Embracing Juliette (Texas Heroes: Station 9 #1)

Chapter 7

7

Dylan

I waited patiently, mesmerized by the play of emotions over her face. I watched hope and trepidation, happiness and skepticism, war in the twitch of her lips and the depths of her eyes.

I took a sip of my coffee, breaking eye contact with her. I already knew she didn’t respond well under pressure. I took a bite of the banana bread and nodded to the piece in front of her. “Try it.”

She did, and I did an internal fist pump. She wouldn’t have complied if she was going to turn me down.

“Mmm,” Juliette moaned, driving all the blood in my body south. “That is delicious.”

She held her coffee tightly in both hands and inhaled a long breath, then met my eyes.

“Okay.”

Thank fuck. I slid my hand across the table, palm up, and squeezed her hand when she hesitantly placed it in mine. “Thank you for giving me another chance.”

She shrugged, a coy smile on her beautiful face. She opened her mouth and started to speak, and a jumbled sound stuttered out, sounding something like “E-e-shin.”

I tried not to react. It didn’t bother me, but I worried it would upset her. Last time this had happened, it continued for the rest of the night until she’d practically run away in tears. I sipped my coffee nonchalantly.

Juliette looked down at the table, took a deep breath, and looked back up, thankfully with the same playful smile on her face. “Easy decision. Why wouldn’t I want to be with you? You’re the one taking a gamble here. So far it’s been fifty-fifty on me being alright and a total disaster.”

The words came out deliberate and even, with just the tiniest hint of a mumble that seemed to usually be there.

“You’re way more than alright, Juls. And I already declared this a do-over for dinner, and it’s going great. I think my odds of winning with you are damn good.”

Her smile grew even bigger, pride and relief radiating from her. The gentle sprinkling of freckles across Juliette’s cheeks and nose danced across her face as those honey brown eyes, sparkling with gold, crinkled at the corners. Gorgeous.

Yeah, she was a gamble I was happy to take.

“I’d love to stay here with you all day, but I should get back to work soon.”

“Of course! Sorry to keep you.”

“Don’t apologize. I’d rather be here. I have another couple of minutes if you want to finish.”

Juliette nodded and quickly downed her coffee. She took another piece of the banana bread then pushed it towards me, and I polished off the rest.

“I’m working the next few days. Can I call you?”

Juliette nodded.

“And when I’m off later in the week, can I see you again?”

She nodded again, a pretty pink flush washing over her face.

“Good. Are you finished?”

She nodded once again. I hated that she wasn’t more comfortable talking to me, but hopefully that would come with time. I cleaned up our garbage, then returned to take her hand in mine and walk her to her car, which was parked crookedly at the curb.

“I can’t wait to get to know you better, Juls. I don’t know when I’ll have time to call, but I promise you that I will, okay?”

“It’s fine. I know you’re working and you’re busy.”

“Sometimes I can get a callout that takes all night, or multiple calls back to back. Just know that if I don’t call, it’s because I can’t. I?—”

“Stop explaining. I get it.”

I hoped she did. It wasn’t easy being with a firefighter, but I hoped we could make it work.

I got back to the station just in time before we were called out for a structure fire. By the time I was back and had a minute to call Juliette, it was almost midnight. Damn. This was my second call to her and the second time I’d wake her up. I couldn’t not call, though. I’d warned her this could happen, and she said she understood, but I wished it didn’t happen the first day.

“Hello?” Her voice was soft and scratchy with sleep and so fucking sexy.

“Hi, Juls. Sorry I woke you.”

“It’s okay. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, we just got back from a fire, and everyone’s okay.”

“Good.”

“It was really good to see you today. I can’t wait to see you again.”

“Me too.” Her words were slurred, and I think it was due to sleepiness as much as her speech.

“Go back to sleep, Juls. Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight. Be safe.”

I fell asleep with the sound of her sweet, sleepy voice telling me to be safe echoing in my mind.

I called again the next morning hoping to catch her before work, but she sounded rushed and stressed and said she was running late.

