Closure

by A. P. Jensen

  “He’s a good worker,” Brent said with a shrug that expressed more than words that he couldn't care less what Freddy did outside the office. “Freddy also mentioned that you were with Dominick Bryson.”

  “I wasn’t with Dominick. He saved me from bashing Freddy’s head in with a beer bottle!”

  Brent glared at her. “Dominick has a lot of connections. He’s not one of the low lives you normally fuck. I don’t want you screwing him, you hear me?”

  Juliet was so stunned, she didn’t speak. She felt as if he punched her in the stomach. Brent seemed satisfied by her silence and clasped his hands behind his back.

  “Dominick’s a powerful man. I can’t afford to have you mess up our business contracts.”

  “How dare you talk to me like that?”

  “I want to know what your intentions are,” he continued as if she didn’t speak. “You came to the wedding and shoved Dad—”

  “Because he would have hit me!”

  “You expected him to welcome you with open arms?”

  His callous attitude turned her stomach to ice. Her mind flashed back to Rudy’s graduation party. He held her when she cried. That brother was gone. In his place was a man with three agendas—money, image, business. He didn’t think of her as his sister and that knowledge struck her through the heart.

  He reached into his suit and withdrew a checkbook. “How much do you need to stay away from us?”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Juliet said hoarsely and tried to keep her voice even as fury coursed through her.

  “Dad checked into your finances. You’re nearly destitute. Is that why you’re going for Dominick? I’ll save you the trouble. How much do you want? Six figures?”

  Juliet was ashamed that for a second, she was tempted to take the money and run. Instead, she tried to slam the door in his face. Brent moved swiftly, wedging his shoe into the opening and then pressing his weight against the door until Juliet gave way. She retreated as Brent stepped into the house.

  “I assume you’re alone or Maile would have made an appearance by now,” he said mildly.

  “Brent, get out.” She tried to keep her voice calm. The same violence that Gray was capable of flickered to life in Brent’s eyes.

  “I want to know why you’re here.” He looked at her like a problem he needed to bury.

  “Lee invited me to the wedding.”

  “You had a ticket to leave yesterday, but you’re still here. Scarlet tells me you agreed to stay until Callie gives birth and are going to work at Maile’s shop.” He paused deliberately. “I want you gone.”

  “You can’t have everything you want.”

  He took a step forward and she took one back. His eyes burned with an unholy light that scared her.

  “I learned that lesson, thanks to you,” Brent murmured. “If I got what I wanted, Mom would still be here.”

  Juliet’s hand passed over her chest where she could feel an invisible knife twisting. “Brent, I—”

  “I’ve forgiven you for many things. Mom’s death, no, I can’t. You knew Mom was fragile, that she had a history of depression. You have no excuse for upsetting her, for pushing her over the edge.”

  The way Brent looked at her—with revulsion and hatred slay her. Juliet wanted to ask what story Gray came up with, but she didn’t dare. Brent was on the verge of doing something they’d both regret and she didn’t want to nudge him over the edge.

  “I don’t want anything from any of you,” Juliet said.

  “So, you aren’t here for a chunk of Grant Shipping?”

  She wanted to scream. Instead, she shook her head.

  “Then what do I do with you?”

  Hey eyes narrowed at the veiled threat. “Nothing. I won’t ask for a penny,” she promised. “You can leave.”

  “You’re going to stay with Maile the whore?”

  He was egging her on so she’d lash out. That would give him a reason to retaliate. She clenched her hands into fists behind her.

  “Maile’s loyal and the closest thing I have to family,” Juliet said in a shaking voice.

  “I considered you family once. That was before Mom slit her wrists.”

  Tears flooded her eyes. Guilt threatened to cripple her. She wrapped her arms around her middle and bent over as flashbacks bombarded her. She heard the echo of Callie screaming and knew she was going to lose it. “Get the fuck out, Brent.”

  “You didn’t have the balls to show up at the funeral and face the damage you caused. We had to clean up your mess and after all this time you show up out of the blue? I’m glad you changed your last name, you’re not worthy to be called a Grant.”

