Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
APOLLO
I want her now. Hell, I’d clear this table and take her on top of it in front of everyone in this restaurant if I thought she’d let me.
But that asshole did some damage earlier, even if she won’t admit it, so I’ll take it slow tonight. It’s no hardship for me since I enjoy listening to her talk, watching all the emotions play over her expressive, gorgeous face.
When I saw her storm out of Three Sisters earlier, I about swallowed my tongue. I don’t remember the last time I saw June dressed up like this. Usually, dressing up means clean jeans, a sweater, and her hair brushed into a tidy ponytail.
This is next level, and while it’s fun and different, I wasn’t lying when I said that she isn’t any less beautiful on a daily basis.
Jesus, she could wear a burlap sack, and I’d still want her.
Then, when I saw that jerk yelling at her, I wanted to pound his face in.
June can handle herself, so no matter how badly I wanted to step in, I didn’t let myself. I stood by, just in case she needed a hand.
She didn’t.
“What are you daydreaming about?”
I blink and shake my head. “Sorry. Nothing important.”
“You must be tired after your long day.” She pushes her empty plate away and sighs happily. “That was delicious.”
“Should we share dessert?”
She scoffs, and I’ll be damned if that scowl doesn’t make my dick twitch. “Get your own dessert, dude. I want the mud pie all to myself.”
“Selfish.” I click my tongue, but when Darla comes back to the table, I smile up at her. “June will have your mud pie. I think I’ll try the key lime pie, and I’ll have coffee.”
“Me, too, please,” June chimes in.
“Both excellent choices. I’ll have those right out.”
“Thanks.”
Darla takes our dishes, and when she moves back to the kitchen, there is a spring in every step.
“You know, as the owner, Darla doesn’t have to wait tables.”
“She likes it,” June replies with a shrug. “She enjoys being with the customers, and she’s also really good at placating the jerks. It’s her gift.”
“She’s great at it.” I watch June for a moment and then I can’t help but say, “You know, I like having a truce with you. Sparring back and forth is exhausting.”
“Yeah, well, I’m bitchy, so it’ll still happen from time to time, I’m sure.”
I blow out a breath. “Listen, I didn’t say that to hurt your feelings.”
She barks out a laugh and flips that amazing red hair over one shoulder. “Really? Did you think I’d be flattered? If that’s the case, your charm needs some work, Romeo.”
“I think I was being brutally honest. Frankly, your sass is sexy, but there are moments when it gets under my skin. Like when I’m trying to flirt with you or am being just plain nice to you.”
“No one asked you to do those things.” Her face folds into a snarl, and all I can do is chuckle at her. “And now you’re laughing at me.”
“Looks like our truce lasted about ninety minutes.”
June sighs and then sits back as Darla places our desserts and coffees before us.
“Thanks, Darla.”
“Enjoy. I think I might snag myself some key lime before it’s all sold out.” Darla grins before she hurries away.
“Anyway, I like to banter with you, but once in a while, I like it when you’re nice to me.”
“Hmm.” She sips her coffee, and then she takes a bite of her mud pie, which has her eyes closing in ecstasy the same way they do when she’s about to come.
It’s absolutely fucking amazing.
To keep myself in check, I take a bite of my key lime and nod. “Damn good.”
“Better than sex,” she says almost absently before taking another bite. Then she must realize what she said because her eyes widen a bit as they find mine.
“Looks like we have some work to do if that dessert is better than what I’ve done to you in the bedroom.”
She clears her throat, sips her coffee, and then smiles. “Yeah, you’d better step up your game, ace, because this mud pie is damn good.”
“Challenge accepted.”
“Of course, I didn’t invite you to come home with me.”
“I didn’t say it would be tonight,” I counter, and if I’m not mistaken, a flash of disappointment shines in those eyes, so I decide to change the subject. “How is Annabelle?”
June’s grandmother has always been one of my favorite people in Huckleberry Bay. She’s eclectic and funny, and while she may be getting up there in age, she’ll never act like it.
“She’s doing well. Getting ready for the epic Halloween party in a few weeks.”
