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Hell, they didn’t do any kind of sex these days.
Except they had.
He shook his head and opened the driver’s door so Ollie could jump into the truck. She didn’t quite make it, and he was forced to leap forward to catch her before she flopped onto the ground. “Damn, girl.” At least between the pup and work, he’d had more than enough going on to keep him from having too much time to wonder what Hope was doing. If she was revisiting their old haunts. If she was spending any amount of time down at the diner.
If she’d visited her brother’s grave.
He should just leave it alone. If she wanted to see him, it was child’s play to figure out where he was. He hadn’t asked her to come back. Damn it, he’d been doing just fucking fine before she showed up. And yet there he was, starting his truck and heading away from his house. The entire time he sat there and told himself this was a mistake. He didn’t have any right to make demands on Hope’s time—not after what happened thirteen years ago, and not after what happened a week ago.
But he wanted to.
He drove into town and then ended up parking outside Cups and Kittens because cruising Main Street was for idiot teenagers and stalkers, neither of which he wanted to be. Yep. Just visiting my meddling cousin. Right. He pushed through the front door—and immediately regretted his decision to come here.
Ollie took one look at the pair of cats sunning themselves in the afternoon beam of light, yipped, and took off running. Daniel dived for her, but she evaded him like a pro, barking up a storm. The cats fled, jumping up onto one of those cat jungle things and out of reach, hissing and swiping, their hair standing on end while Ollie ran circles around the base.
“What’s going on out here?” Jules came sprinting out of the back and skidded to a stop in front of the scene. “Oh, good lord.”
Daniel scooped up the pup—who was still barking shrilly enough to burst his eardrums—and backed up. “Didn’t stop to think this was a bad idea. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Here, bring her into the back.” She led the way back into the kitchen and shut the door behind them. Once he was sure there were no cats in the room, Daniel set Ollie down. She set to sniffing everything she came across, apparently having forgotten the drama she’d just started. Jules laughed softly. “Maybe we should have gotten you a cat.”
“Nah, I’m more of a dog person.” He hadn’t planned on having a dog, but Ollie had grown on him in a big way. She was just so damn goofy. He crouched down and ran a hand over her back.
“So, what brings you into town?” Jules asked the question far too casually.
He thought about lying or making some lame-ass excuse, but they both knew why he was here. “You seen Hope around?”
“She left.”
The bottom of his stomach dropped out, and he shot to his feet. “What?”
“Yeah.” Jules shuffled her feet. “I guess she wrapped up stuff faster than she thought she was going to and headed back to Dallas yesterday.”
I missed my chance. He knew he was half a second from weaving on his feet and brought his shit under control fast. He should have known that she wouldn’t want to see him again before she left down. Why the fuck would she? She was missing her goddamn knee and her brother because of him, and the first thing he’d done after not seeing her for thirteen years was let things get out of control and use a condom that was far too old. They hadn’t even had a chance to have the conversation where he explained that he was clean…
“I need her number.” He didn’t realize he was going to say it until the words were out of his mouth. He’d let things stand before, and he’d put enough distance between them that she’d eventually moved on with her life because that was what was best for her at the time. The thought of her being hurt and retreating because of what he’d done for a second time was too much to bear. He had to at least talk to her or let her yell at him. Something.
“I don’t actually have it.”
Of course she didn’t. Why would she? He’d have realized that if he’d stopped long enough to think instead of just reacting. Daniel scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s probably for the best.”
Jules bounced on her toes a little, practically wringing her hands. “I guess I should apologize. I didn’t think things would go so sideways or I wouldn’t have invited her to your surprise birthday party.” She hesitated. “I know Adam got kind of pissy with you that night.”
