Gabriel's Rapture (Gabriel's Inferno #2)(28)

Natalie’s ivory skin flushed a deep, dark red.

Julia took advantage of her silence and continued. “Leave me alone, and I’ll forget about both of you. But I’m never going to lie about what he did to me. I’ve lied to cover for him too many times, and I’m not doing it anymore.”

“You’re just angry that Simon chose me over you,” Natalie spat, her voice becoming louder. “You were this pathetic, weak little girl who didn’t even know how to give a decent blow job!”

In the awkward silence that ensued, Julia realized that the other restaurant patrons had stopped talking. She looked around the room, utterly humiliated, as the townspeople stared. Everyone heard Natalie’s crude revelation, including the Baptist minister’s wife, who sat with her teenaged daughter in a quiet corner drinking tea.

“Not so tough now, are you?” Natalie hissed.

Before Julia could respond, Diane suddenly appeared at the counter. “Natalie, go on home. You can’t come into my restaurant and talk like that.”

Angrily, Natalie withdrew a few steps but not before muttering a few choice curse words. “This isn’t over.”

Julia lifted her chin. “Oh, yes, it is. You’re too smart to jeopardize your future by doing something stupid. Go back to him and leave me alone.”

Natalie stared daggers at her before turning on her heel and storming out.

“What’s going on?” Tom suddenly appeared behind Julia. “Jules? What’s wrong?”

Before she could respond, Diane told him an extremely sanitized account of what happened.

Tom cursed and put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Are you all right?”

She nodded reluctantly before running to the ladies’ room. She wasn’t sure how she’d ever be able to face the townspeople after what Natalie had shouted. Fighting nausea, she grabbed the top of the vanity for support.

Diane followed Julia into the washroom. She dampened some paper towels with cold water and handed them to her. “I’m sorry, Jules. I should have slapped her upside the head. I can’t believe she’d talk that kind of trash in my place.”

Julia was quiet as she slowly wiped her face.

“Honey, nobody heard a thing that girl had to say. It’s noisy out there and everyone is talking about how the Santa Claus over at the mall got drunk on his lunch hour yesterday and tried to make out with one of the elves.”

Julia cringed.

Diane smiled at her sympathetically. “You want me to make you a cup of tea or something?”

Julia shook her head and inhaled deeply as she tried to compose herself.

If any god is out there listening, please give all the people in Kinfolks restaurant amnesia, just concerning the past fifteen minutes.

A short time later she reassumed her place at the counter, next to her father. She kept her head down, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. It was too easy to imagine the entire restaurant whispering her sins and judging her.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” she said in a small voice.

He frowned and asked Diane for a fresh cup of coffee and a jelly doughnut. “What are you sorry about?” His voice was gruff.

Diane served them, patting Julia’s arm sympathetically, and moved to wait on some tables in order to give them some privacy.

“This is all my fault—Deb, Natalie, the house…” She didn’t want to cry, but somehow the tears welled up and she couldn’t stop them. “I’ve embarrassed you in front of the whole town.”

Tom leaned toward her. “Hey, I don’t want to hear that kind of garbage. You have never embarrassed me. I’m proud of you.” His voice broke slightly and he began coughing. “It was my responsibility to protect you, and I didn’t.”

Julia wiped a tear away. “But now your life is ruined.”

He snorted. “I wasn’t that attached to my life anyway. I’d rather lose the house and Deb than lose you. There’s no contest. None.”

He pushed the jelly doughnut in front of her and waited until she took a bite. “When I met your mother, I was happy. We had a few good years together. But the best day of my life was the day you were born. I always wanted a family. I’m never going to let anything or anyone separate me from my family again. You’ve got my word on that.”

Julia smiled up into her father’s face, and he leaned over and ruffled her hair.

“I’d like to swing by Deb’s place to talk to her about what just happened. She needs to explain to her daughter how to behave in public. Why don’t you phone that boyfriend of yours and ask him to pick you up? I’ll see you at Richard’s house later on.”

Julia agreed and wiped her tears away. She didn’t want Gabriel to see her crying.

“I love you, Dad.”

Tom cleared his throat roughly, without looking at her. “Me too. Now finish your doughnut before Diane starts changing us rent.”

Chapter 8

Gabriel was only too glad to cut his Christmas shopping short. When he and Richard arrived at the restaurant, they walked over to the counter to join the Mitchells.

Julia stood up and hugged Gabriel tightly.

“What happened?” He frowned. “You’ve been crying.”

“It’s just the Christmas blues.” Julia noticed uncomfortably that some of the restaurant patrons were still staring.