Playing It Safe(79)

“We’re going to go across the street and see who the f*ck Alex is having dinner with.”

“So, we’re going to spy.”

“You’re damn right I’m going to spy on him.”

“Julia,” he says, while running a hand through his hair nervously. “There’s a guy code. I can’t do that kind of shit.”

I pivot my body around to face him and look him dead in the eye. Through clenched teeth I say, “Are you serious with your guy code bullshit? I’m your sister, which supersedes any stupid-ass guy code.”

“Dude, I’m just saying—”

“You’re just saying what?”

“I’m just saying that this has bad idea written all over it, Julia.”

“You know what, Darren? I’ll gladly tell Sarah you have elephantitus of the nuts the next time I see her if you don’t let me go so I can see what the hell is going on across the street.”

He lets go of my arm instantly and puts his beer down on the nearest surface. “Let’s go.”

We leave Taurus and turn to the left, heading toward Lu Lu’s with my heart in my throat and my stomach in knots. In the back of my mind I’m thinking that it’s nothing, or at least I’m hoping it’s nothing, but something tells me I’m not going to like what I find when I get there.

Lu Lu’s has a ton of outdoor seating, so I have to be careful not to be seen right away. Plus, it’s on a corner, so from one side you wouldn’t be able to get a look at the other and vice versa. Darren picks up on this immediately and tugs my arm so that we’re hidden behind a bush. He holds up two fingers, points at his eyes, and then taps his arm before pointing to his eyes again and then finally pointing toward the restaurant.

“What the f*ck does that mean, Helen Keller? And why can’t you just tell me what you’re trying to say via Navy SEAL sign language? It’s not like anyone can hear us behind this bush.”

He leans over and whispers, “I’m trying to be unnoticeable.”

“Well, it isn’t working, so tell me what you were trying to say.”

Still in a hushed voice, Darren proceeds to map out his plan. “You should go across the main street so that you’re behind those parked cars so you can scope out that side of the restaurant.”

I sneak a peek over his shoulder while he’s still giving instructions and see the one person I didn’t want to see.

Marisa.

She’s facing me. And sitting across from her with his back to me is … you guessed it, Alex.

“I’m going in,” I say, cutting off Darren’s plans.

“You can’t just go in there. That defeats the entire purpose of spying.”

“Hell yes I can. Watch me.”

“Julia,” he says, “sometimes things aren’t as they appear. Stop and think for a second before you do something stupid.”

I walk around the bush before Darren can stop me. With each step that brings me closer to their table, I feel more empowered. Finally, with only a couple of steps left, Marisa lifts her head and sees me coming. And I watch as she takes the opportunity to reach across the table and take Alex’s hand in hers while smiling.

“Well, well, well.” My voice is surprisingly steady given the circumstances. “What do we have here?”

I stand in between them, looking right at Alex, who lets go of Marisa’s hand and shoots me a confused look.

“Julia,” he says, genuinely surprised. “What are you doing here?”

I bring my hand up and point to myself. “What am I doing here? Funny you should ask that question since I’m wondering the same thing about you. You know, seeing as you’re not supposed to be here.”

“I can explain.”

“Explain? I simply figured that this is one of your surprises since you know how much I love your surprises. Isn’t that right, Alex?”

“It’s not what you think, Julia.”

Marisa speaks up then. “It’s none of your business.”

I lean forward, bracing my hands on the table, afraid I may slap the grin right off of her face. “Little girl, no one is talking to you, so do yourself a favor and shut the f*ck up.”

I turn my head to face Alex, who is rubbing the back of his neck and not saying a word. And honestly, there isn’t anything he can say at this point that I would even want to hear, that’s how pissed off I am.

I stand up straight and start walking quickly to my car. I totally forget about Darren in my anger-fueled haze until I see him coming toward me.


“Julia,” he calls out to me, trying to get me to stop walking.

But I don’t stop until I’m safely tucked away in my car, where I sit for a few seconds without starting it.

His fingers gently tap on the driver’s side window. “Julia, come on. Talk to me.”

Here’s the thing. I don’t cry much. With the exception of getting choked up at Josie’s party, which technically doesn’t qualify, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve cried in the last ten years. But when I do, you should leave me be because it’s going to be freaking epic. And that is exactly how I feel. The dam is about to break, and I know if I turn my head to look at Darren, I’m going to bust out with the hysterical crying right here in my car, parked on the street where I just found my boyfriend out to dinner with another woman.