Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
I pushed away from the wall and went to climb the steps. I trudged up, hanging on to the banister like I was about eighty years old. Soon I heard footsteps behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Jeremy Beckett, Kendall’s sexy lawyer brother. I managed a half smile.
He caught up to me. “I’m pretty wiped,” I said. “I had a great time, but I think you all are just too hilarious. A girl that’s been pulling double shifts in the ER just can’t keep up.”
“It’s good to see you here, Julie. How are you doing?”
“I’m good. Just tired. I’m not used to any kind of social life, I guess. It’s embarrassing,” I shrugged, trying to make a joke of it.
“You’ve been working really hard on getting your RN, Kendall said. And we should make sure you have a good time. I guess the three of us just wanted to show off, make sure you got a good laugh.”
“That was epic. Well beyond a good laugh. And if I came across like a know-it-all with the whole George Washington thing—”
“No, you’re fine. You’ve always been intelligent, and you were really nice about it. You fit right in with us Becketts. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Okay, maybe you surpass us in presidential trivia, but you still fit in,” he said lightly.
He was tall and handsome, with a more expensive haircut than the other two, a Ralph Lauren button down that was the exact color of his eyes. Everything about Jeremy was at ease with himself, right down to his sharp eyes that spoke of how formidable he was, how he’d be a nightmare to go up against in court. God, I wished he’d been at my side when I went up against Eric in the criminal case.
We walked up the stairs together, Jeremy matching his pace to mine. When we got to my door, he indicated the one across the hall. “This one’s me, if you need anything. Hey, not to bring up a bad subject, but Kendall let us know that your ex is being released soon. You’ve got to be a little nervous about that, I’m sure.”
“More than a little,” I admitted, feeling my shoulders sag a little. “But it’ll be fine. I don’t want to see him, not ever, but if he sticks to the rules for his parole, he won’t contact me. I can just go on with my life like nothing happened.”
“Hopefully he’s smart enough to play by the rules, or that he at least values his freedom enough to stay away from you. If he steps out of line Julie, I’ll personally see to it that his ass ends up back in prison for a long time.”
I blinked at him, at the forcefulness in his voice. Jeremy surprised me with that vehement statement, and warmth spread through me. A welcome rush of comfort compared to the chill of fear I’d been trying to ignore. I’d always thought Kendall’s brothers were gorgeous—it was just a fact. Like the fact that they had successful parents or the fact that Kendall was such a dynamo. Family traits of beauty, energy, charm—some people just won the old genetic lottery, I guess. But now, all the Becketts were going out of their way to make me feel welcome, to be so generous and caring. It was a genuine feeling of belonging, which I didn’t know that I’d ever had before. I was so grateful and could almost taste happiness as a temporary part of the Beckett clan. If only fear weren’t scratching at the window all the time.
“Thank you. You’ve been very kind,” I said to Jeremy softly.
He tipped his chin at me, a nod. I could feel tension between us, see his hesitance to hug me even though he wanted to. Restraint was for the best in this situation, so, grateful or not, I didn’t give him a hug. There were too many possibilities there if I made contact with him. I’d found out from being in close quarters at the ER with Rory that it was dangerous for me to touch any of the Beckett boys.
“Good night,” I said, and slipped into my room and shut the door.
I wasn’t exactly sure how I would survive an entire weekend in the same house as the Beckett brothers. Either my integrity or my sanity would be destroyed, because I wasn’t the kind of girl to get involved with my best friend’s brother—or brothers—out of respect for Kendall.
8
JEREMY
Darren and I were drinking coffee and eating our breakfast in relative silence when Kendall and Julie came down to join us. I straightened in my seat from where I’d been slumping over my plate, conscious of wanting to make a better impression.
“Morning,” Julie said, pouring herself a glass of orange juice and making a plate from the buffet laid out on the massive kitchen island. She smiled, sunny as anything at seven-thirty in the morning, and bit into a slice of bacon. “This is amazing.” She immediately loaded four more strips onto her plate and took some fruit and eggs. Then she swerved back and took more bacon with a mischievous grin.