by Katie McCoy
Yes.
I knew it with every bone in my body. I wanted Juliet. I needed her in my life. To hell with my plan and all those rigid rules.
She’d shown me that some things were more important. And so what if I’d been chickenshit, scared of losing control?
She was worth it.
“So what are you going to do?” the bartender asked.
I was starting to formulate a plan. I could only hope that I wasn’t too late.
21
Juliet
I was miserable, and mad at myself for being miserable. What modern woman wanted to be torn up over a guy? Especially one that I barely knew. Liam and I had dated—or whatever the hell someone might call that whirlwind of sexual tension and hot-cold behavior—for only a few weeks. You didn’t fall in love with someone you knew for only a few weeks. It was just plain foolish and led to heartbreak. Especially when the person you fell for was incapable of having a relationship with someone like me. Though, I seriously doubted Liam would ever find a woman that lived up to his high expectations. Which might have been the point.
If I wasn’t so mad at him for how things ended, I might have been a little sympathetic. Might have even felt bad for him. But I was too angry too feel bad for him. Too angry and too sad.
Everything else in my life was amazing. I had a job that I liked, one that even opened me up to a new, and completely unexpected, career path. I had the after-school program, and my students, who inspired me on a daily basis. And I had friends—real friends—who had come to my apartment after they heard what had happened between me and Liam and showered me with love and affection while we watched bad movies and ate ice cream by the pint.
And at no point did any of them tell me that things happened for a reason.
I was especially grateful for that, because I had heard it enough when I was recovering from my accident. Well-meaning people had told me that, and even though it turned out to be truer than I could have ever imagined, it still didn’t make me feel better to hear people say that.
Instead, Hayley, Alex, and Kelsey had held me when I cried, brought me homemade face masks from Kelsey’s former roommate, Jenna, and forced me to go to restorative yoga classes even though I wanted to sit around my apartment in my sweatpants every moment I wasn’t working or volunteering.
But they made it their goal to make sure I left my apartment for other reasons. At least today’s reason had nothing to do with me.
“This will be fun,” Kelsey said with a squeal as we piled into the limo that Hayley’s parents had rented for her. “I’ve never had a fancy spa day before.”
It was Hayley’s birthday, and her parents were treating her—and us—to an all-inclusive spa day at the country club that her family belonged to. It was extremely extravagant, and even though Hayley was a little embarrassed by the attention, I could tell that she was looking forward to a day at the spa with all of us.
I was looking forward to it as well. Who wouldn’t be?
The limo was stocked with champagne and fresh fruit, so we snacked and drank as we were driven through Chicago.
“Remind me to thank your parents the next time I see them,” Alex commented, looking out the window, a glass of champagne in one hand, a chocolate-covered strawberry in the other.
Kelsey, Hayley, and I exchanged a look. Alex didn’t know, but Hayley had confessed that she’d gone shopping with Emerson the other day to look at engagement rings. If all things went according to plan, Alex would be thanking Hayley and Emerson’s parents around the same time they were welcoming her into the family.
I was so happy for Alex and Emerson that there was no room to be jealous. They were an adorable couple and clearly deeply in love. I was pretty excited to dance at their wedding. It would probably be the next time I saw Liam, I realized.
That gave me a small stab of pain, but I quickly pushed it away as we pulled up to the country club. I knew that Hayley and Alex had both been there before, but Kelsey and I took the whole thing in with wide eyes. Neither of us were used to the kind of wealth that Hayley and Emerson had grown up with, and it was both hilarious and overwhelming at the same time.
I looked down at my simple sundress—one that had seemed nice and appropriate when I left the house—and worried that I would be underdressed. When I expressed my concern to Kelsey she gave me a smile.
“Luckily, I don’t think we’re going to be wearing anything but the robes they give up pretty soon,” she reassured me, patting my hand. “But I know exactly how you feel.”
We were greeted by one of the managers, a slim redheaded woman, as the driver came around to open the limo door for us. Hayley was met with a hug and a smile, and the rest of us were introduced to Iris as we got out of the car.
“I’m at your disposal, ladies,” she said, gesturing us inside. “Whatever you need or want, we can get you. Your parents told us to spare no expense,” she told Hayley.
I could only follow silently, trying to take everything in as she led us down the hall. The place was absolutely gorgeous, with gleaming wood furniture and polished marble floors. The country club looked exactly as expensive as it was.
“Oh. My. God,” Kelsey murmured as we were led to a changing room.
It looked like something out of a movie. There were fluffy white robes—with our names embroidered on them—waiting with matching slippers. We were each handed a list of spa treatments and asked not which ones we wanted, but what order we wanted them in. I could only imagine how much each cost individually, but Hayley reassured us that her parents could more than afford it.
“I’m the baby,” she reminded us. “They like to spoil me. Plus, unlike Emerson, I let them,” she teased Alex.
“They can spoil me all they want.” Even Alex seemed a little flabbergasted by the treatment we were getting.
“I’m sure they would be happy to,” Hayley commented with a secretive wink to the rest of us.
