She smiled. What would she have done these past few weeks without Jules?Thank you, she wrote back and meant it.
“Lilly’s starting to get more comfortable with us, have you noticed?” Jules asked as he watched Charlotte dip her spooninto the tiramisu they served at Kasai’s. Here the tiramisu leaned sweet and creamy, the coffee and booze barely a whisper.
“Are you referring to something specific?” she asked.
They were sitting out on the street, with people strolling between them and the restaurant, at one of five tables that were all filled despite the late hour. “Today, she took my arm while we were walking on the beach,” he told her. “Can you believe that?”
She scooped up another bite of her tiramisu. “That’s a bold move. But you’ve been her favorite from the beginning.”
“I’m not sure about that. Even if it’s true, we’re talking aboutLilly. The girl who could barely meet our eyes when we were introduced to her not very long ago.”
Charlotte chuckled. “You really like her, don’t you?”
“I do,” he admitted. “She’s a sweet kid.”
“Yeah, well, you’re a pushover,” she said teasingly.
“It’s not just me. Sloane likes her a lot, too.”
“I’ve noticed,” Charlotte said. “She’s losing the fight to stay objective—”
“Despite her best efforts to decide what’s best for each party.”
“I know. Some of that might be pity. Sloane certainly has no love for my birth mother.”
He’d skipped the tiramisu, was happy drinking a glass of merlot. “She told me about a few of the things that were on that phone,” he responded with a frown.
“That stuff was nothing I ever wanted to read, I can promise you.” She grimaced. “Telling one guy she wanted to blow him and another that she’d do a threesome?”
“I see what you mean.” He held his glass loosely in one hand. “So why are we out here, enjoying this beautiful evening, when you’re supposed to be getting some sleep so you can continue writing your next blockbuster?”
Her smile disappeared; he’d known something was wrong despite her casual behavior. “Cliff called tonight.”
“Let me guess—he wants you back.”
She gave a small shrug. “That’s what he said.”
Julian felt an immediate reaction—the desire to punch Clifford Jackson in the face—but tried to remain impassive. “Already.”
“It doesn’t feel quick to me.”
Nothing seemed fast when you were going through hell, which was part of the reason he wanted to punch Cliff in the face. He was the one who’d put her in a bad place. “Depends on who you ask, I guess.”
“You’re not surprised?”
“No. So what are you going to do?” He held his breath while he waited for her answer.
“I don’t know. It’s so hard to walk away from all the time and effort I’ve already invested in the relationship.”
“If you go back, you can avoid the hard months ahead, you mean.”
“There’s that. Maybe he’s learned his lesson, Jules.”
“And maybe he hasn’t. Sometimes you have to cut your losses no matter how much you’ve invested.”
“You don’t think I should go back to him.”
“I don’t think he’ll ever treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”
