Nodding, the waiter moved on to Julie. "And for you?"
"Water to drink please, and… I'll just have the same thing he's having. No meatballs."
When Julie glanced up, she saw Becca was giving her that dumb smile again. Sighing inwardly, Julie wished they would all stop. The more they harassed him the higher the chance he was going to get fed up and inform them that she wasn't his girlfriend, she was his brother's boo-boo, and then Shannon wouldn't feel threatened anymore.
Julie enjoyed making Shannon mad. If anyone deserved it, she certainly did.
However, when Aaron's beer was brought to the table Shannon eyed it up a little hopefully too, and Julie got the feeling that she probably wasn't the only person Aaron got nicer to when he was drinking.
They made it through dinner without too much excitement. Mostly the family members visited, catching up and chattering about Rebecca's nuptials. Listening to Rebecca talk, the husband-to-be seemed great, naturally, but when Aaron finished off his second beer he scoffed a little and shot Julie a private look that distinctly conveyed the "Yeah right" without words.
Unfortunately, Poppy Seed wasn't being good just because they were out in public. Julie cleared half of her plate and then her stomach began turning over. She really should have known better than to eat, but she was hoping against reason that she would at least not get sick until she got back to the hotel.
No such luck.
She didn't know it was showing on her face until Aaron frowned and murmured, "Are you okay?"
"I… have to go to the bathroom," she said.
Nodding in understanding, he said, "Okay."
Julie tried not to jump out of her chair and run, but she also didn't want to start vomiting at the table in front of everyone, so there was a little haste in her steps.
"Oh, I'll follow you," Shannon said as she went to stand up. "I was just wondering where that was."
Aaron's gaze darted quickly to Julie and then—it looked like he did it without thought—his hand shot out and grabbed Shannon's wrist. "No."
Her eyes widened, and she stared at his fingers clasped around her delicate wrist.
He seemed to also notice, and he dropped it immediately, relaxing his body as he said, "I meant to ask, how's… that place you work?"
Julie didn't have time to wait around and listen to his lousy stalling tactic, she just ran to the bathroom, hoping she could empty the content of her stomach before Aaron ran out of ways to keep Shannon out of the bathroom.
The rest of dinner went by smoothly until just a few minutes before Julie and Aaron decided to make their exit. As it turned out, at the touch of Aaron's hand Shannon no longer needed to use the bathroom, so she didn't catch Julie in a bout of morning sickness. She did, however, seem to think that since Aaron initiated speaking to her, she was allowed to flounce and talk and laugh prettily at him.
Julie found it very annoying, and Aaron simply ordered another beer. He didn't really talk back once Julie returned from the bathroom, he just gruffly responded to whatever she tried to say with as few syllables as possible.
Consequently, Julie had to sit there squirming a little—not in jealousy, of course, but in mild irritation as Shannon attempted to turn on the charm every chance she got.
Dinner finally hit a brick wall when Rebecca was clumsy—or uncaring—enough to mention the one person that both Julie and Shannon were probabl
y hoping wouldn't come up.
"Does anyone know when Matt's coming? I talked to him earlier and he promised me he was coming out tonight as soon as Emma got off work."
Aaron's gaze darkened, which Julie noticed as she squirmed a little uncomfortably, and then she stole a glance at Shannon, who also shifted uncertainly and stole a glance at Aaron.
"Did he say anything to you?" Rebecca asked Aaron.
"Nope," Aaron responded succinctly.
Rolling her eyes, she said, "You live in the same city. Why couldn't you guys have just traveled together and left Emma in Chicago?"
It looked like it was with great effort that Aaron lifted his Heineken to his lips muttering, "I would have been more inclined to bring Emma and leave him."
At that, Shannon's eyes took on a frosty gleam and something flickered across her face, but she masked it quickly and took a drink of her water.
But Aaron smiled dryly as he sat his bottle back down and he gazed right at Shannon.