by Hadley Quinn
“And using Leah didn’t affect anyone’s conscience?”
“Of course it did,” she answered crossly. “I was trying to do the right thing. All the Feds wanted was fucking Damien Glenn and all his secret business locations. I was trying to tell them there was something else going on with Alex but they didn’t care. I had to piss a lot of people off to get their attention. At first I was only looking out for my own interests, I’ll admit it. I just wanted my father out of prison. But the more time I was around Leah… She just reminded me a lot of myself. Then you came along and I realized she actually had people that cared about her. When Damien started coming around more, and then was so adamant that I check on her when she came back here, that’s when I realized she was more to him than just an employee. I wasn’t allowed to share anything about him, so I’m sorry I had to lie to you.”
He shrugged indifferently. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Well I’m no saint, so I know I walked a pretty dangerous line with some of my decisions. But it was a huge burden for me—I had my father’s future in my hands—and the Feds tell me ‘Just do your everyday thing but give us information.’ Ha,” she scoffed. “Then I get mixed into a whole other game with Alex and Leah—and then you—and don’t know where my priorities are at. So I just stuck with whatever would help my father out the most. I didn’t want anything to compromise his future. But when the little girl was involved… I couldn’t let that go. I was trying to close up some information for the FBI and deal with Leah meeting up with Alex…” She sighed.
“You don’t have to explain yourself, I get it. Some undercover situations are easy and some aren’t because there are too many variables. I’m glad everything turned out okay, that’s the bottom line. I appreciate the insight, too.”
She barely nodded but said, “Well, now I’m going to make myself scarce, find a new career, make sure my father gets awarded the promises that were made to him. Just thought I’d stop by.” She looked at him firmly. “To apologize,” she emphasized with a sassy smirk.
Well he couldn’t disregard that, even though she turned and walked away before he could respond. He figured it was best that way, to allow her the chance to move on with her life however she decided. And he didn’t really care what happened to Alex Mills and everyone else involved, only that they were prosecuted properly.
He was just glad that nothing had happened to Leah.
Scarlett stopped at the end of the hall before she turned the corner. “Oh and by the way,” she added as she faced his direction. She paused for a few seconds and said, “My real name is Mary and this is my natural hair color.”
She gave him a light smile before she disappeared around the corner.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Julia did her best to kill time while Cole was out in the hall. The visitor was a woman—she’d heard her voice—but she had no idea who she was other than that.
Indifference tended to be a tricky bitch. It was in her nature to be laid back and easy going. Julia didn’t believe in getting hyped up over things in life that weren’t important. She’d been a good mom and provided all the love and care for her baby that she possibly could, but God still took him away. After that, she realized that life was so unpredictable you just had to love and appreciate what was in it at the time.
Cole came into her life at an interesting time. She wasn’t sure how to take that, either. A move out of New Jersey had been in her plans, and she was literally in the middle of those plans the day that Cole showed up at the diner. Things hadn’t gone as she’d hoped with him, but she labeled it as an opportunity she wasn’t meant to have.
And then the day before she was about to solidify her plans to move…he showed up again. To her surprise, it had turned out a lot different than she’d expected. He wasn’t so distant, seemed to show a little more interest in her, and gave the impression that he was genuinely a nice guy.
She was hooked. And there was no way she could deny it. When you look at a person and feel like you would do anything for them without even knowing why, it is definitely something to think about. Julia felt that way about Cole from the moment he’d kissed her in his truck. Her heart started pounding in her chest, she was short of breath, and the realization that he had stirred something deep inside her soul was enough to put off her plans until the very last minute.
It was approaching that very last minute in another week. She needed to give her answer to a handful of people that were expecting it, but she first wanted to consult with the one person that meant the world to her right now.
Would it matter to him what she chose?
The door opened and Cole re-entered the apartment. She tried to read his face but there was nothing there to decipher.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, coming across the room.
He very slowly nodded his head and exhaled, his face relaxing a bit. “I think so. Let me think on it for a bit.”
Julia nodded, but she wrapped her arms around him tightly. “Of course.” She would never press him for answers, but sometimes being patient was hard. All she wanted was to make him smile again.
“Think you’re ready to head out?” he asked, kissing her forehead. It was the best feeling in the world and it made her heart skip a beat.
“Yes, any time you’re ready. Do you want to eat first?”
He was obviously distracted because he’d totally forgotten about breakfast sitting on the counter. She’d eaten during the fifteen minutes he was gone. It was the only distraction she could think of.
“Uh, sure, I’ll grab something,” he answered as he headed for the kitchen.
While he stood at the counter and ate the cold eggs from the frying pan, Julia put her shoes on and found her purse. Cole had a way of putting things aside when they were bothering him, but she didn’t feel that he completely forgot. He was good at multi-tasking, which meant he was great at harboring stress and worry while he doted on her at the same time.
She actually knew his intentions were never to pretend everything was fine. No, he was too intelligent for that garbage. But she truly believed that he felt he was saving people the burden of being drawn into his problems.
