The last thing she saw as the elevator doors closed with Luke in the hallway, the expression on his face a combination of love and resolution.
Please let it be all right. Please.
* * * *
Miranda started to ask her a question when she walked into the house. One look at Julia’s face and she just said, “We’re having chicken for dinner,” and walked back into the kitchen.
In the shower, every moment of the previous night replayed itself in Julia’s mind. Her body stirred just remembering the touch of Luke’s hands, the passion of his kisses, the incredible sense of him inside her, filling her. Over the past fourteen years, the magic had only increased. She could no more have walked away at the Connell Wilson offices than she could have jumped out a window. The tug, the lure, were still as strong.
At least she’d avoided a showdown with Rod for the moment. Harry’s House had been an excellent choice of restaurants with its private, secluded rooms. But if she continued to see Luke she knew it would happen sooner rather than later. One thing at a time, she told herself. She turned off the shower and tried to make her brain work as she dried herself off. She knew what she needed to do for things to go forward with Luke and for that she had to have a plan.
As sure as she knew her name, she was certain he would not be put off. His intentions were crystal clear. He was not a man deterred by flimsy excuses. And once he got a good look at Courtney, he’d have even more questions and would be even more determined. Their daughter had Luke’s dark brown eyes and his distinctive eyebrows. She wondered what other physical traits of the Buchanan family her daughter also carried. She could just imagine the shock when he saw the daughter he didn’t even know he had.
She popped two acetaminophen to dull the headache bullying its way up from behind her eyes. Then she dressed quickly, brushed her hair, and made do with blush and lip gloss for makeup. No clients today so she didn’t need a full-court press. She just needed to get herself together before facing Claire.
Claire!
Now there was one person she could barely keep anything from. The woman would take one look at her and pry everything out of her. She swallowed a strangled laugh as she imagined Claire marching into Charles’s hospital room and, heart attack or not, giving him a scathing piece of her mind. Well, she could use some of that brashness now to help her stiffen her spine.
“See you later,” she called to Miranda as she hurried out to her car.
* * * *
“Well?” Claire was on the phone but hung up as soon as Julia walked into the office.
“Well, what?” Julia deliberately kept her face blank.
“Come on, give.” Claire grinned. “Was it wonderful?”
Julia dropped into the chair in front of Claire’s desk, ran her fingers through her hair, and leaned her head back. “Yes. It was beyond wonderful.”
Claire leaned forward. “Then what’s the problem? Why do you look so stressed? I thought you’d tell me you’d died and gone to heaven.”
“Almost.” She closed her eyes, willing herself under control.
“What’s that supposed to mean? My God, Charles is long out of the picture, you’ve lived like a nun since his death, and Andy and Beth are out on their own. There might even be hope for Courtney. Why isn’t it time for Julia?”
“I don’t want to discuss it right now, okay?” Julia sat up, rotating her neck to relieve the tension.
“No, not okay. If I weren’t married and that man walked back into my life, I’d chain him to the bed. God, Julia. What is wrong with you?”
More than I can tell you, she wanted to say. She’d have to lay everything out for Luke before they could move forward and all that was still tumbling around in her brain.
“There are just…complications.” The same excuse she’d used with Luke
“Honey, I know the whole story, remember? There’s nothing that can’t be uncomplicated.”
“Claire,” she began.
“Julia.” Claire’s voice softened. “Please tell me you aren’t giving Charles the power to reach out from the grave and ruin your life.”
Julia shook her head. “It’s not that, I promise you. I’m just so afraid of what will happen if—when—Luke finds out about Courtney. Will he hate me for not tracking him down?”
“You tried,” Claire pointed out.
“I could have tried harder,” she protested.
“Give Luke some credit, okay? He still loves you. A lot. Will this be a challenge? Of course. But I have faith the two of you can weather it.”
“How was Courtney?” Julia segued into a new topic.
“Okay, change the subject.” Claire sighed. “But just for now. Courtney was fine. She behaved politely, showed me what Beth told her about makeup, and actually looked decent when I dropped her off at school today.”
“Thank you so much. It was wonderful of you to do that.”
“If I’m so wonderful, then pay attention to what I’m telling you.”
“I will. Soon,” she hedged and stood up. “I want to check my messages and then we can debrief yesterday’s presentation, okay?”
Claire simply sat there, studying her for a long time before she spoke. “Fine. But I’m not through taking to you about this. You’ve got something very good here. I won’t let you lose it again because you’re afraid. It’s time to put those fears aside and grab on to the life you’ve missed out on all these years.”
* * * *
Luke closed the door to his office, telling Ellen, his secretary, he didn’t want to be disturbed for a while. He had a meeting in an hour and he needed to straighten out his head before he got to it.
What the hell had been wrong with Julia this morning? Last night he’d thought what they felt for each other had slammed back at them stronger than ever. Missing her and wanting
