You Were Always Home (Homecoming #3) Page 8

“You were so sad. Even Scottie noticed.”

  Prescott hated being called Scottie. That was Grandpa’s name. Not that he had anything against Grandfather Scott; he just liked being original.

  “You’re better now. How can I not be happy?” I said.

  “Child, we both know it has nothing to do with me.” Nana gave me a knowing look.

  That was when Prescott turned his face to look at me, his eyes questioning.

  “Who are you seeing?” he demanded.

  “No one!”

  “Julie, you’re blushing. Now tell me who so I can kick his ass.”

  To say Pres was overprotective was an understatement. And Jake could kick his ass easily, of course. I didn’t say any of that.

  “No one,” I lied again, but this time more convincingly.

  Prescott raised a brow at me. I knew he was going to keep an eye on me, but he would never know. Then I remembered my almost-kiss… Prescott was going to freak!

  We came home on Sunday morning, and when I walked into my room, there was a package on my bed.

  It was another square covered in brown paper, except this one didn’t say Pete and Son’s. It had a stamp from the mail. My brother probably got it from the post office. Excitement ran through my whole body as I ripped open the wrapper, revealing my new canvas. Summer.

  The sun on the kiosk was radiant. I swear I could feel heat radiating from the painting. There was no denying it was beautiful. The picture was on the exact opposite side of the winter portrait. Smiling, I turned it over so I could hang it next to my winter painting.

  There was a note in the back that made me jump up and down like a lunatic.

  Prettiest when you smile. -Jake

  11

  Juliet

  The day after Jake asked me out, I would sit in my room and wonder how it would feel when he pressed his lips on mine. Would it be full of hunger like I was for him, or would he tease me because Jake loved to tease me to the point of driving me to insanity. What I didn’t expect was that I’d be making the first move eight years later. I didn’t know why I did it. Okay, I knew why I did it—he was fine. As in F-I-N-E—fine. The man should come with a label that said “stay wet” because there was no way your panties were going to stay dry when he was touching you and throwing you over his shoulder.

  So, yeah, I had big expectations for our kiss. My hand was on his neck, and when he opened his mouth, I was like, This is it. The moment I’ve been waiting for my entire life. His hands came around my waist, but instead of pulling me closer, he pushed me away.

  Ouch.

  “Juliet.” His voice wasn’t gruff or sexy; it was hesitant, and I about died.

  “I’ m… I… I have to go.” I turned and got back in my car, closed the door, and started to back away pronto, leaving Jake standing there, not making a move to try and stop me.

  This was mortifying. Why did I think I could do this? We were friends. Some friend you are, trying to swap saliva with him.

  I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I was never setting foot in the hardware store ever again.

  Now I was avoiding that place like the plague. The plus side was my neighbor was not having one of his psycho moments. Which was great because it let me wallow in my misery.

  When I heard a commotion in the hall, I jumped off my couch, a little scared. Was someone trying to break into my apartment? Running to the peephole, I was relieved when I noticed Jess and Rosie in the hall.

  “Hey, guys,” I said when I opened the door, smiling at them.

  Rosie immediately perked up and smiled at me. “Hi. Can we come and watch TV?”

  “Rosie,” Jess hissed.

  “Like I said, I live alone and wouldn’t mind the company.” Or the distraction.

  Rosie walked in right away while Jess took a deep breath and followed.

  “Thanks,” she murmured low enough that I thought I imagined it.

  With the girls in my apartment, I could somewhat forget about the ass I’d made about myself. Jake Carson was not a guy for me to want. You’d think I’d learned the lesson years ago, but here I was again getting burned. Who knew? Maybe it was karma for what I did to him.

  JAKE

  Picking up my phone, I wasn’t going to answer when I noticed it was from an unknown number. I hesitated, but then brought it to my ear and said hello. The line stayed silent, and then whoever was on the other end hung up. I stood there staring at my phone, and a part of me wondered if it was Juliet calling.

