Freed

by Phillips, Carly

  What would it feel like to have her own career? Something she could build and be proud of? She could get closer to Phoebe this way, and her sister would be entrusting her with an important part of her business. She felt a buzz of excitement burst to life inside her.

  “She’s right, you know. I’m sure you’d be great at anything you put your mind to,” Braden said from behind her. “And you’d enjoy it more than your job at Grace’s.”

  “Why do you care?” she asked, the words spilling out. She hadn’t realized he’d been standing there, listening to their conversation.

  “What kind of question is that?” he asked, grasping her arm and pulling her to the side of the deck, where they could be alone.

  * * *

  “You’re pissed at me,” Braden said to Juliette. He gritted his teeth at his stupid statement. No shit, she was pissed. He’d gone radio silent on her. Again.

  She looked at him with those big blue eyes and his heart pounded harder in his chest.

  “I’m not pissed as much as I’m confused,” she said, her voice softer than before. “I just don’t understand why you’re at this party for me. You could have just told Halley you were busy.”

  “And why would I do that?”

  “Because you don’t want to be here with me or I’d have heard from you sometime in the last week.”

  He winced at the hurt in her voice. He couldn’t do anything right with her. Staying away hadn’t been easy and he really had intended to contact her, but the rough afternoons with his father had spiraled and he hadn’t wanted to bring her into the chaos that was his life.

  She was young, at least in experience, and needed to enjoy what her new world had to offer after being caged by her father for years. Being saddled with a guy who was dealing with crap every day wasn’t fair to her. Not when she’d just escaped a similar situation. Never mind that he was supposed to be watching her for her father, because he couldn’t think about that without wanting to be sick.

  “Juliette–” Before he could finish, she cut him off.

  “It’s not like I’m asking for anything from you other than friendship, but you don’t seem to want to give me even that.”

  “Fuck,” he said and let out a low growl. “I’m sorry. I had a rough week with my father and I didn’t want to bother you with the shit going on in my life.”

  Her expression softened. “Like I said when you told me, I understand helping a parent. What I don’t get is why you don’t believe me when I say I want to be there for you. You’ve been there for me, and I know we just met recently but we connected, didn’t we?”

  “We did,” he admitted gruffly. More than he’d cop to now. “I don’t want to hold you back. Let’s just say I have experience with a woman who ended up resenting the demands my father’s illness put on me and the restrictions on my time.”

  And Juliette might think she could handle the difficulties now, but later on she’d come to resent him. He didn’t want that for her nor did he want to go through it again. Losing Emily had hurt. He’d barely started things with Juliette and he knew her leaving him, once they grew closer, would cut even deeper.

  She let out a little puff of air as she said, “Oh.” She paused and then, “Will you tell me about her sometime?”

  He nodded. That truth was something he could give her. “I will but I don’t want to ruin your party by doing it now.”

  “Okay, but I’m holding you to that. And I won’t put up with you pulling away again. It’s unfair. I can decide what I want to handle in my life. Unless you don’t want to be my friend, in which case–”

  “I don’t want to be your friend, Juliette. I want to be more.” The words toppled out before he could censor or stop them.

  Her lips parted softly and he wanted to take advantage, to move in and kiss the surprised look off her pretty face. But they were surrounded by her family and they wouldn’t appreciate the depth with which he wanted her.

  He ought to regret the admission and shut down the desire. Because of his job. He’d already taken partial payment from her father. Letting this go on was so wrong, but staying away from her, backing off and hurting her was impossible.

  “I want that, too,” she said.

  “Good.” He’d let this thing between them grow. He couldn’t deny it was what he wanted, but he’d go into it knowing they had an expiration date.

  He’d make her his – temporarily – and let her go before she had time to resent him.

  “Juliette, I have a favor to ask you,” Halley said, walking toward them and breaking the intensity between them.

  She turned toward her sister. “What’s up?”

