Page 12 of Please, Stay

Juliana’s cheek tingled, and her entire body felt awake as she floated up the stairs to the office she shared with her dad. Grayson had touched her. Hell. Grayson Moore had traveled across the country to see her. She skipped up a couple stairs. And she had a date with him tomorrow night.

Too bad she couldn’t tell Becky who he was. Becky could keep a secret, but she didn’t want to risk it. Besides, it was nice to keep him all to herself for a little bit.

Hiding her smile, she stared at her feet as she climbed the last flight of the worn marble stairs and thought about him. He seemed sweeter than she’d expected. Oh, he had confidence. Loads of it. But he’d joked with her.

Looked at her like she was the only person he wanted to be with at that moment.

At one point, she’d had the stupid thought that he might kiss her, the way his eyes had focused on her lips. If he wanted to keep inconspicuous, kissing her on the street wasn’t the best option. Gossip traveled faster than light in her town. She wouldn’t be surprised if—

“You saw her doing what?” Hugh Campbell’s loud, angry voice floated down the hallway. She froze mid-step on the staircase. Those special tingles from Grayson flew away. She tightened her grip on the smooth, brass railing.

“No, she’s not dating some stranger. I would know about it, wouldn’t I? Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t say to my daughter, Iris. I’ll do as I please.”

The last few steps to their office door were like trudging through wet cement. Her dad stood over his desk, shuffling papers with the old, corded phone pressed between his shoulder and ear.

His voice softened a touch. “I know I shouldn’t take it out on you, Iris, but use some sense.” He ran his hand through his short, thinning hair, causing it to stick out at an odd angle. “I’m sorry, again, Iris. My heart is fine, woman. Stop your bellyaching about it.” Leaning over the desk, he set his free hand down. “I know that was uncalled for. Yes, we’ll be there for lunch.” He hung up and stared at the phone for another moment.

Juliana took a deep breath. What had Ms. Iris told him she’d seen? The scent of old newspapers, along with the remnants from her dad’s last cigarette tainted the air. Although they’d recently gotten the air conditioning in the old building repaired, she pulled off her sweatshirt to release some of the heat built from meeting Grayson.

“Hi, Dad.” She tossed her sweatshirt into her chair. His brown eyes looked near black as he regarded her with a mixture of concern and not a little distrust. A bright red flush along his neck and up to his cheeks caused her annoyance to shift into worry.

She straightened to her full height and smiled at him as he glowered. He sat and spread his hands out on the large calendar that covered his desk. “Juliana,” he began, his voice tight and eyes closed. “Please, tell me that Iris was incorrect in seeing you with a strange man, walking arm-in-arm down the street.”

She knew why it upset him. Eliza had skipped out on their mom’s funeral after meeting a stranger and deciding to elope. But surely, he didn’t think she’d do the same?

“Iris said she couldn’t see his face, but he didn’t look to be from around here. She said she thought he’d arrived on a—” he sucked a breath in through his nose as his eyes widened “—motorcycle.”

A motorcycle suited that bad boy persona Grayson portrayed in his jeans and leather jacket. And it damn sure didn’t do anything to dissuade her. She should really focus on her dad instead of the image of her straddling the back of the motorcycle while she gripped Grayson’s hips. Keeping her eyes averted, she discreetly fanned herself with a magazine. She’d never met another man who made her heart race.

“Who was he?”

She opened the magazine, flipping through the first two pages, hoping to appear nonchalant about the entire thing.

“His name’s Henry, Daddy.” Appealing to his journalistic side, she recited the facts. “He came into the coffee shop this morning. He traveled here alone, and Becky had the idea for me to tell him a little bit about Statem on my way into work. He’s staying here through Christmas. I had to be friendly. We were joking around.”

He crossed his arms, looking very victorious in the argument. “Geez, Juliana, he’s not a lost puppy you take home. In the span of a few minutes, he was touching you. Men like that know exactly what they’re doing. Look at your sister, for goodness sake. One nice smile and she forgets about the rest of us. What about Dewey? He’s a nice, established man. Good, honest job. Some perfectly nice men are settled right here in Statem.”

“Dewey is like my brother.” He was a good-looking guy, all her guy friends were, but she wasn’t attracted to him.

“You’ve said that before.” For a moment, her dad looked older. The lines in his weathered face appeared deeper. “I still don’t think it’s wise to be that friendly with a strange man. That lowlife probably thinks he can take advantage of you now. He’ll wine and dine you and promise you the world.” He wagged his pen in her direction. “And then leave you.”

It was no use trying to explain that the“lowlife” in questionhad the pick of any woman he wanted. He could travel to any country in the world. A new thrill of excitement raced through her as reality hit her full force. Grayson had come to Statem to seeher.

Her dad came around the desk, picking up her hand and patting it. “Now, Iris has invited us to Christmas dinner. I told her that we would attend. I know that’s not what we usually do, but I hope you’ll be accommodating. I feel as though she may be a little lonely.”

Juliana watched her father. He hadn’t truly celebrated Christmas since their mom’s death. He’d refused to decorate a tree or eat anything other than whatever meal happened to fall on that day of the week. They’d exchange small presents first thing in the morning over breakfast but then stay at home for the rest of the day.

Juliana knew that Ms. Iris wanted to see a reconciliation between him and Eliza as much as she did. She’d said more than once that having both his daughters surrounding him would pull him out of his depression. Juliana had never considered her dad depressed. Grumpy. Crabby. Just plain mean, sometimes.

“Sounds good, Daddy. I’m going to go help Jeff with the printing.” She left the room, slipping her phone into her back pocket, relieved he seemed calmer than before. By the time she reached the basement of theDispatchand pushed open the rusty, heavy metal door to the printing room, her mind had moved back to Grayson. Tomorrow night’s dinner might not happen after all. If the thought of her talking to a stranger upset her dad that much, he’d probably have a real heart attack if she went on a date. Or shut down completely. Then where would she be? She’d have a fantastic memory of a dinner date with Grayson but give up her dream of reconciling her dad and sister back together in a couple weeks.

The smell of old paper and warm oil always brought Juliana a comforting feeling. She’d practically grown up in this room. But her nerves were still firing on high. She started folding and stacking papers as they fed off the machine, the same way she’d done since she’d turned eleven.

If she canceled their date, would Grayson skip town? There wouldn’t be a reason for him to stay, but she had to focus on her own reality. A two-week fling until Christmas, no matter how amazing, failed in comparison to bringing Eliza home. She owed it to her sister. To her mom.

She fingered a hole in the bottom corner of the old Huntsville Space Camp shirt she’d had since high school. Yup. Might need to wear something prettier if Hollywood actors were going to pop up unexpectedly.

Mr. Jeff rose with a groan and creak from his location, watching the paper feed. “Lunchtime.”

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