Page 108 of Unbroken

Most of the time, he wore his normal, neutral expression, but when the two discussed how they met, I thought I was going to have to hold him back.

“You tell the story.” Julian smiled at Sydney, and she acted coy before diving in.

“Well, about halfway through last semester, my psychology professor ended up having to go on indefinite leave. They didn’t give us many details, but I don’t think anyone really cared when Dr. Bohlman was replaced by Dr. Julian McDonald.”

My fork almost clattered to my plate, and Shelly, Devon, and I wore similar expressions of shock. But neither Sydney norJulian noticed—they were too busy staring lovingly at one another.

I waited for one of them to say sike, then glanced at Devon out of the corner of my eye. His jaw worked, and the hand on my thigh was growing tighter by the second. An angry flush was creeping up his neck, and I knew if I didn’t do something quickly, we were likely to witness a Devon-sized explosion.

“But,” I began looking back at the couple, “You didn’t start dating until after she was through with your class?”

I knew that wouldn’t fix it completely, but the timeline was important.

“Yes, definitely,” Julian confirmed, and I sagged a little in my chair, squeezing Devon’s hand and slipping my fingers through his. “We didn’t pursue anything until after her final grades were posted. I wasn’t going to chance her education like that.”

Although it was a sweet sentiment, it did little to make Devon relax.

“I’m going to grab some more,” Julian said. “Anyone else need anything?”

“I’ll come with you,” Sydney said, jumping from her seat and grabbing her plate. The rest of us shook our heads, and the two of them walked into the kitchen.

Shelly glanced over her shoulder, making sure they were out of earshot before she turned back to us and said, “This could go down as the worst surprise I’ve ever experienced.”

“It’s definitely…something,” I said, pushing my food around my plate.

Devon shook his head and looked up at Sydney and Julian under lowered lids.

“And there’s just something about him that really rubs me the wrong way,” Shelly continued.

“He was herteacher,” Devon whispered angrily. “Is that not the issue?”

Shelly waved her fork in her hand, checking over her shoulder to make sure they were still far enough away. Theywere. I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but they were taking forever in the kitchen. And I didn’t necessarily care, either. I wanted to know what Shelly was going to say.

I tried to act normal and take another bite as I anxiously waited.

“I’m not one to judge,” she said, dropping her voice even lower. “Your father was twenty years my senior and my boss. It has nothing to do with how they met. He just really rubs me the wrong way. There’s something off about him.”

I had to force myself to swallow and take a sip of my water. I’d kept my thoughts to myself, but agreed with Shelly—there was something odd about Julian. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but he made me feel off balance. Like there was something more beneath the surface that I didn’t want to experience.

“So, Blakely, I actually wanted to ask you something, if you don’t mind,” Julian prompted as he slid back into his chair beside me. He glanced warily at Sydney, and I watched as she nudged his shoulder and beckoned him to continue.

“Okay,” I said hesitantly. Devon’s hand on my thigh loosened, and his thumb stroked idly against my skin through a hole in my denim. His touch was no longer an attempt to ground himself but to soothe my frayed nerves.

“Sydney,” Devon warned as Julian simultaneously said, “It’s about your kidnapping.”

My fork clattered to my plate, and the bounce of metal against porcelain echoed through the silent house. My breath stuck in my throat, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Julian’s dark ones. I barely knew this person, yet he felt comfortable enough to ask me about that?

“No,” Devon growled next to me.

Sydney straightened in her seat and cocked her head. “Devon, I’m sure Blakely can speak for herself, and if she doesn’t want to?—”

“It’s for a paper I’m working on,” Julian tried to reason. “Iwould be respectful of your experiences, but a firsthand account would be invaluable.”

“No,” Devon said again, anger and annoyance brimming in the one-word, definitive answer.

Finally, I shook myself free of my shock and found my voice. “I don’t think I’m up for that right now.”

“That’s okay.” Sydney smiled and picked up her fork and a new topic of conversation like her brother wasn’t just prepared to lurch across the table at her new boyfriend.

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