Page 49 of The Sweetest Mistake

If she’d thought she could seduce him, she’d been dead wrong, and by the end of the night, he’d suspected she knew that. After making sure Ava was sound asleep, he’d retreated to his bedroom, where he’d locked the door behind him. He hadn’t done it to keep himself in but to keep Cam out just in case she got any ideas about slipping into his bed at night. At first, he hadn’t believed Julia when she’d said that Cam was trying to win him back, but now he understood. Whenever he’d brought up Julia’s name, Cam had stopped talking or averted her eyes like she didn’t want to acknowledge that Julia was important to him.

But she was, more than he wanted to admit. He understood that she was hurt and angry, and he hated that he’d been the one to cause it. When he’d first met her, he’d played his usual game of flirting with her until she’d agreed to go out with him. But he wasn’t playing a game anymore. He cared about her—a lot. And the last thing he wanted was to hurt her, but how could he convince her if she wouldn’t even talk to him?

His brothers were right—he’d really screwed up this time. And he spent the rest of the night wondering how he was going to fix it.

Chapter Fifteen

Julia hadn’t realized how uptight she was until she unlocked the door of her parents’ lake house and stepped inside. It was only then, after an uneventful four-hour drive, that she took a deep breath and began to relax.

And how could she not? The “cottage” was more charming than she’d remembered, and the views of Walloon Lake were spectacular. She tried to remember the last time she’d been there and realized it had been a few years ago when she was still with Alec.

He’d stayed in the room next to hers, and she recalled trying to convince him to sneak into her room at night, but he’d refused. He’d never been much of a risk taker, and he hadn’t wanted to ruin his “good standing with her parents.” She’d wondered if his future career as a doctor was more important to him than her, and looking back, she believed it had been. He’d probably loved her in his own way, but his relationship with her father had probably been just as important, maybe even more so.

What a difference between him and Connor. There was no doubt in her mind that Connor would have snuck into her room. Their relationship was based on passion and emotions, and he wouldn’t have let her parents stop him from coming to her. Too bad the same passion that had brought them together was now tearing them apart.

Shaking her head to clear her runaway thoughts, she rolled her suitcase into the upstairs bedroom she usually used and began unpacking. Her room faced the lake, and looking out the window, she took in the shimmering blue water and cloudless sky. She’d lucked out; the weather forecast called for warm temperatures and no rain for the next several days, and she planned to take full advantage of it.

After she’d unpacked, she changed from her jeans and t-shirt into a tank top and shorts. Grabbing her book from her tote bag, and her phone, she went back downstairs and into the kitchen. Her parents must have been there recently because there were a few beverages in the refrigerator and some non-perishable snacks in the pantry.

She selected a Snapple and a package of graham crackers, unlocked the sliding glass door to the deck, and stepped outside. It was the third weekend in May, and there were several boats on the lake even though the water was still too cold for swimming. She thought about taking her parents’ pontoon boat out later, but for now, she was content to lie back in a lounge chair and bask in the sun.

For the next two hours, that’s exactly what she did. She drank lemonade, munched on crackers, and let her mind go. She even managed to read a few chapters in her latest mystery novel, which was more than she’d read in quite a while.

“See? This is perfect,” she said as she stretched out her legs and wiggled her toes. Other than the sounds from passing boats and birds chirping in the nearby trees, there was nothing but peace and quiet. This was exactly what she’d needed.

Just then, her phone vibrated on the small glass-topped table beside her chair. She’d switched the phone to vibrate mode even though she had no intention of answering it. Her curiosity had prevented her from turning it off completely because she still wanted to know who was calling—specifically Connor.

He’d left a few messages earlier in the day, but her phone had been quiet for hours. She figured he’d be working with his brothers, but now it was approaching six o’clock, and he should be home. Unless he’d gone apartment hunting with Cam again. Cam. Even the name made her stomach clench.

She waited until her phone stopped buzzing before she picked it up and listened to the message.

Hey. I know you’re mad at me, but I really wish you’d pick up. I hate talking on these things.

There was a long pause, and then he continued.

I know it didn’t look good, what you saw this morning, but I told you Cam was staying over. She didn’t have any clothes with her…I mean, other than the ones she had on, so I loaned her a T-shirt to sleep in.

Another long pause.

Damn! I was hoping you’d answer so I didn’t have to explain this to a machine. Anyway, I didn’t expect you to come over so early. I was in the shower getting ready so I could come over to your house.

Silence.

I swear to you that nothing happened. Cam slept in the spare room with Ava, and I slept in my room. That was it.

A heavy sigh.

There’s more I’d like to say, but I’m not going to say it to a machine. I’ve already talked longer on this thing than I thought I would. I might not have the right to ask you for a favor, but I’m going to anyway. Please hear me out, Jules. Call me back. Please.

And then he hung up.

Julia listened to the message again just in case she’d missed anything. Afterward, she thought about what he’d said and realized he hadn’t told her anything she didn’t already know. Her worry wasn’t that he and Cam had slept together (she refused to believe that), but whether what Cam had said was true. Was she moving in with him?

She understood that he hadn’t wanted to talk to a machine, but still, there was nothing in his message that soothed her. Nothing about missing her or wondering where she’d gone or when she was coming back. Nothing other than him defending his actions, as usual. And that wasn’t enough. Not anymore. She’d accepted his apologies before, but this time was different. This time, she needed stronger evidence that he really wanted to make this work.

Maybe that was wrong of her. Maybe she was expecting too much too soon, but she didn’t think so. Before she poured any more energy into their relationship, she needed to know how he really felt about her, about Cam, and about the future. Until then, she wasn’t going to give any more of herself than she already had.

Later that evening, Julia went into the charming town of Petoskey to get some dinner. Deciding that she didn’t want to sit inside on such a beautiful night, she bought a roast beef sandwich at a popular deli and took it down to the park that lined the shores of Little Traverse Bay. There, she found a quiet spot and sat down at a picnic table overlooking the water.