  “Kane and I want to take a long weekend away. I was wondering if you’ll move in and watch Monty next weekend? We’ll be gone Thursday through Sunday. If it’s an imposition, I understand. I would ask Phoebe but it’s a lot for her, Jake, and Jamie, and I can’t let Monty go there. She works all day and wouldn’t be home for him. Your hours are shorter.” Halley looked at her with pleading eyes and a small grin on her face.

  “Of course! I’d be happy to,” she said, clearly happy Halley would trust her with her pet.

  “Great! You’ll love staying on the beach. We have neighbors but they’re far away and usually don’t bother me when I’m by the water. It’s so quiet and peaceful here at night. Enjoy it!”

  Juliette practically vibrated with excitement. “I can’t wait.”

  “Thank you. I’m going to tell Kane we’re covered.” She walked in the direction of her husband, leaving Juliette alone with Braden again.

  She glanced at him, her eyes dancing with mischief.

  “What’s got that look on your face?” he asked. “What’s going through that mind of yours?”

  She grinned and leaned forward, whispering in his ear. “Skinny-dipping at night on the beach. Two wishes in one.”

  He adjusted his cock in his pants and groaned. “Not alone,” he warned her, not wanting her out in the water at night by herself.

  “Of course not. I had every intention of doing it with you.”

  She let her words settle and he felt the flush high on his cheekbones.

  Eventually, the party wound down and soon it was time to go home. They said their good-byes and Braden escorted Juliette to the car. The top of the convertible was open thanks to the warm, nice weather, and she tossed her purse onto the passenger seat.

  She’d walked into the party wearing a muted pastel-colored dress and flirty heels that showed off her long legs and he’d been captivated. Since she’d admitted she wanted him, too, he’d been hard, desire pounding at him from the inside out. But Juliette wasn’t the kind of woman he could take home and fuck. She was someone who deserved slow and romantic, he thought, looking into those warm, sexy blue eyes.

  He stepped closer, backing her against the car. “I won’t be stupid enough to keep you at a distance again.”

  “Good because three strikes and you’re out, Mr. Clark,” she warned him.

  “I’m not about to make the same mistake, city girl.”

  She grinned. “So things between us are going to change, I take it?” She wriggled her hips, his cock brushing against her sex, and she let out a small sultry moan that went straight to his dick.

  He leaned in and pressed his cheek to hers, breathing in the coconut scent of her hair as he whispered in her ear. “Things between us are going to heat up, but not here in front of your sister’s house.”

  She wound her arms around his neck. “Oh, yeah? Then where? And when?”

  “We’ll figure it out,” he promised. Because they couldn’t go back to his house, not with his dad there.

  Of course, there was her place, but he wanted to wine and dine her first. “Dinner at the Blue Wall next weekend?”

  “I have Monty, remember? Takeout at my sister’s?” she countered.

  “Works for me.” He trailed his lips along her jaw, tasting her silken skin, giving himself a tease of what he wanted to do to her, to
lick and taste her everywhere.

  He heard the slam of the front door and stepped back, putting space between them. “I’ll be in touch,” he said. “Really,” he promised, because he was finished pulling away.

  He’d just have to live with the conflict he’d caused by working for her father and hope she never found out. Because she was here for the summer only, and since he’d already accepted this thing between them as temporary, he could handle it.

  He hoped.

  Chapter Six

  Braden’s father’s illness got Juliette thinking of her own father and the rift between them. She hadn’t called him or taken his phone calls because she’d been holding on to her anger, but as Braden’s situation showed, life was short. Her father had a weak heart and she couldn’t live with herself if something happened to him and they hadn’t made amends.

  Before she went to work at the coffee shop on Monday, she decided to call home. She stood in front of the window overlooking the street as she dialed. People were just starting to wake up and head to work, drifting down the sidewalk.

  She pressed his name on her phone and waited for him to pick up.

  “Juliette, it’s about time I heard from you.”

