Chapter 14 #2
Juliana chuckled. “I know, I know: young girls don’t belong all in black. You don’t have to say it.”
“It’s ridiculous. The owners of that salon of yours need to have their heads examined.”
“Think of it this way—I never have to spend even one second wondering what to wear to work.”
“That’s true, but you’re not here to have this old argument with me, are you? What’s on your mind, hon?”
Juliana shrugged and sat down at the kitchen table. “I seem to have gotten myself into a bit of a mess.”
“What kind of mess?”
Juliana poured out the whole story—from meeting Michael in the airport, to Jeremy’s desire to be with other women and their decision to separate for a few months, to moving in with Michael, his broken engagement, his confession that he was falling for her, her growing feelings for him, and Jeremy’s campaign to keep her in his life.
Remembering her promise to Michael, the only thing she left out was the part about Rachelle.
“Well,” Mrs. R said with a stunned expression, “all this in one week?”
“I know! It’s too much. I can’t process it. What should I do, Mrs. R? I’m so confused.”
“I’m going to be honest with you, hon. I’m disappointed in Jeremy. I can’t imagine what he’s thinking. If you fall for this Michael fellow or someone else for that matter, Jeremy’s going to have to acknowledge that he let it happen.”
“Don’t be mad with Jeremy,” Juliana pleaded. “I don’t want you to hate him if we manage to get through this and stay together.”
“I could never hate him. I love you both like my own. You know that, Juliana.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I love him, but I’m disappointed in him, too. He’s put you in a terrible position by telling you his most private thoughts.”
“But wouldn’t it have been worse if he’d acted on them and kept it from me? I mean, he could’ve gotten away with it, right? I never would’ve known.”
“You would’ve known. You know him better than anyone on this earth, and he knows there’s no way he would’ve gotten away with cheating on you. I have to give him a few points for respecting you enough not to do that.” She took a sip of her coffee.
The local newscast at the top of the hour led with the Benedetti trial. “Listen. They’re talking about the trial—Michael’s trial.”
“Attorneys met today in a pre-trial conference with Judge Harvey Stein,” the anchorman reported.
“Jury selection gets under way on Monday in what promises to be the contentious trial of Marco and Steven Benedetti, accused in the shotgun slayings of Baltimore teenagers Jose Borges, Timothy Sargant, and Mark Domingos.” The news shifted to a shot of the courthouse steps where reporters surrounded Michael and several other men in suits.
“Oh, look! That’s him. That’s Michael.”
“Mr. Maguire!”
The reporters all talked at once.
“What can you tell us about your trial strategy?”
“Not much,” Michael replied confidently. “Except that we’re ready to go for Monday and looking forward to seeing justice served on behalf of the Borges, Sargant, and Domingos families. That’s all I’m going to say at this time.”
“Mr. Maguire, is it true your case rides on the witness you have in protective custody?”
“No comment.”
Juliana watched him push his way through the crowd of reporters. When the news shifted back to the anchor, she noticed Mrs. R watching her with an odd expression on her face.
“Oh, my,” Mrs. R said.
“What?”
“You’re in love with him. It’s all over your face. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.”
“I am not in love with him,” Juliana protested, her heart beating hard. “I like him, though. A lot.”
“You could be in danger living with him during all this craziness.”
Juliana reached across the table for Mrs. R’s hand. “It’s safe. There’s a cop watching the house. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I don’t like this, Juliana. Not one bit. Will you promise me if you’re ever scared there you’ll come stay here with me?”
“I promise, but you don’t have to worry. Besides, I’ve got bigger problems. What am I going to do?”
Mrs. R appeared to give Juliana’s question considerable thought before she answered.
“My Tony and I, bless his soul, were married for fifty-three years. Fifty-three beautiful years.” A soft look of love fell over her wrinkled face.
“In all that time, I never once wondered if he was thinking of someone else. Not once.”
Juliana looked down at her coffee cup.
“Jeremy loves you. I know he does. But what he’s asked of you is almost too much. I’ve wondered why the two of you never married.”
Juliana shrugged. “We just never got around to it.”
“You need to think about why that is.”
“Vincent says it’s because Jeremy doesn’t need to buy the cow when he’s getting the milk for free,” Juliana said, blushing.
Mrs. R raised an eyebrow. “Vincent’s an idiot, but he’s got a point.
Maybe you were too good to Jeremy, and he began to take you for granted.
But you have to ask yourself: if you’re able to work all this out and he manages to win you back, is he going to get itchy feet again a year or two down the road when you’re married and maybe have a baby on the way? ”
“I don’t know how to be without him. He’s been everything to me, you know? He rescued me from the hell of my family, and gave me this safe place to be for so many years. How do I just walk away from that?”
“You did the right thing taking this break, hon. You both need to figure out what you want. Just because you’ve been with him for ten years doesn’t mean you’re meant to be with him forever.
Why don’t you give yourself this time to learn how to be without him?
When the three months are up, you can see how you feel about it and decide what to do then. ”
“What about Michael?”
“What about him?”
“I have feelings for him, but I don’t want to be one of those girls who goes from guy to guy like they don’t know how to function on their own.”
Mrs. R laughed. “You’ve been with the same guy for ten years, Juliana.
You’re hardly setting a pattern by exploring your feelings for one other guy.
Besides, the way you’ve taken care of your mother all these years proves you don’t need a man to take care of you.
There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re capable of standing on your own two feet in any situation. ”
Juliana reached over to hug her. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Any time.” Mrs. R tilted Juliana’s chin up, wise old eyes zeroing in. “You do know if you let yourself become involved with Michael that eventually it’s going to come down to a choice, right? You’ll have to choose between them. Are you prepared to do that?”
“I’m already involved with Michael,” Juliana admitted.
She hugged Juliana close to her. “Then be true to your own heart, Juliana. Only your own.”
Juliana nodded and rested for another moment in the warm comfort of Mrs. Romanello’s embrace.