Chapter 5
Chapter Five
JULIET
“Thanks for the ride, you guys.”
Ava grins at me through the rearview mirror.
When they heard I had to take my car to get fixed—again—Harper and Ava offered to pick me up on their way to book club, which was so kind, and I was not about to pass it up.
There aren’t exactly a lot of rideshares around here.
I usually have one of the girls from work do it and pay them an hour's wage for it, but this way, I didn’t have to bother them.
“Why do you take it all the way to Silver Springs?” Ava asks. “Even my brothers won’t go to that shop. They use Brooks. He’s right down the street from you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly welcome there.”
Ava frowns. “Why?”
“History.” I shrug, and Harper sighs. I don’t know how much either of these girls knows about my history with Brooks.
I assume that Blake has told Harper all about what went down and why we broke up.
“I wish I could afford to replace that stupid car. It would have been cheaper than all of these damn repairs.”
“I bought my car from Brooks,” Harper says. “It’s not pretty, but it runs great.”
“Well, hopefully, this will be the last repair for a while.”
“I hope so, too,” Harper replies. “Your dress is adorable, by the way.”
I glance down at the red sundress that I splurged on earlier this summer. We’re having some warm late summer days, and I decided to break this out for book club since I don’t get to wear it to work and haven’t had any other occasions to get a little dressed up.
“Thanks. You guys … I’m a nervous wreck.”
“Why?” Ava frowns at me in the mirror. “Didn’t you read the book?”
That makes me laugh. “I read it. I loved it. Thanks to Billie’s recommendations, I really enjoy Laura Pavlov’s stories. No, that’s not it.”
“Then what?” Harper asks as Ava turns down the main street to the bookstore.
“I’m not good around people,” I finally admit, and even that makes me nervous. Boy, I was conditioned more than I realized. “I was in a relationship with someone who restricted who I could talk to and interact with. I haven’t had friends since college. So being social isn’t easy for me anymore.”
Ava parks, but none of us gets out of the car for a minute. Damn, what are they thinking? Did I say too much?
“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Harper finally says. “What a dick.”
You have no idea.
“So he’d be pretty pissed if he knew you were doing this, I assume?” Ava asks.
“Oh, beyond pissed. Actually, I wouldn’t go in the first place.”
“But you’re no longer together,” Harper clarifies.
I shake my head.
“Then you have nothing to be nervous about.” Ava reaches back to lay her hand on my arm. I don’t even flinch at the touch. Not that Justin ever physically hurt me, but he rarely touched me, either. “You know most of these people, and we have a great time.”
“Okay.” My response is quiet, and with their pep talk in the front of my mind, we get out of the car and walk into the store.
Billie has arranged the chairs in a circle. There’s a folding table set up nearby that has wine, soda, and water, along with platters of some chocolate goodness from Jackie.
“This is the best book club ever,” Billie says as she immediately throws her arms around me and hugs me close. My nervous system comes down a notch, taking me from fight or flight to simple butterflies. “I’m so happy you’re here, Jules.”
I’m still damn nervous. But this welcome has helped considerably. I take a deep breath and grab a bottle of water from the table before I find a seat.
Harper immediately sits to my right, and Ava sits on the other side of her.
“What are you reading right now?” Harper asks me.
“I just finished a Mafia romance called His Tesoro by Emilia Rossi. I loved it so much, I might read it again.”
“Holy shit, I need that,” Ava says, pulling her phone out. “There. Just downloaded it. Mafia is my jam.”
“It’s a marriage of convenience story, and the heroine has medical challenges that made me love her even more. And the hero? Holy shit, I swooned.”
“Sold,” Harper agrees.
“Billie carries it,” I tell them.
“I heard my name,” Billie says as she sits to my left. “What did I do?”
“His Tesoro,” I tell her, and she immediately nods.
“Yes, everyone needs to read that one. Highly recommend.”
And that’s how the evening goes. We discuss books, specifically the Laura Pavlov novel we all read, but it segues into other books as well. I love that I’ve read many of the books talked about and added others to my list.
I recognize so many of the people here, and no one looks at me weird. No one tells me I don’t belong.
“I’m happy you came tonight,” Skyla says later when people have broken up into little groups, just naturally forming little conversation groups as the meeting winds to a close. “And I love your restaurant.”
“Oh, thanks.” Skyla’s gorgeous red hair is braided, and I could listen to her speak with her Irish accent all day long. “It’s a relief that it’s going well.”
