Page 63 of True Valor
Julie started saying hello to him in thehallway, would take the route to class that led past his locker,drove by his house whenever she could justify it.
He’d even said hello back.Once, he actuallyconversed with her.She was shaken for the rest of the day.It wasworking.Months passed and BJ was more and more friendly.One dayhe stopped at her locker.Oh, my God!He pulled up close andwhispered that he wanted to talk to her after school.Would shemeet him at the gym door before practice?
Her stomach lurched with his closeness.Hesmelled heavenly.She’d never felt that way before.Her hands weresweaty and her voice trembled as she told him she’d meet him.Whenthe fateful meeting happened, lo and behold, he asked her if shewould fix him up with her sister Jenn.Sure, she was a senior, andhe was a junior.But you only lived once.You never won if youdidn’t play.
Julie indeed fixed him up with Jenn and nevertold a soul about her feelings.BJ and Jenn called it quits beforesummer of the same year.
But the lesson didn’t stick.She’d spent twoyears with Brad-of-the-Aussie-accent, never asking why, when he’dcome home from a trip, he wasn’t as desperate for her as she wasfor him.Julie had then resolved to stay away from jocks.
And her resolve had lasted.
Up until the moment Nic had tapped on her carwindow.
But it had to stop.There was no way she waswilling to give up a job she loved to come here and be the littlewoman waiting for bad news.Even if Nic wanted her to, which wasdoubtful in the light of day.
Besides, she had work to do before she couldgo home.It was time to get on with her life.
When Nic got to the kitchen, Julie sat at thetable, both hands hugging a mug of coffee.She didn’t even look upwhen he came in.
“I’m going home.”Her voice was flat.
“Julie...”
Her shoulders hunched as if she were diggingin for battle.He switched gears.
“Which home?Yours or theirs?”
“Theirs first.I need to makearrangements.”
“He’ll kill you if he can.”
“If he can.”Her voice was still flat, butnow held something of a challenge.She pushed away from the tableand deposited her mug in the sink.“And, for the record, you can’tstop me.”
Nic bit back a reply that would have remindedJulie that she didn’t have money or a car and was completelydependent, at this point, on him.Likely, this wasn’t the best timefor that reminder.
As she left the kitchen, she nearly ran overCruz on his way in.
“Eric.I’d like to hire your services.”
He smiled smoothly before he saw the look onher face, then sobered and glanced to Nic, then back to Julie.“Goon.”
“I want you to fly me to Susanville.I’ll payyou when we get there.”
Hell.She’d obviously found a way around theobstacles.Cruz glanced over at Nic with awhat-the-hell-is-going-on look.Nic shrugged.
“Do I have time to shower?”
“Yup.”With that, she stalked to Joey’s roomand closed the door.Both Nic and Cruz watched her go.
“Nicky,” Cruz crooned in his perfect Hispanicaccent as he poured himself a cup of coffee, “you have some‘splainin’ to do.”
“Well, she’s apparently tired of hangin’ withme.”Nic rinsed out her cup and stuck it in the dishwasher.
Jackpot.He’d finally taken Uncle Mickey’sadvice—dropped his guard and waded into thelonger-than-a-quick-date-and-done pool.Wicked frickin’perfect.
“What did he say?”Nic asked as Cruz hung upfrom his call to Quillen.
“He said I could take the rest of the weekbut if I wasn’t back on Monday morning, there’d be hell topay.”
