Page 3 of Brambles and Bellflowers
And that was very nice, but I had unfinished business.
“Your mom said I was traumatic,” I tattled, pointing at Dr. Kohler, who had the indecency to not even look ashamed. Julian would set the record straight. She might be his mother, but he outranked her. “Tell her she’s wrong.”
His grin faltered, and he glanced at the doctor. “What’s going on?” he asked, totallynotdefending my honor.
Dr. Kohler shrugged, pulling the folder she’d put aside earlier back in front of her. “That’s not exactly what I said.”
Julian sighed, exasperation radiating from him as he rubbed his forehead. “Please. I don’t know what you’re planning, but leave Bianca out of it.”
“Of course,son,” Dr. Kohler replied, shuffling through her papers. “I’ll take your advice into consideration.”
“That means you don’t plan on listening to me at all,” Julian muttered. He helped me to my feet. “Come along, darling. We’re going somewhere where people respect authority.”
“Oh, do carry on,children.” Dr. Kohler waved at us, seemingly distracted. “And Julian, don’t forget to be here bright and early tomorrow morning.”
A surge of annoyance radiated from Julian and he paused, hand on my waist, and glanced at his mother. “I’m not on the schedule until tomorrow afternoon.”
“I changed it,” she said, pointing her pen at him. “It shouldn’t offend you. You seem to love adjusting everyone’s routines.”
Julian’s eyes narrowed, and he turned from her, pulling me closer to his side.
He stepped to the door, leading me along with him, and shame stabbed through my chest. While Julian was annoyed at something, and Dr. Kohler had tried to get on my nerves, she had also given me some insight into Miles.
We couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.
As we reached the door, I shot Dr. Kohler a look under Julian’s arm. “Bye,” I mouthed, catching her eye. “Thank you.”
Her mouth turned up at the right corner, and she nodded once in goodbye.
“Julian?” I waited until we were halfway down the long, sterile-looking hall before pulling at his sleeve.
He hummed in response to my question, and our pace slowed as he moved his touch from my lower back and grasped my hand.
But he still didn’t look at me—he seemed distracted.
“Julian.” I tugged his hand, determined to get an answer. “Is there something wrong between you and your mom?”
They’d seemed fine the last time I’d seen them together, the day I’d woken up after Julian and I bonded.
We turned the corner, and he glanced at me, pulling out a badge and swiping it over a black box on the wall to unlock the double steel doors blocking our path.
“Why would you think there’s something wrong?” he asked, peering into the nurse’s station as we passed.
“I know there is.” A sense of foreboding filled me—Julian was generally laid back, but he did seem to have a bit of temper regarding me. Perhaps I shouldn’t have tried to get him involved with the conflict between me and his mother. “Don’t worry about what I said. I know I’m messed up. I was just defensive.”
“What?” Julian faltered slightly as he angled himself to look at me. We were moving toward the glass-walled lobby now, almost to the outside. “You’re not messed up.”
I shook my head. “I am, but I’m getting better!” I reassured him. “Just know that sometimes I say mean things when hungry.”
“Youaregetting better.” Julian slowed down, placing his hands on my shoulders. The lobby was empty, except for one bored-looking receptionist playing on her phone.
“It’s not your fault at all.” Julian spoke with such calm assurance that my nerves began to settle. “She’s mad at me, and I’m not so happy with her right now either.”
“Why?”
He pursed his lips, his expression torn between the apparent desire to explain versus the drive to leave this place.
Was he running from someone?
