Chapter 7 #2
Grant rose from his seat, prepared to shake the man’s hand, but he kept his arm firmly around Julia as he studied them with a bob of his head. “Uh-huh. Hi.”
Julia wasn’t kidding about the locals not caring for them.
“Well, it’s good to see you, sweetheart. I hope you stick around.” He kissed the top of her head before he strode toward the door.
“Wow, he was super friendly,” Sierra said with a wrinkled nose.
Julia set her gaze on Grant. “I told you how they’d feel about you. You’re outsiders.”
“Welcome to small-town life,” Kyle said. “They probably really hate that you married someone from outside of here.”
“The Chief was like a father to me. He’d be hard on anyone.”
“Why do you call him the Chief?” Sierra asked.
“He was the Chief of Police for as long as I can remember. He’ll be the chief for some people around here even after he dies.”
“This place is sort of weird, Julia.”
“Hey, Dad,” Ethan’s voice said from across the room.
Grant glanced at the door, his heart sinking again. The older man clapped Ethan on the shoulder before he kissed Alicia on the cheek.
The woman squeezed his shoulder before she strode toward their table.
“Oh, joy, your sister is back,” Grant said.
“Oh, hey there. Nice little family outing? I guess you booked the tour on the Crystal Echo, huh?” She clapped her sister on the back. “Of all the sea captains in all the seaside towns, huh, Juju?”
Julia ignored her remark. “Busy day policing garden gnome heights, Ally?”
“Not too bad, why?”
“Well, you couldn’t answer your texts.”
“Didn’t I? Oops,” her sister said as she pulled up a chair and stuck it between Julia and Grant. “Well, I’m glad I caught you. You know, I’ve had some time to think about things, and I think we got off on the wrong foot.”
Grant stared down at Alicia’s hand as she grabbed hold of his arm. “I’d like to get to know you all better. Do you have plans for lunch tomorrow?”
“Ally, I think it’s best if–”
“I won’t take no for an answer. How is Lakeside Lawn at noon?”
The expression on Julia’s face looked torn. Despite his intense dislike for all things Harbor Cove at the moment, he didn’t want her hurt. And he didn’t want to give her a reason to hate him. So, he’d try to make some strides with her sister. “That’s a very kind offer. We’d love to.”
“We would?” Julia asked.
“Fine, that place was on my list,” Sierra said.
Alicia picked up the glass in front of Julia. “Marina Mist? I see Luke remembered.”
“Hey, Ally,” Luke said as he approached behind her, squeezing her shoulder. “You want your to-go here instead?”
Ethan wandered over after his father left and kissed Julia on the cheek. “Hey, Juju.”
“You want to eat here, Ethan?” Alicia asked.
“Why not? Oh, unless you folks mind?” Ethan asked as he tugged a chair closer and slid it between Kyle and Julia.
Alicia tilted her head, staring at Grant. “You don’t mind, do you, Grant?”
Her passive-aggressive tone and the challenge in her eyes made his jaw clench.
He wanted to call the pilot and tell him to prep the jet.
His first instinct told him to whisk Julia away from this before it cost him their relationship.
But instead, he forced himself to shake his head.
He wouldn’t give in to her game and feed her image of him as controlling.
Nor would he ruin this moment for Julia. “Of course not.”
Julia chewed her lower lip as she sat between her family. Their placement of seats made it obvious they were boxing out her new family, like two wolves protecting their pup.
Ethan slid an arm around her shoulders with a grin. “I dropped your Jeep by the house earlier. I figured you may want it for an early morning hike or something.”
“Thanks, Ethan,” she said as he dangled the keys in front of her.
Luke delivered two beers to the Whitmores, along with their meals. As the restaurant filled, it became clear how small a town Harbor Cove was. Almost everyone knew Julia, her sister, and her brother-in-law.
The dim, warm lighting of the Hungry Pelican cast long shadows, making the meal surreal. The chatter of other patrons faded into a low hum, a contrast to the tension at their table.
And almost everyone stared at Grant and his family as though they’d come straight from the ninth ring of Hell, complete with horns and tails. Julia had not been joking when she said they’d not be accepted.
Alicia shoved her empty dinner plate away before she took another sip of her beer. “So, what do you think, Juju? Has the old place changed?”
“Not much,” Julia admitted.
“I’m not sure anything has changed really. Same tables, same chairs, same tunes on that jukebox, same pictures on the wall.”
Grant clenched a fist again as the woman made another passive-aggressive remark.
“How about a dance for old times’ sake?” Ethan asked.
“Good idea,” Alicia answered. “I’ll just pick a song. You don’t mind if we borrow my sister, do you?”
Julia wrinkled her nose at her sister. “Actually, Ally, it’s getting late. We should–”
But Ethan was already dragging her from her seat. She shot Grant an apologetic glance and a shrug over her shoulder as music filled the bar.
Grant ordered another bourbon, needing the meager balm to soothe his nerves. At least his wife was only dancing with her brother-in-law.
He sipped the alcohol, biding his time until he could get her away from the people who very clearly hated him. He hoped they wouldn’t taint Julia against him, but he worried they may.
The music changed, and he flicked his gaze to the dance floor, expecting to see Julia returning. Instead, his heart sank.
He stared at the image of them changing partners. Ethan handed Julia off to Luke, giving her a gentle push on her back straight into his arms.
Julia hesitated, but Luke did not, scooping her up as Etta James’s At Last blared from the jukebox.
The mix of emotions clouding her eyes made his knuckles turn white as he clutched his bourbon glass. The easy way she slid an arm onto his shoulder, the soft glance at him through her eyelashes, the natural closeness that seemed effortless, all of it made his stomach turn.
As Julia and Luke moved together, Kyle downed the rest of his scotch, letting the glass clatter to the table. “Well, this stinks.”
“Tell me about it,” Sierra answered, her arms crossed tightly and a frown on her made-up lips. “Worst trip ever.”
Grant couldn’t agree more. Through everything they’d been through, he never thought he’d lose her like this. But it appeared the family vacation that was supposed to bring them together, may very well tear them apart.