Beautiful Mistakes

"So you can't decide if you like cheating or not?" he asked, half smiling.

"Of course I don't like cheating," she said. "Nobody likes cheating. It's a huge no-no."

"Then you like the movies because you believe in healing after cheating?"

"Oh, hell no," she said, her eyebrows rising. "Once you cheat on me and I find out about it, your ass better leave. I think it’s stupid to take back a known cheater. He doesn't love you and you aren't going to trust him, so why waste everybody's time?"

"You can earn trust back with time and effort," he said reasonably.

"I’m not that forgiving," she disagreed. "Once someone cheats on me, they don't get a second chance."

"Jack's never cheated on you?" he asked, not looking even remotely convinced.

"Not that I know of," she said vaguely. "He's flirted, but… he might be out cheating on me right now, for all I know. I don't really care to be perfectly honest."

"Then you're a hypocrite," Matt stated.

"I am not," she said, frowning.

"Yes, you are. If you don't care if he cheats on you, you don't care about him. You just said that you basically think it's idiotic to be with someone you don't care about."

She thought for a second. "Well, yes, when there is someone else that you want to be with…"

"And there's no one else's company that you enjoy more than Jack's?" he asked a touch sarcastically.

Julie stared at him for a second, her eyes catching on those warm brown eyes of his, and she realized as if waking from a stupor that she had spent the better part of two days in that man's company. Another thing she noticed, although she had never admitted it before, was the way she would carefully pick out her outfit on days she was coming to babysit, picking the most flattering ones to wear. She told herself that particular morning that she had done it in case Jack came creeping in before she left so he could see her looking completely adorable to go see someone else. But deep down, she suspected it wasn't Jack she was thinking about when she picked out her cute little outfits.

And while she had forgotten the awkwardness in the midst of their conversation, there was probably a reason she felt uncomfortable watching a movie in which the help develops a fascination with the man of the house.

"I should go," she realized, raising herself from her comfortable spot on the sofa.

"Don't leave," he said automatically, lightly grabbing her wrist to stop her.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath as she felt tingles spread through her body at his touch.

He held her wrist for just a moment longer than he should have, then he attempted a casual smile. "We could watch the movie a second time and see if you like it or not."

"That…is probably a very bad idea," she answered honestly.

"Why?" he asked, even though she suspected he already knew.

At first she wasn't sure how to respond without admitting what neither of them should, but then she smiled a self-deprecating smile and said, "Because I should go home to butcher boy."

With that, she stood up, straightening her T-shirt a bit, but before she could walk away to approach the DVD player Matt stood up, and he stood maybe three inches from her, so close that she could smell his manly scent mixed with the remnants of the cologne he had put on that day.

Her mouth went dry, but her mind told her it was time to go.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, lightly touching her on the arm before stepping away, moving purposefully toward the DVD player to take the movie out.

Julie swallowed and tried to breathe properly, scolding herself for her stupid, pointless behavior, berating herself for being so foolish as to make something out of nothing.

"It’s fine. You really don't have to be sorry," she said, turning on her heel toward Matt's back. All she wanted at that point was to diffuse the situation; she liked her job and didn’t want to lose it over a stupid little attraction.

"I am, though. I don't want you to think I'm some lecherous cheater. I've never cheated, and I did not mean to… make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable," she said awkwardly.

"I like you, I like your company," he said, as if trying to explain himself. "I didn't…intend on trying to make a move on you or anything."