Page 7 of Trip
“Not much,” he says. “Just that her parents passed away, and it seems like a real sore spot for the three of them.”
I grunt in response.
“Heard the older sister, Julia, she works damn near every day at the diner,” he says, looking away from his work with a grin that I know can’t be a good thing. “You know, if you’re so damn interested in her, we can go to the diner for lunch.”
“Oh fuck you,” I reply, resisting the urge to smack some sense into him. “Let’s get this done.”
Ruger smirks at me before turning back to his work. The subject is dropped for the rest of the morning. And, by the time that lunch rolls around, I take his suggestion to heart and head to the diner – without him.
As soon as I get inside, I see Julia buzzing around with a smile on her face. Before the host even greets me, I tell her I want to be in Julia’s section. Once I’m seated, Julia’s there to greet me in less than a minute.
“Fancy seeing you here,” she says, the smile she was wearing when I walked in seeming to morph into something more genuine as it reaches her eyes.
“I could say the same to you,” I reply.
“You want your burger with crispy fries and a water again?” she asks, impressing me with her memory. I wonder if she remembers everyone’s order like this or if I’m just special.
“With a little less spillage this time,” I say, smirking when her face starts to get bright pink. “I actually wanted to talk to you, though.”
“For sure,” she replies, glancing over her shoulder at the patrons that already have their food. “Let me get your order put back and check on everyone. I’ll be back in a flash.”
“Thanks, darling,” I say, noting the way her cheeks get even pinker at the sound of the pet name.
My eyes stay on her as she heads to the computer, then into the kitchen. She reappears with my glass of water, holding onto it as she flits around the dining room to check on her other guests. Finally, she comes back to my table, setting the cup on the table before she settles into the chair across from me.
“So, what’s up?” she asks, tilting her head curiously. “You miss me that much?”
Her flirty demeanor is intoxicating, and I almost want to throw away the questions that have been swirling in my head. I know better than to do that, though. If I give into her playful banter every time we meet, I’ll never get the answers I want – especially if the topic is a sore spot for her.
“Of course,” I reply, reaching over to cover her hand with mine. “I’ve missed you since I dropped you off to get your car.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” she replies, her voice soft.
“That’s not the only reason I stopped by,” I say, knowing the next words out of my mouth might make her shut down. “I actually wanted to talk more to you about why you moved to Rio Lunas.”
Her posture stiffens, and the warmth from her eyes cools a bit. She still wears that smile, clearly pushing through whatever darkness is in her mind, as she says, “I already told you. My sisters and I just couldn’t stand to be there any more.”
I hum, squeezing her hand as a comforting gesture. Then, I say, “I know, but there’s something more to it, isn’t there? Does it have something to do with why you’re the one in charge of your younger sisters?”
I realize that the way I’m phrasing this probably isn’t the best. My experience with people is limited, and I think that even if I had some sort of skill here, I still wouldn’t know how to handle this. I’m trying to figure out how her parents passed away and what she’s running from.
“I mean,” she says, taking a deep breath and shaking her head. “I guess there is more to it. I just…”
In an attempt to calm her down, I rub her thumb with mine. She turns her hand over, palm up. I cover it with my own hand, holding onto her tightly.
“Take your time,” I say, hoping my tone comes off as comforting.
Julia sighs, meeting my gaze with misty eyes and says, “It’s hard to talk about. I… I want to tell you, but–”
She cuts herself off, blinking hard to dispel the tears that are starting to form there. All at once, I realize that I’ve made a mistake bringing this up here. I need to get her out of here for this conversation.
“How about you just take the rest of the day off?” I say, reaching across the table to wipe away the singular tear that’s sliding down her cheek.
She shakes her head and murmurs, “No, no. I can’t. I need the money.”
“You don’t have to worry about the money,” I say. “I’ll give you whatever cash you’re missing. And you don’t need to worry about getting in trouble. You already know I’m part of the MC. I’ll talk to Rock, and everything will be fine.”
She gives me a watery giggle and says, “I can’t let you pay me to hang out with you. I’ll do it for free.”
