Chasing Julia (Rhode Island Romance #2) (6 page)

But that had all
changed almost overnight. He became cold and hostile, avoided her touches, even
refused to look at her. When she’d asked him what was wrong, he’d said, “Stop
acting like you’re my mother and that this is your house. You’re not my mother,
and you never will be.”

No. She’d never
viewed herself as a mother figure in his life. Not even as a sister, really.
Their relationship had been rocky throughout his teenage years. After Nick had
literally knocked some sense into Tony, she’d enjoyed one peaceful summer with
the Rossetti family before Tony had left for college. She’d only seen him
sporadically during those four years, and that hadn’t changed much when he’d
started working at Rossetti Construction fulltime.

Her relationship
with Joe had been on-again, off-again over the years. In their late twenties,
they’d stopped dating for almost three years and saw other people. But even
when they weren’t officially dating, she’d still been convinced that she and
Joe would end up together. Although she’d moved into her own place by then,
she’d made a point to visit the Rossetti clan on a weekly basis, joining them,
along with her parents, for family cookouts and celebrations.

Tony had been
there, too, usually with one attractive girl or another—his flavor of the
month, Julia had teased. She and Tony had eased into a friendship that
consisted of playful banter, good-natured ribbing, and mock flirtatiousness. He
was the life of the party, whatever the occasion, and he doled out his charm to
every woman who happened to be in the room.

But she’d
laughingly reminded him that his charm was wasted on her. Her heart was set on
Joe; Tony would just have to find some other bird to lure down from the tree…

“What are you
thinking about?” he asked her now, tugging her from her reverie.

She shook her head
out of the clouds and sat up straighter in her seat. “Nothing in particular.”

“Looked like some
deep thoughts were going on in there,” he fished.

“Just thinking
about work. Oh! I meant to tell you. Your friend Audrey came by my office
yesterday afternoon.”

“Audrey King?” He
sounded startled. “What did she want?”

“She’s launching a
new jewelry line. She’s asked me to plan a party to kick things off.”

“Really? Well,
that’s great.” He gave her a quick look before returning his focus to the road.
“Tell me about it.”

She outlined the
details, her enthusiasm growing as she shared her preliminary ideas of
transforming Audrey’s factory in Pawtucket into an underwater world, in keeping
with Audrey’s ocean-themed designs.

Tony beamed at her.
“That sounds amazing, Julia. You always have the coolest ideas.”

She glowed.
“Thanks! It helps that I’ll have a decent budget to work with. Audrey isn’t
sparing any costs.”

“Will you need help
with anything?”

“Maybe. She suggested
you might come with me to take a look at the space. She’s thinking of having
some display counters put in.”

“She did, huh?”
There was something curious in his tone, but his next words were casual. “Yeah,
I could do that. I think I have next Wednesday afternoon free if that works for
you.”

“I’ll check my
calendar when we get back to my place.”

Her stomach
growled, startling them both.

He laughed softly. “Hungry?”

“Famished. I only
had a piece of toast for breakfast before you yanked me out the door.”

He smirked. “Hang
tight. We’ll get you fed soon.”

She hadn’t been
paying attention to where they were going. “Did we just pass North Kingstown?”

“Yep.”

“Are we going to
Narragansett Beach?”

“Nope.”

“Scarborough Beach?”

“Nope.”

She continued the
guessing game as he drove along, even when she realized where they were headed.
When he pulled into a parking lot off Sand Hill Cove Road, she gave him a happy
smile. “I haven’t been here since last summer. What a perfect idea!”

He’d taken them to
Galilee, a fishing village on Point Judith and the site of the Block Island
Ferry. She and her parents had come here at least once every summer when she
was growing up. Last year, she and Hannah had taken the ferry over to Block
Island for a girls’ weekend.

“I haven’t either,”
he said, sharing her smile. “I like it better after the summer crowds have
gone.”

They exited the
truck and stood together in the unpaved parking area, looking around. He
pointed across the street to Champlin’s, a fresh seafood market with a
restaurant on the second floor. “How about there? It’s still a little before
noon. We’ll beat the rush.”

“Sounds good to
me.”

She ambled
alongside him towards the gray shingled building. As they walked up the outer
stairs to the restaurant, she felt his palm settle against the small of her
back. Something quickened inside of her. She didn’t pull away, letting him
guide her as they approached the order window. They studied the menu affixed to
the wall.

“Think I’ll go for a
lobster roll and slaw,” he said. “What do you want?”

“Clear chowder. And
I’ll have the coleslaw, too.”

“I’m getting a
beer. You want one?”

She had a very
brief internal debate between keeping her promise to never drink alcohol again
and the allure of enjoying an ice cold beer on a warm late summer day. “Sure. A
pale ale.”

He dropped his hand
from her back and pulled his wallet from his rear pocket. “Go grab a table on
the deck. I’ll wait for our order.”

She nodded.
Glancing around, she noticed the inside dining room was only half full. The
deck, shaded by a blue awning, was more crowded, but there were still some
empty tables available. She snagged some napkins and utensils before heading
outside.

She commandeered a
picnic table and sat down, facing the water view. While she waited for Tony,
she gazed across the harbor towards the cluster of houses and buildings that
lined the shore of Jerusalem, Rhode Island. It was a pleasing mix of ramshackle
beach shacks and more upscale dwellings. Wooden piers jutted out into the
water. Most of the boat slots were empty; the commercial fishing boats had left
hours ago. A leisure boat slowly cruised along the water towards the sea, rock
music sounding from its stereo. The sky was powder blue with just a few puffy
white clouds hovering in the distance. She inhaled the briny air and closed her
eyes, savoring the smells of ocean and fish—fresh and fried—and the distant
hint of autumn. The sound of the water lapping against the pilings lulled her
into a sunny daydream.

