Read Online Just a Little (5-8) by Tracie Puckett - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tracie Puckett
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fine,” I knocked his hand away. I managed to stand up—without an ounce of grace, go figure—and immediately noticed the woman standing at his side.
Rebecca .
Not wanting to give either of them the satisfaction of witnessing any more of my embarrassment, I pushed between them and kept walking home. Tears stung my eyes almost as painfully as the sidewalk dirt stung the open wounds on my palms.
That was just like Luke to swoop in and hurt me when I least expected it.
And it was just like me to walk away, never giving him the chance to make it right.
God, there were plenty of things I wanted to say to him, thousands of questions I wanted to ask, and a million possible responses he could give. But I’d already spent the last week avoiding him by all means possible… I couldn’t turn around now and demand answers.
I’d shut him out for too long. My chance for closure had long since passed.
“Julie,” Luke caught up to me and took my wrist. He turned me gently back to him, and our chests brushed on contact. I gnawed on the inside of my lip as I stared at him, watching his eyes soften with the slightest bit of moisture. “I’ve been trying to reach you for a week.”
“Yeah, I got that from your dozen voicemails,” I said, not letting his tone faze me. Whether he knew it or not, Luke had an incredible knack for manipulating my emotions. As hard as it would be, I had to stay strong; I couldn’t let him get to me with his expert moves. If I let Luke hurt me again, it would be no one’s fault but my own.
Stay strong, Julie. Stay strong.
I pulled my arm from his grasp and turned to walk away yet again.
“Julie—”
“Goodbye, Luke,” I said, not turning back.
Something heavy, something acutely similar to that feeling of being watched, pulled at my heart as I rounded the corner and put him out of sight. I couldn’t know for sure, but I assumed he watched me until I disappeared around the next building.
And it didn’t make a bit of sense.
Was he watching me walk away just now? If so, why? What could he possibly have to say to me? How in the world could he expect me to just fall back into his arms after I’d blatantly gone out of my way to give him the silent treatment? How could he stand there, practically brushing shoulders with Rebecca, acting like nothing had ever happened?
How could he? Who did he think he was?
For crying out loud! It’d only been five days since I found out that Luke might’ve been lying about a whole lot more than what I’d ever suspected.
She’s not his daughter .
Yep. That’s the report I’d gotten back from Matt the day after my cousin and I had spotted Luke, Rebecca, and her kid in the park together. Naturally, I had to assume that there was a lot more to that threesome than what I knew. After all, Luke and Rebecca had gotten so close so fast. Maybe that’s because they’d known each other once before… maybe because they’d shared something much greater than what I’d ever imagined.
While I did my best to avoid learning the truth (per Bruno’s gentle request to mind my own business), Matt made it his mission to find out everything he possibly could. He did a little digging, a little poking around, and finally after his investigation failed to bring any new news to light, he just flat-out asked Luke what was going on. And Luke didn’t let on about much. All he’d told my cousin was that he and Rebecca weren’t romantically involved, nor had they ever been. According to Matt, Luke was vague, but adamant about how he’d met his new friend. Apparently he met her the same way Grace and Lonnie had; she came in looking for a job, and he was there. He swore that he’d never met her until then, that her daughter was not his daughter, and that our suspicions were beyond absurd.
He refused to explain himself, especially to Matt. He said if I wanted to know the real story, I had to be patient, and I’d have to hear it for myself. He said that it was his life, his
Rebecca .
Not wanting to give either of them the satisfaction of witnessing any more of my embarrassment, I pushed between them and kept walking home. Tears stung my eyes almost as painfully as the sidewalk dirt stung the open wounds on my palms.
That was just like Luke to swoop in and hurt me when I least expected it.
And it was just like me to walk away, never giving him the chance to make it right.
God, there were plenty of things I wanted to say to him, thousands of questions I wanted to ask, and a million possible responses he could give. But I’d already spent the last week avoiding him by all means possible… I couldn’t turn around now and demand answers.
I’d shut him out for too long. My chance for closure had long since passed.
“Julie,” Luke caught up to me and took my wrist. He turned me gently back to him, and our chests brushed on contact. I gnawed on the inside of my lip as I stared at him, watching his eyes soften with the slightest bit of moisture. “I’ve been trying to reach you for a week.”
“Yeah, I got that from your dozen voicemails,” I said, not letting his tone faze me. Whether he knew it or not, Luke had an incredible knack for manipulating my emotions. As hard as it would be, I had to stay strong; I couldn’t let him get to me with his expert moves. If I let Luke hurt me again, it would be no one’s fault but my own.
Stay strong, Julie. Stay strong.
I pulled my arm from his grasp and turned to walk away yet again.
“Julie—”
“Goodbye, Luke,” I said, not turning back.
Something heavy, something acutely similar to that feeling of being watched, pulled at my heart as I rounded the corner and put him out of sight. I couldn’t know for sure, but I assumed he watched me until I disappeared around the next building.
And it didn’t make a bit of sense.
Was he watching me walk away just now? If so, why? What could he possibly have to say to me? How in the world could he expect me to just fall back into his arms after I’d blatantly gone out of my way to give him the silent treatment? How could he stand there, practically brushing shoulders with Rebecca, acting like nothing had ever happened?
How could he? Who did he think he was?
For crying out loud! It’d only been five days since I found out that Luke might’ve been lying about a whole lot more than what I’d ever suspected.
She’s not his daughter .
Yep. That’s the report I’d gotten back from Matt the day after my cousin and I had spotted Luke, Rebecca, and her kid in the park together. Naturally, I had to assume that there was a lot more to that threesome than what I knew. After all, Luke and Rebecca had gotten so close so fast. Maybe that’s because they’d known each other once before… maybe because they’d shared something much greater than what I’d ever imagined.
While I did my best to avoid learning the truth (per Bruno’s gentle request to mind my own business), Matt made it his mission to find out everything he possibly could. He did a little digging, a little poking around, and finally after his investigation failed to bring any new news to light, he just flat-out asked Luke what was going on. And Luke didn’t let on about much. All he’d told my cousin was that he and Rebecca weren’t romantically involved, nor had they ever been. According to Matt, Luke was vague, but adamant about how he’d met his new friend. Apparently he met her the same way Grace and Lonnie had; she came in looking for a job, and he was there. He swore that he’d never met her until then, that her daughter was not his daughter, and that our suspicions were beyond absurd.
He refused to explain himself, especially to Matt. He said if I wanted to know the real story, I had to be patient, and I’d have to hear it for myself. He said that it was his life, his
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