  I was going crazy; she didn’t even have my number.

  Why would she call when you stopped her from kissing you?

  That was the damn truth. I was too old to be feeling the way I did. Did I want Juliet? On a carnal level, I did, but for something more? Hell no—she was not the type of woman you brought to meet your parents. At least not my parents. A woman like her wouldn’t appreciate them.

  After I cleaned my place, which didn’t take time at all since my home was small, Clark called to let me know he would be picking me up because he needed a favor. Grabbing my coat, I met him outside. Once he picked me up, he gave me a coffee from Emma’s.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Prescott needs some help moving shit from his home office.”

  “Are you fucking serious?” I groaned.

  I didn’t mind Max, but Prescott was a whole other story. The dude was a dick, and he knew it and didn’t care who knew it.

  “What does he have on you that you always jump at a chance to do him favors?” I asked, because this was not the first time my brother had done a favor for Prescott.

  “Nothing. Why do you always have to go there?”

  I shook my head and didn’t answer. Clark had been coming to Prescott’s aid for the last few years, and honestly, I didn’t get it. Mostly, I was mad because the last thing I wanted was to be close to a Dunnett today.

  When we arrived at Prescott’s, for lack of a better word, mansion, Clark got out of the car and knocked. Rachel, Prescott’s pretty little trophy wife, opened the door. She was dressed to the nines, despite it still being early.

  “Hey, Rach. Getting some stuff from the office to take to town,” Clark said as he made his way to what I assumed was the office.

  “You have a nice place,” I said, feeling awkward at being left behind.

  Rachel smiled at me, said thank you, then walked away. Left alone, I followed my brother until I made it to the office. There were boxes stacked, and I assumed it was what Prescott needed help with.

  “Seriously, Clark? We’re doing the bitch work,” I groaned.

  “Why do you always have to put us down like that?”

  “I didn’t say shit,” I barked.

  My brother looked toward the open door and peeked outside the hallway before closing the door.

  “You do. You always have.”

  I ignored him and grabbed the first two boxes and stacked them on top of each other only to stop dead when I noticed the picture that was in Prescott’s office.

  Damn, she was gorgeous.

  And I didn’t feel like a perv saying that about Juliet’s sophomore-year picture. I thought the same damn thing when I was in high school. She was in what I assumed was her room, on a king-size bed, sitting down Indian-style, her face beaming. Her walls were white, and I almost fell on my ass when I noticed the painting that was in the center of her room. It was the kiosk I’d made her, the very first one. She might have admitted to lying to me, but this was not one of the cases. She had my painting right there amid all her expensive crap.

  “You ready?” Clark snapped, and with one last look at the photograph, I helped him take the boxes to Prescott’s new office.

  My brother doubled-parked on Main Street—perks of being a cop—and I helped him bring the boxes to the office where Prescott was already seated and working on some papers.

  “This is how busy you were? You couldn’t get your own shit?” I said.

  “Hello to you too, Carson,” he r
eplied without so much as looking up at me. “Sorry to inconvenience you, but I had a deadline to submit paperwork into the state if we want to get the old roads paved again. I loved Jim, but the guy was a fucking joke. Sunny Pines should have left the dark ages years ago, but he didn’t know how to budget for shit.”

  “Why don’t you hire someone?” I replied.

  Prescott turned up to look at me. “I already have. So, what have you been up to lately?”

  That struck me as odd since we never really talked.

  “Not much. Just work,” I said.

  Clark chuckled. I turned to look at him, and he was going over some of the files that Prescott had us fetch. I wondered what was so important that it had to be moved.

  “That’s all? Just work? No girlfriend?” Prescott asked.

  I glared at him and took a seat across from him. He got up, grabbed three glasses from the bar setup he had in the corner, then brought out a bottle from under his desk and poured the three of us drinks.

  I was drinking mine when he kept interrogating. “Or a boyfriend.”

  I choked on my drink. “Seriously?”

