Page 74 of When You Blush

She hurt all of us.

“Hey,” she says and blinks furiously. I’m sure this isn’t easy for her either. I look a lot like my oldest brother. I haven’t seen Jules in person since she moved back to Bitterroot Valley. I know that Billie and Beckett have both seen her. Juliet goes into the bookstore often, and Beck sells her all of her dairy products.

But I haven’t laid eyes on her in fifteen years.

“Hey, girl,” Harper says, oblivious to the turmoil raging in my gut. “This is Blake.” Harper weaves her arm through mine and leans her head on my biceps. “He hasn’t been in yet, but I’ve been singing your praises.”

Jules nods and smiles at me. It’s genuine.

“We know each other,” I reply, nodding at Juliet. “How are you, Jules?”

Her lips fold in for a second, and she forces another smile. “I’m doing well, thanks. Welcome in.”

“It’s a great spot,” I tell her, meaning it. “I hope you kill it.”

She clears her throat, then sucks in a breath. “What can I get you?”

Harper has gone quiet, and her gaze bounces back and forth between us. Her eyes are narrowed just slightly as if she’s trying to solve a puzzle.

One that I’ll have to put together for her later.

Once we’ve ordered our meals and I’ve paid, Harper and I choose a table by the windows. I reach across to take her hands, but she pulls out of my reach.

“Don’t fucking do that.” I shake my head at her, but she licks her lips and still won’t let me touch her.

“Did I just really fuck up?” Her brows are pulled together in a frown.

“Yes. You pulled away from me, and I’m not okay with that.”

“The vibe back there wasthickwith awkwardness,” she says, shaking her head. “Christ, Blake, you should have warned me.”

“There’s nothing to warn you about.”

“I’d like to know if you and Juliet?—”

“No.” I push my hands through my hair and look Harper dead in the eyes. “No, she’s Brooks’s ex. And there’s alotof history there, but I’m not the key player in that drama.”

She seems to deflate with relief. “Thank God. I mean, I know there are women out there who youdohave a past with, but I love it here. I don’t want it to be awkward because you and the owner used to bang.”

I snort out a laugh at that and then wince. “God, no. She was like a sister to me at one time.”

Her eyebrows climb in surprise, and she folds her arms, leaning her elbows on the table. “What happened?”

Just then, one of Juliet’s employees places our meals in front of us.

“Enjoy,” she says with a smile and walks away.

I take in the fajitas that I got thanks to Harper’srecommendation and feel even more pride. “This looks so damn good.”

“So good,” she confirms around a bite of her own dinner.

“Jules and Brooks were a couple all through high school and college. They were young, but it was serious. We all just assumed they’d end up married one day.”

Harper pauses and sets her fork down, frowning at me. “What happened?” she asks again.

“A lot happened.” I take a bite of my food and think about how much I should tell her. It’s not my story to share, and it’s something that Brooks will absolutelynottalk about. “There was some betrayal, and I suspect some misunderstandings, although Brooks never told us everything that went down. When all was said and done, they were finished, and Juliet left town.”

“She justleft?” Harper asks, her head tilted to the side. “It must have been alotof shit that went down.”