C.J. Urban - Julie Townsend 01 - Hidden Intent (17 page)

“I can take care of you,” Sam offered valiantly.

Julie laughed.

“Can I help?” Skye asked.

“Sure,” Julie and Sam answered in unison.

“I’m feeling better already,” she said, but then glanced at her hand, which also ached. It was bandaged.

“You took a few stitches there,” Skye told her. “You’re going to have a scar.”

Julie leaned back again. “And what about Langley?” She asked.

“I saw them take her away,” Skye said, “but I haven’t heard what they’re charging her with. What happened up there, anyways?”

Julie sat up a little, and recounted all that Desmond and Langley had said and confessed.

Skye was completely dumbstruck by the time Julie finished. “Totally insane,” he said.

“I know. I’m just glad it’s over.”

Gloria had been listening, not wanting to intrude or interrupt. Now she said, “I’m going to go, now. Julie, Skye’s not the best cook, and I think you need some good food when you get home. What do you say I take Sam and we make you a special dinner?”

Sam looked torn. He was growing to love Gloria, but part of him didn’t want to leave Julie.

“I’ll be alright, Sam,” Julie said, reading his thoughts. “You go help Gloria. It’s okay.”

Sam reached up and kissed his sister on the cheek. “We’re gonna make you the best dinner in the world!” He exclaimed.

“No pressure here,” Gloria quipped, and took Sam’s hand. “We’ll see you two soon.”

Skye waited with Julie for the doctor to come and officially discharge her. “So, what are you going to do next?” He asked.

Julie’s smile faded somewhat. “I’m not sure,” she answered truthfully. “It seems as though we came up here, moved up here for a purpose, Skye. And now that it’s done, I’ve solved my cousin’s murder case once and for all, I’m not sure we belong. You know what I mean?”

Skye tried to hide his shock and hurt. “You don’t like it here.”

“I do like it. It’s just…” she searched for the right words, “It’s just so different. I really want to go to PI school, but there isn’t one in Dupont. And I don’t want to get stuck in just any old job.”

Skye nodded. He knew Julie was thinking of leaving, and didn’t know what to say. How could he explain to her how he felt? That for him, Julie and Sam made him feel even more complete, at home, than he ever had before?

Finally out of the hospital and heading home, Julie asked, “Where’s my truck?”

“It’s back at your place,” Skye told her.

Julie was struck by overwhelming gratitude for Skye. He really had taken care of everything. She leaned over and kissed him.

But the drive home was silent, and although Sam and Gloria had made Julie’s favorite dinner of roasted chicken, broccoli and mac and cheese, the dinner was quiet, too.

Sam pushed his empty plate away, full. “I haven’t played with my toys in a looonnng time,” he announced. “Can I go upstairs?”

“Sure, buddy,” Julie told him.

Skye remained unusually quiet even after Sam had gone. He helped her with the dishes, and they went into the living room.

Julie felt bad about telling him she was thinking of leaving. “Listen, Skye, it’s not you,” she told him, taking his hand. “I just don’t know what the best thing to do is. I have to think of Sam, too.”

Skye just nodded. She waited for him to kiss her or at least put an arm around her shoulders, but he didn’t. “I understand. This has all been a whirl-wind, ever since you got here.”

Julie wished she had cable, something to distract them, or at least fill the awkward silence.

“But Julie,” he finally spoke. “Don’t you understand?”

“Understand what?” She asked.

“Nothing.” His tone was more formal now. “You’ve had a long day. I’m going to stay and take care of you, but I think I should sleep on the couch tonight.”

“But…”

“No buts,” he stopped her. “You’re recovering from a concussion, and you need to rest.”

Julie was tired, and she actually stifled a yawn. She was hurt now, too. Why didn’t he want to be with her? Was it because of Sam?

“Alright,” she said, a little colder than she’d intended. “I’ll go to bed. Night.”

Julie rose and made for the stairs without looking back.

“Julie?” She turned and found him behind her.

“Yes?”

“Just take a minute,” he said, his voice gentle now. “And by a minute, I mean a little while. Think about what Julie wants. That’s all I’m asking. Okay?”

Julie looked into his eyes. They were almost pleading with her. “Alright. I will.” And she continued up the stairs.

Behind her, Skye silently mouthed three words. Three words that he just couldn’t say out loud quite yet.

Chapter
33

The next morning Julie woke to the smell of breakfast. She realized she was ravenous, so she dressed, pulled her hair back into a ponytail and went downstairs.

She found Skye at the stove, frying up eggs, hash browns and sausage. Sam was already devouring his breakfast.

Skye is so kind,
she thought to herself, watching him cook. She wanted for them to get back to where they were, close and happy. While she didn’t quite know how to do that yet, she made an effort to be bright, breezy.

“What’s this?” She asked. “Smells wonderful.”

Skye’s face lit up as he turned to her. He handed her a cup of coffee. “It’s breakfast. You need to get your strength back.”

Julie sipped her coffee. It was delicious. “Thank you. I do feel a lot much better. I guess I just needed a good night’s sleep.”

“Well, that’s good,” he said. “Sit. Yours is ready.” He made a plate for her, then one for himself and sat down next to her.

“You’re a pretty good cook,” Julie remarked, digging in.

“Hey, I learned from the best,” Skye said, making an effort to keep the topic light as well.

Still, neither Julie nor Skye knew quite what to say. So Julie settled on a simple subject. “I’m going to visit my Uncle Oliver today.”

But Skye frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”

Julie forced a laugh. “I feel fine. Really. And you didn’t have to go to all this trouble, but I appreciate it.”