“I’m sure it is,” she replies with a soft smile. “But you’re an excellent chef, and the restaurant is cute as a button. Will you have the fajitas on the fall menu?”
“I think I’m going to switch it up,” I tell her.
“Wait.” Harper turns her head and glares at me. “You’re not taking away my salad, right?”
I snort, and Skyla giggles next to me. “No, your salad is safe for all of eternity.”
“Thank fuck.” Harper sighs and rubs her tiny baby bump.
“Apparently, baby hormones are a thing.”
“Oh, they are,” Skyla agrees. “Beck and I just found out that I’m expecting as well.”
“Oh my God, that’s so wonderful.” I take her hand and give it a squeeze. “Beckett is the best, Skyla. I’m so happy for you.”
“He is the best,” she agrees. “And thank you.”
I loved all of the Blackwell siblings. Each one of them was like a brother or sister to me, and I still miss them. It helps that I get to see Billie here at the bookstore, but I rarely see the guys. That would be weird.
Beckett was always a little quiet and stoic. But he was a good listener.
And all of them are so dang handsome.
“So many new Blackwells and Gallaghers on the way,” Dani says with a smile.
A lot of the girls have left. Jackie couldn’t make it, but she dropped some goodies off beforehand. I’ll have to check in with her later to see if she’s feeling okay.
Just as I’m about to get up and head home, the door opens, and four very handsome men walk in.
Three of them I recognize as Blackwell brothers.
And the fourth is Billie’s husband, Connor.
“I swear, you’re a very tall gang.” Ava shakes her head. “Why do you always crash book club?”
“Because we’re here to get our girls,” Blake tells her, then smiles at me. “Hey, Jules.”
“Hi, Blake.”
I clear my throat and breathe through my nose.
Do not cry.
I’m in a room with four out of the five Blackwell siblings, and that hasn’t happened in a really long time.
Of course, there’s no sign of Brooks. There wouldn’t be. But I love every glimpse of him I get, even if it only makes me feel like shit and bruises my heart every single time.
Soon, with Harper gone with Blake, Ava loops her arm through mine as we walk outside.
“Is it weird that I want one of your salads right now?” She raises an eyebrow at me, practically daring me to say yes.
“Doesn’t seem weird to me,” I reply. “I have some in the grab-and-go cooler. Want to come in and have one?”
“Hell yes, I do,” she declares with a nod. We walk across the street, where I unlock the door for us. Locking back up once we’re inside, we move to the cooler and each of us grabs a salad, a fork, and we sit at a table by the front windows. “Mmm, this is so good.”
“I’m glad everyone likes them.” I take a bite and study Ava. “Are you from Silver Springs?”
“Born and raised,” she says with a nod. “I have a big family, like Billie. And, like her, I’m the only biological girl. Except I just have three brothers. And Harper. We adopted her when we were in grade school.”
“Officially adopted, or she just spent a lot of time at your house adopted?”
“Sort of in the middle?” She tips her head to the side. “Harper’s parents died, and my dad took her in. Raised her with us from then on, so she’s our sister.”
“I love that.”
“Me too,” Ava says. “Okay, enough small talk. Tell me why everyone walks on eggshells around you. And why this is your first book club.”
I blink at her in surprise. “You don’t know the story?”
“No, no one talks about it. It’s just this big secret drama. The thing that shall not be named. It’s honestly annoying. We’re all adults. So what happened? I get that you dated Brooks, but nothing else is ever said.”
I push my mostly eaten salad away and quickly debate how much to tell her.
“Hey.” Ava reaches over and lays her hand on my arm. “In all seriousness, we’re in the cone of silence. I won’t take anything you say anywhere else. It’s not my story to tell. I just hate being in the dark.”
I don’t remember the last time I had a friend to tell secrets to. I like Ava so much, and I kind of wish Harper was here, too. I can trust them. And I want to open up to Ava.
So I do.
“Yeah, Brooks and I dated. We got together when we were sixteen and broke up when I was almost done with college.”
“Did he go to college, too?”
“No, he stayed here. He attended auto mechanic school and eventually bought the shop. We did the long-distance thing for all four years.”
“And then you broke up right before you were finished?” Her eyebrows climb. “That sucks.”
“Big time.” I nod, thinking back to everything that went down, and feel my heart ache.
“There was a guy, Justin, who was just my friend. But he was needy, and now I know he was manipulative, and he succeeded in breaking us up. I didn’t know that was his goal.