  “Get. Out.”

  “Knowing you, you haven’t worked a day since you left home. You probably do tricks for some rich bastard to pay your bills. Dad says you’re just like your biological mother. It’s no wonder you never amounted to much. You’re trash, just like the woman who didn’t want you.”

  Juliet couldn’t see through the tears. She waited silently for whatever else Brent wanted to throw at her. She was so deep in misery that she didn’t realize he moved until she heard the front door shut. She walked woodenly to a couch in the living room, lay face down and let her emotions run wild. She screamed, nails digging into the cushions before she battered the pillows until she was exhausted. Muffled sobs filled the room. Brent sensed her precarious emotional state and used it to rip her to shreds more effectively than a physical beating.

  “He hates me!” Juliet sobbed into her mother’s lap.

  A gentle hand sifted through her hair. “He doesn’t hate you, honey.”

  “He does! He doesn’t treat me like Callie or Scarlet,” Juliet mumbled.

  “You’re spirited. Gray doesn’t know how to deal with it.”

  “I c-can’t help it.”

  Annie chuckled and pressed a kiss on Juliet’s brow. “You were born to live life as if every day is your last. Honestly, I wish I’d done more before I got married.”

  Juliet sniffled. “You’re saying that to make me feel better.” And it was working.

  “The moment I held you in my arms, I knew you were special.”

  “But I’m not yours,” Juliet said bitterly.

  “You’re mine, Juliet Grant,” Annie said sternly and tilted Juliet’s tearstained face up. “No matter how old you are, no matter if you get married and change your name… you will always be a part of this family. The bonds of this family are thicker than blood. Nothing can change that.”

  The torrent of tears passed. Juliet tucked her hands against her chest and turned her face to the side so she could breathe. Her breath hitched as she calmed. The guilt she shoved down for so long was a crushing weight on her chest. She was responsible for Annie’s death. Nothing could change that. She accepted Brent and Scarlet’s verbal blows because she deserved them. Her carelessness robbed them all of the gift Annie Grant had been. Although Gray was also to blame, pointing fingers wouldn’t change the cold truth. She knew what to expect by coming back, but it was so much worse than she imagined. Ironic that she felt more alone on an island where she had friends and family than the mainland where she had no one.

  Juliet rubbed her face against the pillow and wished someone would hold her for just a second. “Should’ve screwed his brains out,” Juliet mumbled as she thought of Dominick. She could be having an explosive orgasm in his bed instead of lying in an empty house, trying to put gauze over her bleeding heart.

  Juliet staggered to the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth. In bed, she stared at the ceiling for a long time before she drifted off. A couple of hours later, she received a hard shove that nearly tossed her off the bed.

  “Move over.”

  “What are you doing?” Juliet mumbled as Maile climbed into bed with her.

  “You forgot to hang my sheets and I’m too tired to wait for them to get out of the dryer. Bennie took me to a bar. I got into a fight with a guy I banged a long time ago.”

  �
�You okay?” Juliet tried to stay conscious.

  “Yeah, I won. I pulled his left nut. Now he needs stitches. It was fun.”

  “You yanked his balls?”

  “Works every time. He’s married now, but that didn’t stop him from trying to cop a feel. Seriously, what a piece of crap.”

  “You go, girl,” Juliet said.

  “I know. I’m the shit.”

  They settled back to back and fell asleep as easily as they had when they were teenagers.

  Chapter Five

  Juliet left the house before Maile could see her swollen eyes. She seriously wanted to get the fuck off this insane island. It was her third day in Hawaii and her body ached as if she’d been in a physical fight. One more blow and she would shatter into a million pieces.

