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“Whatever happens between you and Julie,” Josh said. “You at least owe her the truth.”
“The truth?” I asked, my throat tightening.
“You know what I mean,” Josh said. “She’s not something for you to play around with. She’s better than that. She’s better than you.”
“She’s better than both of us,” I said. “That much is clear.”
“Just tell her the truth,” Josh said again. “If you really care about her as much as you claim to, then tell her everything.”
“This is none of your business,” I said. “You broke up with her. She’s no longer your concern.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Josh hung up on me without another word. I pulled my phone away from my ear and stared down at it, shocked and appalled by Josh’s nerve. Who the hell did he think he was?
I was fuming as I jumped out of my chair and began pacing around the room. Part of me wanted to call Josh back and lay into him. I wanted to scream at him, call him out for all the bullshit things he did to Julie while they were dating. She’d told me enough about their relationship that I felt justified standing up for her.
But just as I was about to grab my phone off my desk, I stopped myself. Getting into yet another fight with my brother wouldn’t help anything. Things between Julie and I were already up in the air. I hadn’t heard her voice in over twenty-four hours, and it was killing me.
Instead of calling Josh, I called Julie again. The phone rang a few times before she finally picked up.
“Hello?” she said. Her tone was soft, almost nervous.
“Hey, you,” I said. “I’ve been trying to call you all morning.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m sorry. Work’s been insane since you left yesterday.”
“Did you get a new assignment?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Julie said. I waited for her to continue, to give me something else to go on, but she didn’t.
We sat on the phone, neither saying a word, for what felt like an hour. Every time I opened my mouth to speak, I closed it again for fear of sounding stupid.
“Well,” I said. “I guess I should let you get back to it.”
“I’m sorry,” Julie said again. “Once I get this article finished, I’ll call you, okay?”
“Sure,” I said. “Take your time.”
“Thanks.”
Julie hung up, and I tossed my phone back on my desk. Nothing about this felt right. Josh screaming at me. Julie avoiding me. Everything was all wrong.
When I first saw Julie sitting at the café in town, I never thought I would fall so hard for her. She was gorgeous, beautiful in a way I’d never seen before, but that wasn’t what drew me in. Every word that came out of her mouth leaked wit and intelligence. She was graceful, elegant, and poised in every situation. She was everything I admired in a woman and more.
The thought of our relationship ending already was heart-wrenching. There were still so many things I wanted to tell her, so many experiences I wanted to share with her. The tree lighting in the town square was just the beginning. It wasn’t enough. The short time we’d already spent together wasn’t enough. I needed more.
“Marcy?” I called. I heard her chair squeak as she sprung up and hurried into my office.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Do I have any meetings scheduled for this afternoon?” I asked.
“No,” Marcy said, shaking her head. “You’re free until tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Hold all my calls for the rest of the day, okay? I’ll return messages first thing in the morning.”
“Okay.” Marcy nodded and hurried back to her desk.
