“I’m sorry. And you’re more than welcome to stay here. I can go.”
Both Candace and Mom knew of his and Juliette’s plans for the weekend. If he arrived home this afternoon alone, he’d get a lecture and a half from both of them. Much like him, they cared about Juliette and enjoyed having her a part of their lives. If they thought he’d somehow hurt her, which, based on her expression, he had, they’d be pissed at him.
She brushed her fingers across her eyes again and seemed to consider his offer. “No, I… um… I’ll stay with my parents or maybe my sister in Providence tonight and then drive back to Avon tomorrow.”
Fifteen minutes later, Juliette left, taking not only her suitcase but also a piece of his heart with her. If he’d had workout clothes with him, he would have headed out for a run. For whatever reason, running always helped clear his head so he could focus. And now more than ever, he needed to focus. Since he couldn’t run, he changed into his bathing suit and headed down to the hotel pool. Maybe if he got lucky, it’d be empty. But he wasn’t counting on it after the way the weekend had gone so far.
Numerous times, Juliette had given a boyfriend the it’s-not-you-it’s-me speech. Until today, she’d never been on the receiving end of it. Then again, she was the one who’d always ended her past relationships. And while she might not admit the actual number to anyone, she’d dated a lot of men. But she’d never cared about any of them the way she did Aaron.
Love, you mean. Ignoring both the thoughts and the hand squeezing her heart, she jabbed the elevator button marked lobby even though she’d rather march back down the hall and jab Aaron. Maybe if she jabbed him a few times, he’d get his common sense back.
Seriously, he didn’t know if he could fit into her life because of who her family was and who they associated with? Maybe if her family resembled one of the mafia families portrayed in the movies, she could understand his reluctance. And she’d give him that sometimes she interacted with people she’d rather not be in the same room with. But everyone had to do it from time to time. It was merely part of being an adult.
When the elevator doors opened, she stepped out. Before, her first thought had been to stay at her parents’ house for the night. But she didn’t need to be in Avon at all this week. She could spend a night or two at her parents’ or a few days visiting her sister. She could even go back to New York until the following week.
“Juliette.”
Preoccupied with her and Aaron’s conversation and where she should spend the next few days, she didn’t see Anderson Brady until she almost walked into him. She’d known the actor for what seemed like forever, and they often attended many of the same parties. At one time, she’d even considered pursuing a romantic relationship with him, but w
henever she’d been single, he’d been with someone and vice versa.
“Anderson, how are you?”
“Good. I thought I’d see you at the fundraiser last night.” Much like his father, Anderson was a big supporter of Uncle Warren.
She’d spotted him taking to Drew McKenzie and his wife and had planned to go over and say hello at some point and introduce them all to Aaron. “I was there, but something came up, and I had to leave early.”
“I’m going to be in Boston until Tuesday. Are you going to be around?”
“No, I’m checking out.” Well, maybe checking out wasn’t totally accurate, but she was leaving the hotel.
The cell phone in his hand rang, and he glanced at the screen. “I need to take this. But I’ll call you when I get back to New York, and we can get together.”
Yesterday she would have told him she had a boyfriend. Now, she nodded. “I’ll see you later.”
An hour and a half later, Juliette found herself not at her parents’ house but instead at the Hillcrest in Providence and riding the private elevator up to Trent’s penthouse—not that it had been her original destination after leaving the hotel. When she’d headed for Providence, she’d planned to visit her sister and her husband. She’d talked to Courtney on the phone, but she hadn’t seen her since the wedding in February. Unfortunately, no one was home when she arrived at Courtney’s place. When she called her sister, Courtney informed her they were picking up Josh’s daughter and would be back later. Although she had a key, and Courtney insisted she let herself in, she felt uncomfortable doing so. Coming and going as she pleased when her sister lived alone had been one thing, but Josh lived there now. So rather than go in, Juliette called the first person who came to mind—Addie.
“I thought Aaron would be with you,” Addie said, hugging Juliette after she walked inside.
“No. He’s still in Boston.” Well, she assumed he was. Maybe he’d checked out too and gone home.
“Oh.” The why hung in the air, but before Juliette could explain, Trent walked in, his almost two-year-old son Kendrick perched on his shoulders. Jake was right behind him with his own mini-me in his arms, and it was evident they’d all been downstairs swimming.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Trent asked.
“Visiting.”
“I can see that. Where’s Aaron? Based on the way you two were looking at each other, I figured you’d spend the weekend locked up in your hotel room.”
“We had a slight change in plans.”
Trent looked at his wife and then back at her. “Is everything okay? Aaron looked upset last night, and when you rushed out, we were all worried.”
“It’s complicated,” she admitted. “Can I get something to drink? All I’ve had today is a few sips of coffee.”
“Of course. You can have whatever you want,” Addie answered.
“I’ll be back after Kenrick and I are changed,” Trent said.