by A. P. Jensen
When her legs quivered, Juliet stiffened them. She wouldn’t cry, wouldn’t crumple.
“Daddy,” Callie whispered.
“Quiet,” Gray ordered. “She doesn’t belong with us. She never did. Lee may have forgiven her, but I haven’t.”
The combination of rap music, alcohol and the way he stared at her prompted Juliet to close the distance between them. Flecks of red reflected in his eyes from her dress. Even with heels, she barely reached his chin. She jabbed a finger in his chest and was vaguely aware of Scarlet’s horrified gasp. Callie covered her face with her hands and moaned.
“We both know we’re to blame for her suicide,” Juliet said loud enough so he could hear over the pounding music. “If you were half the man everyone thinks you are, you’d admit that to yourself.”
Gray swelled with outrage. His wrath was a palpable force and when he moved, she reacted out of instinct. Before he could lay a finger on her, Juliet planted both hands on his chest and shoved with enough force to make him stumble backwards and hit the ground hard. The commotion caused people to turn to see what was going on in the shadowy corner of the ballroom. Spectators gawked or rushed forward to help Gray while Juliet watched, panting with adrenaline and anxiety. Brent and Lee materialized and neither looked happy.
Scarlet flushed with mortification and said through clenched teeth, “I don’t know what happened between you and Mom the night she committed suicide and I don’t care. The time for explanations is long gone. We survived and everything’s been fine since you took off. You always loved to cause a scene. Fine. You got what you wanted. Get out of here.”
Brent, Lee and Callie stood around Gray. Callie’s eyes were tortured as they met Juliet’s.
“It’s time you left,” Brent said and the tone of his voice suggested she do so immediately.
Juliet shoved her way through the crowd to the bathroom and slammed herself into a stall. She braced her hands against the wall and bowed her head. She’d known that Gray was incapable of seeing her without saying or doing something. She made a list of things to say and not one of them came out of her mouth. She had one shot and blew it. The way Gray looked at her… She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. Time to go.
Someone knocked on the stall. She didn’t have the energy to tell them to piss off. A head appeared under the door. Juliet looked down at Maile who handed her a shot glass filled with clear liquid. Juliet didn’t ask what it was. She took the glass and kicked it back. Juliet left the stall and staggered to the sink. She grabbed a washcloth and dabbed cold sweat from her brow. Due to her kick ass makeup job, she looked ten times better than she felt. Inside, she was shattered.
“I never liked Gray,” Maile said conversationally as she fixed her lip gloss. “He always treated you like crap.”
Juliet stared blearily at Maile as she adjusted her nipples to point dead ahead in her dress. When Juliet said nothing, Maile grasped her shoulders.
“You are not responsible for your mom’s suicide,” she said fiercely.
“I am!” Juliet snapped.
Maile gave her a sharp shake. “Annie did it to herself.”
“Because I—”
“Stop.” Juliet tried to shove Maile away, but she held on with all the tenacity of an octopus. “You’re here to set the record straight, right?”
Juliet shook her head. “I thought I—No, I’m done. I need to get out of here.”
“Running scared?”
The taunting tone snapped Juliet out of her drunken depression. “Back off, Maile!”
“I’ll pay to change your ticket out of here, just spend the night. You’re back, you’re hot and all that shit with your family can wait. Right now, the men out there are drunk and so are we. Let’s have some fun.”
“They said I should leave,” Juliet said numbly.
“Since when have we ever listened to what people say?”
“It’s Lee’s wedding.”
“Lee’s not the one that told you to leave.”
Juliet couldn’t fault Maile’s logic. The rebellious part of her that had been in slumber since she was a teenager told her not to be a wuss. She was thirty-two years old. She didn’t come all this way to scuttle back into the shadows without having her say. Callie never told her siblings what happened that night. It didn’t matter what sordid tale Gray made up since Annie’s death was her fault. The why didn’t matter. Nothing could change the past.
