“Okay…” Marcy said slowly.
I didn’t give her a chance to question me further. There was only one thing I could think about and that was Julie.
I jumped in my car and drove like a maniac toward her house. We hadn’t spoken since the night before. I thought about calling her before just showing up, but I wanted to see her face. On my way, I stopped in town and picked up a bouquet of flowers. If I was going to make this thing work between us, then I needed all the help I could get.
My head was still spinning as I pulled up to Julie’s house. I hadn’t heard from either her or Josh since the night before. I thought my brother would at least call me, but nothing. Silence.
I pushed him to the back of my mind as I hurried up to Julie’s front door. My hands were shaking, gripping the flowers so tightly that I thought I might crush them. Luckily, Julie answered the door after just a few seconds.
“I figured it was you,” she said with a shy smile. “Come on in.”
“Are you okay?” I asked quickly. “I thought about calling you a thousand times last night, but I—”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Julie said. “I needed some time to think.”
I didn’t know what to say. I was terrified that after seeing Josh last night, Julie would duck and run. Our relationship was so new that any little thing could derail it. The last thing I wanted was for Julie to end things before they even had a chance to get started. And I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about Josh either. I knew there was a code that said you didn’t date your brother’s ex, but I was completely in love with this woman and it would kill me to walk away from her.
“Listen,” I said. “Um, these are for you.”
I handed her the flowers, and she took them with a smile. She sniffed them gently and then walked into the kitchen. I could hear her rummaging around for a vase, but I didn’t move. Part of me was worried she would ask me to leave at any second.
“Do you want to sit down?” she asked as she filled a vase with water and tucked the flower stems inside.
“Sure.” I shrugged and moved to the couch.
Julie followed behind me, curling up on the far side of the couch. We weren’t touching, and it drove me insane. We were so close, but I’d never felt farther away from her.
“I should have called you last night,” I said simply.
Julie shook her head. “I wouldn’t have answered.”
“I know,” I said. “But I still should have called.”
“Maybe.” Julie shrugged. “But it’s not your fault. I just… freaked out.”
“I don’t blame you,” I said. “That was intense.”
Julie nodded and looked down at her hands. My heart was racing in my chest, just waiting for her to say she never wanted to see me again. When she didn’t speak for a few minutes, I decided to test my luck.
“I’m so sorry,” I said softly. “I had no idea you were Josh’s ex. Maybe I should have put the pieces together a long time ago, but I didn’t. If I knew, I never would have…” I stopped and shook my head.
“What?” Julie asked, her eyes flashing upward to meet mine. “You never would have what?”
“Made you have dinner with him,” I said simply.
Julie nodded and looked back down at her hands. She fiddled with her thumbs. Her cheeks were a faint shade of pink. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head.
“What are you thinking?” I asked gently.
“It’s just crazy, you know?” She looked up at me. “This entire situation. It’s insane.”
“I know.” I laughed softly. “It’s absurd.”
“I moved here to escape my relationship with Joshua,” Julie said. “I’m not proud of that fact, but it’s the truth. After he ended things, I just had to get away.”
“I understand.” I nodded.
“And somehow, I end up with his brother,” Julie said with a shake of her head. “What are the chances of that happening?”