Chapter 8
JULIA
J ulia smiled up at her brother-in-law as they swayed to the music.
“It’s good to have you back here, you know?” he said with a smile.
Her smile faltered for a second before she plastered it back onto her face, though it never reached her eyes.
Was it good to be back? She missed her friends and family desperately, but the pull between her past and present was becoming overwhelming.
After a terrible night’s sleep and all the emotional baggage of the day, her mind threatened to melt down.
“Rough day?” he asked her.
“You could say that.”
He slid a lock of her hair away from her face. “You look tired, Juju.”
“I didn’t get much sleep last night after that fight with Ally.”
“She loves you. She just wants the best for you.”
Julia couldn’t answer. After coming face to face with her past, she had no idea what was best for her.
“Why are you with him, Juju? You belong here with us.”
“Please, Ethan,” she finally said. “I’d really just like to enjoy being at home without answering dozens of questions.”
“All right,” he said. “I’m sorry. I just…Ally told me what’s going on. Julia…”
“I don’t need a lecture on my decisions of late.”
“Don’t you? Because this is kind of weird. They’re kind of weird.” Ethan flicked his gaze to her new family.
“They’re not that weird. And no, I don’t. Look, it’s bad enough that we accidentally ran into Luke this morning. That was…uncomfortable.”
“It’s okay, Juju, he understands.”
“Did Ally tell him? He made a call this morning before we sailed and ever since then–“
“I don’t know. But what I do know,” Ethan said as the song wrapped up and a new one blasted from the old jukebox, “is that you should spend a little time together.”
Julia furrowed her brow as her brother-in-law slyly sidestepped and shoved her into Luke’s waiting arms. She hesitated, a pang of confusion making her uncertain this was a wise idea.
She was with Grant, but the echoes of her past with Luke tugged at her heart, creating a storm of emotions she couldn’t calm.
The pressure of Ethan’s hand on her back only lifted when Luke pulled her closer.
The warmth of his hands as one circled around her waist and the other intertwined with one of her own brought back another flood of memories. With the pressure of the day weighing against her, she couldn’t stop them from filling her mind.
Memory after memory, many of them on this very dance floor, flashed through her mind, some of them so vivid, they blurred the lines between past and present.
Her arm naturally slid onto his shoulder, and she lowered her chin as she glanced up at him. As always when she saw Luke, everything felt normal. They’d parted ways only to end up together so many times before. They could easily pick up where they let off without skipping a beat.
It had been this moment that she’d avoided when she went to New Orleans. She hadn’t trusted herself to stay in Harbor Cove without ending up with him. And she still didn’t.
She swallowed hard as he stared down at her, his dark eyes soft. She found herself leaning toward Luke, their past connection undeniable. But as her eyes found Grant across the room, a wave of guilt washed over her, and she instinctively tried to put distance between them.
Luke tilted his head to catch her eye. “It’s good to see you, Juju.”
She offered him a fleeting smile. “About earlier…” She tried to find the words to explain, but none came.
“You don’t need to say anything,” he answered.
Julia’s heart raced, each step a dance between past and present. Memories of Luke’s embrace mingled with the reality of her life with Grant, stirring a storm of emotions she struggled to navigate. “I hadn’t intended for you to find out that way. Sierra…”
“Julia, it’s okay.” He smiled at her as they swayed together, their dance stirring something within her.
Her lips curled at the corners, old emotions resurfacing as his easy way soothed her. Before she could speak again, a shadow loomed over them.
“You wouldn’t mind if I cut in, would you?” Grant asked.
“Ahhhh,” Luke said, freezing with her still in his arms as their song continued to play.
“Seriously?” Alicia’s voice snapped. “You’re that controlling that she can’t spend five minutes with an old friend?”
“Ally,” Julia warned as she stepped back from Luke.
“I don’t see the problem here. She’s my wife,” Grant said.
“Oh, right,” Ally said, “which means you own her. But, given the circumstances, I could see how you’d think that.”
“Ally!” Julia exclaimed, her eyes wide as she stared at her sister.
Luke’s hand slid around her shoulders. “Why don’t we let Julia decide what’s best for her?”
“Excellent idea, Luke,” Ethan said as he stepped away from Alicia to get between Julia and Grant.
“Fine,” Grant said as he refused to back down. “Though I think the constant pressuring from you is a little much.”