The rebel in her surfaced. Staying at the wedding to spite her family sounded like a great idea.
“One night,” Juliet decided.
“Yeehaw!”
Maile wrapped an arm around Juliet’s waist. They stopped at the bar for more shots and then Maile led the way to the dance floor with a sultry walk that would make Tyra Banks proud. Juliet closed her eyes and lost herself in the music and feel of bodies brushing against hers. All worries faded away. She sang along with Lady Gaga who declared everything would be okay if she just danced.
Chapter Two
Juliet woke with her head spinning even though she was completely still. She cracked open one eye and moaned at the light that tried to seep through the curtains. The taste of gin and vodka lingered on her tongue. Moving very slowly, Juliet forced herself to sit up. She was in a large bed, clad in only lacy underwear. She peered through the darkness at a bedroom with oversized furniture. There were no personal items that gave a clue as to where she was or why. She raked her mind for an explanation and then it all flooded back—Lee’s wedding, the confrontation with Gray and then dancing. She slid to the edge of the bed, spotted a gray shirt and held it up. A man’s shirt. Juliet felt a chill of foreboding. Please may this be a leftover shirt from one of Maile’s lovers, she thought. She pulled it on and walked with her hands outstretched for balance on the way to the bathroom. Her makeup was smeared and she was milk pale. She looked like death and felt like it too.
Why the hell did she come back to this damn island? The confrontation with Gray didn’t go as planned. She wanted him to admit that he interfered in her life ever since she left. Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen. Her resolution to stay at the wedding for a half hour was an epic fail and led to where she was right now—in some stranger’s house! She hoped Lee or Maile saved her from her own drunken stupidity.
Juliet walked out of the bedroom and looked left and right down a long hallway. She followed the smell of coffee to a brightly lit kitchen and squinted out of floor to ceiling glass windows. The house was set high on a hill and looked down at a very familiar town with three stoplights, two grocery stores and a population right under ten thousand. She grew up in Waimea and the scene filled her with a surge of happiness and regret. Please may this fabulous house belong to Maile, she silently prayed.
“You’re awake.”
Juliet whirled a little too fast. Her stomach lurched even before she recognized Lee’s best man, Dominick Bryson. He was barefoot and dressed in jeans and a shirt similar to the one she had on. He had a coffee cup in one hand and eyed her with the same unruffled calm he portrayed yesterday. Juliet was far from a virgin, but she hadn’t indulged in a one-night stand in years. She tried to think of an innocent reason to explain why she woke in this man’s house in nothing but her underwear and came up blank.
“Dominick,” she said carefully, “what am I doing here?”
He took a long sip of coffee and didn’t answer immediately. Juliet suspected her blood pressure was skyrocketing. Surely, he could see she was freaking out.
“You said you wanted to come home with me.”
He said it so matter-of-factly that she believed him. “Okay…? And you listened to me?”
“You were very insistent.”
She crossed her arms defensively across her chest. “I was drunk.”
“I noticed.”
She opened her mouth to ask all the idiotic questions that drunk people asked after a night with hazy memories and then decided it was best not to know. She was leaving and would never see Do
minick Bryson again so… “Where’s my clutch?”
“You gave your purse to Maile.”
“Why would I do that?” she demanded.
“You said it was heavy.”
“The keys for my rental car are in there! I have to return it!” She whirled and searched the kitchen for a clock. “Oh my God, what time is it?”
Dominick glanced at his watch. “Twelve.”
She moaned and clutched her head. “How did this happen?”
“You were drunk,” he repeated.
“I need to call the airlines and get my clutch back from Maile,” she said decisively and tried to think past the pounding in her head.
Dominick handed her two white pills and a glass of water.
“Thanks,” she said, feeling stupid, embarrassed and grateful. “Do you know where Maile lives?”
“Yes.”
“Can you take me there?” When he didn’t agree immediately she tagged on, “Please?”