Finally, that evening, we had time for a longer conversation. She asked me about the guys I work with, and she seemed genuinely interested in hearing about them. Then I asked about her work. She told me about a few of her students and how one of them was so close to writing her name. It was easy to hear how passionate she was about her job and students, and I really liked that about her. I wanted to ask her to go out with me again, but something had me hesitating.

She was starting to relax during our conversations. I didn’t want to screw that up by saying or doing the wrong thing. I still didn’t know what went wrong during our dinner, but whatever it was, I didn’t want to do it again. The image of her with despair in her eyes as she said goodbye after dinner, clearly thinking it would be forever, warred with the image of her radiating joy when she’d agreed to give me a second chance at the coffee shop. I had to tread carefully.

Sometimes her speech sounded like she was nervous or rushed. Some of her sounds and words were mumbled, skipped over, or slurred together. Other words were perfectly clear. She obviously had some sort of speech impediment, but it didn’t explain everything else that had happened at dinner. It also didn’t turn me off the way I think she thought it did. I really liked talking to Juliette. She had an innocence about her. Those idiosyncrasies when she talked made her feel genuine. Some women, like my ex-wife, spouted fake bullshit to manipulate, but hearing Juliette stumble over her words, I didn’t think she could do that even if she wanted to.

It was the morning of my last day on shift, and I was sitting on the couch, staring at my phone, working up the nerve to call her like I was a damn teenager.

I couldn’t remember the last time I was this nervous to ask a girl out. Actually, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d asked a girl out, period. Kayla had pursued me first, and the women I’d met at bars since then didn’t count.

“What’s so interesting there?” Ethan asked, nodding to the phone in my hand.

“He’s trying to ask Juliette out,” Cole answered for me.

“She was hot. You totally should,” Brady said.

I glared at him. They all laughed. Assholes. I loved these guys like brothers, and they drove me crazy like them too.

“Look at him, all heated up about something other than work. I didn’t think it was possible,” Cole said.

I flipped him off, walked into the bunk room, and sat on the edge of my bed to call her.

“Dylan?” So damn cute. Even after a few calls, she still sounded so surprised and happy every time I called.

“Hi, Juliette. How are you?”

“I’m good, you?”

“Good. We can keep talking more, but I want to get this out of the way first, in case I get called out. I’m done with this shift soon, and I have the next few days off. I’d like to see you.”

“You do? Uh, I mean, me too. I’d like to see you too.” In her nervousness, did she forget I’d already told her I wanted to see her again? Or was she questioning whether I really meant it?

“Great. What do you want to do?” I hoped that by giving her the choice, she’d pick something that would make her comfortable.

“Um, I don’t know. Anything you want is good for me.”

That wasn’t helpful, but I could hear her nerves picking back up again. That was the last thing I wanted. I needed to end this conversation and get back to safer ground. “Do you like bowling?” I figured bowling was close to billiards.

“I stink at bowling.”

“That’s not what I asked. Do you enjoy it?”

“Yes. I do. We can go bowling if that’s what you want to do.”

“Good. Can I take you tonight?”

“I, uh, I can’t tonight. I have something…something I need to do. It’s…it’s…”

She was panicking, stumbling over her words more than during our other phone calls. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because she was trying to come up with an excuse not to see me. I wouldn’t call her out on it, though. I just wanted to make her feel better. “Shh, baby, it’s okay. Is tomorrow better for you?”

I didn’t mean to call her baby. The endearment just slipped out, but it felt right, and she didn’t seem to mind. I heard her breathe in and blow out a shaky breath as she pulled herself back together. Did my words help soothe her as I’d hoped they would?

“Yes,” she whispered. “Tomorrow afternoon?”

“Okay. I’ll pick you up at noon?”

“Thank you, Dylan.” I heard the sincerity and relief in her voice, and I was glad I could give her that, but I wished I knew why.

We continued talking for another half hour or so, light small talk, and it was easy again. I couldn’t quite figure her out yet, but one thing I knew for certain was I enjoyed talking to her more than I’d enjoyed talking to any other woman before.