Chapter 9 #2
“You’ve been struggling with this for a week?” Ava demands. “Why weren’t we your first phone call?”
“Because … I don’t know, you guys, I’m not good at being a friend.”
The air fryer dings, and Harper holds up a finger.
“Stop right there. Let’s go to the kitchen.”
We file in, and Harper sets the burritos on plates, and they smell so freaking good. I don’t even know how much I’ve eaten in the past week, since I’ve been so up in my head.
“You’re a good friend, Juliet,” Ava says after taking a bite.
“I’m so out of practice,” I admit with a sigh. “I used to have friends, especially in college. But Justin made sure that he was my only friend and isolated me from everyone.”
“Wait, who’s Justin?” Harper asks, and I share a look with Ava.
“My late husband.”
Harper’s burrito drops onto her plate with a plop, and she stares at me with wide eyes.
“What?”
“He was your husband?” Ava demands.
“It’s a whole thing.” I sigh and roll my shoulders, trying to get the kinks out. “A long-ass story.”
“I’m wide awake and here for it,” Harper states. “Spill it. Tell us everything.”
“Tell us everything,” Ava echoes. “And no leaving stuff out this time. You told me about your history with Brooks from before, but you didn’t say that Justin was your husband.”
“This is a whole lot of drama.”
“Great. Tell it.” Harper rolls her hand in a move-along gesture.
And an hour later, when we’re back in the living room, and I’m exhausted and crying, and we’re all just staring at each other, Ava says, “Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck.”
“But you’re having sex,” Harper says.
“No, we had sex. Once. And it was just fucking. Actually, now that I think about it, it was hate fucking. Because the man can’t stand me.”
And that’s what makes me the saddest of all.
“I call bullshit.” Ava shakes her head. “If a man hates you that much, he doesn’t fuck you. No matter how good it is.”
“Agreed.” Harper nods. “He may be angry, and he might not want to want you, but he does, Jules.”
“He destroyed me once,” I admit softly. “I can’t do it again.”
“Who said anything about destroying?” Ava demands. “Unless it’s him destroying your vajayjay. Because I’ve met the man, and Holy Baby Jesus, he looks like he’d be fun in bed.”
“He’s fun everywhere,” I admit with a smug grin, but then I shake my head. “But I haven’t even heard from him this week, except to tell me my car isn’t ready yet.”
“You told him to leave,” Harper points out. “So he left, Jules.”
Well, shit.
She’s right.
“I was embarrassed, and I didn’t want him in my apartment.” The last word is whispered.
“What’s wrong with your apartment?” Ava tilts her head to the side as she frowns at me.
“It’s just an attic, really. And I know that I shouldn’t be embarrassed by it, but I am, and it makes me uncomfortable when he’s up there.”
“Honey, you need to have this entire conversation with Brooks,” Harper says. “You should tell him about that piece-of-shit Justin.”
“You did the right thing there,” Ava says.
“He’ll be so mad.”
“Yeah, he will,” Harper agrees. “Because that asshole fucked everything up for you, and that makes me so mad and sad all at the same time. But he deserves to know how it all went down.”
“Wait.” Ava holds up her hand. “Jules, have you only ever had sex with Brooks and Justin?”
I bite my lip and nod.
“Wow. That’s … intense.”
“Yeah.” I sigh and notice that Harper’s eyes have gotten heavy. “You have to sleep. You worked all night, and you’re pregnant.”
“I guess it is my bedtime.” Harper yawns. “Did we help you feel better?”
“It helps to talk it out, and I think you’re right. At some point, I have to talk to the man, but he’s so broody and angry, and I hate that.”
“Maybe he wouldn’t be so broody if he knew what you told us today,” Ava points out. “Something to think about.”
Ava drops me off in front of the restaurant. It’s not quite noon—I was with my new best friends for a long time—and I said that I didn’t want to just lie around in bed all day.
I still don’t.
But I don’t have my car. So I walk down to the city park right in the center of town and find a bench in the shade, pull my book out of my bag, and settle in to read for the afternoon.
There’s a nice breeze today, and the sun came out, so it’s pleasantly warm.
Before long, I’m lying in the grass, my sweatshirt under me as a pillow, and my eyes are heavy as I try to read my book.
I should go home and take a nap.
But it’s so lovely out here. I lean back and close my eyes for just a minute.
“Jules? Are you okay? Christ, what happened?”
I blink my eyes open and frown up at Brooks, who’s scowling down at me.
“What?” I sit up and realize that I’m still in the park.
I fell asleep.
“Are you okay? You scared the shit out of me.”
“A girl can’t take a nap in the park?” I rub my hands down my face. I’m totally disoriented and have no idea how long I’ve been asleep. It could have been ten minutes or five hours. It could be ten years in the future, or I could be late for school for all I know.
This is why I don’t take naps.
“By yourself? Fuck no.”
I sigh. I don’t want to look at him.
So I don’t.
“I’m fine, Brooks. I was reading and fell asleep.” I check the time. “It wasn’t even thirty minutes.”
“You shouldn’t let your guard down like that.”
Now I do look up at him. His hands are on his hips, and he’s so broody. So … handsome.
Why does he have to be so damn handsome?
“I haven’t let my guard down in fifteen years. I think thirty minutes in this little park, in the middle of the day, is fine.” Shit, I’ve said too much. “Thanks, though. I’ll head home.”
