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“Uh, nothing. We’ll go with that.”
“I know that if someone throws an obstacle in your path, you find a way around it.”
That sounded like him. On a good day. He hadn’t had one for a while. “How do you know that?”
“Because I’m the same way,” she said as she walked away.
“God, I hope not,” he muttered as he followed her. But he had a feeling that she was more tenacious than him.
“And I don’t care if what I saw in the club had nothing to do with me,” she said as she marched to her car. “I’m not going to let those women steal just because they’re tougher than me. I’m going to stop them.”
Eric understood her desire to make a difference, to stop something she knew was wrong. But she also had this view that everything would work in her favor because right was on her side. There had to be a way where she could feel like a participant without getting in the line of fire. He had to find that balance.
He saw Julie approach her light blue MINI Cooper. “This is where you parked?” He stopped in his tracks and looked around the garage. Of all the places to leave a car unattended, this would be his very last choice. “It’s in a blind spot for the security cameras and there is no direct light.”
“It was the first one available,” she said as she took her keys out of her pocket.
“And did you wonder why?” he asked as he watched her unlock the driver’s door. “Like most people would avoid it because it screams ‘mug me here’?”
She turned around and faced him. “And where did you park? Under a floodlight and in front of the parking attendant?”
Eric flattened his hand against his chest. “I can take care of myself. You—” he pointed at her “—I’m not so sure about.”
“Thanks.” Her sarcasm was loud and clear. “And here I thought you walked me to my car because you couldn’t get enough of my company.”
“There’s that—” he placed his hand on the car door before she could open it “—and I wanted to make my point clear. You don’t have to stick your neck out to find danger. Contact the Z-Ray or contact the authorities. Let someone who is qualified pursue it.”
She gave him a tight smile. “You might as well pat my head and tell me to be a good girl.”
Eric didn’t know why his words were getting mixed up. He never seemed to say the right thing to Julie. “All I’m asking is for you to sit this one out.”
“No, absolutely not.”
He placed his other hand on the car rooftop, caging her in. “Why not?”
She leaned up against the car. “Because I’m always sidelined and I’m tired of it.”
“Not always,” he argued. “You were a decoy tonight.”
“And you know what, right up until the moment Lloyd walked away, it was fun. This time I wasn’t on the outside looking in. I finally got to be a part of the game.”
“And you will have a chance to play a bigger part of the game, but you have to work up to it.”
“That’s what I’ve always been told. ‘Next time you can have a chance,’” she mimicked. “‘Be patient. Just wait your turn.’” Sadness flickered in her eyes. “But it never happened. I didn’t get a turn. It’s been that way since I was a child. My family didn’t allow me to do anything and it’s still true today.”
“I’m sure your parents had good reason.” He had no doubt that she was a curious and impulsive child who found trouble at every turn.
“Okay, sure I had some health issues,” she admitted. “It’s not uncommon with a premature baby. And it didn’t help that I was always sick in bed or at a doctor’s office.”
“Health issues?” Eric studied her face. Her pale complexion gave her an ethereal beauty, and he always thought she was delicately feminine, but she was no waif.
“My parents were overprotective,” she insisted.
Eric didn’t say anything. He was kind of envious. He would have liked it if his parents showed any concern for him.
Julie’s eyes clouded as she remembered. “All the neighborhood kids got to go outside and have fun and I was stuck watching them from my bedroom window.”
That would explain the good observation skills. She had spent a lot of time watching the world go by. “What health issues?” he repeated.
“I grew out of them,” she told him and sighed. “Eventually.”
