Page 149 of Just Like Home

What kind of person would sabotage someone else? Was that how she’d gotten to the top? By stepping on anyone who got in her way?

It sickened him to think that Julianna had taken the fall for Charlotte’s wrongdoing, that Charlotte had let her. Worse, Charlotte showed up here, invading Julianna’s world—as if she could step in where his sister had left off.

He parked the truck, got out, and walked toward the one place he might find a bit of peace. But when he neared Julianna’s grave, he discovered he wasn’t alone.

A nearby streetlamp illuminated Connor’s silhouette sitting on the ground beside her headstone.

So this was where he’d gone when he rushed off after his dance with Amelia.

Cole took a step toward his brother-in-law, and a twig cracked underneath his foot, drawing Connor’s attention.

Cole froze. “Hey, man,” he said.

“What are you doing here?” Connor asked.

“What are you doing here?”

Connor lifted a bottle of beer. “Drinking.”

Cole frowned. “You don’t even drink.”

His brother-in-law held up the six-pack. “Want one?”

“I don’t drink either.”

“But maybe we should,” Connor said. “Maybe it’ll help us forget.”

Cole sat down next to him in the grass. “Do you really want to forget?”

Connor shrugged. “It’d be easier, right?”

“Maybe,” he said. “But life isn’t supposed to be easy.”

Listen to him throwing out platitudes that even he didn’t want to hear. He was nauseating himself.

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. Cole wasn’t good at consoling anyone—he’d yet to work through his own grief, and frankly, he’d come here to talk to his sister. And maybe to wallow a little.

“That was hard,” Connor said, his voice tight. “Getting up there again.”

“I would’ve stepped in for you,” Cole said. “Everyone would’ve understood.”

Connor took a swig from his bottle. “I needed to do it for Amelia.”

Cole stilled. “It was good you did. I’m glad she’s dancing again.”

“Thanks to you,” Connor said. “And Charlotte. She’s been amazing.”

“Yeah, amazing.” Cole didn’t hide the sarcasm.

“I was hard on her when she first got here,” Connor said. “Think she’ll forgive me?”

Cole shrugged. “Maybe she’s the one who should be asking for forgiveness.”

“No,” Connor said. “Without her, I never would’ve married Jules in the first place.”

Cole frowned. “How do you figure?”

“She’s the reason Jules left ballet,” Connor said.

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