Page 67 of Suddenly Sexy

“So I hear. You’re training to become a private investigator.” It wasn’t right to feel proud. He had nothing to do with it, but he was pleased that the incident with Jeremiah Boone didn’t prevent Julie from focusing on her dreams.

“That’s right. I’m working toward a license.”

He smiled. “And what’s this about being the star pupil in self-defense?”

Julie shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You said yourself that I suck at self-defense.”

His smile faded. “I told you to forget everything I said that day.” He had tried to keep her away from a dangerous situation, but instead, he had said things that could have permanently crushed her spirit.

“You didn’t tell me. You wrote a letter that explained nothing.” She glared at him. “I never took you for a coward.”

This reunion   wasn’t going as planned. Eric nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “I had to return to D.C. and was immediately thrown into handling a crisis.”

“That is not a good excuse.” She pointed at him with an accusing finger. “You could have at least tried to contact me.”

“Okay, I couldn’t face you,” he admitted rawly. “How could I, knowing that I fell short in your eyes?”

Her jaw dropped. “That’s not true. Who told you that? Whoever they were, they lied.”

“No one had to tell me. You were always looking at me as if I’m a hero.” He lowered his gaze in shame. “I wanted to be your hero, but I failed to protect you in Boone’s office.”

“You protected me,” Julie argued. “You were injured and hurting, but you tackled that crazy woman with a Taser gun.”

“It never should have escalated like that.” He thrust his fingers in his hair as he remembered that moment in the parking lot. Pure terror had flooded his heart when he had seen Julie collapse to the ground. “Your safety had been at risk because of my error of judgment.”

“Is that why you left without saying goodbye? Because you thought I was disappointed in you?”

“It wasn’t until we were giving our statements to the police. As I was telling them what happened, I realized I was an obstacle for you. I was blocking you from living out your dreams. You don’t need to put up with that. And my leaving was the best thing for you.”

“How do you figure that?”

“You now work in a very supportive environment. Perry listens to your ideas. Your coworkers admire your skills and they will do anything to help you.”

“I had that with you, too.” She took a step forward. “You didn’t agree with me on everything, but that was a good thing. I didn’t need a yes-man or a groupie. I needed a partner.”

“You don’t need me now.” It hurt to say it. He once thought Julie couldn’t do anything without him, but she’d proved him wrong every step of the way. “You accomplished everything by yourself. You hunted for crucial information and you put the puzzle together. I couldn’t help you when you faced Jeremiah.”

“So you weren’t at the top of your game that day. It happens.” She reached out and touched his arm. “You shouldn’t throw away a partnership because of one bad day.”

“Is that what we had? A partnership?”

“You didn’t see me as a partner.” She dropped her hand. “You saw me as your protégée or your responsibility.”

“You’re right, I did. I should have seen what we really were—a couple.”

“We were never a couple,” she said flippantly. “I was Batman and you were Robin.”

“I’m serious, Julie.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Tell me the truth. Are you still in love with me?”

She looked away. “After how you left me? What do you think?”

“I think you are.” He hoped and prayed that she was. “You’re not one who would easily fall out of love.”

She tried to shrug off his hand. “You sound very arrogant.”

“I wanted to be a hero in your eyes,” he confessed.

“You are, Eric,” she said quietly and faced him. “But not in the ways that you think. I’m not expecting you to cheat death or sacrifice your freedom to be a hero.”

“What do you think is a hero?”

“It’s in the way you take care of those around you. Like…” She gestured with her hands as she tried to explain. “Like how you let everyone have their moment in the sun.”

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