  Juliet headed towards the Kohala Coast as the sun rose. She parked and walked down a winding path to the beach. Elderly women with visors power walked and chattered nonstop as they marched along the shoreline. Fitness freaks with harnesses strapped to their chests dragged huge pieces of driftwood through the sand. Juliet slipped off her slippers and walked barefoot across the beach, eyes on the distant surfers. She stopped ten feet from the water and sat, arms braced on her knees. Her toes wriggled in the fine sand. Tiny crabs skittered in and out of holes while the ocean breeze tugged playfully at her loose braid. Sea spray drifted from the cresting waves and soothed her swollen eyes. She rested her cheek on her knee and let the sound of the ocean absorb her sorrow.

  It would be so easy to leave. Yes, she was sleeping on her secretary’s couch, which was demeaning and depressing, but it was better than getting verbally bitch slapped by people she once considered family. It took years to teach herself to function after she left Hawaii and even now, she wasn’t functioning quite right. Brent mercilessly slashed through the protective barrier in her mind that held back the worst of her memories. Juliet let out a whimper that was swallowed by the sound of the ocean. Tears slipped down her face and she angrily brushed them away. Even if she still felt like a lost teenager, she wasn’t seventeen anymore. She had to get up and find a way to bounce back from her current fucked up circumstances.

  “Juliet.”

  She opened her eyes. The surfer in front of her had a thick bun on his head, but his face was the same. He wasn’t scrawny anymore, she noted absently. He filled out and his face was weathered from the sun.

  “Kai.”

  When she got to her feet, he dropped the surfboard and wrapped her in a wet hug. Relief swept through her as she buried her face against his chest and clung to him. Tears stung her eyes and she let out a shaky breath. She knew he heard because his arms tightened around her.

  “Damn it, Juliet. What made you come back?” Kai asked without releasing her.

  “Stupidity, pride. You don’t know how glad I am to see you.” She leaned back to take him in.

  He gave her a wry smile. “Still gorgeous.”

  She accepted the kiss he pressed against her lips. Kai would always have a special place in her heart and she was glad to see he didn’t hold a grudge.

  “I heard you shoved Gray at Lee’s wedding,” Kai said solemnly.

  “I forgot how damn small this island is,” she grumbled. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, but I had to see you.”

  Kai cocked his head. “How’s Brent taking you being here?”

  She didn’t tell him what happened last night. “Not well. I’m stuck for now. I need money and Maile said I can help her at her shop.”

  Kai gave her a strange look. “What’s going on with you and Dominick Bryson?”

  She stared at him. “How’d you hear about that?”

  “Had some buddies in the bar last night. Heard you got into it with Freddy too. He’s an ass. Cheats on Callie all the time.”

  Rage replaced her anxiety as her worst fear was confirmed. “What?”

  “It’s no secret.”

  “Why is she with him? What the hell is going on here?”

  “That’s what I want to know.”

  Juliet jumped and stared at Dominick who wore a pair of soaked surf shorts and nothing else. He set his board down and gave Kai a long look. Kai chuckled as he released Juliet and took a step back. She didn’t notice because she was too busy ogling Dominick.

  “You surf?” Juliet asked stupidly.

  Dominick grabbed her shirt and hauled her against him. She braced her hands on his chest and tried to lever herself away, mouth opening to tell him to keep his hands to himself. Dominick’s mouth closed over hers and she stilled. He tasted like the ocean and something elusive and seductive. The combination made her want to lap him up. When he pulled away, she licked her lips.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Getting reacquainted.”

  “Normal people say good morning!”

  “This is the way I say good morning to you,” Dominick said with unflappable calm and looked pointedly at Kai who held his hands up.

  “Old history, boss,” Kai said.

  “Boss?” Juliet echoed.

  Kai gave a one shoulder shrug as he grabbed his board. “I didn’t have the best reputation after I came back from the mainland, babe. Dom took a chance on me.”

  Gray sabotaged Kai as well, she realized and felt another tide of guilt threatening to engulf her. Dominick jerked his head, clearly wanting Kai to clear out.

  “We’ll talk later, Juliet,” Kai said and nodded at Dominick. “I better get ready for work. See you there?”

  “I’ll drop by,” Dominick replied.

