She dragged her rolling bag down the hallway and carried it down the stairs. As she turned the corner into the living room, she saw Richard and Rachel sitting on one of the sofas. Rachel was crying and her father was trying to comfort her.
Their eyes flew to Julia’s as she dropped her bag accidentally. She apologized profusely.
“It’s all right, Julia,” Richard greeted her. “How did you sleep?”
“Well, thank you. Rachel, are you okay?”
Her friend wiped her eyes. “I’m fine.”
“Why don’t you two talk while I make some breakfast? Rachel likes blueberry pancakes, Julia. How about you?” He stood up and gestured toward the kitchen.
“Thanks, but my dad asked me to meet him at Kinfolks for breakfast at nine.”
“I’ll drive you. Just let me whip up some pancakes first.”
Richard disappeared, and Julia sat next to Rachel on the couch, putting her arm around her friend’s shoulders.
“What happened?”
“I had a fight with Aaron. He was moody this morning, so I asked him what was wrong. He starting talking about the wedding and wondering if I was ever going to set a date. When I said I wanted to wait, he wanted to know how long.” She threw up her hands in frustration. “I told him what I said before—I don’t know. Then he asked if I wanted him to let me out of the engagement!”
Julia inhaled sharply in surprise.
“We never fight. But he was so upset that he couldn’t even look at me. Then in the middle of our conversation, he just walked out the front door and drove away. I have no idea where he went or if he’s even coming back,” Rachel sobbed.
Julia hugged her friend tightly. “Of course he’s coming back. I’m sure he was upset with himself for fighting with you and went for a drive to cool off.”
“Dad overhead us. So of course he wanted to know why I was delaying the wedding.” She wiped her eyes with her hands. “He said Aaron was right, I couldn’t put my life on hold. He said that Mom would be upset if she knew I was putting things off because of her.” Rachel’s face crumpled as her eyes filled with more tears.
“Your dad is right—you both deserve to be happy. Aaron loves you so much. He just wants to get married. He’s worried you’ve got cold feet.”
“I don’t have cold feet. I’ve loved him forever.”
“Then tell him that. He took you to an island to reconnect with you after the funeral. He’s been patient about everything. I’m sure he doesn’t care when the wedding is, he just wants to set a date.”
Rachel sniffled sadly. “I had no idea how upset he was.”
“Maybe you should eat some breakfast, then call him. He’ll have calmed down by then, and you two can go somewhere and talk. You can’t work things out here with so many people around.”
Rachel shuddered. “Thank God Scott didn’t walk in on us. He would have sided with me and pissed Aaron off even more.”
At that moment, the front door opened and closed and a tall, brown-haired man, sweaty from jogging, strolled into the living room. His hair was messy and damp, and he was wearing a black Nike jogging suit. As he approached the two women, he took a pair of ear buds out of his ears and pressed a button on his iPhone.
He looked at Rachel and Julia, frowning darkly. “What happened?”
“Aaron and I had a fight.” More tears fell down Rachel’s cheeks, leaving Gabriel stricken.
He walked over and pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m sorry, Rach. Where is he?”
“He left.”
He subtly shook his head in frustration. It pained him to see his sister cry.
Before he could ask for more details, Richard emerged from the kitchen, announcing that breakfast was served. “And Julia, if you can give me a few minutes, I’ll take you to Kinfolks.”
Gabriel released Rachel. “What’s happening?”
“Julia needs to meet her father at nine.”
Gabriel looked at his watch. “It’s not even eight-thirty.”
“That’s okay. I can just have a cup of coffee at the restaurant and wait for him.” Julia avoided Gabriel’s gaze. She didn’t want to be an inconvenience.
“Let me shower and I’ll drive you. I have to stop by my real estate agent’s house anyway.”
Julia nodded and the three of them entered the kitchen while Gabriel went upstairs. Over blueberry pancakes, Rachel produced something from her purse and fastened it around Julia’s neck.
She touched the pearl necklace with surprise. “What’s this?”
“They were Mom’s. We wanted you to have something of hers.”
“I can’t, Rachel. You should have them.”
“I have other things,” she said, smiling.
“What about Scott?”
Rachel giggled. “Scott said they weren’t his style.”
“We wanted you to have them.” Richard looked at her kindly.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course!” Rachel hugged her friend, grateful for the opportunity to return her kindness in some tangible way.
Julia was overwhelmed, but she fought back tears for Richard’s sake. “Thank you. Thank you both.”
He pressed a fatherly kiss to the top of her head. “Grace would have been so happy to see you wearing something of hers.”
“I should thank Scott.”
Rachel rolled her eyes and stifled a snort. “He won’t be up till noon. Aaron and I had to turn the stereo on last night to block out the sounds of him snoring. We could hear him through the walls.” She looked up into her father’s slightly disapproving face. “Sorry, Dad, but it’s the truth. Anyway, just bring your dad to dinner tomorrow night, Julia, and you’ll be able to thank Scott then.”
Julia nodded, fingering the pearls thoughtfully, marveling at their smooth spherical shape.
