Page 67 of The Beat of My Heart
“Hey, Lanes? Ah… I gotta go, okay? I’ll call you later. Luvs,” I say before hanging up. I heard Lexi coming down the hall, and I can only handle one crisis at a time. Thankfully, it sounds like Dexter has everything under control.
“You all set?” I ask.
Looking from me to my dad, Lexi says, “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” but I’m not buying it.
Turning to my dad, I say, “Dad? Is she going to be okay?”
“Jules, you know I can’t disclose client information like that, but we will do everything we can,” he says, smiling at Lexi. I notice his worry lines appear deeper—a sure sign he isn’t telling me the complete truth.
“Lexi?” I try.
“I’m going to be fine, Jules. I promise. I have to go, I promised GG I’d have lunch with her before I headed back. Thank you,” she says, giving us each a hug.
I may not know exactly what is going on with her, but by the expressions on my parents’ faces, it’s more serious than she’d led me to believe.
“I’ve got some calls to make,” my distracted father says, then mumbles, “these girls will be the death of me.”
At least I know where I get my filter from.
“Try not to worry, Jules. We will take care of Lexi, I promise,” my mom says, kissing the top of my head.
“I’m going to head out too. I’ve got to get Charlie home for a nap and I’ve got some work I need to catch up on,” I tell her.
* * *
With work,everything fits into a nice neat bubble. Numbers make sense. Risk is manageable. I know what to expect when I work with spreadsheets and graphs. What I wasn’t expecting were the text messages I got that night.
Crazy-Town Group Chat:
GG: There’s a handsome young man that just checked into the Wagon-Wheel.
Julia: Not interested, but thanks.
GG: This one’s not for you.
Julia: Then what are you telling me for?
GG: Because Dexter Cross is coming to see you tomorrow. Says he’s goin’ to see about a girl.
And that is why I’m sitting at my parent's island at the ass crack of dawn the next morning.
“Julia, you need to calm down. We don’t even know what he is doing here,” my mother says. “It could very well all be innocent.”
“I’m not buying it. Lanie said he had a work trip come up at the last minute, which means he lied to her to come here,” I tell her. “I don’t like this one bit, and when I get my hands on him, I will give him a piece of my mind.”
“Woah, there, tiger. Slow down,” my father says, laughing. “Maybe I’d better wait outside and head him off before she-wolf over here decapitates him,” he tells my mom.
Rolling my eyes like a surly teenager, I grab another cup of coffee. I’m on fire already, but the pot of coffee I’ve consumed will really give me a boost when I rip into this asshole. No one messes with my Lanes.
Forty-five minutes after Dexter arrives, I finally hear my father yell, “Alright, girls, you can come on out now.”
Glaring at my mother for not allowing me to eavesdrop, I grab Charlie from his play mat and storm outside.
Handing Charlie to my dad, I stand directly in front of Dexter Cross.God, Lanie was right, he’s fucking hot as hell,but I cut right to the chase, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry, your son is adorable, I missed what you said,” he replies.
Trying not to smile because this man will not charm me, I say, “His name is Charlie, and he is, thank you. What are you doing here, presumably behind Lane's back?”