Dominick set his mug down and grabbed keys from a wall hook. “Let’s go.”
Juliet looked down at the shirt that barely covered her ass and grit her teeth. She followed Dominick down a set of stairs that led into a garage with an SUV and truck. She hopped into the passenger seat and blinked when she saw her heels and dress on the floorboard. Did they have car sex? She glanced at Dominick. If they did, it didn’t make an impact on him. He spoke to her with a polite reserve that reminded her of how he handled Maile last night. She blushed, wondering what she did in her drunken stupor. Apparently, she was still a slut when she got drunk.
Dominick reversed out of the garage and because she wanted to focus on anything besides him, took in her surroundings instead. Dominick’s two-story home was surrounded by picturesque green pastures. As they drove down a winding road, she caught glimpses of traditional upper-class homes with large lots. Apparently, Dominick was a very successful contractor. Dominick turned onto the main highway and she sat up. It changed little in fifteen years. The town’s backdrop, Mauna Kea, a majestic mountain, contrasted sharply with the endless pastures and cattle. The lack of traffic, open land and easy vibe roused nostalgia she didn’t want to feel.
Juliet’s hands twisted in her lap. Her mind raced with all the things she had to do—call the airlines, return the car, look for a job, etc. Juliet could ask Dominick to borrow his phone, but she didn’t want to impose on him more than she already had. Dominick wore sunglasses and drove without a hint of nerves.
Juliet leaned down to grab her dress and froze when she realized it was wet. “What happened to my dress?”
“You went for a swim.”
“Excuse me?”
“I thought you were trying to kill yourself.”
“I went for a swim where?” Juliet asked, heart sinking. Surely, she hadn’t…
“In the ocean. You said you were hot from dancing. When I hauled you out of the water, Maile tried to take you home. You threw a fit and demanded I take you home instead.”
“I was drunk,” she repeated and bit her lip before she asked, “did we…? Did I…?”
“You don’t remember?” Dominick asked, cool as ever.
“Just answer my question.”
“I don’t take advantage of drunk women.”
She blew out a breath. At least she didn’t have to add that to her list of idiotic things she did on this trip. “I can’t believe this. One night here and it’s like I never left. Damn it! I haven’t gotten drunk since—”
“Since you were seventeen, I know.”
“How do you know that?”
“You told me.”
Her heart sank. “I did? What else did I tell you?”
Dominick glanced at her before he focused on the highway again. “You said you got fired.”
Praying that her drunk persona had some self-control, she persisted. “And?”
“It’s true? You got fired?”
“I’ve been fired too many times to count.”
“Why?”
She sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Does it have anything to do with Gray?”
She tensed. “What?”
“You said that’s why you shoved him last night.”
“He’s an ass,” she said flatly.
“He is.”
“Don’t you do business with him?” she asked, surprised.
“Yeah. That doesn’t mean I like him. It hasn’t escaped me that Gray can be ruthless in business. Brent is a bit more lenient, but not by much.”
Juliet didn’t know what to make of Dominick. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever met a man so candid.
“Brent wasn’t civil with you,” Dominick continued, “and I assume from the way you handled Gray that he wasn’t happy to see you either. No one should treat their daughter that way.”
“I’m adopted.”
“Adopted or not, they’re the only family you have.”
“I discovered that I’m better off without one.” She waited for a barrage of questions and received none. What was with this guy? She ground her teeth together in frustration.
Dominick’s phone rang. He answered on the second ring. “Yeah? Yeah. Here.”
Dominick held the phone out to her.
Juliet stared at him. “Who is it?”
“Lee.”
She took the phone and put her hand over the mouthpiece. “How does he know I’m with you?” she hissed.
“I told him.”
“Why would you do that?”
“After that scene with Gray, Lee told me to keep an eye on you so I did.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that so she put the phone to her ear and said warily, “Hi, Lee.”
“You okay?”