Well, he was wrong. She would stand by his side no matter what was thrown at him. The only question was…would he do the same for her?
“You want something warmer just in case?” Cole asked, holding out a Yankees sweatshirt from the hallway. She hadn’t even noticed him go to the bedroom.
“Yes. Please. Thank you,” she smiled, taking it from him.
“I mean you can always just sit on my lap and I’d be okay with that too,” he winked at her.
“Deal,” she agreed. Good grief, she loved that playful charm of his. The boy did things to her that made her question her senses sometimes. She’d never been around anyone like that.
He shoved his wallet into his back pocket as he held the door open for her. While they were walking toward the stairwell, he reached for her hand and held it all the way to his truck. You have someone pretty fucking amazing when your heart races just from them holding your hand.
After they were on the road for a minute, Cole asked, “So what did you want to talk to me about?”
She was second-guessing herself right now. After whatever meeting he’d had with whomever it was, she wasn’t sure if she should. She could tell he had a lot on his mind.
“Maybe we can just forget about things for the day and just have fun,” she smiled at him.
He gave her a side-glance as he drove. “You sure? You said it was important.”
“I feel like maybe your day has been influenced already by whoever stopped by to see you. Let’s just spend a few hours enjoying baseball without the world interfering.”
“So it’s something not-so-good,” he bobbed his head a few times.
“No,” she smiled. “I just want to enjoy the day.”
“Which means you’d be ruining it if you told me whatever it is you want to tell me.”
&nbs
p; God he was good. She knew he was messing with her, but there was no way she’d ever outsmart him in a conversation.
“You tell me what’s bothering you and I’ll tell you mine,” she said.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “You were already going to tell me, though. How’s that fair?”
“Ugh,” she groaned.
His laughter was a welcomed sound, even though she wanted to slug him in the arm right now.
“Honey, I’m not keeping anything from you,” he said as he reached over and squeezed her leg. “I’m just trying to process some information that I was given about a previous case. I’m not sure what to think of it.”
She slid her hand into his. “Okay.”
He actually briefed her on his meeting with this “Scarlett” chick. Julia didn’t know much about his dealings with her, but knew it had to do with Leah Kemp.
He was filling her in on his other meeting with Maggie when he said, “Well, I’ll just see what it gives me.”
As much as she wanted to support Cole in anything he decided, she so badly wished he could get the answers he was searching for about his parents.
“I think you’ll get your answers someday,” she told him. “We don’t always get them right away, and even though you feel like you’re not getting any, maybe that’s the answer you’re supposed to have. At least…that’s what I believe,” she smiled. “I didn’t tell you this before but… That’s kind of what happened to me a year after Matthew died. He’d fallen down the stairs in our home in Scranton. Brady had said he just forgot to put the gate up, but later on I learned it was because he was, uh, preoccupied—with another woman. He forgot to shut Matthew’s bedroom door during naptime because he was busy banging our next-door neighbor. After months of arguing about the wrong things, I finally found out the real reason Brady felt so guilty over his son’s death.
“Sometimes it’s hard to face that, other times I’m glad I found out. I tried working things out with him anyway—it was a hard enough time as it was—but it just wasn’t meant to be. I’m glad things didn’t work out, though. I see now that it wasn’t supposed to.”
Cole slid his arm around her shoulders and nudged her over. She left her seat and sat in the middle next to him, and when he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head, she could have melted right there in his truck.
“Never look back on your life and wish something different happened instead,” he told her. “It took me a long time to learn that. And I’m older and wiser than you, so you know it’s legit advice.”
She laughed. “Of course that’s why I should listen. Has nothing to do with you believing in the same stuff that I do.”
“Ha-ha, smart mouth,” he chuckled.
Julia enjoyed her time cuddled up against him. When they made it to Yankee Stadium, it was no different. He kept her close to him, from walking to their seats and throughout the entire game. She’d always loved baseball because she grew up with her father watching every game he could on TV, but this was an all-new level of love for the sport. Sitting with Cole, enjoying the decent May weather, and just relaxing with the one person she couldn’t get enough of.
Life was amazing.
He offered to take her to dinner on their way home, but Julia just wasn’t hungry after all the ballpark food. Cole had insisted that she stuff her face with a hotdog while they were there. And upon her first small bite, he pretended to shove it in her mouth and said, “Come on, I know for a fact you can take it deeper than that.”
Gahhh, he made her heart swoon. Even threatening to deep–throat her with a hotdog, he was the guy of her dreams.
She had an early morning shift the next day but she asked him to stay with her that night. Lying there in bed with him made more of an impact on her than almost anything so far. Her face on his chest, his fingers softly tickling her skin… It was absolute heaven. She made a decision right then and there about her future and it felt right.
Some things were worth the risk to explore a bit further.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“You think that’s pretty fucking awesome, huh?” Van retorted before he used his forearm to flip Cole off of him.