***
Gabriel and Julia didn’t say much on the drive to the restaurant. Almost all the words they needed to speak had already been spoken. They held hands like teenagers in the car. Julia beamed when Gabriel gave her his Magdalen College scarf and said that he wanted her to have it. When they arrived at the restaurant, Tom’s truck was nowhere to be found.
“I guess we’re lucky.” Julia sounded relieved.
“He’ll have to be told eventually. I’ll tell him, if you wish.”
Julia turned her head to see if he was serious. He was. “He told me to stay away from you. He thinks you’re a criminal.”
“Then you should let me tell him. You’ve taken enough abuse to last a lifetime.”
“Gabriel, my father never abused me. He isn’t a bad man. He’s just—misguided.”
Gabriel rubbed his mouth but said nothing.
“I’m not going to say anything until we’re back in Toronto and the semester is over. It will be easier to explain on the phone. But I should go. He’ll be here any minute.”
Gabriel kissed her lightly, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. “Call me later.”
“I will.” She kissed him again and slipped out of the Jeep.
He pulled her luggage out of the back and placed it at her feet, leaning forward to whisper in her ear, “I’m already fantasizing about our first time.”
Julia blushed and murmured, “Me too.”
Tom Mitchell was a man of few words. He was incredibly average-looking—of medium height and build with medium brown hair and rather medium brown eyes. Despite his failure as a father and whatever failures he had been guilty of as a husband, he was a dedicated volunteer and very active in municipal life. In fact, he enjoyed an excellent reputation amongst the townsfolk of Selinsgrove, and his opinion was frequently sought after in all matters municipal.
To Tom’s credit, he and Julia spent an enjoyable day together. The regulars at Kinfolks restaurant welcomed her gladly, and he was able to brag to them about how well she was doing in graduate school and how she was applying to Harvard for her PhD.
He took her for a drive around town
to see some of the new building projects, pointing out how Selinsgrove had grown even during her short absence. And he brought her to a first-aid training session that was being hosted at the fire house so that his colleagues could tell her how much her old man talked about her. Afterward, they went grocery shopping, because for various reasons Tom didn’t keep a lot of food in the house. Later that afternoon, he skipped the football game so that they could watch an old movie together. Yes, it was the director’s cut of Blade Runner, but it was a film that they both wanted to see, and they quite enjoyed it.
When it was over, Julia handed him a beer, thus encouraging him to watch football while she made Grace’s famous chicken Kiev for dinner. Finally alone, she sent a short text to Gabriel:
G, Just making Grace’s chicken Kiev
and a lemon meringue pie for Dad.
He’s watching football.
Hope you’re having a great day.
I’ll call you around 6:30.
Your Julia. XO
A few minutes later, while Julia was in the middle of assembling two casseroles of chicken Kiev, one for that evening and one for Tom to freeze, her iPhone chirped with an incoming text:
My Julia, I’ve missed you.
We’re watching football too.
R and A have kissed
and made up and set a date.
Richard is something of a miracle worker,
I think, or perhaps it was you?
You don’t know what it means to me
to hear you say that you are mine.
Looking forward to your call.
I am yours, Gabriel XO
Julia fairly floated in the kitchen, buoyed as she was by Gabriel’s words and the moments they’d shared the previous night. Her dream was going to come true. After years of dreaming, Gabriel was going to be her first.
All the tears and trouble and the humiliation with Simon were now forgotten. She’d waited for the man she loved, and now she was going to have the first time she’d always desired. And in Florence, of all places. She had many things to be thankful for, including the string of pearls around her neck. She was pretty sure that Grace had had a hand in everything, and she silently whispered her thanks.
When she was finished with her preparations, Julia placed one of the casseroles of chicken Kiev in the oven and walked the second one down to the basement. Upon opening the freezer, she was surprised to find a lot of pre-made meals, stored in Tupperware or wrapped in tin foil, many of which had little notes on them signed Love, Deb.
Julia resisted the urge to gag at the sight of them. Deb Lundy was a nice lady, and she seemed to take good care of Tom. But her daughter Natalie was another story, and Julia couldn’t even fathom how upset she would be if Deb and Tom decided to move in together or God forbid, get married. That would be disturbing on more than one level.
Julia pushed all thoughts of Deb and Natalie aside and devoted her full attention to preparing her father’s favorite dessert, which was lemon meringue pie. He tended to prefer the pie that was served at Kinfolks, but that didn’t stop Julia from making her own.
She was just putting the pie into the oven when the telephone rang. Tom answered it and within seconds was cursing loudly. After a few brief sentences that sounded work-related, he slammed the phone into its cradle and disappeared upstairs. When he returned, he had changed into his uniform.
“Jules, I’ve got to go.”
“What happened?”
“There’s a fire over at the bowling alley. The guys are there already, but they think it might be arson.”
“At Best Bowl? How?”
“That’s what I’m going to find out. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” He was almost to the door when he stopped and hunched his shoulders. “I’m sorry I ruined your dinner. I was looking forward to it. See you later.”
Julia watched her father back out of the driveway in his truck and drive away. No doubt Gabriel was already in the middle of dinner with his family, so Julia decided against texting him. She would wait until six-thirty and call him as planned.
