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JULIA
The hammering of her heart against her ribs drowned out most of the other sounds in the room. She stared up at Luke, her jaw hanging open. He still looked like Luke, more or less, but in the expensive suit with the new haircut, it seemed he had moved past his typical small-town look.
What was he doing with Lydia?
“Skipper?” Alex leapt from his seat with a grin on his face. “No way, man. We were just talking about you.”
“Really?” Luke asked as he extended his hand to Alex who pulled him into a half hug.
“Ava still talks about those Marina Mists.”
“Julia’s favorite. We don’t serve them on the menu but for friends…I can always make an exception.”
Ava rose from her seat to offer the man a hug as Julia’s stomach continued to ride the rollercoaster of her emotions. What was Luke doing here? With Lydia?
“Unbelievable,” Kyle murmured next to her.
Ava pulled back from Luke. “I didn’t know you were in New Orleans, too. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, ah, I’m not. I’m just…visiting for some business.” Luke shot Julia a glance as he answered.
“What business?” Grant grumbled.
“So glad you asked,” Lydia said. “Luke, have a seat. Our meal is getting cold.”
He helped Lydia with her chair before he took a seat between her and Sierra. Julia wrinkled her nose at the new man sitting diagonally from her.
Next to her, the grimace on Grant’s face made it obvious how much he detested the current situation. Already on edge with Alex’s playful personality, Luke’s appearance made the situation untenable.
“I’m still waiting to hear about this business,” he said.
Lydia sighed as she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Grant, will you ever learn patience? Where is Worthington? The man is never here when I need him.”
Like clockwork, Worthington strode into the room to monitor the meal’s progression, and Lydia snapped her fingers at him. “There you are. Martini, please. Heaven knows, I need it. Grant is already on my last nerve.”
“Right away, madam,” Worthington said as he strode from the room.
“So, ah, Lydia, is it?” Alex said. “I’m confused. If the G-man ruffles your feathers, why are you living here?”
Lydia drew her chin back to her chest, her red lips tugging into a frown. “Well, aren’t you nosy? If you must know, it’s to be close to my daughter, Sierra.”
“Oh, please,” Grant groused.
Lydia shot him an incredulous glance.
“I’m with Daddy. We’re not close. You know, since you dumped me when I was five, it kind of ruined the whole Mommy-Daughter vibe.”
“I made the best choice I could for your well-being. You lived a wonderful life with your father in the lap of luxury.”
“While you flitted around the world in…well, the lap of several men,” Grant said as he downed his bourbon. “Where is Worthington? I’m going to need another one.”
“Me too,” Kyle answered on her other side.
“I’m going to need more than that,” Sierra answered.
Julia swallowed hard as the conversation devolved into a complaint session. She rubbed her sweaty palms against her pants as she considered pinching herself. Maybe it was all a dream.
More like a nightmare. One of the ones where you forgot to get dressed and every person from your life all came together to make this moment one of the most uncomfortable of your life.
