“And that’s it. There’s nothing between us anymore. We talked it out. We apologized to each other. And we moved on.” Juliette stacked her color boards and binder neatly on one of the counters. “It was better this way, I think. As opposed to having to face all of that baggage today.”
Anne-Sophie crossed her arms as though she didn’t quite believe her. “What about Charity?”
“That was a little bit harder. Mostly because she was so nice.”
“Ugh, I know.” Her sister rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Her niceness was sickening.”
“But she must’ve known about me. All those trips he took to New York…” Juliette grimaced at her foolishness. She’d been so blind, so completely naive. Though if she was being truly honest with herself, she must have known. There was probably an inkling or worry in the back of her mind, an alarm or warning she simply chose to ignore. But none of it mattered anymore. “She probably never even viewed me as a threat.”
“Don’t say that,” Anne-Sophie scolded, her voice stern. She took both of Juliette’s hands. “You have plenty to offer.”
“Thank you.” It was strange. She didn’t think she had much to offer then, when she was with Rodrigo. But now she was sure of herself. And she was definitely enough. “Oh, and there’s one other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Gabi called me.” Juliette pretended to straighten up the remaining files, tossing Anne-Sophie a hesitant look. “She found me a job.”
Silence met her, so she continued, “In California.”
“Are you going to take it?” Anne-Sophie asked.
Finally, Juliette forced herself to look up fully. Anne-Sophie’s eyes were wide and shadowed with worry. “I don’t know. It’s a lot to consider. It’s with a large company, ColorSpace.”
Anne-Sophie nodded, tight-lipped. “I’ve heard of them.”
“Anyway, it’s not set in stone. Just an idea, that’s all.” Juliette tucked the rest of the papers back into her binder and planted both of her hands on the edge of a makeshift worktable. “I promised I wouldn’t leave you the same way I did last time. This is me being transparent.”
“Okay.” Anne-Sophie blew out a breath and ran a hand through her wild dark hair. “Are you ready to head back to the shop?”
“You go ahead.” Juliette waved her off. “I’m going to pick up around here, see if there’s anything else I can finish up, and then I’ll head out.”
“Okay. See you later.”
After Anne-Sophie left, Juliette gathered up her color boards and binders. It was the best feeling, having a signed contract in hand, knowing the beach house was going to have a long and wonderful life as a wedding venue. Yet, standing in the front entryway alone, she found she missed Brock. She hadn’t seen him since last night at the bonfire, and though he’d failed to show up today for the meeting with Rodrigo and Charity, she was sure it was simply an accident. He’d probably just forgotten.
She fired off a text to him.
Wedding is booked! They loved it
She was gathering up the rest of her promotional supplies when she heard the familiar rumble of a truck pulling into the driveway. Her heart nearly tripped over itself.
Smoothing her hair, she gave her cheeks a quick pinch for some color, and went out the front door to greet him.Brock hadn’t said anything last night, but she was certain he understood why she wanted to give him space, and she assumed his kiss was in response to her wanting to stay here, in Mystic Cove with him. The second she caught sight of him outside, she stumbled to a stop.
Something was wrong.
A scowl haunted his face, and there was determination in his step.
“When were you going to tell me?” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“I just did.” Confusion left her reviewing everything she could’ve forgotten to tell him. He usually didn’t care too much about the nitty-gritty wedding stuff, so she figured something brief and to the point would suffice. “I sent you a text like two minutes ago.”
“Can you please explain this?” He held out his phone for her to see. It was a picture. A very clear picture of Rodrigo kissing her on the cheek, maybe near the corner of her lips, after they’d sorted out their differences.
A flash of annoyance shot through her. Did people in this town honestly have nothing better to do than gossip and not mind their own business?
“That’s nothing, Brock. We just talked.” She was innocent and ready to defend herself and her actions. She had no feelings left for Rodrigo, not that it was anyone else’s concern but her own.
“Just talked?” His voice was steady, but a muscle feathered in his jaw, which told her he was working to keep calm.