  “Hello to you, too,” she said.

  “It’s been weeks since you moved to that Godforsaken beach town and I haven’t heard a word from you. How are you? You have to know I’ve been worried.”

  She sighed, gripping the phone tighter in her hand. “I’m sorry for that. I just needed time. And I’m fine. I have a job at a coffee shop, an apartment, oh, and I’ve met my sisters.”

  “I don’t trust them and you certainly don’t need them.”

  “I do. They’re wonderful women. They’ve embraced me like family.”

  “They must want my money,” he muttered. “Just like your mother.”

  She narrowed her gaze, the lump in her throat that formed on hearing his implacable tone growing larger. “No, they don’t need your money and you know it. They’ve wanted to find me for years. They just didn’t know my last name. They had no leads. But you knew all along and kept it from me. So if you want me to talk to you, I need you to be nice when you mention my sisters. They’re my family, too.”

  His grumble told her he wasn’t happy with her proclamation.

  “Now how are you feeling?” she asked him. “Any episodes?” He could get light-headed, short of breath, have chest pains or palpitations. “Are you taking your medicine?”

  “You’d know the answer to all of those things if you’d come home.” He chastised her like she was a misbehaving child except she understood now he didn’t have any control over her that she didn’t provide him.

  Although it hurt her to take this stand knowing she was causing him distress, she also understood she had to be her own person. If she didn’t carve out her own life now, she’d lose the chance forever.

  She straightened her shoulders. “I’m not coming home until I’m ready.” And right now there was so much here in Rosewood Bay for her to do, she wasn’t sure when she’d want to leave. Her situation was open-ended.

  “Then don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” he said, disconnecting the call, as if he were punishing her for living her life.

  She sniffed and stared down at the phone, knowing despite the pain she felt and the guilt he’d inflicted, she was doing the right thing for herself. She couldn’t let him manipulate her anymore.

  She was putting her phone back into her purse when it rang. A glance showed it was Phoebe calling. “Hello?”

  “Hey! I know I said I’d give you time to consider the job offer, but do you think you can meet me at a house today that I want to list for sale? I could really use your help.”

  Juliette blinked in surprise. “Umm, sure. I’m working breakfast and lunch today, but I can meet you after if that’s okay?”

  “Three o’clock. Is that good?”

  “Yes.”

  “Here’s the address.”

  Juliette snagged a pen from the counter in the kitchen and scribbled the information on a notepad she had sitting out. “Got it,” she said.

  “Good. I’ll see you then. Thanks,” Phoebe said. “Bye!” Her sister disconnected the call.

  Sometimes life happened too fast for her to keep up, Juliette thought, a smile on her face.

  After her shift, which she’d wished would pass quicker, she ran home to change out of her jeans, tee shirt, and sneakers, into a pair of nice slacks, a silk camisole, and sensible heels she could walk in. She pulled her hair up into a twist in the back, grabbed her purse, and headed to meet Phoebe at the address she’d been given.

  Phoebe was waiting for her in front of the house. Her sister wore a cream-colored skirt and jacket, looking every inch the professional.

  “Hi!” Phoebe said, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.

  “Hi. Thanks for calling me.”

  Phoebe nodded. “When I got this listing, I knew it needed a very specific touch.” She took out her key and let herself into the house. “The owner isn’t home, so I can walk you through.”

  Juliette followed her inside, stepping into a clutter-filled home. Any place there was a shelf or a nook or cranny, there were knickknacks stuffing the open spaces. Magazines were spread out on the cocktail table.

  “As you can see, there’s a lot of stuff,” Phoebe said. “But if you look past the clutter and see the home itself… there’s so much potential. Look beyond those French doors.” She pointed to the large patio outside surrounded by beautiful trees.

  Inside was an open floor plan and Phoebe was right. If she looked past the outdated décor and mess, the bones of the house were beautiful. From the slanted roof with skylights to the arched entryways, someone with vision could do wonders with the house. But when they walked in, they needed the clarity to see beyond the clutter.

