“Be a hero,” Vera answered, batting her lashes.
Julia thought about arguing but figured he could be useful. “Can you get me to the front?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He took her elbow and, true to his word, guided her through the groups spilling into the parking lot. Was it some kind of police Jedi mind trick that enabled cops to manage throngs of people?
She poked her head through the row of spectators to see Sam between two men, arms out, a finger pointed at each of them.
Eddie Kelton, his wife, Stacey, and a man Julia didn’t recognize stood in the parking lot under the lights. The unknown man had his shirt on inside out and his jeans were half zipped. Julia assumed he was the man Stacey had been with. Another telltale sign was the black eye forming above his cheek.
Stacey stood to one side, weeping loudly into her hands.
“For the last time, Eddie, put the knife down.” Sam looked as if he’d grown several inches since Julia had seen him minutes earlier. He was broad and strong, every muscle in his body on full alert. A surge of pride flashed through her, along with the nail-biting fear of seeing him in action.
Eddie Kelton couldn’t have been more than five foot seven, a wiry strip of a man, aged beyond his years thanks to working in the sun on a local construction crew. His face sported a bloody nose, busted lip and a large scratch above his left eye. Julia gathered he’d been on the losing end of the fight until he’d brandished the six-inch blade jiggling between his fingers.
“That’s my woman, Chief.” Eddie’s arm trembled. “My wife. He’s supposed to be my best friend and he had my wife.” Eddie’s wild gaze switched to Stacey. “How could you do this to me? I loved you.”
She let out a wretched sob. “You don’t act like you love me. Always down at the bar after work or passed out on the couch.” Her eyes darted around the crowd. “I found the adult movies on the computer. I want someone who wants me. Who pays attention to me. Who makes me feel like a woman and not just the housekeeper.”
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