“Falling asleep on
me already?”

Tony’s teasing
inquiry compelled her eyes to flutter open. His arm brushed against her
shoulder as he set a food-laden tray on the table. He sat down beside her on
the bench.

“It’s such a lovely
day,” she murmured.

He swiveled his
head towards her. He’d removed his sunglasses. His eyes were soft on her face.
“It sure is.”

She blinked slowly
up at him, caught in his gaze. There was that strange, quickening feeling
again. She looked away from him, forced her attention on their lunch. “
Mmm
.
This looks good. And you got my favorite beer. Thanks!”

She picked up the
bottle and clicked it against his before taking a swallow. Then she set it down
and dug into her chowder and slaw.

They ate in an easy
silence, enjoying the food, the fresh air and the scenery. The Block Island
Ferry traveled up the harbor, loaded with homeward-bound vacationers as well as
islanders visiting the mainland. People lined the railings, many of them waving
at the diners. Tony and Julia waved back.

Tony tossed his
napkin on the tray and patted his flat stomach. “That hit the spot. Are you
finished?”

She drank the last
of her beer and set it down. “We should go for a walk. Otherwise, I’m going to
fall asleep right here.”

He nudged her
lightly in the ribs with his elbow. “Lightweight.”

She rolled her eyes
at him before swinging her legs over the bench and rising to her feet. “If they
could mix beer and sunshine into a sleeping pill, I’d never have insomnia
again.”

Concern touched his
expression. “Still not sleeping well?”

She shrugged.
“Better than I was.”

His eyes rested
speculatively on her face for a few moments, but he said nothing further as he
helped her load up the tray and clean off the table. After they’d both used the
restroom, they headed outside. They walked along the breachway towards the
ocean and then kicked off their shoes, carrying them as they strolled close to
the water’s edge on Salty Brine State Beach.

The beach wasn’t as
crowded as it would have been at the height of summer, but it was still very
busy. Julia watched some children making sandcastles and thought of the happy
times she’d enjoyed here when she was their age.

Memories of Joe drifted
into her thoughts again. She was trying to remember if he had ever come here
with her. She didn’t think so. They’d seldom had outings like this. He’d simply
had no time during those early years when he’d been fighting to keep the
company afloat. And as she became more immersed in the event business, she
hadn’t had much time for days like this either.

Funny, she’d never
given it much thought until now—the fact that she and Joe hadn’t experienced
many of the normal dating and courtship rituals that most couples did. They’d
behaved like an established, settled couple right from the start. There had
never been anything close to a courting stage in their relationship; she had
never been wooed.

Tony grabbed her
hand to catch her attention. “Let’s go sit on the rocks. Watch the boats for a
while.”

“Okay.”

He kept her hand in
his as they retraced their steps to the breachway, and she let him. His grip
was gentle, but she felt its underlying male strength. She missed holding hands
with a man. When they reached the breachway, he released her hand so that they
could put on their shoes before clambering over the rocks to the other side.
They found a flat, dry surface and sat down side by side.

It was very
entertaining watching the various outbound and inbound boats go by: large
commercial fishing boats, recreational trawlers, leisure boats and the
occasional sailboat.

Joe brought his
legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. “I loved coming here as a
kid. This was one of my dad’s favorite places.”

She copied his
pose. “I miss him.”

“Yeah.” His tone
was gruff.

She rested her
cheek on her knees, her head turned towards him. “You remind me of him. I think
you take after your dad the most. There’s something around the jaw and the
eyes. Joe has your mother’s eyes.”

He looked at her.
“Do you know that’s the first time you’ve spoken his name out loud to me since
the day you came back from San Diego?”

“It is?”

“Yeah.”

“I guess that’s a
good sign then.”

His eyes sharpened.
“Did you watch the show?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“I could literally
see them falling in love. Part of me was hoping…” She faltered. She pressed her
lips together and slid her eyes away from his.

“Hoping for what?”

She lifted her
head, keeping her gaze forward. She shrugged one shoulder. “That it wasn’t
real. That it had only been infatuation. That he’d change his mind.”

“You’d have taken
him back?” His harsh voice was almost like a whiplash.

She flinched. She
sat up straight. “Of course not.”

“Look me in the eye
and say that.”

She swung her head
towards him. “You sound angry. Why?”

“Just tell me that
you wouldn’t have taken him back.”

“It’s a moot point.
He’s not leaving her.”

“Say it.” His voice
was low and terse.

She lifted her
chin. “No. I wouldn’t have taken him back.”

His tense posture
relaxed a little. “Good. My opinion of you would have dropped several notches
if you’d said yes.”

She felt a rising
tide of anger, the kind of anger she’d only felt during those long ago
arguments with him. “Don’t be nasty.”

“I’m just stating
the truth. I don’t like weak-minded women. It’s not attractive.”

“I’m
not
weak,” she seethed.

His features
softened. He unclasped his arms from around his legs and reached out to brush
the back of his hand across her cheek. “No, you’re not,” he agreed, his husky
voice grabbing her low. “You’re one of the strongest women I know. But you’ve
had your time to be miserable. Now it’s time to move on. Be the Julia that I
love.”

She stared at him
mutely, her thoughts and emotions all jumbled.

And then Tony took
on his usual cheerful personality again. He removed his hand from her cheek and
rose to his feet. He pulled his cellphone from his pocket and glanced at it.
“It’s almost two o’clock. How about we get an ice cream cone for the road? There’s
somewhere else I want to take you.”