Speak of the Devil
JAKE KISSINGER
IT WASN’T LIKE VANILLA WAS my thing, but right now I would have fucking given anything for it.
The water ran cold as I cupped my hands and splashed my face one last time. I’d been bitch-slapped, sucker-punched, even head-butted, but I’d never had anyone smash cake in my face.
It was a first.
And I hoped, a last.
I turned the faucet off and licked my lips. At last, the taste of chocolate had faded. And although it wasn’t fully gone, there was the comforting fact that it wasn’t in my nostrils any longer.
Monty handed me a dry towel. “Juliette can be a bit impulsive.”
Taking the terrycloth from him, I patted my skin dry. “Juliette,” I said, liking the way her name rolled over my tongue, and hating that I did, “is much more than impulsive.”
Grabbing for my shirt, he took my vacated place at the sink and started scrubbing at the chocolate stains. “Yes, I’ll admit she can also be a bit feisty, but she means well.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I told him, pointing to my shirt.
He paused to glance over at me. “Maybe you could give her a second chance and listen to her proposal?”
I slid the towel down my neck and wiped away the excess water that dripped down onto my bare chest. I didn’t know Monty at all. He’d been my patient last week, and I was sure he was a decent guy, but I had to call a spade a spade. “Look, I’m sure your daughter has the heart of an angel, but right now I just want to clean myself up and get the hell out of here.”
The shirt was as spotless as it was going to get, and he handed it to me. “Juliette isn’t my daughter, but I’ve known her since she was fourteen, and I can attest to the fact that she is more than competent when it comes to her job. She’s also very passionate about her work, and from what I can tell about your sister, I think she would love working with Juliette.”
Shrugging the damp shirt over my head, I tucked it into my jeans and then looked directly at him. “You don’t seriously think I’m going to allow that woman to pitch her services to my sister after the fiasco that just took place?”
Monty eased back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Dr. Kiss, haven’t you ever made a mistake?”
I mirrored his pose, kicking my Adidas out and leaning beside him to link my arms. “More times than I care to admit.”
The shift in his gaze from myself to the door was anything but inconspicuous. “If you could take back the things you did that caused them to be mistakes, would you?”
Running a hand through my hair, I spoke honestly. “Sure, some of them. Heck, most of them.”
After I responded, Monty fell silent a few long moments, but then he asked, “Do you go to church?”
Everyone from the south went to church. Even if you spent the majority of your youth in the north, if you had ties to Georgia, you went to church. Not at all liking the direction this conversation was going in, I paused for a moment, cocked my head to the side, and then answered with a, “I did when I was a kid.”
“So you’re familiar with the Bible?”
“Look,” I said, “I know what you’re getting at.”
“Good, then you won’t have a problem hearing her out.”
I straightened. “I’ve had a long week, and I have to be back in the ER for another twelve-hour shift at five.”
He glanced at his watch. “You still have plenty of time to hear at least a few of Juliette’s ideas for your sister’s upcoming wedding. I know she feels terrible about what she’s done, and will want to make it up to you.”
Make it up to me. How the hell was she going to do that? Get on her knees again. Maybe that would work. As the thought ran through my mind, it was one that most definitely did not include an audience.
“Well?” he said.
I blinked my dirty vision away.
Strictly speaking, I took care of sick people. Tending to well people who needed to feel better about themselves was a shrink’s job. “I’m sorry, but no.”
Monty stared at me in disappointment. “I thought you went to church?”
I felt like a douchebag.
“Look,” I said. “Just because when I was a kid I was forced to listen to the whole forgive-those-who-trespass-against-you sermon, doesn’t mean I believe in it, and it certainly doesn’t apply in all situations.”
Monty’s face was pinched tight. “No, you’re correct about that. It doesn’t. But in some circumstances, it’s just the right thing to do.”
Guilting me.
I didn’t even know this guy, and he was guilting me, and it was fucking working. I was beginning to feel my resolve flicker.
Just as I was about to answer with a ‘Sure, why the hell not’ the door squeaked open and Monty’s husband stuck his head in. “Everything okay in here?”
I looked past him and found Juliette staring at me. Her lips had rounded to an O, and her eyes were wide and filled with bewilderment. She looked flustered. Panicked even.
Archer opened the door wider, and when he did, the empty plate came into view. As soon as my gaze landed on it, I was reminded of what she’d done. Forgiveness could only go so far, but that wasn’t really what was holding me back.
There was more.
Aside from experiencing the oddest sense of déjà vu in her presence that made me feel uneasy, I knew firsthand what a wildcard she was. Someone who acted before thinking wasn’t anyone I could work with.
What was it they said about two peas in a pod?
