Page 16 of Meeting Me, Loving You (Hearts of Maple Lake #1)

JULIET

“ I ’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to get together the last few weekends. I’ve been meaning to call you, but… well, you saw how I fell outside of Le Fou. That threw a wrench in my plans for the whole day so I couldn’t really study as much as I wanted to, and I got behind.”

I want to tell Aliana about Cam, which is my main reason for calling.

But I want to get something else off my chest—the fact that I’ll have to explain to him what happened with Natalie.

Ali knows everything about me, including the details about how deeply I struggle with losing my sister.

Naturally, she knows I’m heartbroken over it, but she also gives me the space I need when it comes to that particular topic, knowing I have difficulty speaking it aloud.

I’ve already clocked out at the end of my shift and am walking through the large exit doors into the attached parking garage.

Unfortunately, I had to park in one of the furthest spots from the door this morning.

My little red car is going to be freezing, and I’ll probably have to sit in it for the next ten minutes to get it warm enough so my fingers won’t freeze and fall off once I touch the steering wheel .

Good thing I’m at a hospital, I guess.

Ali’s reassuring voice comes from the other end of the line. “Jules, don’t worry about it! Life happens. Did you get all caught up?”

I love that she’s such a mama bear.

Ali is a good person—the best kind. She’s always searching for ways to help others, even with her hands full.

She worries over people like it’s an Olympic sport, and she’ll be the first to drop what she’s doing to take homemade chicken noodle soup to a sick friend.

I’m super blessed that we’ve been able to remain best friends since high school.

“Yeah, I got my assignments in on time. Thanks for checking.” I fidget with my keys, trying to press the unlock button but struggling with how cold my fingers already feel.

I really should remember to start bringing gloves everywhere .

I smile, remembering Cam and his extra large gloves.

“I just feel terrible that I didn’t get the chance to hang out with you.

And it’s not like you live far away. You’re only on the other side of the wall. ”

I had spent more time with Cam than I had planned for our lunch date— was it a date ?—and after he left my apartment, I worked tirelessly on my paper for class until I fell asleep on the couch.

“Jules, it’s seriously okay,” she says softly. “Just promise me you’ll come over to make some friendship bracelets or something this weekend. I got the cutest new beads! I’ll let you bring the wine.”

“That sounds great. I’ll definitely make it happen.” I smile, even though she can’t see me.

Ali works full time at Le Fou and has been dating a tourist she met when his family came into town on a ski trip.

They have one of the sweetest relationships I’ve ever seen, even though they’ve only been together for two months.

He really understands her and, sometimes, I’m a little jealous of that, wishing I could have someone who gets me like Trey gets Ali.

I’m finally in my car, hating the cold leather seat that shoots chills through my nursing scrubs. I may have the largest puffer coat known to man covering my body right now, but scrubs are not made to be warm. I’m seriously debating switching my profession to something more warm-climate related.

Lifeguard?

Island tour guide?

They all sound amazing. Or maybe it’s just the thought of sunshine in general that’s causing me to drool.

I quickly start the car and turn on the heat. As I shift around in my seat, setting my purse and lunch bag on the passenger side, I feel a slight jab in my ribs.

“Ow,” I wince.

“What? What’s wrong?” Ali asks.

I unzip my coat and find a lollipop in the front pocket of my scrub top, the stick angled right under my rib cage. I take it out and toss it into my purse.

“I’m okay,” I laugh. “Just a sucker stick to my ribs. I always keep a handful in my pocket for the kids.”

As a nurse, it’s pretty common for me to have my pockets filled with candies and stickers for the children, as well as the usual pens and mini notepad for jotting down quick reminders. Usually these things all end up in my car cup holder or my purse because of instances like this.

“Anyway,” I say, wanting to get to the point of my call. “I have some news.”

“Good news or bad news?”

“Good news. I think.” I furrow my brow.

“Oh,” she sighs in relief. “I was afraid you were going to say bad news and then I’d have to prepare myself for the worst. You know you have a way of overreacting about things.” She’s not wrong. “What’s the good news?”

“Okay, so you remember when I fell in the snow at Le Fou?”

“Jules, of course I remember! It wasn’t that long ago, and I was so embarrassed for you. Also, you just mentioned it like five minutes ago.”

“Sorry, I know. I’m distracted. There’s so much on my mind. Do you remember the guy who helped me?”

“Yes, I remember! He was so cute. I hope you got his number. You need a boyfriend.”

“I do not?—”

“You do too,” she interrupts. “You need to get out of your apartment, out of the hospital, and have some fun!”

“Ali, you’re redirecting the conversation. Just listen for a second.” I widen my eyes with an exasperated chuckle.

She laughs at my antics. “Sorry, I just got excited about your potential love life.”

“Well, it turns out he wasn’t exactly a stranger like I had thought.

First, I have to tell you the backstory because it’ll make more sense that way.

About ten years ago, or maybe it was eleven or twelve, Ty’s best friend, Cam, had moved away to Washington for his dad’s job.

We hadn’t heard from him for a while, and I don’t even know if he still talks to Ty at all.

Anyway, he just moved back to Maple Lake.

That was him at the coffee shop! I didn’t recognize him because obviously he isn’t a kid anymore. ”

“Wait, so you knew him as a kid?” Ali’s smile comes through the phone, her interest at a high. “That’s so crazy.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. But I still didn’t know it was him until later that same morning when I saw him at the gym. He’s ripped, by the way.”

