Page 75 of Betrayal of a Billionaire
She bit her lower lip as she refused to give in to the tears stinging her eyes. Her mind raced with conflicting emotions. Why did his words cut so deep? Was it more than her pride? Did she care that much what Grant thought of her, or was the unfinished business with Luke still tearing up her heart?
She paused at a stop sign, recognizing the irony in her own crossroads as she sat idling at this one.
She flipped on her turn signal and turned toward town. As the police station passed on her right, she slowed, contemplating turning in and crying on her sister’s shoulder. She knew the answer she’d get. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it.
Instead, she bypassed it, heading to her favorite coffee shop. She parked on a side street and walked to the small shop, ordering a hot tea and a pastry.
“Rough morning?” the young barista asked.
Julia managed a weak smile, glad the girl was young enough not to remember her. “Something like that.”
The cozy little cafe buzzed with the gentle hum of conversation. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and cinnamon offered a stark contrast to the chaos in Julia’s heart.
She shuffled to a quiet corner and slumped into a leather armchair. The steam from her tea curled in front of her like her tangled thoughts.
As she sipped her tea, two familiar voices argued their way to the counter to order coffee. She smiled at them, a little of the weight lifting from her.
She studied the two brothers, now older, but still the same in almost every other way. The Hoppers had provided her with her initial writing opportunity at the town's newspaper. She rose from her seat and approached them, reaching forward to tap both of their shoulders at the same time.
They twisted to face her, both sets of eyes going wide.
“Juju!” the twin men exclaimed at the same time.
She wrapped an arm around each of their necks and hugged them both. “Hello, Bob and Bill.”
“We’d heard you were in town,” Bob, the shorter twin said.
“Yes, we heard,” Bill, the taller twin added. “But Ally said something strange.”
“Oh?”
Bob’s eyes went wide as he grabbed her hand. “Bill, look! It’s true.”
“Oh, no, Juju,” Bill said with a shake of his head. “Ally said you married the worst man ever.”
Julia’s shoulders slumped. “Ally is being a little dramatic. He’s not the worst man ever.”
Bill leaned closer to her, his voice lowering. “From the city.”
Bob matched his brother’s stance, his voice lowering, too. “Came here as tourists.”
Bill’s eyes got wide. “An outsider.”
Bob shook his head. “With a temper.”
Julia’s eyebrows knitted before a smile spread across her face. “I have missed you both.”
They grinned at her.
“Then why don’t you stay around?” Bob asked.
“Yes, yes, leave that ogre of a husband behind and stay in town. Luke misses you.”
The mention of his name shot a tremor through her heart. “I know. I’ve seen him.”
“Poor Luke,” they said at the same time.
“Now, fellas, come on,” she said, her tone playful but chiding.