She was surprised by the concern in his voice. Apparently, he didn’t regret inviting her to the wedding even though she caused a ruckus and spent the night with his best friend. “I’m fine.”
“You survived. I’m impressed,” Lee said with a note of amusement in his voice.
“I’m sorry about last night.” She came with her own agenda and that wasn’t fair to him.
“Don’t worry about it. Moana and I are going on a cruise to Europe. Maybe you can hang around until we get back?”
Juliet had a hard time drawing in a breath. After what she’d done, he still wanted her around? “I-I don’t think so. You can visit me in Seattle, though.” The invitation came out before she could stop herself.
“We’ll take you up on that. They’re calling our flight. I’ll send you pictures. Bye.”
Juliet lowered the phone, staring at it as if she’d never seen one before. Lee was so casual about her presence. He moved on after Mom’s death without a qualm while she, Gray and her other siblings were neck deep in bitterness, hurt and rage. It took her years to stuff this shit into the dark recesses of her mind and now it was scattered everywhere. “I need to get back to Seattle.”
“Why?” Dominick asked.
Distance was the only way to deal with her past. She couldn’t handle facing her family. There were too much lies, hurt and anger. Besides that, she was acting out as if she was still a teenager! “This isn’t me.”
“What are you normally like?”
Juliet considered. “Boring and obsessed with work.”
“I have a hard time imaging that.”
“Believe it,” she muttered.
“One of your best friends is Maile who’s… colorful, to say the least. You embarrassed the hell out of Gray in front of his peers and didn’t give a crap who was watching. Then, you danced as if you were the only person on the dance floor. You don’t act like a boring workaholic.”
“I sound like a lunatic. You watched all of that, yet you hauled me out of the water and let me sleep in your bed. Why?”
“You’re entertaining.”
She didn’t think that was a compliment.
“What’s your connection with Maile?” he asked.
“We’ve been best friends since kindergarten.” He
said nothing to that. She couldn’t help adding, “I’m surprised Maile let me go home with you. Sounds like she’s been after you for a while.”
“We don’t suit.”
He was so diplomatic. “How so?”
Dominick turned off the main highway, onto a familiar street, effectively distracting her. Maile still lived in her childhood home? Maile lived at the end of a dirt road lined with rusty plantation houses. Juliet peered ahead and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the rented Mustang parked in front of a small yellow house surrounded by ferns and trees. Juliet hopped out of the truck, called out Maile’s name and tried the front door, but it was locked. Juliet walked over to the porch light and swept her hand over the flat top. She gave Dominick a wicked smile as she held up a key and unlocked the door.
The house wasn’t as cluttered as Juliet remembered, but it seemed smaller nonetheless. When she stepped inside, ancient floorboards creaked. Juliet peeked in the tiny living room, but there was no sign of her clutch. She walked down a short hallway to Maile’s bedroom and opened it without knocking. Juliet frowned when she saw that it was a bland guest room. Heart sinking, she walked to Nana’s bedroom and eased the door open. Two naked figures were tangled together on the rumpled sheets. One of them snored loudly. Juliet spotted her clutch on the nightstand. She picked it up only to find it empty. Her ID and rental car keys were missing. Juliet yanked Maile’s ankle. When Maile didn’t respond, Juliet pinched her bare thigh.
“Ooh, I likey,” Maile mumbled and arched her back.
Letting out a disgusted snort, Juliet moved up to Maile’s face and flicked her nose. Maile’s eyes opened immediately and when she saw Juliet, her lips curved.
“Hey, bestie!” Maile chirped and reached for her.
Juliet slapped her hands away. “Where’s my stuff?” Despite her raised voice, Maile’s male companion didn’t stir. He was face down on the bed and clearly comatose.
Maile waved a dismissive hand. “It’s around.”
“You let Dominick take me home and left me without my phone or rental car!” Juliet’s eyes narrowed to slits as she remembered the continuous flow of shots and God knew what else Maile handed her through the night. “Did you do this on purpose?”