“It’s my favorite party of the year.” I finish my pie and then sit back to enjoy the last of my coffee. “What’s the theme this year? Last year was Disney, so I’m wondering how she’s going to top that.”
“ The Great Gatsby .” June grins. “Grandma’s in the mood to celebrate the roaring twenties. I have to buy a flapper dress.”
“That’ll be an experience. How is she decorating for it?”
“You know I’m not allowed to divulge all her secrets. You’ll have to wait and see when you get there.”
“Fine. I’ll wait.” June licks her fork clean, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have an aneurysm from wanting that tongue on me.
When Darla brings the check, we reach for it at the same time, but I easily tug it out of June’s grasp.
“You don’t have to buy me dinner,” she says, a small frown pinching her brow.
“I understand that I don’t have to, but I want to. Dinner’s on me.” I slip my card into the folio, and Darla whisks by to take it from me. “Darla’s fast.”
“Now I feel guilty because you shouldn’t feel like you have to buy me dinner. I should be the one to pay, since you saved me from wasting all the work I put into this outfit.”
“Are you under the impression that I often do things that I don’t want to do?” I ask, narrowing my eyes slightly. She should know me better than that after all these years.
“You helped out Luna today, and I’m pretty sure you would have rather been somewhere else.”
“She’s my sister, and if she needs a hand, I’m happy to lend it. I don’t do anything that I don’t want to besides pay a shit ton in taxes, and I only do that because I’m not in a hurry to see the inside of a prison cell. I wanted to buy you dinner, so I did. Thanks for coming back inside with me.”
“Well, thanks for dinner,” she says, but she still looks uncertain. “I guess.”
“Would it make you feel better if I agreed to let you buy me coffee or lunch or something sometime?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“Then you have a deal.”
Her mouth opens and then closes again. Darla returns with my card, and I sign the slip.
“Why aren’t you always this easygoing?” June finally asks.
“I am, remember? You’re the one who’s a little?—”
“Bitchy.”
“I was going to say uptight. I’m going to regret saying that forever, aren’t I?”
“Pretty much.”
I offer her my hand, but she stands without my help, and I follow her through the restaurant, waving at people we know as we pass them. Then we’re pushing through the door and walking into the chill of the early autumn night air.
“I have to go to the chapel for a bit,” she says softly when we reach the driver’s side.
“It’s after nine.”
“I know, but I have to take some measurements. I’ve taken them before, but I want to double-check them before I place my order for lumber.”
“Smart. Want some help?” I grin and rock back on my heels. “I promise that I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
As if to prove the point, I shove my hands into my pockets.
“Okay, you can hold one end of the measuring tape.”
“At your service. I’ll follow you over.”
She nods and turns to get into her truck, but before she opens the door, she turns and wraps her arms around me.
“Thanks for dinner,” she says. Then she abruptly lets go and climbs into her truck.
She backs out of her space and takes off toward the chapel, and I can’t help but smile.
“You’re welcome.”
By the time I arrive at the chapel, June’s already inside, and all the lights seem to be on. She didn’t wait outside for me, but then again, I didn’t really expect her to.
We may have a truce, but June is who she is, and I like her that way.
I jog up the steps, taking two at a time, and knock on the door before pushing it open and popping my head inside.
“You in here?”
“Yep.” Her answer echoes in the mostly empty space. June’s voice is rich, and it has a hint of rasp that’s always been a pleasure to listen to.
That is, when she’s not yelling at me.
“I have an extra tape measure in case we need it.” I close the door behind me, and walk farther inside to see June squatting, a roll of blue tape in her hand. The top she’s wearing is low cut, giving me an excellent view of her cleavage, but I’m smart enough not to mention it. She might injure me. “What are you doing?”
“I’m marking the space for the walls.”
“Didn’t you have plans drawn up for this?”
She scowls at me and blows her hair out of her eyes. “ Of course, I have plans. I can’t have anything approved through the city without them. But I want to get a better look in real life, not just on paper.”
“Okay, let me help.”
For about an hour, we go back and forth between the drawings and laying down long strips of blue tape so she can see where walls will be.