  We both knew we got the same amount of tail. Rumor had it he still did. And I had Stacy, whom I couldn’t bother to call back. It just didn’t feel right.

  “I’m just saying. Why haven’t you settled?” he asked.

  “Clark is single.”

  “I’m asking you.”

  “Why did you get married?” I countered.

  “His dad forced him,” Clark answered.

  That struck me as odd, but I didn’t comment. I could tell it made Prescott uncomfortable.

  “What do you think the town needs, Jake?” Prescott leaned back in his chair and looked at me. It made me feel like I was being interrogated.

  “We need after-school programs that don’t involve athletics; some of the parents would appreciate keeping the kids a little longer at school while their shifts end. The bridge should have been replaced years ago—we didn’t have to wait for a crash to happen. The old water tower should be brought down. Every year that passes, it becomes more of a liability.”

  “You can’t do that!” Clark shouted, glaring at me for suggesting that.

  I turned to look at him. “I get it—trust me, I get that it’s almost a rite of passage to go up there with a girl, but the thing is old, and every winter it wears down more. Are we going to wait until it collapses on someone or worse, a drunken idiot falls down from it?”

  My brother didn’t say more. He knew I was right. Blake, on the other hand, would hate me if he heard me suggesting taking out our local make-out point.

  “The roof on the retirement center needs an upgrade. Last year when I went to paint, I noticed some leaking. We need a bigger police department. We are the biggest community in the surrounding areas, and every time something happens in those small towns, they ask us to send someone to take a look. It’s always Clark and Dex who have to drive down, and it’s not fair. We also need a type of food bank to help others, but something that doesn’t shame them. You know damn well people in town are proud. Many families lose their temporary jobs when the tourist season ends, and they barely have enough for the winter. That’s just the things I can name off the top of my head.”

  I noticed Prescott had written every single one of them down. He looked at me, assessing me, and I wondered what the fuck for.

  “You should join the City Council.”

  “What?” The idea never crossed my mind.

  “I asked the same question to the members, and no one mentioned any of these. All the suggestions were vain ones to attract more tourists. Which, they’re great, but we cannot neglect our community for revenue. That’s just wrong. You’re a shop owner—”

  “My father is,” I cut him off.

  “Bullshit,” Clark said, coming to sit on the chair next to me. “Dad’s giving you the business, and we know it. You can bitch and moan about how much you hate it, but the people love you. You always know who seems to be struggling and give them whatever ‘discount’ you pull out of your ass.”

  Prescott took a drink. “Think it over and let me know. I’d love to have you in my corner. Just think of the things we could do.”

  I didn’t say more, because it was not something I ever saw myself doing. I was a simple guy who didn’t mess with town politics. That just wasn’t me.

  “I’m not sure. I’ll let you know,” I said.

  “My sister is back in town.” Prescott said it so casually, I didn’t think he knew it halted me.

  “Oh yeah,” I said, ignoring Clark’s smirk.

  Prescott looked at both my brother and me, but especially me. “If you guys see her around, can you make sure she’s okay?”

  “Is there a reason why she wouldn’t be okay?” I replied instantly, feeling something in my chest I shouldn’t be feeling.

  “She’s my little sister—there won’t ever be a time where I don’t worry about her,” he said. “We’ve held you up long enough. I think your brother mentioned you had a date with Stacy. Have fun, and can you close the door on the way out?”

  I did as he asked, and it wasn’t until I was walking to the store that I realized I never told Clark I was spending time with Stacy. I didn’t even know if he knew about her. Shaking my head, I rid myself of the conversation with Prescott.

  Can you make sure she’s okay?

  Was she okay? She was coming more and more to the store, and I knew I teased her that she came to see me, but I thought she was lonely. She turned her back on this town, and now she had no one.

  She has you.

  No, I couldn’t think like that. Juliet Dunnett didn’t have me.

  12

  Juliet

  Sophomore year

  “Holy shit.”

