Page 7 of Only This Once
Jesse stared down into his bowl of Cheerios, his spoon unmoving as he remembered Julia’s smile from the night before.
He’d missed the way she smiled. It wasn’t broad, and no teeth flashed, but she always meant it.
She’d rescued him again. He flushed at the memory of the woman who came on to him. She wouldn’t have done that had she known.
“Morning,” Charles said as he headed toward the coffeemaker, startling Jesse into bobbling his spoon in his bowl and spilling milk on the table. His brother handed him the roll of paper towels before turning back to the coffee.
Jesse tore off a couple of towels and mopped at the milk.
Charles studied him over his mug as he raised it for a sip. Jesse knew that look all too well. His brother was nearly twenty years older. After their dad died, he’d taken up that role and had always seen right through him. “Have a good night out last night?”
Jesse flushed. “I ran into Jules.”
“Ah.” Charles hummed in his throat as he hid his smile behind the cup.
Jesse’s flush got worse. “It’s not like that.”
“I didn’t say anything.” Charles continued to say a lot of nothing as his eyes made Jesse squirm.
“It was a friendly chat. We used to be friends.” Even to Jesse’s ears, he sounded defensive. He wasn’t some teenage boy with a crush anymore, but for a moment the night before he’d forgotten that. Julia was as beautiful as ever, but also different, with a short pixie haircut now, her previously dyed black hair back to her natural brown. She still had the most direct, deep green eyes. She had a confidence he admired, like she was completely comfortable in her body.
Jesse hadn’t felt comfortable in his own in years.
“You were hanging out with some coworkers at After Hours, weren’t you? The bar near the hospital?”
“Yeah.” Jesse curled his hand around the used paper towels as he remembered the way his coworkers had snickered and gossiped.
“And Julia was there?” Charles frowned into his mug. “I’m surprised.”
“Since when do you use her full name?” Jesse asked, his brows pulling together.
“She’s my employee now.” He smiled. “She’s the best surgical technician I’ve ever had. Really pays attention and adjusts things before I even have to tell her.”
Jesse wasn’t surprised. “She sees everything, and responsibility leaks through her pores.” That was why the comments about her the other night made no sense. It wasn’t like Julia to mess up. She usually helped to fix things others messed up. “My coworkers were talking about her.”
Charles’s face tightened, a muscle flexing in his jaw. “What did they say?”
Jesse’s frustration from the night before twisted in his chest. “I’m not sure, not exactly. Most of it was muttered, but the way they looked at her…” No one should have glares and snickers thrown their way. “It seemed like bullying to me. I had to say something.”
Charles winced. “You should let Julia handle it. She can take care of herself.”
Jesse’s eyes narrowed. “She’s my friend. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t stick up for her?”
“What did you say to them?”
“Just that she’s a good person and they couldn’t tell me anything that would convince me otherwise.” Jesse forced his hand to unclench on the soiled paper towels. “I wasn’t mean about it, just shut down the gossip.”
Charles nodded, moving to the sink to rinse out his mug. “I don’t agree with how things went down, which is why I offered her a job. It was the only help Julia would accept. She wants to take care of the situation herself.”
That sounded like Julia. Jinx studied the tightness in his brother’s shoulders. “If I asked what it was all about, would you tell me?”
Charles put the mug on the drying rack, wiping his hands on a towel. “You didn’t ask her?”
“Didn’t seem like the right time.” Jesse took the hint, though. His brother was never one to gossip. “She called me Jinx,” he admitted, his voice lowering on the nickname.
“I haven’t heard that in a while.” Charles smiled, crossing and ruffling Jesse’s already messy curls like he’d done so often when Jesse was a child.
“Hey!” Jesse cried, batting at his hand.
