Page 35 of Not Mine To Love

“More than part of it. She was the heart of it. She did all the lead vocals.”

I was surprised. Ana was part of a band and could sing? Wow. Now it all made sense. Didn’t her mother say that Ana at one point wanted to major in music?

“And so that’s how you and Ana became close…”

“Yeah,” he said gruffly, reaching for an empty straw wrapper. I knew he needed something to do with his hands to distract himself from the painful memories. I was the same. I only fidgeted when I was feeling emotional.

I found myself reaching for his hand and squeezing it. “I’m sorry you lost your friend.”

He met my eyes, and under his gaze I realized that the last thing I wanted to do was look away or let go. And I knew at that moment, he felt it too. Because he was the first to pull away.

He cleared his throat. “I need to get back to the band. I’m sure they don’t want to do all their sets without me.”

“Oh yeah,” I said, feeling bad. After all, he dropped everything he was doing to help me.

“Hopefully your guitar is still in working order,” I said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

He smiled. “We’ll see.”

We walked in silence down the narrow sidewalks leading to the restaurant, and every now and then my hip would brush against his. I was more than aware of his nearness. I was aware of every breath he took. I was aware of the way he smelled. I was too aware of him. I was sure I was falling for him.

I sped up, wanting to get away from him. I needed to put some distance between us. I couldn’t be alone with him. Not after that revelation.

“Hey, slow down. I need to get back, but I don’t think we need to sprint there.”

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. The valet saw me approaching and this time, he quickly went to get my car.

“I guess I’ll see you next week.”

“Next week?” I asked, looking at him quizzically.

“Yeah, remember? For the wedding invitations redo.”

“Oh yeah. I’ll be there.”

The valet pulled up, and Julius held the car door while I climbed in. He was such a gentleman.

“Thanks for a great evening.”

I blanked rapidly. “I should be telling you that.”

He shrugged. “You landed in my lap. The rest was easy.”

It felt like a date. Too much like one. I had to get out of there.

“Thanks for everything, Julius. Really.”

“Anytime,” he said. He reached out then and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

The slight gesture, the feel of his hand on my hair, sent shivers down my spine. All thoughts of my previous date went out the window, and all I could think of was what it would feel like to be held by him, comforted by him. And how lucky Ana was to have a man like him by her side.

“Be safe, Becca,” he said as he pushed the car door closed, and then he disappeared into the venue.

I drove away feeling torn. I didn’t want to follow him around. I didn’t want to violate his privacy, and I definitely didn’t want to work for Claire to make him look like a bad guy.

He clearly wasn’t. I sighed. Why did life have to be so complicated?

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