  “And this is where you come in,” Phoebe said. “I need someone to oversee this job and I think you can do it. I’ll guide you at first. There are companies that specialize in helping a homeowner declutter a house. Once that’s done, I’ll give you Jake’s work number. He’s a general contractor.” She pointed to the chips on the floor moldings and a crack in the ceiling from an obvious flood. “Finally, you’ll be able to stage the house so it looks best for sale. So I’d need you to step in and run with the project. Just trust your gut… and go.”

  “Okay, a little overwhelming but I can handle it.” She thought. And hoped. She didn’t want to disappoint her sister.

  “Great! I’ll get you the list of companies and contractors. You can run budget by me at first until things become more routine. The average pay of a stager is fifty to one hundred and fifty dollars an hour. I can start you at seventy-five and we can go from there.”

  Seventy-five dollars an hour? Her father hadn’t cut her off, but she was making minimum wage plus tips at the coffee shop. If she could begin to pay for her own life, budget and live on what she earned…

  She jumped forward and pulled her sister into a hug. “Thank you. Thank you for your faith in me. I won’t let you down.”

  Phoebe grinned. “I know you won’t. Now this is a huge job, but the owners are willing to pay to have someone else do the work, so you just need to oversee things at first, then stage. Got it?”

  “Got it.” She held back an immature squeal of delight.

  She parted ways with Phoebe and started to drive home, excited by the new prospects she had in front of her, and she wanted someone to share her news with.

  She wanted Braden.

  * * *

  Braden was getting ready to leave the office early to head home and see his dad. With late afternoons being difficult for him, Braden liked to be there to ease his distress. Mike had just returned from staking out a woman whose husband suspected her of cheating with her gym trainer, and he walked in wearing a pair of track pants and a cutoff tee shirt with sweat stains. He’d used his gym lookout time to blend in by working out.

  “Catch the woman with
her pants down?” Braden asked.

  Mike shook his head. “If you ask me, she’s not doing anything except legitimately working out. I think our client is just jealous of his wife’s trainer. He’d be better off putting the money he’s paying us into joining the gym himself.” Mike settled into his chair just as someone walked into the office, chimes ringing as the door opened.

  They didn’t have a receptionist, saving costs unless and until it became necessary.

  “Hello?” Braden called out, as Juliette strode into the main room where he and Mike shared space.

  “It’s me.” She walked in wearing a pair of black trousers, a white V-neck silk sleeveless top, and heels, and her hair was in a prim and proper twist he wanted to shake out with his hands.

  She looked sexy as hell. So far the woman managed to blow his mind in jeans, a dress, and sexy pants. He’d yet to see her naked and he was looking forward to the unveiling.

  He pushed himself up from his desk and strode around to greet her.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked, unable to take his gaze off her flushed face.

  “I had an amazing day and I wanted to share.”

  He reached out and grasped her hand. “Tell me.”

  “Ahem.” Mike cleared his throat. “Is someone going to introduce me first?”

  Braden tore his gaze from Juliette and glared at his partner for interrupting. “Mike Graham, meet Juliette Collins. Juliette, this is my pain-in-the-ass partner, Mike,” he said, because he’d rather hear what Juliette had to say.

  And Mike probably knew it.

  “Nice to meet you,” Juliette said, treating the other man to one of her bright smiles.

  “The pleasure’s all mine.” He grinned, then waved a hand in dismissal. “Now go back to what you were saying. I’m going to take off for the day.” Mike slid his chair back and rose to his feet. “Bye, kids,” he said, laughing as he walked out the door.

  Braden shook his head at his partner. “And now that he’s gone, what’s your news?”

  Eyes still sparkling, she said, “Phoebe took me to a house that needs staging. It’s basically trial by fire, but I have my first job.” She clasped her hands together, her body practically vibrating with energy and excitement that was contagious.