Ali squeals into the phone, and I have to pull it away from my ear. “Oh my gosh, I knew he was going to ask you out! Please tell me he did. Did he ask you out?”

“Sort of…? We went to lunch the next week. We were just catching up and it was… nice. He’s easy to talk to, and I showed him all the new things in town; he’s a teacher at the high school.

” I do my best to keep my voice even. I’m not sure yet how I feel about Cam.

Our friendship has only just started, and there’s no way to know where it will go.

Besides, it’s not a part of my plan to get attached to anyone.

People have the power to leave whenever they please, and I’d rather keep myself from any more heartache if at all possible.

There’s silence, and for a moment, I think maybe I lost Ali’s call, but then she giggles.

Giggles .

“Ali, why are you laughing?” I ask, incredulous.

“Because,” she says between breaths of laughter. “I’ve never heard you talk about someone so animatedly. And I can’t even see you, but I know you’re probably talking with your hands from the sound of your voice—you’re all high pitched and nasally.”

“I am not,” I scoff. Realizing she’s right and I do indeed have a hand in the air, I place it on my lap and lower my voice to attempt a deep baritone. “And I am not nasally.”

We both burst into laughter, and I notice the car is finally feeling much warmer, my hands having thawed out nicely. So I put the phone on speaker and set it on my lap.

“Are you already madly in love with him?” Ali’s question is ridiculous.

“No, we’re just friends. The last time we spent any time together was probably when I was ten. And there’s no way he liked me then.”

“Well, I hope not. Like you said, you were ten . That’s way too young for boys to be crushing on you. ”

“Either way, Ali, he was my brother’s best friend. And I was just Tyler’s little sister. That’s still all I am.”

“Judging from what the good people of this town have told me… We all know that’s not true.”

I scoff. I’m doing a lot of scoffing at my best friend right now.

But she’s digging, and I know how much she loves just the tiniest bit of gossip.

“It is! Yes, we’ve spent a little time with each other, like, one day . But I’m sure he just sees me like he remembers me: a little girl. You can’t unsee ten-year-old Juliet—I was a sight .”

Laughing, Ali asks, “What do you mean you were a sight ?”

“Let’s just say, you would have had some strong words to say about my outfit choices if you knew me then.”

“I need photos, STAT.”

“Aw, look at you using medical terminology. I’m so proud.” I pretend to wipe a tear from my eye, even though she can’t see me.

“Well, when I’m best friends with you, the nursing lingo is bound to rub off on me. But hey, you’re changing the subject. Why do you think Cam can’t like you like that now?”

“Because he knew me as a kid! The last thought he ever had of me was probably, ‘Tyler’s little sister is so annoying, why is she wearing that stupid unicorn shirt?’”

“Every little girl wears a unicorn shirt at some point, and I doubt that’s what he’s thinking.

Jules, you’re not ten years old anymore.

” At this point, she’s put her mom voice on.

I’m sure her future kids will be terrified of her.

“You’re an adult. You’re a woman; an attractive female of average height with amazing hair and the kindest soul. How could he not be enamored by you?”

“Okay, I don’t want you to get too excited, but… he might have flirted with me. ”

“Of course he did,” she exclaims. “You’re a hot babe! He’d be crazy to not take a chance on you.”

“It’s hard to tell though, he might just be friendly with everyone,” I say, rubbing my brow.

“Well, let’s dissect this then.” I can mentally see Ali laying across her bed on her stomach, like she has so many times before, settling in for our deep discussion. “What did he do that could be considered flirting? We need to know for sure.”

“He just said some friendly, maybe flirty, things. He bought me coffee the first day I ran into him. And the next week he bought my lunch, even though I was in the middle of trying to pay for it myself.”

I smile at the memory of Cam footing the bill like it was nothing.

Warmth rushes through me, filling me with something I can’t quite name.

No one takes care of me but me . But there’s something to be said about a man who treats a woman with a little extra care.

I have to admit, it did make me feel good.

“Buying you coffee is definitely flirting—that’s your first sign. You have to marry him now. That’s practically a proposal,” she says matter-of-factly.

“Ali, you’re crazy.”

I drive out of the parking garage and onto the busy streets of Sansville, with a smile on my face.

It’s nice to have someone to talk to after a long day of work—someone to be silly with—and to have the outlet of releasing my thoughts to another human being.

Dax is the best companion a girl could ask for, but he doesn’t give a lot of feedback in the venting department.

I still haven’t talked about my second big topic of the day, so I jump into that next. “He asked about Natalie,” I say, my voice turning quiet as I focus on the road and buildings passing by me .

“Oh, Jules. It makes sense that he would since he knew you all before. What did you tell him?”

“Just that she moved away. He didn’t push for details, and I was super awkward about it. I thought if I started explaining things, I would get all emotional and scare him away.”

Ali hums in thought before replying. “Well, he’s bound to find out sooner or later from somebody . You should tell him. Otherwise he’ll learn about it from someone else and who knows what kind of twisted story he’ll get.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Thank you. I was due for some girl talk—today was a long one and this was the perfect de-stresser.”

“I’m always here, anytime. You know that,” she says softly.

“I know,” I reply, focusing on the slick roads heading toward town. “I gotta go. I’m driving home now. I’ll put it in my calendar to have wine night this weekend. Tell Trey you’re booked.”

“Oh, we for sure are having a wine night,” she confirms.

We say our goodbyes and my heart feels, once again, filled to the brim because of our chat.