“No problem,” he answered. Finished with his meal, he rose and rinsed his plate off. “I have to go to work,” he announced. “And I have a couple of errands to run today too. I made you some tuna, for lunch. I’ll be back this afternoon.”

Julie wished he had a little time to talk, but she understood. “Thanks,” she repeated, as he grabbed his jacket and keys.

Skye bent down and kissed her gently on the cheek. It would have been a nice moment if Sam hadn’t started teasing them with kissing noises.

“Stop it,” Julie said, poking her little brother.

Skye laughed. “You’ll call me if you need anything at all?” He asked, looking her straight in the eye. “If you feel dizzy, or even get a headache?”

“Skye, you don’t have to…”

“Yes, I do. I said I’d care for you, and that’s what I’m doing. I’ve got to go, though. Promise me?”

She took his hand. “I promise.”

He was about to say something else, but changed his mind. “See you later, then.”

“Bye,” Sam called after him.

“Bye, Sam,” Skye called, and was gone.

On the drive to their uncle’s house, Julie decided to broach the subject of moving with Sam. Even though it was ultimately her decision, she wanted to see how he felt.

“Sam, I’m thinking we’d be better off back at the beach. I’m trying to decide whether we should move again.”

Sam looked up at Julie in dismay. “But you said we couldn’t afford it there,” he pointed out.

“Well, we can try. I just need to get a job.”

“I thought you were going to be a private investigator, and I was going to be your helper.”

“I know what I said,” she answered, slightly irritated. “But sometimes we don’t always get what we want, Sam.”

“But we just got here,” Sam persisted. “And now that the bad people are gone, it might be okay here.”

Julie considered. “Maybe. But you’ve got to trust whatever I decide, okay?”

“Okay,” Sam answered.

Uncle Oliver was more than happy to see Julie and Sam at his door. “Come in, come in,” he said, grinning.

They entered, and he motioned for them to sit.

“So, you did it!” Oliver exclaimed. “Julie, I’m so proud of you. How can I ever repay you?”

“You don’t have to repay me,” Julie told him. “I wanted to get to the bottom of it. And it was good experience.”

“For being a PI?”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Julie said, her voice a little uncertain now though.

“That’s your dream, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it really is. I just don’t know how I’ll do it. I don’t know where, either.”

She looked up at her uncle as if searching for an answer.

“You must always follow your dreams, my child,” Oliver told her. “And, I’ve found, it doesn’t matter where you are. You can make your dreams happen, if you believe in yourself.”

“You really think so?”

“I do. And you obviously have the gift for it. No, don’t doubt yourself. It is a rare gift that you have. Add that to your dreams, and you’ll be fine.”

Julie smiled. It was nice to be able to talk with her uncle, especially now that her parents were gone.

“Oh!” She said. “I almost forgot.” She crossed the room to where she’d left her purse and picked up a bag. She brought it to her uncle.

“What’s this?” He asked her.

“These are Tara’s diaries,” she told him.

Oliver looked inside the bag and pulled one out. He held the worn book in his hands, and a single tear fell onto his cheek. “Thank you, Julie. I think I can read these now.”

“You’re welcome,” she told him. She was glad she’d brought them to him.

They talked more about the case, and Oliver was pleased to know that Langley would be behind bars, while Jacob Leigh would get a second chance at life.

“Well, we’ve got to get going,” Julie finally said.

“Alright. But you come back soon. I enjoy visiting with you.”

“We will,” Julie said, though she wasn’t certain she could keep her word.

“And don’t you give up on your dreams,” Oliver emphasized, caressing his niece’s cheek tenderly. “Don’t ever sell yourself short. Good dreams are hard to come by.”

Chapter 34

When Julie and Sam got home, Gloria and Skye were waiting for them. Curious, Julie got out of the car with her brother, and met them at her front porch.

“Hi,” Julie greeted.

“Hello,” Gloria returned. “We wanted to surprise you. I brought you another dinner.”

Sam beamed up at Gloria. “What did you bring us? I could have helped you.”

“I brought my famous chicken casserole,” she told the boy. To Julie, Gloria added, “I hope you don’t mind. I just know you’ve had a rough couple of days.”

“No, not at all,” Julie said, glancing at Skye. “Thank you.”

“Well, my dear,” Gloria continued, “I was wondering if I could borrow Sam for the evening. There are a couple of movies I want to watch, and I need some company.”

Sam looked up at Gloria, excited. “Can I, Julie? And can we have popcorn?”

Julie recognized sabotage when she saw it. Gloria was trying to give her and Skye some time alone. On the one hand she felt cornered, but on the other, she appreciated a little break from her brother. Even though they’d been through a harrowing experience, she was a little tired. And, she trusted that Sam would have a good time.

“I guess so…” she fumbled for words. She looked down at Sam. “You want to go with Gloria?”

“You bet!”

“Well, alright then, go pack your jammies and tooth brush, buddy.”

He raced upstairs as Gloria brought in the casserole. Skye had remained quiet, but Julie could sense his unease. It was obvious that there was something he wanted to talk about privately. He set his backpack down in the kitchen, where his mother was putting the dish into the oven.

“Just heat it for a half hour or so,” Gloria announced. “And you’ll be good to go.”

Sam raced back down the stairs with his own backpack, anxious to leave before anyone changed their mind.

“Well?” Julie asked after Sam and Gloria left. “What’s going on? Is there something wrong? Did they let Langley go or something?”

“Julie,” Skye said, taking a seat in the kitchen. Then he got up, and started pacing.

Julie watched him, somewhat amused. She knew him well enough to understand that if he had bad news, he would get to the point. Something was on his mind, alright, but she wouldn’t push him.

“Julie,” he said again, this time her name lingering on his tongue.