Just like Kelsey had guessed, we all quickly changed out of clothes, swapping them for the warmest, softest robes I’d ever touched. it was almost enough to make me forget my heartbreak for a little while.
But the day was just beginning. We decided to do all our treatments in the same order so we could hang out and talk while they were happening.
“Let’s go from head to toe,” Hayley suggested, taking control of the situation.
So the day started with all of us getting moisturizing hair treatments, followed by an incredible head massage. Then it was off for our specialized facials and private massages. After that, we met up again to get seaweed wraps and sit in tubs full of mud.
“This is incredible,” Kelsey sighed, only her head visible in her individual mud bath.
“I don’t think we should ever leave,” Alex stated, and it was hard to disagree.
The seaweed wraps and mud baths were followed by manicures and pedicures. I was having fun, but it was hard to shake the sadness that kept sneaking back in. I wanted to stop thinking about Liam, but I couldn’t. He kept popping back into my head—specifically the blank look on his face when I had confronted him in the alley, when I had tried to get him to admit that he had feelings for me. I didn’t know why I kept reliving that moment, because it devastated me every single time I thought about it.
“Hey.” Hayley came and sat down next to me, blowing on her nails, which had just been finished.
“Hey.” I forced a smile. The last thing I wanted to do was bring everyone down just because I was heartbroken. “Thank you again so much for bringing us along,” I told her. “This is really generous of you and your parents.”
Hayley waved it off. “What good is money if you can’t use it for good? Or on extravagant birthday gifts that benefit you and your friends?” she joked.
I smiled—for real—at that. A lot of people might look at Hayley and think of her as a silly, naive rich girl, but I knew that she was a fiercely passionate advocate for the causes she believed in—donating not just money but her own time and energy to make things better
for people who weren’t as lucky as she was. And she was unfailingly generous—as evidenced by the fact that her birthday gift was just as much a gift to us as it was to her.
“So,” Hayley said slowly, and unsubtly. “How are you doing?”
It was clear that she was asking how I was doing in regard to Liam. All of them—Hayley, Kelsey, and Alex—had skated around the topic of Liam. They had been there for me, supporting me during the worst of it, but we hadn’t talked about it much. They had just been there, and I appreciated it, but I could understand Hayley’s curiosity and desire for details.
“I’m doing OK,” I answered honestly. “I’m having a great time with you guys, but—”
“But you miss him,” Hayley finished for me.
“I don’t want to,” I told her. “I know it’s over. I know he made his decision.”
“Knowing that doesn’t make it any easier,” Hayley told me, looking a little forlorn herself. “You can know—logically—that someone isn’t interested in you, but that doesn’t mean it hurts any less.”
“Exactly,” I agreed, knowing that she was talking about someone specific.
And I had a pretty good idea who that person was. But Hayley didn’t seem interested in naming names, so I didn’t say anything. She’d talk when she was ready. I hoped.
“Has he reached out at all?” Hayley wanted to know.
I shook my head. “I think I just need to accept that it’s completely over. He hasn’t called, he hasn’t texted. That says something.”
I didn’t mention that I had been hoping that he would reach out. Because I knew it was a foolish hope. The way we had left things made it pretty clear that as far as Liam’s priorities went, I didn’t make the list.
“I don’t think he’s talked to most of the guys since moving,” Hayley offered. “I think he’s been really busy with work.”
It made me feel a little better, but not that much.
After getting our nails done, we got dressed and headed to the country club’s restaurant, where an amazing lunch waited for us. More champagne and more chocolate-covered fruit, plus more food than four women could possibly eat, even being as hungry as we all were.
“Don’t look now,” Hayley observed. “But I think the guy at the bar is checking Jules out.”
Of course, both Alex and Kelsey immediately looked. Neither of them was very subtle about it.
“He’s really cute,” Kelsey observed, still looking. She even waved. “Oh! He’s coming over,” she said.
“Because you waved at him!” Hayley laughed, before turning to me. “He is gorgeous, though. And maybe exactly what you need.”
But the last thing I wanted right now was a man.
“Hello, ladies,” a deep voice said behind me.
I turned. Hayley and Kelsey had been right—he was really cute. Tall, with sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He smiled at me, and I waited for a flutter in my stomach, or for my pulse to speed up, but I felt nothing.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi!” said Kelsey, Hayley, and Alex—all with way more enthusiasm than I had been able to muster.
“So sorry to bother you,” he said. “It’s just hard to ignore a table full of beautiful women.”
The other girls cooed their approval at his line, but I didn’t say anything. I just wasn’t interested.
“My name is Patrick,” he told us. “And I won’t be so rude to ask to join you, but I was hoping I could buy this lovely lady a drink.”
He was looking at me.
I opened my mouth to say no, but immediately Hayley spoke for me.
“She’d love that,” she said.
I shot her a look, which she returned with an approving smile.
“For my birthday,” she whispered as Patrick held out his hand.
“Just one drink,” I told him, taking it. “It’s my friend’s birthday.”
“Of course,” he said, leading me to the bar. “Another bottle of champagne for their table,” he told the bartender. “As payment for stealing their friend away.”
