Moment of Weakness (Embracing Moments Book 1) (3 page)

Thanking the lady behind the counter, I grabbed my suitcase. Relieved for its handle and rolling wheels, I stepped aside. While the swelling in my hand had subsided, my knuckles were still red and bruised. Hitting Megan was never my intention. I’m not a violent person, not even in the slightest, but so many emotions had been running through me. It was like I was having an out-of-body experience when my hand curled into a fist and met her mouth. A small part of me—the part that still thought of her as my friend—felt guilty. That was until Robby stepped forward to console her. His simple gesture was a quick reminder of what a lying, betraying bitch she was. It was that moment that took everything in me not to kick Robby in his junk and eliminate whatever bit of manhood he had left.

This was just great.

I had two options: stay here and wait until tomorrow’s train, or call my dad. While I didn’t want to sit around the train station, I hated the idea of calling my father. As far as he knew, I was still going to Europe with Robby and Megan. Sharing the last few days of my messy life wasn’t something I was ready to do. I had hoped I could just grab a train and show up at home. The train ride would have given me extra time—time to figure out how to tell my father. Telling him that Robby and Megan were going at it like wild rabbits on the couch just didn’t seem appropriate. My father has always been protective, especially since Mom died. I couldn’t imagine him thinking straight after I told him that. He already hated the fact I went to school three hours away. Knowing him, he’d probably have my transfer paperwork submitted to the local college before I even made it home.

Grabbing my phone from my back pocket, I deleted the unread text messages from Robby. He’d get the point eventually. At least I hoped he would. Thumbing through my contact list, I fell upon the entry I was looking for. My thumb hovered over the call button for a second, and before I could change my mind, I pressed it. The phone rang a few times, and on the fourth ring, my old man’s familiar voice came across the line.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Dad!” I said in the happiest voice I could muster.

“Julia, is that you, sweetheart? We must have a bad connection, I’m having trouble hearing you. Let me walk out of my office.” The line filled with static, followed by a long pause. I looked at my phone to make sure I hadn’t lost him. “Okay. That should be better. Are you still there, Julia?”

“Yeah, I’m here. I’m sorry to bother you at work, but I was, uh, hoping you could send Theo to pick me up? I’m at the train station, and the next train doesn’t leave until tomorrow evening.”

“Train station?” he asked, sounding confused. “Why are you at the train station, sweetie? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine,” I said, rushing to assure him. “I just want to come home.”

“I thought you were leaving for Europe tomorrow? Your flight information just came in from the travel agency.”

I sighed. “It’s kind of a long story. I was hoping it would be okay if I came home for the summer instead?” He went quiet for a moment, and I was sure it was because he was debating on pressing me for further details. Dad was good at getting me to talk when I really didn’t want to.

“Of course, it’s okay. This is your home, Julia. You don’t have to ask.”

“I know, Dad . . . I’m just exhausted. The last few days have been rough with finals and all.”

“Julia?”

“Yeah, Dad?” The line grew quiet, and after a few moments that felt like forever, he finally spoke.

“I wasn’t going to tell you, because you were supposed to be in Europe, and I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Tell me what, Dad?” I questioned, my stomach filling with unease.

He sighed, and I could hear the unsteady shake in his voice. “Something has happened that has called for an increase in security. It’s nothing majorly concerning, but I would feel more comfortable if you had your own security detail.”

Extra security detail? Not again. I thought we were past this. The day after Mom died, additional security swarmed the house. To say my father was paranoid was an understatement. Having a personal bodyguard wherever I went was something I grew used to. It wasn’t so bad when I was younger, but as soon as I hit high school, I dreaded it. I was the only one in our entire school being followed from class to class. Participating in crazy high school activities was impossible, and my dating life, yeah, I didn’t have one. When I decided I had had enough, I confronted my father about it. It took several hours of arguing, pouting, and then full-blown tears, before he caved. The next day, my personal guard disappeared, and the number of security guards that roamed the house dwindled.

“I’m sorry, Julia.”

Wiping away the fine layer of sweat that had formed on my forehead, I opened my eyes and blew out a sigh. “It’s fine, Dad. It’s not the first time.”

“If it makes you feel any better, he doesn’t talk much. You won’t even realize he’s there.”

Perfect.
I lost my friend, my boyfriend, my apartment, and my entire summer plans. To top it off, now I needed to be followed by someone who was probably old and balding. I wasn’t mad at my father, not in the slightest. If anything, I was worried. He knew how I felt about the security, so whatever brought this on again had to be serious. “I’m just anxious to get home, Dad.”

“Good. That’s settled then. We can talk more about it this evening. I have already sent Theo an email. He will pick up Roman and then come right to the train station. He should be there in a few hours.”

“Who’s Roman?” I asked.

“Your personal guard, Julia.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Julia. Look, I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have to go. I have a meeting in five minutes. I’ll see you when I get home, okay? I love you, sweetie.”

“Sounds good. I love you too, Dad.”

“Bye, Julia.”

Before giving me the opportunity to say anything else, he hung up. I pulled the phone from my ear and deleted two more text messages from Robby. It was just past noon. Just a few hours and Theo would be here. That meant I had some time to kill.

MY EYES FELL
to my black cotton tee. The aged, worn shirt had faded in spots, and the band logo on the front was hardly visible. I should have tossed it a while ago, but the more I washed it, the more comfortable and softer it became. Besides, I couldn’t get rid of it. It was the first concert Lacey and I had gone to sans security detail.

Lacey Carmichael.