Forcing myself, I averted my gaze from hers and nodded at Monty’s husband. “Yeah, everything’s cool. I was just getting ready to leave.”
Monty’s brows drew together as he looked at me.
I stuck my palm out to him. “It was nice to see you again.”
The wariness in his eyes didn’t stop him from shaking what was offered. “I hope once you’ve had time to think about things, you’ll change your mind.”
Not wanting to look like the asshole I couldn’t stop from being, I gave him a nod and then strode toward the door.
In the other room, the chatter was loud and animated. Rory and Remy were sitting at the large wooden table, and the wedding planner had joined them.
As soon as everyone noticed I had entered, the room fell silent.
Now I really looked like a real asshole.
Fucking fantastic.
Juliette stopped talking mid-sentence. Archer, who was looking through my sister’s idea book, sat frozen in place. And my sister and Remy, who were sharing a piece of that cake, set their forks down.
I swore even the birds perched upon the cake seemed to be staring down at me, and I found it fucking eerie.
“There you are,” Rory said in delight, “You just have to taste this cake.” She picked up her fork and held it out toward me. “It’s so delicious.”
Keeping the sarcasm to myself, I strode past Juliette and didn’t stop until I reached my sister. “I’m good,” I said tightly.
She pulled out the vacant chair beside her. “Well, at least sit down with us.”
Looking down at her, I kept my eyes right where they were. “I already told you I was leaving.”
Pouting her lips, she practically whined. “Jake, please don’t leave over a silly mistake. Jules has the best ideas, and I really want you to hear them.”
Huh . . .
Jules, short for Juliette.
Jules, the woman who was across from me looking like a deer in headlights.
Jules, the wedding planner who smashed cake in my face, who also happened to be the person my sister had ironically decided, after meeting with countless other planners, was the one for her.
Was Rory even for real?
Seriously, I thought I might lose it.
I didn’t.
I wouldn’t.
The bottom line was my baby sister was my responsibility, at least until she wed. And even though she was a fucking pain in my ass, I loved her and hated to disappoint her. With that being said, it didn’t mean that sometimes she didn’t push me to the limit.
Only after drawing in a deep breath could I answer her calmly. “Rory, I have to be at work in less than two hours, and now I need to get home and shower before I can grab something to eat.” I bent to kiss her. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Her eyebrows bunched together. “But I’m leaving to go back to Tulane tomorrow, and we haven’t made any decisions.”
Standing straight, I cursed. “Shit, that’s right. How about I come by after my shift and we have breakfast together?”
She popped to her feet. “Great. And we can talk about the wedding then?”
I barely suppressed a sigh. “Yes, we can talk about it then.”
Throwing her arms around my neck, she said, “You really are the best.”
With a shake of my head, I hugged her back. Less than twelve hours ago she was yelling at me over the phone, telling me that if I didn’t show up today to meet wedding planner number fifteen, I didn’t love her. “Remember that,” I muttered.
“Always.” She kissed me on the cheek and hurried around the table toward Juliette.
Juliette had a forced smile on her face.
“Tell me more about the wedding you did last summer,” Rory demanded.
Juliette seemed lost.
Rory went on. “The one with the antique furniture set in groupings outside carpets on the grass with crystal chandeliers hanging from tents.”
There was no way we were using this wedding planner, no matter how spectacular her weddings turned out to be. However, I wasn’t stupid. I’d break that news to my baby sister in the morning.
After shaking Remy and Archer’s hand, I strode back in the direction I’d come in but found myself stopping mid-step when I heard my sister’s burst of laughter.
Looking over my shoulder, I let my gaze settle on the quirky girl in the bird dress and took her in. Busy talking, her hands were moving with excitement, and all the tension that lined her face moments ago appeared to be gone.
Her dirty blond hair was tucked behind her ears, revealing a startling beautiful face with striking green eyes. The sun caught on the sparkle of her small diamond star-like earrings, and when it did, that feeling like I’d seen her before was stronger than ever.
Maybe she came into the ER with Archer when Monty was there or some other time. That had to be it.
I didn’t know how long I stood watching her, but it must have been only a matter of seconds. Still, as if sensing my gaze, hers lifted to meet mine. Although she continued to speak, her eyes widened, and something like panic entered her expression once again.
Having no idea why I wanted to ease that panic, I lifted my hand in a goodbye gesture.
What the hell?
Once I turned, I made certain I didn’t look back again.
As I made my way down the sidewalk in the blazing heat, the strangest emotion washed over me. For some reason, I was feeling like I’d been the one who had done something wrong.
As if that wasn’t the most screwed up thing ever.
I mean come on . . . I could still taste her, no not her, the chocolate she threw at me . . . on my lips.
And it pissed me off.
It really did.