"Yes. It wouldn't be a very good joke, now would it?" he asked, looking irritated.
"Do you realize what a hypocrite you are?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "I mean, I want to make sure you're at least aware of it."
"Yes, I'm aware of it," he said, meeting her gaze. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for fucking everything up, and I'm sorry for kicking you out, and I'm sorry for backing down to Emma when she told me one of us had to leave. I'm definitely sorry that I ever called my damned brother to give you even temporary housing… And I know that I have no right to feel this way, but I do. That's where I stand at the moment."
Nodding, she said, "That sounded pretty good, Matt. Now translate it for me; what did it really mean?"
"I don't know," he muttered, once again looking away.
Sighing, Julie shook her head. "Wrong answer," she stated.
"What's the right answer?" he asked, looking into her eyes with a strange look on his face.
A half smile tugged sardonically at the corner of her mouth. "I shouldn't have to tell you," she stated.
With that last statement, she exited the room and quickly made her way out of the condo, down the steps and back up the sidewalk toward her car. As she replayed the things Matt had just said to her in her mind, she pulled her keys out of her purse and tried to consider what he had been saying.
She had gathered that he was jealous. Desperate to get her out of his brother's house and bed.
But it didn't matter.
For one thing, while she would have relished hearing that when she first found out she was pregnant, she was beginning to suspect that her feelings had shifted, because when he was saying all of that she just got a vaguely uncomfortable feeling and she wanted to run away to keep from hearing it.
She also never looked back to see if he followed her outside.
Julie simply got in her car, started it up, and pulled out.
It had been a mistake going to meet Matt.
When asked what all his pretty words meant, he could still come up with nothing.
So that must be what they meant: nothing.
Originally she had been heading back to the apartment, but she switched directions just slightly, and she decided to head to the store.
She needed to find a pretty dress to wear to the wedding with Aaron. Since she might very well lose one of her jobs over the trip, she may as well have fun. Plus, she was looking forward to spending a whole weekend in Aaron's company when he couldn't mysteriously sneak away from the apartment or have to go to the café to work. They would actually get to just hang out…
With his whole family, including Matt and Emma.
And of course his bombshell ex-girlfriend…
Maybe fun was a generous word, but she knew one thing for certain, and even though it was petty, it made her feel a little vindicated.
Matt was going to be miserable that weekend.
Chapter Twenty-
In preparation for the weekend trip, Julie packed a "vacation pack" for them while they were on the road. It had a variety of snacks in it, as well as some gum, Chapstick, plastic silverware, napkins, tissues, a flashlight with back-up batteries, and a blanket.
"Julie, are you ready to leave yet?" Aaron asked for what she was sure had to be the 18th time.
"Almost," she stated, folding up her blanket.
"Why do we need all of this stuff?" he asked, eyeing up her vacation pack suspiciously.
"In case we get hungry, get chapped lips, get a runny nose, drip mayonnaise down somebody's chin… and just in case we break down."
"It's a four hour trip," he stated, taking the blanket and the vacation pack anyway.