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Juliette adjusted her position on the couch, grimacing a little when she stretched her bruised leg out straight. “Your panties would be sufficiently melted if you saw him.” She wasn’t lying. The man had most definitely caught her attention both times she’d seen him. “It’s kind of why I called. Do you know if he’s single?” His sister and niece lived with him, which made her think he wasn’t married, but it didn’t rule out anything else.
“No clue. But I can find out. I’m sure my mom or sister knows. Do you want me to call them?”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. I was just curious.” Until the media moved on to something other than her and Daniel, it was probably best she didn’t get into another relationship.
“Curious or bored?”
Except for her walks, she hadn’t left the cottage, so she should be bored, because it wasn’t like her to sit around at home for days and days. Oddly, boredom hadn’t struck her once.
“Instead of bored, maybe I should have asked if you’re lonely and looking for someone to pass the time with while you’re there. And if Aaron looks as good as the last time I saw him, I don’t blame you for wanting to spend your lonely nights with him.”
Despite the lack of company, she hadn’t been lonely since she’d checked in. “Curious. Until pictures of Daniel and me stop popping up everywhere, I think it’s better I don’t get involved with anyone.” Heaven knew how they might drag someone she started spending time with into the little drama.
“It might be a while before that happens. But if you change your mind, I can get you an answer in a matter of minutes.”
Thanks for the reminder.
“Have you checked the Star Report website recently?”
Juliette groaned. “Before you even ask, that’s not me and Daniel having sex. He must have been seeing someone besides me.” If he’d been getting some from another woman, it explained why he’d been willing to wait as long as he had to sleep with her.
“I had a feeling it wasn’t you. The woman’s hair looked longer than yours.”
Most people, including her parents, if they ever saw the picture—man, she hoped they didn’t—wouldn’t look close enough to notice the difference in hair length.
“Daniel was more of a jerk than I thought. I hope his wife takes him to the cleaners.” An annoying beep followed Holly’s statement, signaling that someone was trying to reach one of them. “It’s my mom,” Holly said before Juliette checked her phone. “I’m going to ask her about Aaron in case you change your mind. And if you see him again, tell him I said hello.”
Telling Holly not to bother was a waste of time, so she didn’t comment on Holly’s statement. “Talk to you later.”
Chapter 5
Juliette started her day with a long walk first along the lake and then the same path she’d followed yesterday. Despite her constant reminders to herself that getting into any kind of relationship while up here was a bad idea, she kept a lookout for Aaron. Unfortunately, the only life she saw came in the form of a single chipmunk. Man, those buggers moved quickly when startled.
Although she hadn't been able to visually appreciate the man again, thanks to Mrs. Lambert, she learned a boatload about him when Holly called her back. In fact, when it came to details about Aaron, Mrs. Lambert put the internet and all its search engines to shame.
According to Holly’s mom, not only was Aaron unmarried as she’d assumed, but he wasn’t seeing anyone, much to his mother’s dismay. During their conversation, Mrs. Lambert shared with Holly that Aaron’s mom often mentioned how much she hoped her son would get married and start a family.
Aaron’s current relationship status wasn’t the only detail she’d learned about him either, thanks to Holly and her mom. She also now knew he worked for a company in Boston. Mrs. Lambert couldn’t remember its name, but she knew he did something with computers there. Whatever it was, though, he worked from home most of the time and traveled into the city a few times a month. While giving Holly those bites of information, she’d shared that his niece and sister had moved in with him about seven months ago. However, she didn’t have all the details of why Mrs. Lambert assumed the move was related to Candace’s divorce last summer.
Following her informative conversation with Holly, Juliette left the campground for the first time since she’d arrived. With no destination in mind, she’d left her GPS turned off and simply driven around town. During her wandering, she’d found herself back on Main street. Unlike the day she arrived, the parking lots at each of the schools were full, and students ran around the playground next to one of the buildings. Rather than turn when she reached the four-way intersection on Main Street like she had the previous weekend, she continued straight and found some of the other business Holly had mentioned were scattered around town. After more than an hour of aimless driving, she reached a sign welcoming her to the town of Ashford. Instead of continuing, she pulled over and put the address for the campground into her GPS. Although she’d paid attention to her surroundings while driving, she’d known she’d never make it back to the cottage without assistance. Maybe after a few more trips, she could do it, but not today.
Despite the lack of street signs and one missed turn, she made it back to the campground just as the sky opened up. She’d expected it. Not only had the sky been overcast since she woke up, but the weather app on her phone had said there was a 90 percent chance of rain starting at noon. Still, when the first onslaught of water hit the windshield, she’d sworn. She’d hoped to sit on the porch swing and do some more reading before the rain started because the temperature was a good fifteen degrees warmer than yesterday. Instead, she’d dashed inside before she got soaked. She then proceeded to spend her time first reading and then searching various real estate websites for homes in and around the area. It might be crazy, but she couldn’t shake the idea of buying a house either in town or the general area for those weeks when she wanted to get away from the city. But as far as nutty ideas went, it wasn’t the worst one she’d ever had. And she could guarantee it wouldn’t be the last crazy notion she got either. After all, what fun was it always doing only things that made sense?
The afternoon was long gone now, and her unhappy stomach kept reminding her she’d only had a fruit salad for lunch. While she’d intended to walk up to the Wrights’ house for dinner, the rain forced her to nix her plan and drive instead.
Candace opened the door before Juliette rang the doorbell. “Come on in before you get soaked. Unless you’re a duck, this has been a pretty miserable day.”
She didn’t hesitate to step inside. “It could be worse. It could be snowing.” When she wanted to ski, she liked the cold, wet stuff, but at all other times, she found it a plain nuisance.
“I’d rather have it snow any day,” Candace said as she closed and locked the front door. “If you want to give me your jacket, I’ll hang it up for you.”
She’d thought about not wearing it—it wasn’t like she was going to be spending time outside. In the end, she’d pulled it on to keep from getting wet to and from the car.
“The potatoes need about another ten minutes in the oven.” Her hostess hung Juliette’s jacket in the large hall closet. “I should have asked when I invited you if you were a vegetarian or allergic to any foods. It didn’t occur to me until I took the roast out of the oven.”
Juliette had attempted a vegetarian diet when she was about thirteen. She’d made it three months before her cravings for hamburgers and sausage pizza had her calling it quits. While she ate a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and very little sausage pizza these days, there wasn’t any type of food that she eliminated from her diet. “No allergies, and I’ll eat almost anything except lamb.” Some people might love it, but she couldn’t stand even its smell, never mind the taste.
Candace wrinkled her nose. “My brother likes it, but I don’t know how anyone eats lamb.”