The one person I was looking forward to seeing this summer. Lacey and I met in elementary school, and we have been best friends ever since. The only thing separating us now was distance. Senior year, Lacey’s dream of going to Harvard came true. I was disappointed at first, because the plan was to attend college together, but when she got her acceptance letter, she was ecstatic. I guess the sizable donation her father’s private law firm made to his Alma Mater paid off. She was doing what she wanted to do, following in her father’s footsteps. We kept in touch during the school year through email and texting. Her last email stated she’d be interning with her father this summer and I was to kiss a random French guy for her. She was
that
kind of crazy.

As I made my way into the bathroom, I was quickly reminded how much I hated public restrooms. Despite the amount of cleaner used, nothing could mask the smell that lingered in the air. Focusing on breathing through my mouth, I tiptoed into the first empty stall and attempted to hang my bag on the back of the door. Graffiti covered the beige-colored stalls, and wet toilet paper littered the floor. Whoever used this stall last hadn’t bothered to make sure the toilet flushed properly. Feeling bad for the person who had to clean the stalls, I unzipped my bag and pulled out a yellow sundress and a matching pair of wedge sandals. It’s not like they were my first choice, but my father, being the respectable business man he was, was sure to have company over. The least I could do was look presentable.

The yellow sundress was much more comfortable than I remembered it being. It fell just above the knees, and the lightweight chiffon material made it a perfect choice for the scorching sun. The halter top tied around my neck, leaving a good portion of my back exposed. Slipping my feet into the wedge sandals, I grabbed my bag from the door and walked over to the sink. Water lay in pools around the counter and globs of hand soap trailed a path from the dispenser to the round stainless steel bowl.

I stood for a second, looking through the mirror, barely recognizing the person standing before me.

Feeling half-naked, I released the hold on my tightly wrapped bun and allowed my hair to fall down my back. The long, blonde wispy waves that framed my face reminded me so much of my mother’s. An uncomfortable tightness gripped my chest at the thought. It hurt to think about her. Thirteen years had passed, and at times, it still felt like yesterday. That is the thing about the pain of losing someone you love. It never really goes away. It never subsides. You just learn to deal with the pain. And when you can’t deal with it, you cover it up, mask it with a fake smile, and hope no one will notice.

Today was a day I hoped no one would notice.

I grabbed my makeup purse from my bag and pulled out some foundation, eyeliner, and lip gloss. Wearing makeup was never really my thing, but the lack of sleep I had received the past few days had caused bags to form under my eyes. Bags that needed some serious attention. Finishing, I tossed my makeup back in its bag, grabbed my purse, and dug out the one thing I always kept with me. My fingers traced over the intricate detail of the wings as my eyes took in the beauty of the light blue rhinestones. The way they glistened in the light brought a small smile to my face. The color of the small dainty clip matched my eyes perfectly, and I was sure it was one of the reasons my mother bought it for me. That and the simple fact she loved butterflies. I grabbed a few wisps of hair from around my face and pinned them back with the clip before walking back outside.

As I sat on the bench waiting for Theo to arrive, my stomach made it clear it needed food. The fierce growls and gurgling sounds it made reminded me I hadn’t eaten all day. I just didn’t have time. The fact that I needed to wake up early and call a taxi to get to my last final this morning left little time to eat. Even if there was time, I most likely wouldn’t have ate anyway. My stomach had been in knots all morning. This morning’s final was one I dreaded the most, because it meant I would have to come face to face with
her.
I hadn’t seen or heard from Megan since Monday night.

I had been finishing up my last shift at the bar. It’s not like I needed to work. Dad had set up automatic deposits to my bank account each month for more than what some people made in a year. It was his way of making sure all I needed to focus on was school. The only time the money was ever touched, was for the cost of my books at the start of each semester. I hated feeling like I was getting handouts even if those handouts came from my own father. Stubborn and just like your mother, he would say, but working at the bar was like a reprieve. It allowed me to feel normal. So despite my father’s pleas, I worked anyway.

As usual, Mondays at the bar were slow. I had a few hours to go until my shift ended, but the smoke that filled the bar caused the throbbing in my head to become unbearable. Since it was my last shift, my boss, Jim, allowed me to cut out early. Wanting nothing more than to just crawl into bed and sleep, I walked the few blocks home. The possibility that Robby and Megan were having an affair didn’t even cross my mind when I got home and saw Robby’s car sitting in the driveway. After walking in and seeing their bodies tangled together like some screwed-up game of twister, I packed everything I could fit in my suitcase and called a cab. I had enough cash to cover the cost of the hotel room, which was a good thing, because it meant Dad wouldn’t question the charges. When class started, Megan entered and didn’t even throw as much as a glance my way. As soon as my final was complete, I left and didn’t look back.

After a little while, the train station cleared out, and the line at the snack bar was nonexistent. Applying a generous amount of spicy mustard to my soft pretzel, I took up residence on the closest bench I could find and positioned my suitcase beside me. No matter where I was or what I was doing, people always talked to me. It was like I had a sticky note on my forehead that was an open invitation for conversation. I wasn’t in the mood to talk. As a matter of fact, all I really wanted to do was read. I grabbed my e-reader from my bag and opened up where I had left off. This was only the second book I’d read in the past month. With work and finals, it was hard to find the time. I guess there was one good thing that came out of the Robby and Megan fiasco. I’d finally be able to get caught up on all my new releases that had automatically downloaded to my e-reader months ago. Lost within the pages of my book, time became just a second thought. I couldn’t flip the pages quickly enough, and right when the hero was about to kiss the heroine, I was pulled back to reality.

“That seems like a good book, Miss Julia. Do you mind if I borrow it when you’re finished?” The soft gentle voice that refused to call me anything else but Miss Julia brought a smile to my face. Setting my e-reader down beside me, I jumped from the bench and ran toward Theo. Despite being older, he still managed to pick me up off my feet and spin me around. You never realize how much you miss someone until you have to spend almost every day without them. I loved Theo just as much as my father.