“No, stay and read. I just had to make sure you’re okay, since it looked like you were passed out on the grass.”
“Why?” I stand and brush off my clothes, then face him. “Why do you care?”
“Jules, I do care if you’re safe.”
I smirk at that and turn away.
“I’m safe, Brooks.”
“You’re so fucking infuriating!”
I spin around and gape at him. “I am?”
“Yes. You.”
Not wanting to have a screaming match in this public park, I get close to him, glaring up at him.
“You don’t want me, remember? You told me to stay away, to avoid you at all costs. I’m doing that. You don’t get to have it both ways, Brooks. I wasn’t bothering you by taking a little nap here in this park. I was just trying to take a day off and relax. But obviously, that offends you.”
“Stop it.” He lowers his head so his lips are next to my ear, and a shiver rolls through me. “I was fucking worried about you, and I won’t apologize for that. I don’t know how to handle you, Wildfire.”
“You don’t handle me.” I shake my head and pull away. “We’re strangers. Is my car ready?”
“A couple more days.”
“Jesus, I’m going to be so fucking broke.” I swallow hard and then shrug. “Oh well. Thanks for waking me up.”
I turn to leave, but he calls my name.
I don’t stop.
I wake up to the sound of running water.
Not like it’s coming out of a faucet.
Like it’s rushing down a ravine in the middle of the woods.
Sitting straight up in bed, I cock my head, trying to decide where it’s coming from. Is it raining?
No. It’s inside.
“Shit.” I turn on the lamp beside me and stare in horror as a river of water flows down from where a pipe has burst in the middle of my attic and is rushing all over the floor, through the floorboards, and likely into my restaurant below.
I don’t know what to do.
I have no idea where the water valve is located to shut off the water to the building.
I step out of bed and fall on my ass because of the wet floor, and all I can do is sit here, in the middle of this mess, and cry.
Then the power goes out, and I’m in the dark.
“Fuck my life,” I mutter as I pull myself back onto the bed and reach for my phone.
I guess I’ll call the fire department.
Twenty minutes later, there’s a knock on my door, and I slosh through the room, in my wet clothes, to open it, letting about a foot of water out to fall down the staircase, and find Bridger staring down at me.
“Hi, Bridge.”
“I hear you have a water problem.”
“I’ve heard the same rumor.” I’m on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. I’m shaking, and my heart is pounding.
“Do you have shoes on?”
“I can’t find them.” A tear slips out of my eye. “I think they floated out when I opened the door. I have my purse and my phone.”
“Then that’s all you need. Let’s get you out of here.”
“Oh, I can show you—”
“No, Jules. I’m evacuating you now. I don’t need you getting electrocuted.”
I blanch at that and let him guide me downstairs to where two big fire trucks sit, along with five other firefighters.
“Sorry to bring you out in the middle of the night,” I say to them.
“This is our whole job,” one of them reminds me with a wink.
“Let’s get power and water shut off to the whole building,” Bridger calls out, clearly in fire chief mode.
It’s kind of hot.
Let’s be honest, all the Blackwells are hot.
I don’t have anywhere to go, so I step out of the way and wait, clutching my purse to my chest as I watch the men scatter, calling things out to each other, working together to get the water stopped and the electricity shut off.
Thirty minutes later, Bridger crosses to me, his handsome face grim, and my stomach explodes with nerves.
“I have good news and bad news, Jules.”
Swallowing hard, I nod. “Okay.”
“Which do you want first?”
“The bad news?” It’s said like a question, because honestly, I don’t think I want any bad news at all.
“You have a lot of water here. Both the upstairs and downstairs have sustained significant water damage.”
“It couldn’t have even been running for a full hour.”
“A lot of water can run in that amount of time, especially at the rate it was flowing out of that pipe. I’m sorry, Jules.
I really am. You will need to call a water restoration company tomorrow.
They’ll come in and remove the rest of the water, then set up fans to dry it as much as possible.
Then you can assess what’s salvageable.”
“Are you telling me that I can’t open for business in the morning?”
Bridger scowls and takes my shoulders in his hands. “Yeah, that’s what I’m telling you. It’s a mess in there. I’m so sorry.”
I want to lean my forehead on him for support, but of course I don’t.
You have got to be kidding me.
“What’s the good news?” I ask him.
“I found your shoes.” He gestures to the ground next to him. “They’re a little damp, but they’re fine.”
I let out a huff of a laugh and slide my feet inside, sick of standing on the asphalt of this alley in my bare feet. I scrunch my nose up when I slosh around.
“Do you have somewhere to go tonight?”
No.
“Sure. Can I go in there to grab some things first?”
“The electricity is off and won’t be turned back on until all the water is gone. It’s safe, but it’s a mess. And slick in some places, so you’ll need to be careful.”
“But it won’t kill me.”
“No.”
“Thanks.” The others have gotten in the trucks. One has already pulled away, and the other is waiting for the chief. “You can go. I’ve got this.”
“You sure you have somewhere to go? You can crash at my place for the rest of the night if you want and come back here in the daylight.”
I shake my head. “Nah, I’m okay. Thanks, though. Tell Dani hi for me.”
He turns to walk away but then looks back at me. “We missed you, Jules.”
Oh God, don’t make me cry.
“I missed you, too.”