Page 79 of You Were Invited
Clearing his throat, Julian sucked in a breath and hooked an arm around Annie. He tucked his hand in at her waist, and he lightly rested his fingers on her belly. He caught the scent of her shampoo.
Her body stiffened beneath his touch.
“Now smile!”
Julian hoped his tiredness hid his discomfort and disappointment. He glanced down at Annie, who looked equally tired.
Ellie snapped the picture and viewed the photo. “Well, ain’t that adorable.” She grinned. “S’pose I should give a few other people their moment in the sunshine, too.”
Julian pulled his arm away from Annie. He ground his teeth.
Standing up, Ellie paused at the end of the table. “I’m sure you’re dying to catch up,” she remarked with a wink before leaving them alone.
I feel a little like dying.
Ellie approached a sizable group of regulars, who greeted her with hugs.
Julian glanced at Annie out of the corner of his eye. She was staring out the window again. He rubbed his wrist and flexed his fingers, bending them over with his good right hand.How long do I sit here? I got shit to do.
“You’re making a closed fist now,” Annie observed quietly.
“Oh. Yeah...” He held his hand out, palm up on the tabletop. A thick pink scar stretched across his palm, like a worm, covering the healed mess she’d seen the last time they’d been together.
“I’m glad it’s better, Julian. It looks like it has a little more character.” She offered him a weak smile, put the towel on the table, and tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. “Ummm, what else have you been up to? Just helping out here?”
“This and that.”
When he didn’t offer more, she deflated. “Ah.” She lapsed into silence. Her leg bobbed up and down as she rubbed her own wrist, flexing it.
Begrudgingly, Julian chided himself. He hated small talk, but she didn’t deserve his coldness.Or at least not so much of it... Best to not be so rude...
“How...how’s writing been?”
She shifted in her seat and looked up at him through her lashes. “Going into the next issue. I’ve really focused on taking care of my mental health and trying to get settled.”
“Oh, you found a new place?”
“Not yet... still looking.”
Julian nodded. “How are your friends?”
“Good,” Annie smiled. Although her voice shook initially, she dove into the things she had planned for the surprise party Peter wanted to throw for his wife.
As she talked, he could feel the ice around his heart thaw. He heard his smile warming her voice. He felt a twinge of guilt for being so chilly. It was easy to tell she was grateful to have friends to lean on when she’d needed to get out of her bad relationship. He was halfway caught up in his own thoughts when she mentioned the diner’s commercial again.
“I’m glad I got to see you tonight. I feel like I should have told you I was coming to town. I missed it here.”
Julian glanced away. “You’ve been gone a while.”
“Yes, I know.”
He swallowed, nervous. “How long’ll you be in Northgold for?”
Annie pursed her lips. “Maybe a day... I brought enough stuff for the weekend. I’ll stay at the cabin tonight.”
Unsure how to respond again, he scratched his beard, which he was glad he’d cleaned up. He really did like Annie, but…Why’d she drive all this way? She doesn’t want a relationship. Was it just for Ellie?The questions burned in his mind. He hated that he wanted to know, when the most likely reason was that she just needed some time away. His jaw tensed.I don’t need to know.
“Well, I hope you have a good weekend,” he replied curtly.
