“That was fast. I just got off the phone with Luke, getting the official word. He said they made the decision this morning.”
“And of course he wanted to tell you himself.” Claire grinned. “And so?”
Julia tried to keep her features carefully arranged. “And so what?”
“God, Julia.” Claire dropped into the big client chair opposite the desk. “Anyone with half an eye could see the man is still head over heels in love with you. I’m surprised the conference room didn’t go up in flames when we were doing our presentation.”
Julia’s eyes dropped, staring at her hands. “I hardly think that’s true.”
“I think it’s time we had that talk, honey,” Claire insisted. “Really.”
“Give it a rest, Claire. Nothing’s going to happen.”
“I know you didn’t come home Thursday night and you haven’t said a word about what happened. And you got a strange look on your face when you hung up the phone. So give.” She stacked the papers on the desk. “We have a huge contract here, sweetie. This will more than put us on the map. You owe it to the business to let me know what’s happening.”
Julia leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment. “He wants us to have dinner Friday night.”
“What? But that’s wonderful. Oh, honey, I’m so glad for you. You deserve some happiness.”
Julia opened her eyes and looked at her friend. “You know that’s not possible. I can be professional and do the work on the account, but there can never be anything personal between Luke and me. Never again.”
“Julia, we’ve talked about the stupid situation with Rod McGuire. I thought we got past that, all that stupid manipulation from the grave.”
“It’s not that.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Well, maybe a little. He might decide to block the twins’ trust funds. He is, after all, the executor.”
“Julia.” Claire gave her a hard look. “Those kids don’t give a damn about those trust funds and you know it. So what’s this really all about?”
“I just don’t know how he’ll react when I tell him everything. He’ll be upset that I didn’t tell him from the beginning. Maybe angry that I didn’t trust him enough to help me handle the situation. And he’d probably be right.”
“Sweetie, you were pregnant, sick, and faced with enormous pressure. I think he’ll give you a break on that.”
“And even though I got in Rod’s face that one time, he could still try to make trouble for Luke.”
Claire set the fax sheets down on the desk. “Rod McGuire is nothing but a big bully. So he owed Charles a huge personal debt. Fine. That doesn’t give him license to ruin your life or Luke’s.” A corner of her mouth tipped up in a smile. “Luke is a big boy, and every bit as powerful in his own right. I’ll bet he could give Rod McGuire a run for his money any day of the week. He’s not without resources. He can handle it.”
“I hear you, but—” God, she seemed to be stuck in place. What was the matter with her?
“You need to trust Luke on this. That’s my final word. At least for the moment.” Claire rose and shoved the stack of papers at Julia. “Look these over, make a note of any questions you have and we’ll go over them at lunch. That good with you?”
“Yes. Fine.”
“And Julia? You’ve lived in the worst kind of purgatory for fourteen years. It’s time to unlock the jail cell.”
The week alternately sped up and crawled by. Julia and Claire finalized the Connell Wilson contract and made plans to meet with Luke and two others the following Monday to get into the specifics of the campaign. The rest of the week they spent making sure other clients would be taken care of during the time they were immersed in the first monster campaign of their career, and fleshing out the campaign itself.
Courtney was still doing well at the office, but the anger and resentment continued to bubble just beneath the surface. At home every tone of voice, every angle of body underscored it.
“Does she ever say anything to you?” Julia asked Beth one night on the phone.
“About what, Mom?”
“You know, whatever’s bothering her.”
“Mom, everything’s bothering her right now.” Beth laughed. “She’s thirteen.”
“No. I think there’s something going on with her besides normal teenage stuff. I just wish I knew what it was.”
Every day she braced herself for Luke’s call, but her phone remained strangely silent where he was concerned. And that made her even edgier. In her nightmares, he showed up at her house unannounced, took one look at Courtney and exploded with righteous anger. She was jumpy and edgy, snapping Claire’s head off, then apologizing for it. Claire just watched her carefully and said nothing.
Thursday afternoon Beth called.
“I’m taking Courtney for the weekend again,” she told her mother. “I’m calling her tonight so she can pack a bag. Tomorrow I can cut out early, so I’ll pick her up right from school. That will give you some relief and maybe I can get her to open up a little to me. If it’s more than teenage angst, we need to know.”
“Honey, did Claire put you up to this?” Julia’s stomach clenched at visions of Claire spilling everything to Beth and enlisting her to clear the decks for Friday evening.
“Nope. I have no special plans and I thought it would do both of you some good to have some breathing room. Especially after our last conversation.” Silence hummed along the connection. “Why? Is something special going on?”
“No.” Julia nearly shouted the word, then swallowed and dialed it back. “Nothing at all. But maybe I’ll have dinner with some…friends.”
“Mom.” Beth’s voice was chiding. “I’ll say this
