Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1)(116)

He’d been dreaming about a strangely elongated figure stuffing her lush, wide mouth with ladoos without pause when a hand shook him awake. “DJ.”

He opened his eyes to find Julia standing over him.

“Oh,” he said and jumped up.

“Hi!” She leaned forward to give him a hug, but he pulled an Emma maneuver and shook her hand. Seeing that she was hauling her camera made discomfort prickle at him.

She noticed the look he threw at the camera and put it down on one of the tables. “You never told me Emma had gone into surgery. How is she? You? Can I get you something? Some coffee?”

He was a tea drinker. Had never gotten into coffee, which was a minor miracle after living in Paris, and a major miracle after working with Andre.

Come to think of it, Andre was the most arrogant man DJ knew—almost obnoxiously so—and he had never once held that against his boss.

“No, thank you. I just had chai.” The taste of the chai Ashna had brought in again today was still fresh in his mouth, her words about Trisha from the other day still fresh in his mind.

She won’t let anyone down. It would kill her.

What must being betrayed by a friend have done to her?

“DJ? Are you okay?” Julia studied him. It seemed like everyone had taken to studying him, possibly because he’d turned into an arse who had no idea what was going on in his own head.

“I’m fine. I’m told Emma will be fine too. Thanks to her doctor.”

The look on Julia’s face turned a little amused, a little hurt. “It’s really endearing, isn’t it? That poor little rich girl act? It has a way of finding its way under your skin really quickly.”

He laughed. Quite the contrary. It had taken too bloody long. “What’s endearing is the fact that she found a way to convince my sister to have surgery and then spent ten hours saving her life.” Did he say endearing? It wasn’t just endearing, it was enough to knock him right off his feet and onto his bum. He’d never seen anything as fierce as Trisha in that moment when the paramedics had wheeled Emma into the hospital. And she’d done it after he had hurt her more than he’d ever hurt anyone in his life.

She had called Ashna because he was in the waiting room alone. In the middle of her surgery she had thought about how to make this easier on him.

“Be careful. She’s got a way of getting to you.”

Yeah, no bloody joking. “She’s Emma’s doctor and that’s what’s important right now, not who’s getting to me and why.”

“Hey, I know. Emma’s health is all that matters. I get that. That’s why I’m here; despite the fact that her doctor would have me thrown out of the hospital if she knew I was here, I’m here. For Emma. For you. I thought we were friends.”

He had thought they were, too, but she had lied to him. An awful, ugly lie, covering up an awful, ugly act. “Thanks so much for coming.”

She stepped close to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Anything you need. Emma’s like a sister to me. I’m really going to miss her.”

He pulled away. What was wrong with the woman? Emma wasn’t going anywhere.

Julia held on to his arm. “I meant I’m going to miss her because I won’t be filming her anymore. Relax. What’s happened to you? We’re on the same side here. In fact, now that I’m not working with Emma, it would not be unethical for me to say yes if you asked me out.”

DJ tried to be gentle as he removed her hand from his arm.

“So you’re fine about not releasing the film?”

She stepped back with a laugh. “Did you just change subjects on me? Are you blowing me off? After all the time I spent on your sister, you want me to get nothing in return?”

“I’m really sorry to have wasted your time.” Although she’d known going in that Emma was not terminal, nor a great candidate for her film. “I’ll compensate you for your time, if you’d like.”

“You’re not really that naive, are you? You paying me back doesn’t pay for everything I’ve put into this. Listen, I know right now you’re feeling hopeful. But Trisha’s never going to go for you. Her family won’t let her.”

DJ threw a look at Emma. He couldn’t believe they were having this conversation here, now. “Can we not talk about this here?” He stepped away from the bed and pulled the curtain around Emma.

“What’s gotten into you, DJ?” She pressed her hand against his chest and stepped closer.

He was about to remove her hand again when he heard a sound by the door.

Trisha stood there looking like someone had stuck a stake through her heart. “I’m sorry, I’ll come back later.” Her eyes hitched on Julia’s hand on his chest, and pain flared there, quick and intense.

Before he could stop her, she turned away and was gone.

He was about to follow her when Julia held his arm, her fingers digging into his flesh. “So I was right. The poor little rich girl did get to you.”

“She’s Emma’s doctor.”

“I saw how you looked at her. Are you crazy? You’re a cook. She would never think of you as an equal.” There was such naked hatred in her eyes, he could imagine clearly what she had done to Trisha at seventeen.

Even now, with how much she valued those she loved, those she chose to let in, Trisha’s feelings were like exposed live wires. How much this woman must have destroyed in her when she’d been that young. And now he had made Trisha vulnerable to her again, because he had allowed himself to be blinded by his pride.