Her heart pinched at the knowledge she’d caused it. “Luke, I…”
Beth was standing next to her, mouthing “Go and see him.”
“No more running away, Julia,” Luke said in her ear.
Claire had told her that and apparently she was right.
Julia swallowed again. “All right. But I need time to talk with Courtney before I do anything else.”
Silence. Then, “Fine. I agree that’s important. Very important. I’ll pick you up at six for dinner. At your house,” he emphasized. “No more excuses.”
“Yes. Six o’clock.” But her hand shook when she hung up the telephone.
“He’s coming here?”
Julia nodded. “But I have to talk to your sister right now. Can you stay here for a while?”
“Of course. No problem.” She enfolded Julia in a warm hug. “Mom, I understand a lot more than you think. And so will Andy. Who, by the way, should also be included in this.”
Julia raked her fingers through her hair. “I know, I know. And I should be the one to tell him, but…”
“I can do it. No sweat. I’ll call him and you can go up and talk to Courtney.” She kissed Julia’s cheek. “I take it you and the sexy Mr. Buchanan are having dinner tonight?”
“Beth! He’s…”
“Very sexy.” Beth grinned. “I can see why any woman would fall for him like crazy.” She pulled her mother into another embrace.
Julia melted into her warmth. “What did I ever do to deserve kids like you?”
“You were a damned good mom. Now it’s time to do something for yourself, too. I’ll see if Andy can shake loose of whatever he’s doing and we’ll hang with Courtney tonight.”
“I’ll be here, too.” Miranda came into the kitchen from the utility room where she’d obviously gone to make herself scarce and gave Julia another hug. “Things will work out. You’ll see. It’s time for this to come out, anyway.”
Beth looked at her. “You knew? About Courtney?”
“Honey, I live in this house, remember? I know exactly when your father moved out and when he moved back in.”
“Then—”
“It wasn’t my secret to tell.” She nudged Julia. “Go on. Go upstairs to her. She’s probably a mess, but we’ll work through it together.”
Chapter 21
“So, is he living here now?” Courtney asked. “In San Antonio?”
Julia nodded. The past few hours were among the most painful she could remember in a long time. Nothing she said seemed to reach the troubled teenager. Courtney swung back and forth between anger and tears. It wasn’t an easy time for either of them, but now, both emotionally exhausted, they’d achieved a measure of calm. Julia just hoped it wasn’t the eye of the hurricane.
“Yes. He has a great job here.”
“Where does he live?” Courtney demanded. “Can I go there? Does he want to see me?”
Julia named the all-suites hotel where Luke was staying for the time being. “But he’ll be looking for something more permanent. And yes, I’m sure he wants to see you.”
“Are the two of you going to get married?” Courtney wasn’t pulling any punches now.
Were they? Good question. She hoped he still wanted her after the incredible mess she’d made of everything.
“I think we’re going to take this one step at a time, honey. I’ve told you things I have yet to explain to him.”
“What if he doesn’t like me?” She scowled. “What if I don’t like him?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Julia sat on Courtney’s bed and she tried to reach for her daughter, but the girl scrabbled away from her. Julia bit back whatever words bubbled up. Such a long way to go yet. “I’m going to have dinner with him tonight. And then we’ll arrange for the two of you to get together. But, honey, I know he’ll love you. Why wouldn’t he?”
“Maybe I’m unlovable,” Courtney mumbled.
“Oh, Court.”
“Why can’t I have dinner with you tonight? Why can’t I come, too?”
“Because he and I have things to discuss. This has been a shock to him, too.”
“At least now I know why I didn’t get to go to those awful dinners with Andy and Beth.” She frowned. “Mom, if your—if Charles made your life so miserable, made it impossible for you to tell my father about me, why did you marry him in the first place?”
Why, indeed?
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told Beth. My only excuse is I was young, naïve, and vulnerable and anxious to get away from my own dysfunctional family situation. I thought he was the answer.”
Silence.
Julia waited.
“So you’re not ashamed of me?” Courtney’s voice sound so young and defenseless. “How come you never told him about me?” Courtney asked the same question for what was probably the twentieth time.
“Oh, Courtney, no. Such a thing is so far from the truth. I love you. You were the only piece of him I had to hang on to all of these years.”
Again Julia tried to hug her, but Courtney wrenched away from her. Julia rubbed her forehead, trying to beat back the rapidly building headache, and looked at her watch. “I’d like to take a shower before Luke picks me up. Will you come downstairs to say hello to him when he gets here?”
“I’ll see.”
Julia rose from the bed, heartsick and aching. “I’ll let you know when he gets here.”
But Courtney had already withdrawn into herself.
Half an hour later, Julia walked back downstairs and into the kitchen. She found Andy, who’d apparently arrived during the time she was in the shower, drinking coffee with Beth. She looked at them, twins yet such opposites. The six foot two young man, muscular with sandy hair, was blessed with the kind of almost-rugged good looks women seemed to fall over themselves for these days, Charles’s good looks, but with a lot more warmth. Beside him, his sister was such a contrast, petite like Julia, with hazel eyes and dark hair, and a curvy body even sloppy jeans and a sweatshirt couldn’t disguise.
What beautiful children she’d been blessed with.
“Why aren’t you hanging out with some woman?” she joked.
“I am. My two