“This building is bigger than it looks,” I say after the last piece of tape is down. “From the outside, it looks tiny, but it’s spacious in here.”
“Yeah, I’m wondering if I should add a small third bedroom or office in that corner at the front of the building, since I’m repurposing the old office.” She points to the far end of the room and to the left of the front doors. “It would take some square footage away from the living space, but I would gain an extra room.”
“Didn’t you plan to use the second bedroom as your office anyway?”
“Yeah.” She tugs on her lower lip, thinking it over. “But what if I have guests? I mean, I never do, but what if that changes? Adding that extra room is also great for resale value.”
“Do you plan to sell?”
“Well, no, but five years from now, that might change. It’s already been pointed out that this place isn’t exactly a great house for kids.”
That has me stopping in my tracks, and I just stare at her as all the blood leaves my face. “Are you pregnant ?”
“Huh?” She turns to me and quickly shakes her head. “No! No, I’m definitely not pregnant. They just meant that if, down the road, I ever wanted to have them, this isn’t a great place for that.”
“Why not?” I tilt my head, wondering what exactly makes this place unacceptable for kids.
“Well, for starters, there’s a cemetery in the backyard. That’s not really an ideal place to put a swing set, you know?”
“There’s a park one block down.”
“Okay, well, there’s no garage here, so that means there’s not much storage space.”
“You said you have an entire basement downstairs.”
“An unfinished basement.”
“Okay, so you finish it and use it for storage. What else?”
“Two bedrooms,” she says. “Or two bedrooms and an office. It’s a small place, Apollo, but it’s perfect for one person or a couple—not a family.”
“I’ll concede that it may not be great for a growing family, but you’re not pregnant right now.” I look around, thinking it over. “The ceilings are really high in here. If you ever wanted to, you could add a loft or a small second floor for more bedrooms or that office space.”
“Exactly. I asked them, why live off what-ifs? Why can’t I live my life for today and then sell this place if I ever outgrow it?”
“I think that’s the right attitude. And, besides, if you need extra storage for your tools or whatever, I have an empty shed you could use. My place is closer, so it would save you a lot of driving back and forth.”
That makes her pause, frown, and then fidget with her measuring tape.
“Okay, why did that trip you up?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I think I’m about done here, so you can take off if you want. Thanks for your help. You made it go a lot faster than if I was by myself.”
“Juniper.”
“I’m going to check on something in that back room before I lock up. Thanks again for dinner.”
She waves and takes off for the door, and I hurry after her, take her hand, and pull her around to face me.
“You don’t need to be jumpy around me.”
“Earlier I was bitchy, and now I’m jumpy. Make up your mind.”
“You can swipe at me all you want, but I’m not leaving until you tell me what just set you off.”
Her green eyes are blazing as she looks up at me.
“You’re not the boss of me, Apollo Winchester, and if buying me dinner makes you think otherwise, I’ll go fish fifty bucks out of that tiny excuse of a purse that Sarah made me carry.” Her words are full of venom, but then she swallows hard and her eyes soften, as if she’s sorry for what she just said.
“Why does it piss you off so much when I’m nice to you?”
“Because you’re not nice.” She plants her hands on my chest and pushes, so I step away. “You’re not nice to me, and I don’t want you to be nice now, only for me to get used to it and then have you turn back into the jerk.”
“Wait.” I rake a hand through my hair in agitation. I want to kiss the hell out of her and shake her at the same time. “I’m not a jerk, and I think most people who know me would tell you that I am a decent guy.”
“They don’t really know you,” she whispers, and I narrow my eyes on her.
“What in the world, Juniper? I don’t even know why you don’t like me. I don’t understand why I’m the butt of your jokes or why you always pick little fights with me. Even when we’re with our friends, you smirk, you poke, and you’re just?—”
“Bitchy,” she finishes for me.
“Sometimes,” I confirm. “Why? What did I do? Where does all of this come from?”