I softened towards him a little. My disinterest wasn’t really his fault—I was still trying to get over Liam, and just couldn’t muster up the energy to be charming or flirtatious.
“To new friends,” he said, handing me a glass of champagne.
I toasted with him and took a sip.
“I don’t think I got your name,” he mentioned.
“Juliet,” I told him, shaking his hand.
“That’s a beautiful name,” he said.
“Thank you.” I didn’t really know what else to say.
He was nice, but was clearly trying to pick me up, and I was just not interested. We chatted for a little bit, and I learned that he was a lawyer who had just moved to Chicago a few months ago.
“The country club membership is included for partners,” he told me. “It’s not really my scene.”
“Me neither,” I told him. “But Hayley’s family insisted on treating us for her birthday.”
“She sounds like a really generous friend,” he observed.
“She is,” I said, much more comfortable talking about my friends than I was talking about myself.
We chatted for a little bit longer, and then, as soon as I finished my drink, I politely excused myself.
“Thank you so much for the drink,” I told him. “But I really should get back to my friends.”
“I completely understand,” he said. “It was very selfish of me to pull you away, but you were so beautiful I just couldn’t help myself.”
It was quite the line, but he seemed genuine. He took out his card and handed it to me.
“Feel free to call me any time,” he said.
“Thank you,” I told him, even though I knew I wasn’t going to.
I returned to the table, where the girls had clearly been doing their best to eavesdrop on my conversation with Patrick. Thankfully, he left after paying the check, leaving the restaurant empty except for our table.
“That seemed to go well!” Alex commented with a smile as I rejoined them.
“Did he give you his card?” Hayley wanted to know.
I held it out, and they all squealed, passing it around.
“A lawyer!” Kelsey said, handing the card to Alex. “Is this a good firm?”
Alex, a lawyer herself, looked at the card and let out a low whistle. “Oh, hell yeah it is. And he’s a partner?” She looked towards the door he had exited. “Maybe I’ll call him,” she said.
“I think Emerson might be a little upset,” Hayley observed.
“Emerson who?” Alex joked.
Everyone was laughing when the card came back to me. We finished up lunch, and as the other girls were heading towards the door, I tore the business card in half and left it with my napkin. He had been a nice guy, but I just wasn’t interested.
When it came to Liam, there was just no comparison.
Was this how it was going to be from now on: trying to measure every guy against him, and having none of them hit the mark? Liam was a mess of contradictions, the control freak with a passionate streak; the cool, logical man who was fiercely loyal and protective of the people in his life.
My heart ached just thinking about him. Man, I’d really fallen hard. What had started as just a fun diversion had turned into so much more.
I missed him.
Not just the sex, but simply being around him. Nestling back against his strong chest; seeing his smile down the bar while I was working a shift. There was a space now where he used to be, and I didn’t know if anything would fill it.
The limo took us back home, dropping us off one at a time. I was the first stop.
“Thanks again,” I told Hayley, giving her a big hug. “And happy birthday.”
“Thank you,” she said, hugging me back. “And call that guy!” she ordered.
I waved goodbye to the rest of the girls and got out of the car, feeling a little too fancy for my own apartment. I was just about to unlock
the door to get into the lobby, when Adriana came running out of her restaurant towards me.
“You’re back!” she said, enveloping me in a huge hug.
She held on for a while. Long, even for her.
“Yep,” I commented, still trapped in her arms. “I’m back.”
“Come to the restaurant,” she told me, releasing me from the hug, but grabbing onto my arm. “I want you to try something.”
Even though I had just spent the whole morning relaxing and getting pampered, the day had exhausted me, and all I wanted to do was go back to my apartment, crawl into my bed, and go to sleep.
“I’m really tired,” I told Adriana. “Can I stop by later?”
“No!” she said, loudly and with an insistence that startled me. She cleared her throat. “I mean, the food is ready now, I don’t want it to get cold,” she told me, not letting go of my arm. “It won’t take long.”
I sighed. There was a headache building in my temples, but I didn’t want to hurt Adriana’s feelings—she had been so good to me during my recovery, and she asked so little of me. I could do this for her.
So I followed her into the restaurant, where she flitted around, looking uncharacteristically flustered. It was a little weird, but I chalked it up to Adriana having a busy day. Because the restaurant was busy—and I didn’t see Nico in the kitchen. Instead, the assistant chef was manning the stove, and he looked like he needed an assistant of his own, he was so busy.
“Are you sure this is the best time?” I asked, noticing that Adriana was checking her phone, her attention focused on whatever was on the screen.
Her head snapped up, and she quickly shoved the phone into the pocket of her apron as if she didn’t want me to see the screen. That was weird, too.
“Oh, no, no, no,” she said, pushing me to sit on one of the empty barstools at the counter. “Sit, relax. I’ll bring you something to eat.”
I sat there. And waited. And waited. And waited.
Whatever dish she had insisted I come to taste before it got cold was most certainly cold now. When she returned, her hands were empty.
“I thought you wanted me to try something,” I reminded her.
