my physical wellbeing and emotional stability.
“I wished for clarity, Matt,” I picked up a few stray petals that had fallen off his arrangement. “Doesn’t it seem a bit strange that his message came through immediately after I wished for everything to start making sense?”
“I don’t get what you’re saying here,” he pushed a folder of order forms aside. He wiped his hands down the front of his apron and shrugged. “What kind of clarity are you looking for?”
“Things have been so screwy lately,” I said. “Between Luke’s lies, your dishonesty with Charlie and Kara, and the things that Bruno discovered…” I trailed off because I didn’t want to discuss the DNA results with my cousin. Explaining that story meant giving in to more suspicions and accusations. Matt would be curious and want an explanation, and I just wasn’t in the mood to handle a game of twenty questions.
“Things Bruno discovered?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You mean the DNA test,” Matt said, “right?”
“How did you know?”
“Word gets around.”
“Luke,” I rolled my eyes. “Since when are you two so buddy-buddy?”
“Since always,” he said. “Luke’s been coming around since long before you came to town, Julie. He’s my friend.”
“Luke’s nobody’s friend but his own.”
“I know how he’s tied to Rebecca,” he said, almost as if he had a leg up on me in the race to the truth. “Why would he tell me if we weren’t friends?”
“He told you ? I thought he said he’d never tell you.”
“Not while I was reporting back to you,” he said. “But I’m on Team Luke, not Team Julie. You’re the one who’s being sneaky and secretive, not him.”
“Wait a minute,” I held my hand up, “he told you —”
“All about Rebecca, Molly, his connection to both of them,” he looked back at the curtain separating the back office from the storefront. Turning back to me, he lowered his voice. “He doesn’t trust you with the truth, Julie, and you need to respect his decision to keep you out of the loop.”
“Since when are you on his side?” I yelled. “Matt, you said yourself that you thought he was up to something. You’re the one who’s been pulling for me to find out.”
“Julie,” Matt thumped his fist on the counter, “I’m not the enemy here. And neither is Luke, okay? He’s trying to protect the people he loves. If you love him like you say you do, you’d get on board and just accept that he can’t tell you everything.”
“It can’t be too big of a secret if he’s told you.”
“He’s my friend—”
“He was my boyfriend—”
“You didn’t trust him. You still don’t,” he said. “How can he be expected to trust you if you can’t show him the same respect?”
Point taken. I didn’t trust Luke, and I’d made that perfectly clear over the past few weeks. Was that why he’d been so hell-bent on keeping his secret? I didn’t trust him, so he didn’t trust me? That logic didn’t seem justifiable.
I had my reasons for not trusting him. He, however, had no reason to believe he couldn’t trust me. After everything he’d kept from me—the secrets about Derek’s disappearance, the way he’d secretly helped Matt find another job, and the sneaking around with Rebecca—I had every reason to think he was untrustworthy.
So why was everyone ganging up on me ? Why did it seem like the only person on my side was Bruno?
“I’m leaving.”
“Tell Dad I’ll be home at ten.”
“No,” I took the door knob in hand, “I’m not lying for you anymore, Matt. If we’re not allies—if you’re jumping ship and joining Team Luke—you’re not going to reap the benefits of having my friendship. You need to tell Charlie you’re working two jobs, that you plan to propose to your seventeen-year-old girlfriend, and that you’ve been lying to him for weeks. Tell him, or I will.”
“Julie—”
“I needed you, Matt,” I turned back to him. “I needed you
“I wished for clarity, Matt,” I picked up a few stray petals that had fallen off his arrangement. “Doesn’t it seem a bit strange that his message came through immediately after I wished for everything to start making sense?”
“I don’t get what you’re saying here,” he pushed a folder of order forms aside. He wiped his hands down the front of his apron and shrugged. “What kind of clarity are you looking for?”
“Things have been so screwy lately,” I said. “Between Luke’s lies, your dishonesty with Charlie and Kara, and the things that Bruno discovered…” I trailed off because I didn’t want to discuss the DNA results with my cousin. Explaining that story meant giving in to more suspicions and accusations. Matt would be curious and want an explanation, and I just wasn’t in the mood to handle a game of twenty questions.
“Things Bruno discovered?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You mean the DNA test,” Matt said, “right?”
“How did you know?”
“Word gets around.”
“Luke,” I rolled my eyes. “Since when are you two so buddy-buddy?”
“Since always,” he said. “Luke’s been coming around since long before you came to town, Julie. He’s my friend.”
“Luke’s nobody’s friend but his own.”
“I know how he’s tied to Rebecca,” he said, almost as if he had a leg up on me in the race to the truth. “Why would he tell me if we weren’t friends?”
“He told you ? I thought he said he’d never tell you.”
“Not while I was reporting back to you,” he said. “But I’m on Team Luke, not Team Julie. You’re the one who’s being sneaky and secretive, not him.”
“Wait a minute,” I held my hand up, “he told you —”
“All about Rebecca, Molly, his connection to both of them,” he looked back at the curtain separating the back office from the storefront. Turning back to me, he lowered his voice. “He doesn’t trust you with the truth, Julie, and you need to respect his decision to keep you out of the loop.”
“Since when are you on his side?” I yelled. “Matt, you said yourself that you thought he was up to something. You’re the one who’s been pulling for me to find out.”
“Julie,” Matt thumped his fist on the counter, “I’m not the enemy here. And neither is Luke, okay? He’s trying to protect the people he loves. If you love him like you say you do, you’d get on board and just accept that he can’t tell you everything.”
“It can’t be too big of a secret if he’s told you.”
“He’s my friend—”
“He was my boyfriend—”
“You didn’t trust him. You still don’t,” he said. “How can he be expected to trust you if you can’t show him the same respect?”
Point taken. I didn’t trust Luke, and I’d made that perfectly clear over the past few weeks. Was that why he’d been so hell-bent on keeping his secret? I didn’t trust him, so he didn’t trust me? That logic didn’t seem justifiable.
I had my reasons for not trusting him. He, however, had no reason to believe he couldn’t trust me. After everything he’d kept from me—the secrets about Derek’s disappearance, the way he’d secretly helped Matt find another job, and the sneaking around with Rebecca—I had every reason to think he was untrustworthy.
So why was everyone ganging up on me ? Why did it seem like the only person on my side was Bruno?
“I’m leaving.”
“Tell Dad I’ll be home at ten.”
“No,” I took the door knob in hand, “I’m not lying for you anymore, Matt. If we’re not allies—if you’re jumping ship and joining Team Luke—you’re not going to reap the benefits of having my friendship. You need to tell Charlie you’re working two jobs, that you plan to propose to your seventeen-year-old girlfriend, and that you’ve been lying to him for weeks. Tell him, or I will.”
“Julie—”
“I needed you, Matt,” I turned back to him. “I needed you
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