Chapter 8
Julia’s heart wrenched with a mix of regret and resignation as she left Grant behind with Sierra. Her heels clicked on the icy marble, each sound resonating through hollow silence, emphasizing her isolation. Shadows lurked in the corners of the vast hallway, reflecting the cloudy uncertainty in her mind. The house, though opulent, felt less hospitable than ever, a sense of alienation overshadowing its quiet grandeur.
Grant’s promise of a conversation echoed in her mind. She expected him to provide her with some new rules going forward. Her suspicions were confirmed by Sierra’s outburst.
Grant had seemed interested in making certain Julia understood the score, but she didn’t need the lecture. At every turn, she’d pushed herself into their lives where she wasn’t welcome.
She left him to spend the time with his daughter. The woman who would remain in this house after the next nine months had passed.
Julia climbed the stairs, tugging her earrings from her ear as she reflected on the evening. The evening had seemed to go well otherwise. She’d hoped she’d played her role to perfection. Grant certainly had. One moment struck her, and she paused midway. The way Grant had described how taken he’d been with her had been particularly convincing. She wondered if she’d managed to mirror his performance.
He’d been believable about their connection even to her. If she didn’t know better, she’d have believed there was more than just a piece of paper outlining a payment for services rendered.
As she shuffled to her room, she wrestled with a whirlwind of thoughts. “I chose this,” she reminded herself aloud, though this reminder felt more like an accusation. “Willingly.”
Her mind struggled with the last statement. She had immersed herself in this life willingly.
She pushed into her room, letting the small area she’d carved out for herself here envelop her. It was the closest thing she had to her own space, and she craved being alone.
She dropped into the comfortable armchair, kicked off her shoes, and pulled her feet under her as she stared at the woodgrain pattern of the hardwood.
Lost in thought, Julia barely noticed the softening of shadows as the hallway light dimmed under her door. A gentle knock pulled her back to the present. She lifted her eyes, her heart half-hoping to find Grant, only to find Worthington’s familiar, comforting presence. He was probably the better one to see in her doorway.
“Mrs. Harrington, is there anything I can get you before you retire for the evening?”
She plastered on a smile as she shook her head. “No, Worthington, nothing, thank you.”
Worthington hovered in the doorway, his hands clasped in front of him as he studied her. “Nothing? Perhaps a soothing cup of tea?”
She heaved out a chuckle mixed with a sigh. “No, thank you. I’ll never sleep.”
“Brandy?” He lowered his chin, a mischievous grin crossing his face. “Bowl of ice cream?”
This time a laugh escaped her as she rose. “I may take you up on the last one. This time I have no chance of getting caught.”
“One bowl of chocolate coming right up. Do you want sprinkles?”
Her laughter continued. “No, you can hold the sprinkles. Thank you, Worthington.”
“Of course, Mrs. Harrington.” He stepped from the doorway, and she pushed it closed before unzipping her dress. If she hurried, she could be in comfy pajamas before she indulged in a tiny reward to soothe her ragged nerves.
By the time she shuffled from her bathroom with fluffy slippers on her feet, a knock sounded at the door. She pulled the door open, this time with a genuine grin.
Worthington presented her with a bowl of perfectly scooped chocolate ice cream with a pirouette cookie sticking from one of the scoops and a spoon placed on the side. “Enjoy.”
“Thank you, Worthington. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Hardly. And if there is anything else, please do not hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you,” she repeated as she closed the door and hurried with her reward to her armchair. She aimed the remote at the television on the wall and settled in to stream an old prime-time soap, happy to immerse herself in another wild world with problems that weren’t hers.
The sweet, cold, chocolate danced across her tongue as the iconic theme song played, already providing her a sense of release and relief.
Across the room, her chiming phone drew her attention. She took another bite of her sweet treat before she set the bowl aside and retrieved the device. She hadn’t checked it since before dinner.
As she settled into the chair again, she checked her notifications. A text message from her sister announced that Ethan had landed, and she passed the information from their earlier conversation to him.
The second text came from her brother-in-law himself, thanking her for taking the time to meet him and asking her to call when she had the chance.
She checked the time. It was already after one in the morning. She sent him a text back. Sorry, intense writing session. Just seeing this. I’ll call in the morning. Let me know when you’re up.
She ate another spoonful of ice cream, surprised to hear her phone chime again.
Hey, you’re up late. I’m still awake. Want to talk now?
She smiled at the phone as she pressed the call icon. Something felt comforting about the message from someone who knew her, who she didn’t have contractual boundaries with. The line trilled, and she pressed the phone to her ear as she paused the show.
A second later, Ethan’s voice filled her ear. “Hey, Juju.”
“Hey,” she said, her voice brightening despite her tension. “I hear you’re braving the big city.”
“Barely,” Ethan said, his response tinged with exaggerated terror. “I made it from the airport to the hotel, and I’m still shaking over it.”
“Did you rent a car?”
“No, I took a cab. Dropped me off right at the hotel, and I still had trouble navigating.”
Julia let her head rest against the chair as she laughed. “You’re such a kidder. I’ll bet you did great walking across the sidewalk and into the doors.”
“Get ready to be impressed. Because I had to go upstairs, too.”
This admission pulled another chuckle from her. Her tension melted as she allowed the silly conversation and usual jokes of her brother-in-law to take her mind off everything else.
“Let’s just say I much prefer the one stoplight in Harbor Cove to this. Anyway, Alicia said she pressed you into service to take care of me.”
She traced the edge of her robe, a grin on her face. “Well, you know Alicia. I think she actually pressed you into service to check on me…make sure I’m alive and kicking.”
“Sounds like her. Well, I’m happy to do it. We could even take a picture together to prove it.”