“We’re hardly pressuring her,” Alicia retorted, “just protecting her because she’s family.”
“She’s–“
“Don’t even tell me she’s your family because she’s not.”
“Everything okay here, Dad?” Kyle asked as he joined the fray.
The situation spiraled out of Julia’s control faster than she expected. Time slowed as she pictured another bar brawl, only this time it seemed Kyle and Grant had finally found a common enemy. Her eyes blinked closed as her vision blurred.
Luke’s grip pulled her closer. “Julia, let’s go–“
She didn’t hear the rest of his statement as overwhelm threatened to bring her senses crashing down around her. Before she drowned in the rocky sea of her emotions, she found herself moving forward, pushing past the others in the restaurant until the cool evening air smacked her in the face.
She gulped it in as she flung herself against the wooden railing.
“Julia?”
Grant’s voice startled her, and she snapped her gaze to him, still feeling unsteady. “Can we go home?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
His features pinched with concern as he nodded while Kyle spilled out of the restaurant behind him. “Yeah.”
He slid his arm around her shoulders as he spoke to Kyle. “Get Sierra.”
Kyle nodded as they wandered down the few steps to the car waiting below. She slipped inside, wishing she could melt into the supple leather seat as it surrounded her.
Silence stretched between them during the short ride as Julia kept her eyes trained on the passing scenery. She’d experienced all too well the effects of returning to Harbor Cove. But her life was different now.
So very different.
But one question haunted her. Should she never have left?
The car eased to a stop next to her Jeep which brought another flood of memories to her. She burst from the inside, practically running for the house. She didn’t stop until she’d shut herself in her room.
She collapsed on the bed, her mind whirling with memories from moments ago, weeks ago, and years ago all crowding into her brain and vying for attention.
The rustic charm of the Hungry Pelican, so familiar and full of memories, stood in stark contrast to her polished, yet emotionally distant life in New Orleans.
Her stomach rolled as emotions ebbed and flowed in her.
She’d grown to love the people she lived with, but that would be ripped away from her in eight months.
Meanwhile, Luke remained interested and ready to move forward.
At least that’s how it had seemed to her the way he’d looked at her.
Would he still be there in eight months?
She shook her head. It wasn’t fair to ask that of him. She couldn’t live out her marriage with Grant with the expectation of returning to Luke. Her head ached as tears threatened.
A knock at the door startled her, and she quickly blinked them away. “Julia?” Grant’s voice called.
“I’m fine,” she answered without moving off of the mattress.
“Are you sure? You seemed upset.”
“I’m just tired,” she answered. She had no desire to answer the door and face him.
Not when she was this much of an emotional wreck.
She’d been the stable one in the relationship.
And he certainly hadn’t signed up for this emotional rollercoaster.
She was merely there to provide a happy household to convince the naysayers that he still deserved to be in charge.
“Well, if you need to talk, I’m here.”
“Thanks,” she called before she sank back into her pillows, grateful to have sidestepped the conversation.
After a second, she wandered to the window and slid it open a few inches, allowing the gentle waves lapping at the rocky shore to soothe her.
Another knock sounded, and her shoulders slumped. She wondered if she’d get away with not opening the door to him a second time.
“Julia?” Kyle questioned.
“I’m fine,” she answered, hoping the same trick worked on him.
“We both know that’s not true.”
Julia held back a sigh, pressing her lips together.
“If you don’t open the door, I’m going to open it.”
“I locked it,” she answered.
“I’ll pick the lock.”
She rolled her eyes. “You can’t pick a lock.”
“Are you sure?”
With a frustrated sigh, she stalked across the room and opened the door an inch. “I’m fine. Go away.”
“Julia, you’re not fine.”
“I am. I’m just…tired, and this constant tension is trying. I’m going to bed. Good night, Kyle.”
“Wait,” he said, grabbing the knob to stop her from pushing the door shut.
“Kyle, I’m really not in the mood for this.”
“Are you still in love with him?”
Julia gritted her teeth as her nostrils flared. “I am not going to talk about Luke with you.”
“Because you still love him?”
He wouldn’t let it go. She knew from experience that he’d pursue this until either she addressed it, or he got himself into trouble seeking an answer.
“A part of me will always love Luke. Okay?”
“He’s the reason you left Harbor Cove, isn’t he?”
She flicked her eyes to his through the crack in the door. “Yes.”
Kyle studied her for a moment, something clouding his eyes.