With the bluetooth connected in my car, I dial Ivy’s number and wait for her to answer, as it seems to ring endlessly.
“If you’re calling me about Dottie, you can hang up right now,” she snaps without so much as a hello and I smirk, shaking my head as I pull into the parking lot at my apartment complex.
“I’m not.”
“Liar,” she shoots back, her irritation dying down with each word.
“Actually, I’m just calling to see how you are.”
She sighs. “I’m fine.”
“Well, now who’s the liar?” I ask, pulling into my designated spot and putting the car in park.
“I don’t want to talk about Dottie,” she replies but her voice betrays her, telling me how badly she wants to vent about their argument last night. “It’s just… I didn’t expect her to be so hateful.”
“Vi, she wasn’t being hateful. She’s just worried about you.”
“I know what I’m doing, Carly. Julian isn’t like the rest of them,” she fires back and I nod despite the fact that I’m alone in my car.
“And I believe you, but you have to take a minute to look at it from her perspective. Look at what Mother’s need for money did to Dad and look at what happened to me. She just wants to protect us.”
“So, what? I’m just supposed to throw away this man I love and be miserable for the rest of my life for her?”
I scoff, annoyed by her dramatics. “Of course not, Vi, but you could start by bringing him to Sunday dinner and letting Dottie get to know him a bit. She’ll see he really is different if you give her the chance.”
“You really think she would give him a chance?”
“I’ll talk to her, okay? Just bring Julian to dinner on Sunday and I’ll make sure Dottie keeps an open mind.”
“You would do that for me?” she asks, her voice hopeful.
“Vi, you’re my sister. I’d do anything for you. Just give her a chance, okay? She wants the best for you.”
She’s quiet for a long moment and I wonder if she got cut off when she sighs. “I know. Thanks, Car. I’ll talk to you later.”
“You know I’m always here if you want to talk. I love you.”
“I know and I love you, too. I’ll see you on Sunday, okay?”
I agree before hanging up, grabbing my things, and climbing out of the car. As I open the door to my apartment complex, I try to prep myself for my phone call to Dottie. She’s stubborn as hell and it will be like trying to push a rock up a hill to get her to agree to give Julian a chance but I’m hoping she’ll do it for Ivy. If he’s as great as Ivy says he is and she can just see them together and get to know him a little, I truly believe she’ll come around.
Stepping off the elevator, I sigh, happy to be home and more than ready to relax for a bit. Once inside my apartment, I toss my bag on the counter and look down at my phone, still a little nervous to call Dottie. The last thing I want to do is argue with her, too. Instead, I sift through the mail in my hand and pause when I get to an envelope with my name handwritten on the front. There is no return address and I flip it over, looking for any clue before I rip it open. Inside is a card with a bouquet on the front and when I open it, something falls on to the counter. Glancing down, I freeze at the sight of the check laying on my granite countertop and my hand shakes as I pick it up, reading the name three times before the check falls out of my hand.
No.
He didn’t.
Tears threaten to fall and my entire body trembles as I squeeze my eyes shut and force myself to breathe, willing my mind to not go there. I’ve made it through most of this day without reliving the worst night of my life and I will not lose it now.
Fuck Austin.
Fuck him for what he did all those years ago and fuck him for thinking he can fix it by sending me a check for twenty thousand dollars.
If I took it, I’d be no better than my mother.
Taking a deep breath, I open my eyes again and close the card, ripping it in half without even a glance at the note inside. I don’t need to hear what he has to say and I’m sure as hell not going to assuage his guilt. I do the same to the check before dumping it all in the trash. Briefly, I consider setting it on fire but that gives it more power than I’m willing to part with. Going back to the island and sinking onto the stool, I take a couple of calming breaths before grabbing my phone to call Dottie. I scroll through my contacts but before I can find her name, the doorbell rings. I glance up and hop off the barstool as I set the phone on the counter, secretly relieved I have a little more time before I have to call her. I’m so lost in my thoughts I don’t even stop to check the peephole before I pull the door open.
“Chance,” I breathe out, my heart skipping a beat and butterflies flapping around in my belly before I remember I’m supposed to be avoiding him. I stand up a little straighter in an attempt to compose myself and grip the edge of the door. “What are you doing here?”
“Taking matters into my own hands,” he says, a smirk on his face.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
He motions to the apartment behind me. “Why don’t you let me in and I’ll tell you?”
“Or you could just tell me right here.”
His smile grows and I lose the battle to keep my eyes on his face as they drop down the front of his body, appreciating the way his leather vest shows off his broad shoulders and strong arms. God, I’ve always had a weak spot for guys with great shoulders.
“Come on, sweetheart. I drove all the way over here just to spend a little time with you, the least you could do is invite me inside.”
I shake my head and he shrugs.
“That’s fine. We can have our date like this with me in the hallway, but you’ll need to grab a wine glass,” he says, holding up a bottle of wine and a six-pack of beer I somehow missed.
“And if I just close the door?”
His smile never fades as he watches me, rubbing his hand over the stubble on his jaw like he’s deep in thought. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to sit out here and very loudly tell you my life story. Although, I’m not sure your neighbors would appreciate it.”
Damn him for being right. Ms. Cheryl down the hall is nice enough but she would throw a fit if we interrupted her Monday night shows.
“You’re trouble,” I say, rolling my eyes as I step back and hold the door open wider for him.
“Who me?” he asks, glancing down at himself like he doesn’t know exactly what he’s doing and I resist the urge to roll my eyes again. He steps into my apartment and the entire mood shifts, my spacious living room suddenly feeling much too small. I close the door and move to step around him, but he moves into my path at the same time and we both stop, a breath away from each other as he swallows me up with his enchanting green eyes. My skin tingles and my heart races. The only sound in the entire apartment is our breaths meeting in the narrow space between us and no matter how much I tell myself to look away, I can’t force my gaze from his.
“Where would I find those wine glasses?” he whispers and I continue staring at him for a moment with a blank look on my face as his words sink in. Blinking once, I look over his shoulder to the kitchen.