I was just trying to be a good friend, but Brooks saw it as me choosing Justin over him. ”
Ava’s face falls. “Well, shit.”
“Yeah. It really hurt Brooks. I mean, it hurt both of us. I don’t think I’ve recovered from it even still.
But I broke Brooks’s heart, and I know he’ll never forgive me.
He’s angry. He made it clear that he doesn’t want me around, and I honestly can’t blame him.
But it makes it hard because this is a small town.
I want to go to things like the book club and not worry about what will happen if I run into him. ”
“And you should be able to,” she insists. “I get wanting to avoid an ex. We’ve all been there, but you have to be able to live your life, Jules. You can’t hide away.”
“I’ve spent the past fifteen years hiding away,” I admit for the first time. “And it felt like prison.”
“Then stop it. Live your life, and if Brooks doesn’t like it, he can look the other way. What ever happened to Justin?”
“He died.”
He did so much more than die.
“Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“You know what we need?”
I grin at her. “What?”
“One of those brownies you have over there.”
“Let’s do it.”
I haven’t had my car for five whole days, and although it doesn’t normally bother me, I really need to go run errands.
“You okay, Jules?” Christy asks when I check my phone yet again to see if I missed a call from Barry.
Nope. Of course not. The man’s going to keep my hanging forever and charge me another fortune.
“Yeah, just waiting to hear from the garage about when I can get my car.”
“Again?” she asks, and all I can do is laugh.
Because yes. Again.
Harper and Ava are here, which is typical for them on a Tuesday. When their orders are ready, I load up their plates and deliver them to the table.
“So hungry,” Harper says, wiggling in her seat. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I let the tray fall to my side as the girls dig into their food. “I hope you like it.”
Just then, my phone rings. I yank it out of my jeans and answer it.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Juliet, this is Barry. Your car’s finished and ready to go.”
“Oh, great. What time do you close?”
“Five.”
My heart sinks. It’s already one, and I don’t know if one of the girls can give me a ride.
“Okay, I’ll figure it out. Thanks.”
I hang up and scrunch up my nose.
“What’s wrong?” Harper asks.
“My car is ready, but I don’t know if I can grab it today.”
“I’ll take you,” Ava offers. “I’m headed home that way anyway.”
“Really?” I grin at her. “It’s not too far out of the way?”
“It’s literally on the way,” she replies. “No worries. Can you go when I’m finished with lunch?”
“Yep, let me just let my girls know.”
Thank God for Ava.
“Just call me if you need anything,” Ava says as I climb out of her car.
“Thanks, and thanks for the ride.” I grin at her and then wave before I walk into the garage.
Barry glances up and sees me, wipes his hands on a towel, and gives me that greasy smile that makes me extra uncomfortable as he approaches the counter.
“Hey, Barry,” I say without much enthusiasm.
“Hey. Okay, she’s all ready for you. Turned out to be a faulty oil filter.”
“It took you five days to figure that out?”
He narrows his eyes at me. “We’re busy around here, and you didn’t have an appointment.”
“It wasn’t planned,” I remind him. “What’s the damage?”
“Four hundred and seventy-five dollars.”
I feel the blood drain from my face.
“For an oil filter?”
“There were a few hours of labor while we figured out what the issue was.”
Jesus Christ. I need a new car.
After paying, and without another word to Barry, who looks as happy as a clam, I get into my car and fight tears as I start it and leave the parking lot, on the highway headed back to Bitterroot Valley.
I no longer have any desire to run errands. I can’t really afford the few things I wanted to pick up anyway, and I can live without them.
This is so fucked up.
I really have to find another mechanic. I can’t keep going to that creep. I’m pretty sure he’s raping me with the prices, and I can’t afford him.
I wonder if I could get a loan for a decent used car?
Or perhaps I’ll take some money out of my inheritance from Justin and buy a new car. It’s my money, but I hate using it.
It seems that this time, I don’t have a choice.
I’ve just turned the curve that marks the halfway point between the two towns when suddenly, the car starts to grind and knock, then dies altogether. I barely manage to get it to the side of the road, out of the way of traffic.
Breathing hard, I stare straight ahead, both hands gripping the wheel.
Shit, I’m lucky I didn’t get in a wreck.
But now, I let the tears come.
Because I can’t afford another tow truck.
And I can’t afford another goddamn bill from that fucker, Barry.
Fuck. What am I going to do?