“You were so mean to me.” Her voice is rising now as she starts to pace the few feet between me and the door to the future mudroom. “I was just a kid, and sure, I had a stupid preteen crush on you, but you laughed at me, and in front of your friends, you were like, ‘Why would I be interested in a carrottop like you, kid?’ ”
“I never said that to you.” But, as soon as the words leave my mouth, I remember the moment she’s talking about, and shame washes over me.
“Oh, you did. Yes, you absolutely did. As an adult, I can shake it off and even chalk it up to kids being kids, since most kids are pretty awful, but I was so heartbroken and so fucking embarrassed because you all laughed, and I had enough issues about my hair at the time . It almost ruined my friendship with Luna because the thought of seeing you on a regular basis filled me with so much anxiety that I didn’t think I could pull it off. But I love Luna and Sarah, and I wasn’t willing to stop being friends with them, so if that meant that I had to endure time around you , then so be it. It didn’t mean I ever had to be nice to you, though, because you didn’t deserve it.”
“I’m sorry, Juniper.” I swallow hard, filled with shame. “I do remember that day, and we were horrible to you.”
“Save it.” She shakes her head and turns back to the door. “Let’s consider the truce over, so there is no need to fuck or be nice to each other. Let’s just leave it be.”
“No.”
I turn her to me again, ready to duck out of the way in case she takes a swing at me, but she doesn’t.
Instead, I’m shocked to see that she has tears in her beautiful green eyes.
“Juniper.” My voice is soft as I drag my fingers down her cheek. “Honey, I swear to you that I’m so sorry for ever hurting you . I was a foolish, selfish, prick of a teenager, who thought he was being cool in front of his so-called friends.”
“Yeah, you were,” she whispers, closing her eyes, and those tears splash onto her cheeks, effectively breaking my heart.
“If I could change it, I swear I would, but I can’t. I can only apologize again. Juniper, I’m completely obsessed with your hair. God, it’s gorgeous and feels like heaven in my hands. There isn’t anything about you that I would change, and that’s the God’s honest truth. Look, I’m swearing it while Jesus himself watches, so you know it has to be true.”
That makes a small smile tickle the edge of her lips as she glances at the stained glass window I’m pointing to.
“Those go next week, and I’m kind of glad.”
“That makes two of us. Look, I want you to be comfortable around me. You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. Hell, I’m the one who should be ashamed, and I can assure you that I am. I just wish you’d talked to me instead of holding a grudge for, what, close to twenty years?”
“Just over,” she confirms.
“That’s a long time.”
“A really long time, but you deserved it.”
“I agree. I did deserve it. Juniper, why did you have issues about your hair?”
She swallows hard and casts her eyes down, but I nudge her face up with my finger under her chin.
“My mom made fun of my hair before she left.” She shrugs as if it’s no big deal, but I can see in her eyes that it is a big deal. It makes me feel even worse for the way I treated her all those years ago. “She hated my hair. I don’t know why, because the one time I asked, she just started yelling about other things. She just didn’t like it. That’s all.”
Something tells me that isn’t all there is to it, but she’s told me so much more than I ever expected her to tonight, so I let it go.
Slowly, my hands drift to her shoulders as I take a small step toward her.
“I’ve never heard great things about your mom.”
She nods, but she doesn’t reply.
“Thank you for telling me what I did so I could apologize, but do you think we can move on from it? Even if we’re not in a romantic relationship, I’d rather be your friend than an unwilling enemy. Besides, neither of us is going anywhere.”
“I know.” She blows out a breath, and her shoulders sag. “It’s not easy being mad at you all the damn time.”
“Then accept my apology and let me make it up to you. That way, you can hate me only when I do something really stupid.”
“Which, if we’re being honest, happens quite often, so I can still call you names and stuff.”
“You look way too excited at that prospect.”
She finally smiles, and I feel like we’re through the worst of that conversation. Now that I know what she’s spent so long being angry at me about, I’ll probably spend a long time replaying that scene from when I was a stupid teenager in my head. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
“You’re not old.” I brush my finger down her cheek again, tracing the wet track from her tears. “Juniper, I want to kiss you so badly I ache with it.”
“You can’t.” She swallows hard.
“Why not?”
“Because Jesus is watching.”