CHAPTER 13

Julie

Saturday was fast approaching, and I realized I didn’t have a thing to wear to Michael’s holiday party. I scoured my closet, pulling out every dress I owned. Still, I found nothing. By the time Thursday morning arrived, I was desperate for a little help.

I grabbed my phone and dialed Bethany’s number. She picked up on the second ring, her voice lively.

“Jules!” she said brightly. “What’s up?”

“Hey,” I said. “I’m heading into the city to do some shopping, you interested?”

“Hell, yes!” she said. “Just let me call the sitter.”

“You have time,” I said. “I’m not even dressed yet.”

“Take your time,” she said. “I’ll be home all day.”

“I’ll call you when I’m on my way.”

“Great!”

We hung up, and I quickly threw on some comfortable clothes. I doubted I’d be able to find a high-class boutique in Ennis. Plus, I really wanted a day out with my big sister. We hadn’t seen each other since we had dinner with our parents. It was a great reunion, but it didn’t give us a chance to really talk about anything.

I drove into the city, calling Bethany on the way. The route to Bethany’s house was a familiar one. She and Bryan moved into their neighborhood the week after college. They’d been there for almost thirteen years now.

As I pulled into the driveway, I remembered all the times I escaped to this house when I was younger. In high school, I would spend weekends with Bethany and Bryan just to have a break from my mom and dad. Then, in college, I used to bring my laundry over once a month. They never complained. If anything, they were both just happy to see me.

“Sister!” Bethany squealed when I let myself in the front door. “You’re here!”

“I am,” I said. She hugged me quickly and then ushered me inside.

Layla was sitting on the living room floor. A woman I assumed was the babysitter was sitting beside her, showing her different pictures in a book.

“There’s my girl,” I said. I scooped Layla into my arms and kissed her temple. She giggled and squirmed to get away.

“Put me down, Aunt Juwee!” She squealed playfully and kicked off me.

I laughed and set her back down. She was at the age of rambunctious behavior. Being held was for babies, and, as Layla liked to say, she was “a big dirl!”

“You ready to go?” Bethany asked. She grabbed her purse off the couch and threw it over her shoulder.

I smiled. “Yup. See you later, Layla Bug.”

“Bye, bye!” Layla waved at us as we slipped out the front door.

“New babysitter?” I asked as we climbed into my car.

Bethany nodded, a nervous expression crossing her face. She did her best to be a laid-back mother, but I knew it was hard for her.

“She has great references,” Bethany said. “But who knows?”

“You’re a worrier,” I said. “Just like Mom.”

“Do not compare me to our mother,” Bethany said severely. “I am nothing like she was.”

“If you say so.” I laughed.

Bethany scowled at me, but her mood quickly brightened as we drove closer to the city. There were a few shops downtown that I wanted to check out. I wasn’t sure how nice the party was going to be. Knowing Michael, it would be high-class to the utmost degree. That last thing I wanted was to be underdressed.

“What are we looking for exactly?” Bethany asked as we stepped into the first shop.

“I need a dress for this weekend,” I said. “I’m going to a holiday party at the Four Seasons, so I need something really nice.”

“Whoa,” Bethany said. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Four Seasons? Fancy.”

“Not really,” I said with a shrug. “It’s just a company Christmas party.”

“For your new job?” she asked.

“No…” I trailed off, not sure how to explain things.

Bethany looked at me quizzically. I didn’t know how much I wanted to tell her just yet. Things between Michael and me were still new.

“Spill,” she said flatly. She put her hands on her hips and stared me down the way only a big sister could. “Now.”

I sighed and started flipping through the sales rack. I barely saw the dresses that slipped through my fingers, but it was a useful distraction until I could figure out the best way to explain.

“His name is Michael,” I finally said. “We met at this little café in Ennis. He’s really nice.”

Bethany just kept staring at me. She wanted more details, that was obvious.

“And?” she pressed impatiently.

“He owns his own company,” I said. “Making tools for oil rigs and things like that.”

“Wow.” Bethany nodded approvingly. “Wealthy?”

I nodded. “Extremely.”

“Hence the fancy-ass Christmas party,” Bethany said with a knowing nod.

“Yup.”

I hoped she would let the subject drop, but I should have known better. As we fiddled with the dresses, her eyes kept returning to my face.

“What?” I finally snapped. “What else do you want to know?”

She laughed. “Everything!”

“Fine.” I groaned and turned to face her head on. “He’s amazing, okay? I’m completely smitten, and I feel like a total idiot for it.”

“Why?” Bethany asked. “Smitten is a good thing.”

“Not right now.” I sighed. “I just got my heart stepped on. I don’t know if falling for another guy is the best decision right now.”

“You can’t control when these things happen,” Bethany said. “Sometimes, you just meet someone and boom. The rest is history.”

“Easy for you to say,” I said. “You met the love of your life while you were still a kid.”

“I got lucky,” Bethany admitted. “This thing with Michael, is it serious?”

“We—”

Before I could finish my sentence, a familiar face caught my eye. Joshua was walking past the shop. He stopped right outside and looked around for a few seconds. My feet were frozen in place. I told myself to move, to duck behind the rack of dresses and hide, but I couldn’t. I just stood there and stared until, finally, he kept walking.

“Was that Joshua?” Bethany asked, her eyes wide.

“Yup.” I shook my head and exhaled slowly. “That was close.”

“You haven’t seen him since the breakup?” Bethany asked.

“God no,” I said. “And I don’t plan on it.”

“How do you feel about everything?” Bethany asked. “I mean, now that you’ve met someone new? Do you miss Joshua at all?”

I paused to think. My immediate answer would have been no, but this was my sister I was talking to. I wanted to tell her the truth, even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself.

“Sometimes,” I said softly. “But it’s not really him that I miss. Just the routine we used to have. Honestly, I barely think about him anymore.”

“Really?” Bethany asked. “So, then… Michael?”

“I don’t know how serious we are,” I said. “But I like him a lot.”

“Are you sleeping with him?” she asked.

“Personal much?” I laughed.

“I used to change your diapers,” she said with a scowl. “Just tell me.”

“Yes,” I said. “We’re sleeping together.”

“So, things are pretty serious then?” she asked again.

“They’re moving in that direction,” I said.

Bethany beamed and returned her attention to the task at hand. She quickly found me four dresses to try on, three of which were the perfect shade of blue to match my eyes. I grabbed a black dress that I thought would look great on me and hurried into the dressing room.

After trying on all the dresses, I still hadn’t found the right one. Bethany pushed for one of the blue ones, but it didn’t feel right. I wanted something perfect, something striking but elegant.

“You’re being too picky,” Bethany said.

“I just want to look nice,” I said defensively.

“And you will,” Bethany said. “But you just have to pick one. You look amazing in all of them.”

“You’re my sister,” I said. “You have to say that.”

She shook her head. “False. I would tell you if you looked like a bag of crap.”

I laughed and dragged her out of the store. There were a couple more shops down the street that I wanted to try.

“Do you think he’s still around?” Bethany asked, lowering her voice as we stepped onto the street.

“Who?” I asked.

“Joshua,” Bethany said.

“Oh.” I blinked. Joshua had been completely driven from my mind. Bethany questioned me about Michael so much that I barely had time to think about anything else.

“I know you don’t want to run into him,” Bethany said.

“Who cares?” I said, waving my hand casually.

“Really?” Bethany raised her eyebrows.

“Joshua who?”

I pranced off down the sidewalk with Bethany laughing beside me.