When the timer went off, she removed the pie from the oven and inhaled the sweet, citrusy aroma. While she waited for it to cool, she wrapped the chicken Kiev and put it in the refrigerator. It would keep until tomorrow—she’d make a sandwich for dinner.
About fifteen minutes later she heard the front door open and close. She hurriedly grabbed a plate so that she could serve Tom a piece of pie.
“How did you get away so quickly? The pie is ready right now,” she called to the hallway.
“I’m glad to hear that, Jules.”
At the sound of that voice, the plate slipped through Julia’s fingers, smashing on the old linoleum floor beneath her.
Chapter 27
Simon walked into the kitchen and paused, leaning against the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. She stared in shock at a handsome face with blue eyes, framed by short blond hair.
Julia shrieked and sprang toward the doorway, trying to run around him. His large hand shot out to the doorjamb, effectively clotheslining her. She grabbed onto his arm to prevent herself from falling backward.
“Please,” she begged. “Let me go.”
“Is that any way to greet me? After all this time?” He grinned, withdrawing his arm and standing to his full height of five feet, eleven inches.
Julia cowered just inside the doorway, her eyes darting around nervously.
Simon backed her into the kitchen, his medium-sized frame still intimidating. When he’d successfully cornered her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight bear hug.
“Simon, put me down.” She gasped and squirmed.
He squeezed her more tightly, a wicked grin slicing from ear to ear. “Come on, Jules. Loosen up.”
She struggled in his arms. “I have a boyfriend. Let go of me!”
“I don’t care if you have a boyfriend.”
He brought his face close to hers, and Julia feared that he was going to kiss her. But he didn’t. He pressed himself against her and allowed his hands to wander, smirking at her discomfort. Eventually, he pulled back.
“Wow, still a cold fish. I would have thought your boyfriend would have fixed that.” His eyes slithered over her lustfully. “At least I know I’m not missing anything. Although it’s still insulting that you’d give it up to him and not to me.”
Julia pulled away from him and sped to the front door, opening it and gesturing outside. “Just go. I don’t want to talk to you. And Dad will be back any minute.”
Simon slowly followed her, like a wolf following a lamb. “Don’t lie to me. I know he just left. Seems they had a bit of trouble over at Best Bowl. Someone burned the building to the ground. He’ll be gone for hours.”
Julia blinked nervously. “How do you know?”
“I heard it on the radio. I was already in the neighborhood, so it seemed like the perfect time to drop by and see you.”
She tried to appear calm as she weighed her options. She knew there was no way she could outrun him, and she didn’t want to run the risk of angering him by trying. At least if she stayed inside she had a chance of trying to get to her cell phone, which was in the kitchen.
She plastered a fake smile on her face and tried to sound pleasant. “It was nice of you to stop in. But we both know it’s over. You found someone else, you’re happy with her. Let’s leave the past behind, okay?”
She tried to hide her anxiety, and she did a pretty good job of it.
Until he came closer and started running both hands through her long hair, drawing the strands up to his face so that he could sniff them.
“I wasn’t happy with her. It wasn’t about happiness—it was about sex. And she isn’t the kind of girl I could introduce to my parents. You, on the other hand, were at least presentable. Even if you were a disappointment.”
“I don’t want to talk about this.”
He pulled the door out of her grasp and slammed it shut. “I’m not
finished. And I don’t like being interrupted.”
Julia took a cautious step backward. “Sorry, Simon.”
“Let’s cut the bullshit. You know why I’m here. I want the pictures.”
“I told you, I don’t have them.”
“I don’t believe you.” He clamped a hand around her neck and yanked her toward him by her necklace.
“Do you really want to play this game with me? I’ve seen what Natalie has. I know the pictures exist. If you give them to me now, we’ll remain friends. But don’t push me. I didn’t drive three hours to put up with your shit. I don’t care how many strands of pearls you wear, you are nothing.” He began to tug on the necklace, straining the knots between each pearl.
Julia brought her hands up to stop him. “Please don’t. This was Grace’s.”
“Oh, this was Grace’s. Excuse me. I spent more money on you in a week than they’re worth.” He tugged the necklace again, defiantly.
Julia swallowed hard, and he could feel her throat flutter against his fingers. “Natalie is lying. I don’t know what her motivation is, but I’m telling you that I left behind all the pictures of you that I had. I have no reason to lie to you. Please, Simon.”
Simon laughed. “You give an impressive performance but that’s all it is—a performance. I know you were mad at me because of what happened, and I think you took something for revenge.”
“If that’s true, then why haven’t I used them? Why didn’t I send them to a newspaper or ask you for money? Why would I be holding onto them for over a year? It doesn’t make sense!”
He crushed her to him and brought his lips to her ear. “You aren’t exactly street smart, Jules. It isn’t a stretch for me to believe that you have something that you don’t know how to use. Why don’t we move this conversation upstairs? I can look around for the pictures, and you can try to put me in a better mood.” He drew her earlobe into his mouth, biting it slightly.
Julia inhaled and exhaled a couple of times, trying to grasp at any courage she could summon. She looked up into his cold, blue eyes. “I’m not doing anything until you take your hands off me. Why can’t you be nice?”