  Jana was in awe just like I was when I stopped by her house. When I woke up this morning, there was a white Mercedes-AMG G63 in my driveway with a big pink bow on it. Usually I got a ride from Max or Prescott, so yeah, I was pissed in the morning because both had left for school without me. I went into Daddy’s study to ask him for a ride. Instead of being mad for disturbing his work, he smiled at me. When we got to the front door, he gave me the keys with a brand-new Tiffany key chain.

  “Happy Birthday, Princess,” he’d said.

  Right away, I called Jana’s house phone, telling her to ditch Gary and ride with me.

  “Isn’t it gorgeous?” I gushed. “On the way back, you can drive it.”

  “No way. I can’t drive your brand-new car, Jules.”

  “Yes, you can.”

  “Abbi still won’t let anyone touch hers.”

  Because she’s a snob.

  “I’m not Abigail,” I countered.

  We both might have been rich, but that was as far as the comparisons went. I didn’t judge people based on their wallets like Abbi did. If I liked you, I liked you for you. Like I did with Jana… and Jake.

  “No, you’re not,” Jana agreed. “You look hot today.”

  She wiggled her eyebrows at me. I smirked. Sure, I might have been dressed over-the-top for school, but I did have dinner with my family tonight. Tomorrow was technically spring, so wearing a miniskirt wasn’t that big of a deal. In my defense, it was burgundy corduroy, paired with a black V-neck and thigh-high boots. The boots went past my knees, so there was no need for panty hose. Panty hose are always classy; you just wanted to be a whore. I practically heard Nana Celeste scold me.

  No, I didn’t want to be a whore, but I wanted a particular senior to get his head out of his ass and see me. If my woman’s intuition was right, and it rarely failed me, Jake was waiting for me to turn sixteen. He was eighteen. Eighteen and fifteen was bad; eighteen and sixteen, not so bad. I hoped like hell I was right.

  People stared at me and Jana when we got out of my brand-new car. Thank you, Daddy, for the private driving lessons. It was hard not to feel undeserving under their hateful glares, but this was the hand I was dealt, and I shouldn’t stop loving
it because others didn’t like it. My brother was right: you had to play the game.

  “Everyone is staring at you,” Jana whispered uncomfortably with everyone’s eyes on us.

  If it bothered her so much, I didn’t know what she was doing dating Gary in the first place.

  I didn’t care about everyone’s eyes. Except one person. I spotted him by the stairwell with some seniors, Rusty, and that freshman girl and his brother. Apparently, I was going to get to class early today. Giving Jana a small grin, I made my way to the stairwell.

  “Damn, Juliet,” one of the dipshits that was with Jake shouted.

  Jake looked at me at that moment. The moment he took me in, his eyes widened, his lower lip getting lost between his teeth, and damn if that wasn’t sexy. Giving him a tiny smirk, I left. Climbing stairs in heels was not one of my brighter ideas, but it was worth the look on Jake’s face.

  I was almost at the top when I heard footsteps making their way up. My heart was beating fast and heavy, syncopating to the steps. I wanted to smile, but I was also freaking out a little.

  “You’re driving me crazy, you know?” The roughness of his voice gave me chills. “You are nothing but trouble, Dunnett.”

  He was close enough that if he shut up, he could hear my heart pounding.

  “I have a feeling you don’t mind my type of trouble,” I teased him. Years of appearing calm and collected was the only reason I wasn’t making a fool of myself.

  Jake shook his head and smiled. He took a step to me, and I wanted him to kiss me already. How long was he going to make me wait for one stupid kiss? His arms wrapped around me. No words—I had no words to begin to describe the feeling of being wrapped in his arms, the smell of mint surrounding me, the heat of his body warming me up.

  “Happy Birthday, babe,” he murmured.

  I was glad I was holding on to him because my legs shook with the endearment. My mother always said pet names were tacky, but I loved the way Jake said it.

  “Thank you.” I burrowed my head in his neck, inhaling him.