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“I know that,” Molly said, frowning at her.
As Julie watched the seven dancers of Carter’s company, Nimbus, she envied the kind of commitment and determination they each must have to work so hard at an art form and make it their chosen path. Lexi’s constant lectures about her abandonment of her own creative work echoed in her mind.
Could it still be that old message from her father that she would never be good at anything? Reuniting with Noah was bringing up so many memories, both good and bad. And being with him was already changing her, getting her out of her walled-in rut.
When the dancers finished, she and Molly clapped and cheered. After thanking Carter and telling her how wonderful it was, she went to her car with Tricia to give her Molly’s overnight bags.
As she was getting ready to leave, Tricia said, “I hope things work out with you and Noah. I only know him as a doctor, but he seems like such a great guy.”
“Thanks,” Julie said. “I’m nervous about meeting his colleagues tonight. I hope I don’t do or say anything to embarrass him.”
“Are you crazy? You are class and cool personified. He is going to be the envy of everyone there.”
Julie shook her head. “You are so kind to me when I don’t deserve it at all. The things I said to you when you were dating my brother were so—”
“Stop it. You made some bad assumptions and thought you were protecting your family.”
“I had a pin up my butt.”
Tricia burst out laughing. “Why don’t you come have a Sunday family lunch at our house when you pick up Molly tomorrow.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Or dinner if you get, ahem, held up longer.”
Julie grinned. “Thanks. I’d love that. And you have my cell in case Molly needs—”
“There won’t be any problem Bryce and I can’t handle. Go enjoy yourself and don’t think about anything except the hot guy you’re with.”
Julie reached out and hugged Tricia. “You are the perfect boot in the butt that I needed. And the best thing that ever happened to my brother.”
Tricia laughed. “Here’s hoping what we found happens to you.”
“So,tonight am I finally going to meet this mystery woman you’ve been spending time with? Or are you still hiding her?”
Noah turned to Jace Bernstein, his best friend and partner in his medical practice. They had met when Noah moved to Philadelphia to do his residency at HUP, the hospital affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania. After four years as roommates, young doctors both practicing obstetrics and gynecology, both dealing with a family member fighting cancer, they had become close friends and eventually decided to open a practice together in the North Fork where they’d visited a mutual friend and fell in love with the area.
“I’m not hiding her,” Noah said, shaking his head. “You just happened to take off early on the day I brought her over to see my offices.”
Jace smirked at him. “Yeah, right. I think you’ve been too busy showing her something else.”
Noah laughed. “I told you, we’d had a bad breakup years ago and needed time to see how things would play out between us.”
“It’s been four months, hasn’t it?
“Hey, it took you three years to propose to Chrissy.”
“Then you definitely have marriage in your plans?”
“Yeah.”
“Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Me neither,” Noah said, but he knew the reason. He’d gone out with plenty of other women for the last seven years, only to realize he would never meet anyone that could replace the girl he’d fallen so deeply in love with when he was in med school. “But we aren’t quite there yet. Well, I am, but she has some difficult history and is skittish about getting involved with any man again. So I’m not going to push her. She is too important to me.”
“Whoa.” Jace’s eyebrows shot upward. “All the more reason I’ve got to meet this woman.” He gave Noah a playful punch in the arm and headed off to his last patient of the day.
Already finished, Noah headed to his car, excited about seeing Julie. He barely got in the door, when he heard her car pull into his driveway. He went to the side door, and the usual rush he got whenever he saw her was there again. He wondered if it would fade over time. Or maybe it would just get deeper and smoother, like a fine wine.
Julie stepped toward him, carrying an overnight bag and a dress in a bag on a hanger, presumably the one she’d be wearing tonight. He took that and her bag from her and leaned in for a kiss, which she gave him. A gentle hello kiss.
“Everything go all right dropping off Molly?” he asked.
