“Well”—she rolled the hair band between her fingers—“to tell you the truth, he seemed a lot more interested in your mom. They were having a very . . . intimate-looking conversation in her shop when I saw them.”
A vein throbbed in his head and Will thought it might detonate any second. “What?” he croaked out.
“See? A dinner party is a wonderful idea. It will give Hank and your mom an opportunity to see each other. They make a really cute couple.”
Little specks of red dotted his vision and Will was sure his brain had exploded. His mother and Hank? Jesus, that could be a disaster! And the crazy woman in front of him wanted to throw them together.
“This isn’t middle school! We aren’t having a party so our friends can make out.” His stomach rolled at the thought.
She roared right back at him. “We are having the party to reinforce this farce of a marriage you forced me in to, jock brain! Your mom and Hank are just the part that actually makes it worthwhile.”
Owen wailed in the background. Julianne moved toward the door. She paused briefly before leaving, her head bowed. “It’s lonely here at night, Will. You go to dinner with Gavin and I’m here with Owen,” she whispered.
He stopped her as she tried to pass. “That was your choice, Princess.”
“None of this was my choice,” she said as she slipped out the door.
Will felt her sucker punch all the way to his knees. Damn it! He stormed out of the pantry and grabbed Owen from Brody’s arms, shoving the bottle into the baby’s mouth. “Fine,” he bit out. “You’ve got your damn party.”
She was gracious enough not to gloat. “I’ll make a list of groceries I’ll need from the store.”
He pulled the car keys off a rack by the back door and tossed them onto the counter.
“Oh no, Princess. If you want this party, you’re doing the shopping.” He started up the stairs with Owen.
“But, Will . . .”
“The GPS will get you there.” He called down before shutting the door to the nursery.
Sixteen
Julianne gnawed on her lip as she stared at the car keys on the counter. Crap! Now what was she supposed to do?
“Hey.”
Brody’s voice startled her. She’d almost forgotten he was standing beside her.
“You okay?” he asked.
No! “Sure,” she lied. Again. “I’m just trying to come up with a grocery list before I head out.”
“So how come you look like you’re about to pass out?”
She brushed a shaky hand over her now-sweaty brow. How would she ever pull this off?
Brody snatched the keys off the counter. “Come on, I’ll take you there. I’ll teach you how to drive another day.”
He was out the back door before she could gather her wits. She shoved her feet into her flip-flops and grabbed the diaper bag that doubled as her purse before following him out the door. The car was already running when she slid into the passenger seat.
“How . . . how did you guess?” she asked as he pulled down the drive.
“Your face said it all.” Brody glanced over at her just before pulling out onto the main road. “It’s nothing to be ashamed about.”
She turned to look out the window. “I’m not ashamed. I actually know how to drive. Carly taught me. I just don’t like to do it.”
“Hey, I don’t need to know your secrets. I’m happy to drive you anywhere you want to go.”
“It’s not exactly a secret,” she told him. “I was in a bad car accident when I was young. I have been a little intimidated by cars ever since.”
Brody nodded. “That’s a pretty good reason.” He was silent for a moment. “Anybody die?”
Julianne rubbed the cross at her neck. “Yes.”
He cleared his throat. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with not wanting to drive. You shouldn’t stress so much about it.”
Julianne leaned against the headrest and smiled over at him. “You’re a nice guy, Brody Janik. How come a woman hasn’t already snatched you up?”
She studied his perfect profile as he drove. His jaw clenched for a moment as his fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly. Just as quickly, his face relaxed into his megawatt smile.
“I haven’t found a woman who’s as pretty as me,” he joked.
Julianne concluded he’d rehearsed that particular line a thousand times. There was more to Brody than just his good looks and his athletic prowess. She suspected he was waiting for the woman who could see past his charm and interact with the real Brody. Reaching over, she patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll find her, don’t worry.”