“It’s all a part of life, Juli. It’s just life.”
****
More than a week had passed since she’d asked for Luke’s help. He hadn’t contacted her and she didn’t know what that meant, but then Ben said, “Maia called while you were out. She said you owed her a lunch. She suggested tomorrow, if that works for you.”
“I’ll call her back.”
“No need. Maia said to tell you she’ll be there tomorrow anyway and to come at noon if you want to do lunch.”
“Do you mind? Would you like to come along?” Juli kept her fingers mentally crossed.
Ben shook his head. “Thanks, but no. I’ll let you ladies have your fun.”
She felt like deception was scrawled in lurid letters across her forehead. Ben leaned over and gently planted a kiss right where the letters should have been written.
Maia had called. Had Luke enlisted her help? Was he using Maia as cover? After the way Maia had looked at her when she was leaving the gallery, she wouldn’t have called on her own.
Juli took the groceries from the paper bag as Ben climbed the stairs, headed toward a nap.
Ben’s naps were more frequent. Sometimes he had discomfort—Ben’s word. He said it wasn’t pain. The doctor had prescribed some pills for him to take as needed. Ben said they made him drowsy.
Juli didn’t ask him how he felt because he didn’t like the question.
Was she deceiving him? Technically, yes. She wouldn’t lie to herself about that, but Ben shouldn’t have to worry about her past. Her previous life didn’t mesh well with her new one. Juli would stop the mashup before it got messier, she hoped—with a little help from Luke.
****
Maia wasn’t at the gallery when Juli arrived. There was a young man with thick black hair behind the counter. His hair looked disordered on purpose, probably plastered with stiff hair gel. “Is Maia here?”
“Are you Juli?”
He was wearing a dress shirt that was at odds with his frame. Maybe his father’s or brother’s shirt. Clearly, he hadn’t asked his mama or anyone else to iron it for him. It looked clean, though.
“I am.”
He held out his hand. “I’m Brendan. I’m new. Maia’s at the bank. She’ll be back soon.”
Juli shook his hand. She’d been co-workers with enough kids his age to know he was trying hard to be courteous. “I’ll hang out here until she gets back.”
“Why don’t you come in the office and we’ll chat ‘til Maia returns.”
Juli spun around. Luke stood in the office doorway.
His voice sounded relaxed, reasonable. For Brendan’s benefit, no doubt. Juli walked into the office. “What did he say?”
She was surprised by her breathlessness, her taut nerves. When Luke walked toward her, she nearly jumped.
Luke went to the office door and closed it. The latch clicked softly. He walked back to his desk. “He said he’ll stay away.”
“And?”
Luke stood in front of his desk with his arms crossed. “And what?”
Maddening. He wanted to punish her—whether for marrying Ben or for asking him to help her resolve the problem with Frankie. Juli resisted the urge to meet him stance for stance, stare for stare. She pretended there was no need, that no electricity was passing between them, snapping and twisting like a loose livewire, threatening to burn.
“I’d like to know what you said to him and what he said back to you. I’ll probably have to deal with him sooner or later.”
“You’d do better to avoid people like him.”
“People like him? I should find a better quality of friends, is that right?” Was it hypocritical of her to resent him for saying what she’d already been thinking?
Luke walked to the window. “I told him exactly what you suggested.”
“That you’d call the police about the theft at the Hammond’s house?”
“He wasn’t happy about it, but he seemed to believe me. I’m not confident we can trust him to stay away.”
“Why wouldn’t he? It’s not like he had any solid reason to think he could benefit from my relationship with Ben.”
Luke turned back to face her. “I think there was something more on his mind. I didn’t probe. He looked like the type who’d consider any uncertainty an opening.”
Juli nodded. Frankie would stay away, at least for a while. She hoped he’d move on to something else and forget her entirely. “Thank you, Luke.”
“I did it for Ben.”
“I didn’t think otherwise.” Dignity was a handy mask for humiliation. Juli reminded herself that Luke’s opinion did not define her and stood straighter. They reached the door at the same time, their hands and bodies in close contact. Juli’s capacity for masking her emotion had reached its limit.