  Juliet held her wet shirt away from her body. It wanted to cling to her bra and the curve of her stomach. She glared at Dominick who gave her a quick kiss before he retrieved his board.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with Kai?” Juliet demanded.

  “You didn’t ask.”

  She made sure there was a lot of space between them as they walked off the beach. “You should have told me anyway.” When Dominick said nothing, she muttered, “I wouldn’t have come out here if I knew you surfed together.”

  “Then I’m glad I didn’t tell you.”

  “Seriously, the way you and I keep running into each other isn’t normal, even on an island!”

  Dominick put his surfboard in the bed of his truck. When Juliet tried to get into her car, she was shocked speechless when Dominick pulled her out and carried her to his truck. He snatched her keys, put them in a small pocket on his shorts and pulled on a shirt.

  She gaped at him. “Are you insane?”

  “No.” He wrapped a towel around his waist before he climbed into the cab. “We’re going to talk.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you!”

  “Too bad,” he said as he drove out of the parking lot. “I’ll feed you while we talk.”

  “I don’t want to eat.” Just the thought of food made her queasy.

  He glanced at her. “You weren’t self-conscious eating in front of me at the bar.”

  “I’m not self-conscious, I’m just not hungry.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing we’re going to Hawaiian Style, then. It’ll stroke your appetite.”

  It was a local hangout and a restaurant known for epic food portions. She had to admit that just the sound of the restaurant lifted her spirits a bit. Dominick was as calm as ever, but she wasn’t fooled. The macho carrying thing should have pissed her off, but it was kinda hot. Regardless of that, she didn’t want to talk to him!

  “You do anything interesting after you left the bar last night?” he asked.

  She shot him a wary look. Surely, he couldn’t know that Brent paid her a visit. “No.”

  “You sleep good?”

  “Not really,” she mumbled.

  “Was Maile entertaining someone?”

  Clearly, he wasn’t talking about a cocktail party. “No. Why?”

  “Thought you may not have gotten much sleep. You look different.”

  She couldn’t look less like the woman he
saw at the wedding than she did right now. She probably looked like hell after her rough night. She was too tired to be offended. “I didn’t put on makeup.”

  “That’s not it.”

  She looked out at the rolling hills as he drove up Kawaihae Road.

  “You look like someone died.”

  Juliet took a deep breath. “Nope. No one died.”

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  A pause and then, “What’s your history with Kai?”

  “When I left Hawaii, Kai came with me.” It seemed like ages ago. They had both been so young.

  “To where?”

  “Seattle. We were together for three years. It didn’t work out and he came back. I stayed up there.” She had been an emotional wreck. She alternated between being a zombie and a raging maniac. It took her years to find a middle ground. She wouldn’t have survived in Seattle if Kai didn’t come with her. She could barely manage to hold down a job. Kai had been her rock until he couldn’t do it anymore and left. People always left her. She didn’t blame them. His departure forced her to forget about the past and focus on survival.

  “And this is the first time you’ve seen each other since.” He didn’t sound pleased.

  “It’s complicated.”

  “You keep saying that.”

  “Because it’s true.”

  They didn’t talk for the rest of the ride. Dominick pulled into one of the few stalls in front of Hawaiian Style and held the screen door open for her. Despite the early hour, the restaurant was busy. They were seated in a booth and her mouth watered at the smell of spam and pancakes. The server greeted Dominick by name and gave Juliet a curious look.

  “Hey, Dominick. Your usual?” the server asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Coffee?”

  Dominick glanced at Juliet who nodded. “Yes.”

  “I’ll give you a few minutes,” the server said.

  Two old men sat at the counter, cackling and elbowing each other. Two women that looked so similar they had to be sisters passed an infant back and forth. The little girl smiled and clapped her hands together, cooing. A large family of six ate from each other’s plate, talking, arguing and laughing. Juliet relaxed a little and looked back at the menu with more interest. When the server came back, she ordered kahlua hash and put sugar and cream in her coffee. When she looked across the table, she stilled. Dominick’s eyes were glued to her and they weren’t distant or unreadable. They were hot and needy.