“Wow, you can really tell you’re a cop with all these great ideas.”
They both laughed before she said, “So, how’s your schedule look?”
“Well, tomorrow morning may be best if your schedule can bear it. After that, the conference looks jam-packed, but I may squeeze another life check before I go.”
“Tomorrow morning’s great.”
“I’d come to your place, but I’m not sure I’d make it alive.”
She chuckled again. “Well, we wouldn’t want that, would we?”
“Probably not because then I can’t reassure Alicia that you’re still living which would not be good.”
“Definitely not. I’ll meet you at the hotel.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to take up extra time in your schedule.”
“Yes. That’s perfect. I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me too, Juju. It’s been too long. I’ll let you go and see you tomorrow. Love you, kiddo.”
“I love you, too.” Julia pulled the phone from her ear and ended the call, staring at the name on the screen until it disappeared.
The thought of seeing Ethan in the morning brought a small, genuine smile to her face. Their meeting was a lifeline, a reminder of a world before contracts and pretenses, a world where her relationships were defined by genuine emotion, not convenience or strategy.
As she curled up with her ice cream, losing herself in the drama of her television program, she clung to the idea of that upcoming reunion which would provide a rare oasis of normalcy in the complex desert that had become her current life.
When the end credits of the program rolled by on her screen, she flicked off the set. Her eyes hovered on the empty bowl, and she considered returning it to the kitchen, though she preferred not to incur Worthington’s gentle wrath about taking on household duties. She needed to keep at least one friend in the house, she thought, as she shuffled to bed and crawled between the expensive sheets.
Every comfort of this house seemed like an elaborate trick, designed to trap her into a sense of ease when she should feel anything but relaxed. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping the excitement of the evening sent her off to a dreamless sleep.
Her wishes were granted and the next sound she heard was the screaming of her alarm, ripping through blackness. She startled awake, her heart pounding as she bolted upright.
Her mind quickly sought to orient her, though after it did, she wished it hadn’t. She tossed aside the covers as memories of the tense situation from the night before played in her mind. Sierra’s insinuations still stung even in the cold light of day.
But she had something else to look forward to. With a smile playing on her lips, she hurried into the en-suite bathroom to shower and dress for her meeting with Ethan.
Within the hour, she’d pulled herself together and, with her purse in hand, hurried through the halls to the foyer.
As she descended the stairs, Worthington greeted her. “Good morning, Mrs. Harrington. Heading out?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have James bring your car around,” he said with a bob of his head.
She waved the statement away. “No need, I’ll head down there for the keys.”
“Are you quite certain? And no breakfast?”
“Not today,” she answered. “And, yes, I’m certain. It’s no trouble at all, and the truth is I’m running a little late.”
Worthington offered her a polite smile as she dashed toward the door.
“Julia?” Grant’s voice called from behind her. She twisted to find him descending the stairs. “You’re leaving?”
“Uh, yes,” she said, averting her gaze to the floor as she felt warmth flood her cheeks. “I have an appointment this morning.”
He studied her for a moment, his eyes narrowing for a split second. “Is James driving you?”
“No,” she said, forcing a cheery smile onto her nervous features, “I was going to drive. Now that you bought me that new car, I figured I’d use it.”
She tried to stop herself from babbling, her tendency when nervous.
“Right,” he answered. “Good, I’m glad you like it.”
She offered him another nervous grin and a nod before she said, “Bye!” in far too fake of a tone and fled from the foyer into the cool morning air. She gasped for breath as she hurried across the lawn toward James’s condo. Memories flooded her mind, and she struggled to silence the self-reproach for her awkward behavior.
“You may as well have had a sign that says you’re hiding something.” She rolled her eyes at herself and pushed her mind to project the image of her driving down the drive toward her meeting with Ethan.
It didn’t work well when she had to correct it from her usual vehicle choice to the sleek new sports car Grant had surprised her with after the concussion.
She recalled him insisting she come downstairs, close her eyes, and head out into the driveway. The sapphire blue Porsche cost more than most people’s salaries and had stunned her into silence.
“You don’t like it,” he said, his features deflating.
“I…don’t know how anyone could not like it. It’s beautiful.”
Her quick statement brought the smile back to his handsome features before he dangled the keys in front of her. “But why?”
“Because I don’t want you to feel trapped here. This way you can come and go as you please.” He wagged a finger at her. “Only if you promise not to go anywhere dangerous alone.”
“So, no abandoned warehouses where hostages may be held?”
He heaved a playful sigh at her. “No warehouses, no bad parts of town, no street corners with questionable characters. None of that. Promise?”
“I promise,” she’d said before he insisted they take a ride.
Those times seemed so much simpler than her life a mere few weeks later, she thought as she paraded toward the chauffeur’s house. At this hour, she was surprised not to find him already pulling Grant’s car out for his morning commute to work.
But all was quiet. She wondered if he may be sick, but as she approached his door, she found it slightly ajar. Her heart skipped a beat, wondering if something had happened.
She shoved away the thought. Not everything was a conspiracy or a major traumatic event. He likely headed out the door, then forgot something and ran back in to retrieve it.
She gave the door a gentle knock before she poked her head in. “James?”
“Julia!” an unexpected voice greeted her. She snapped her gaze toward it, her eyes going wide as she caught sight of Sierra rounding the counter as she buttoned her blouse. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Julia’s breath hitched, shock still making her eyes wide. As James emerged, hastily buttons his shirt, her heart raced.
“Mrs. Harrington,” he stammered, his surprise mirroring hers.
She knew what she’d walked in on. She’d already inferred the relationship between Sierra and James. But now Sierra knew she knew. And that changed everything.