Love Beyond Words (City Lights, #1)(54)
“He did?” Natalie frowned. “That’s weird, since he’s neither.”
David raised his eyebrows. “Yes, well… He is and he isn’t. You haven’t known him all that long so…”
Natalie stiffened. “I know him pretty well. We’ve been talking for months—”
“Sure, sure,” David said. “He cares for you a lot. No doubt he’s shown you his best side. But there’s a lot of baggage there, as I’m sure you’ve gleaned. About his parents. His father abandoning him, particularly.”
Natalie felt an unpleasant stirring in her gut. It was wrong to be talking about Julian like this, behind his back. It was on the tip of her tongue to say so, but David continued.
“He’s a passionate man, you know? Loving and kind to be sure, but there’s anger in him too. It’s buried real deep but it’s there. I’ve seen it roar out of him a few times and it wasn’t pretty. I was frightened, to tell you the truth.”
“What happened?” Natalie heard herself say, even as shame burned her cheeks.
“Well, the first time his editor, Len Gordon, was visiting. I don’t know what he and Julian were arguing about—I came in right as Len was storming out. Len Gordon’s a nice old guy. One of the nicest you could meet, and whatever Julian said to him left him close to tears. I only caught the tail end of it. It was…bad.” David shuddered. “You know Julian’s gift for words; you’ve read his books. Well, it goes both ways. Sharp tongued, to say the least.”
Natalie shifted in her seat. Don’t do this. Don’t feed this ugly conversation. And yet she couldn’t help herself. “So his anger…it just comes out verbally, right?”
David rubbed his chin, thinking. “Well, the second time I witnessed his temper was when he broke up with his last girlfriend, Samantha. They were real hot and heavy for a while there. But at the end he cut that poor girl to ribbons, let me tell you. And he threw a vase. Not at her!” He laughed at Natalie’s horrified expression. “At a wall. I’m almost positive Julian wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Natalie set her fork down, her appetite having vanished.
“So anyway, he and Samantha didn’t end well and I think that’s why he had me redecorate his place. To kind of keep future dates at a distance, right? The ultimate bachelor pad!” David laughed again but it died swiftly. “Oh hey, no, don’t feel bad. Gosh, I’m an idiot. I know how all that must sound. I’m sure it’s different with you.”
“It is,” Natalie said, struggling now to keep a civil tone.
“And now he’s contemplating coming out of seclusion, eh?” There was a thread of tension in his voice now. “That’s surprising, given the vow he made to his dying mother. I can’t imagine what he thinks to gain by breaking his anonymity.”
“A normal life. A chance to connect with his readers. To just be himself.”
David frowned. “I suppose. He just hates publicity and suddenly he’s all for it.”
“If you’re worried I’ve talked him in to it, I haven’t. He told me he thinks the secrecy isn’t necessary. He’s a grown man. He can handle it. But I will support him no matter what he decides.”
A smile flitted over David’s lips and was gone again. “He’s very lucky to have you.”
#
The Crepevine was in walking distance from Natalie’s apartment, and she was thankful for her foresight in choosing that restaurant. The notion of getting in David’s car for a ride home made her skin crawl. But why? He’s not…terrible.
Except that he was, somehow, and she couldn’t put her finger on it. And those things he said about Julian…Natalie hugged herself as she walked, shivers skittering up her spine. They weren’t all true; Natalie would have bet her life on it. Like David himself, his stories about Julian’s temper seemed off. Perhaps there was some truth to them, just enough to make her worry. But why? Is he attracted to Julian? She couldn’t blame him if he was, but that wasn’t what bothered her. I don’t know what bothers me about him, that’s the problem.
There was a bouquet of flowers waiting for her at her front door; her neighbor must have accepted them for her. Natalie hugged the long-stemmed sunflowers to her and then read the note.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know David. I hope this second impression erases the first and the two of you can be friends.
Until tonight, all my love,
~J
Natalie vowed she would never repeat what she and David talked about. Not one word. She put the flowers in a vase and threw the note in the trash.
It had David’s name on it.
Chapter TwentyFive
March 18th was the day things began to unravel. That’s what Natalie told the police in her report weeks later, when they asked to her recall the beginning, the first incident. Another Wednesday. She had the day off from the café and intended to get some much-needed laundry done.
Natalie walked in the door from her last class when her cell phone rang.
“Hi, love, it’s Julian. Are you busy right now? I need a favor.”
She looked to the bulging sack of laundry and the neat stack of quarters on the coffee table beside it. “I had some luxurious plans, but I might be persuaded to postpone. What do you need?”