Cole didn’t even bother with a counter attack. He was too busy lying there on his back, laughing his ass off. “I can’t even… Oh God… The look on your face…”
“You’re a prick, Van retorted, but he was laughing too as he sat up. “The next time you feel like whispering that shit in my ear, you better take me to dinner first.”
“Ahh, but it worked,” he moved to his haunches. “It’s all it took to catch you off guard, I’m just sayin’. Where was your focus,” he pointed to his head.
“Point taken. I just wasn’t expecting it from you.”
“Exactly,” Cole stood. “So I used it to my advantage.”
Van flipped to a standing position and exhaled. “God, I’m beat. Practicing with you has taken me to a whole new level, man. I don’t know if I should thank you or hate you.”
Cole smiled. “Likewise. I go home and I’m actually sore in the mornings after I’ve worked out with you. Definitely a good thing, though.”
“Yeah, I’m not complaining.”
They both grabbed bottles of water and drained them in a matter of seconds.
“One of these d—”
Cole stopped when he saw Doug Buchanan coming across the gym, headed straight for them. Van followed his gaze and said, “Uh, he doesn’t look very happy. What’d you do now?” he added, trying not to laugh.
“Who the hell knows,” Cole answered under his breath.
“Hey Doug,” Van greeted him with feigned excitement. “You finally took me up on a spar, huh?”
Doug barely acknowledged him and motioned to Cole. “Words with you, please.”
When Doug left for the exit again, Van scoffed. “Well he said ‘please.’”
“Yeah, will you please come outside so there aren’t as many witnesses,” Cole murmured dryly. With a sigh, he grabbed his sweatshirt and shoes.
“I want the dirt when you come back!” Van called after him.
Cole flipped him the bird over his shoulder.
He found Doug hanging out at the corner of the building, practically pacing.
“What’s up?” Cole asked.
“What’s up?” he stopped and faced him. “What’s up? I’ll tell you what’s up. My daughter, that’s what. And her future. And the fact that you’re in the way of her dreams. I knew this was going to happen. I warned her! You kids and your wild, ridiculous notions!”
“Whoa, hang on a second,” Cole held up a hand. “How ‘bout you tell me what the hell is going on, huh? I have no idea what you’re talking about. How am I fucking up her future?”
“My daughter that you’re dating? You know, the smart, beautiful one that has her entire life ahead of her? Yeah, that one. The only one I have! And guess what? She finally gets into the university she’s been dying to attend, her second chance at a new start, and now—for a reason that I know has your name all over it—she’s deciding to throw it all away! You happy now?”
Cole felt his spirits sink as he remembered the brief conversation he’d had with Julia about continuing school. He’d never said anything against it, so why was this any of his fault?
“What university?” he asked with a sigh.
“UCLA. The one she tried to get into six years ago but didn’t get accepted. So she went to a local college instead, messed up her life on one douchebag and quit school, and now she’s going to do it again.”
“Hey, first of all, she did not mess up her life. She’s an amazing person and she’s who she is because of what she’s been through. And second of all, if you call me a douchebag one more time—or even insinuate it—you can bet your ass that you’ll never have a conversation with me again. I don’t owe you my time,” Cole shook his head with a scoff. “Especially if you’re going to disrespect me over and over, and more importantly, treat your daughter like she’s incapable of makin
g her own decisions.”
Cole didn’t bother waiting for a reply. He left Doug standing outside and went into the gym for the rest of his things.
Van caught him on his way out of the locker room. “Hey, what the fuck is going on? You look like you’re about to demolish someone right not.” Van was walking with him as he headed for his truck.
“No, I just need to see someone.”
“Well hey, wait up,” Van grabbed his arm to stop him. “Deep breath, man. I don’t want you going after anyone right now. What the hell did Buchanan want?”
Cole took a breath so deep it hurt his exhausted lungs. “I’m gonna go see my girl. Just need her to fill me in about something.”
“Uh, you look pissed as fuck right now. Can you at least put on a fake smile or something? You’re gonna scare the shit out of her.”
Cole lightly laughed. “I’m not upset with her,” he clarified. “Her dad rubs me the wrong fucking way, though.”
“Well what did he say?”
Shaking his head, Cole answered, “Just blames me for some choice of hers I knew nothing about. Sounds like she turned down a chance to go to UCLA and he blames it on me.”
Van looked perplexed. “Well did you tell her you didn’t want her to go?”
“No.”
“Well obviously you’ve given her some reason to stay if it really is about you. Guess you gotta find out.”
Yeah, guess he did.
Cole got in his truck and pulled away. He knew Jules was at the diner working an extra shift, but he would sit there all day until he could get a few minutes with her.
He didn’t see her right away when he came through the door. His favorite booth was taken too, and that irritated him even more than he already was. He had to sit on the opposite side instead and he didn’t like it.
“Hey, Bree, where’s Jules?” he asked when another waitress walked by.
She paused and smiled at him. “Oh hey, honey. Um, she ran home quick. Her building manager was up her ass, she had to take care of somethin’.”