Page 35 of The Sweetest Mistake

“Yes,” she said as she went behind the front desk and set down her purse. She hoped Alec would take the hint that she didn’t want to talk when she turned her back and started digging through a file drawer for some papers she needed.

“How’s that working out?” he asked. Once again, she wondered how he was able to stay so cool and detached. Was he missing the part of the brain that processed emotions? Did he want to be friends now? Or was he just trying to be nice because of her dad?

“It’s going good,” she said, but she must not have sounded convincing enough.

“You sure?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“I just care about you, that’s all. Even though things didn’t work out for us, I still want you to be happy.”

Setting down the file folder she’d been holding, she looked him in the eyes for the first time in a long time. She searched for a trace of insincerity, jealousy, or ulterior motives, but she came up empty. Empty. That was a good word for how she felt about Alec now. It was hard to believe that at one time, she’d wanted to marry him. It was amazing how much had changed in the course of a few months, weeks, or days (in the case of Ava’s arrival). Julia felt like a different person now, a better version of herself. And if Alec was being this civil toward her, she owed him the same courtesy.

“What about you? Are you dating anyone new?”

“No. I’m too busy with my studies to think about dating,” he said.

Just then, Dr. Lee walked up behind Alec and clapped him on the shoulder.

Her father walked so softly that she hadn’t heard him approach, and she wondered how much he’d overheard.

He shook Alec’s hand and then turned to her. “Good morning, sweetheart. I wasn’t sure if you’d be here today.”

“It’s my Sunday to work,” she replied, shooting him a tentative smile. She hated the awkwardness between them, but she wasn’t sure how to smooth things over. If her parents had reservations about Connor before, wait until they found out about Cam and Ava.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here. Maybe we can have lunch together when you’re done working, and Alec can join us.”

And just like that, she shut down again.

“Thanks for the invite, Dr. Lee, but I have plans this afternoon,” Alec said unexpectedly.

“So do I,” Julia said. Part of her hated to turn her dad down, but once he’d invited Alec along, she’d realized what was up to. Her dad was still trying to push her and Alec back together, but it wasn’t going to work, and the sooner he realized that, the better.

“Some other time, then,” Dr. Lee said, and then turning to Alec, he said, “We can talk in my office.”

Julia watched her father and Alec walk away, but right before Alec went into her dad’s office, he looked over his shoulder and gave her an apologetic look. She’d wondered if he had conspired with her parents to win her back, but now she doubted it. She should have felt relieved, but she didn’t. She still had to address the issues she had with her parents, and she still had to tell them about Ava.

Since when did my life become so complicated? Oh, right. Since I started dating Connor O’Brien.

Chapter Ten

“Good news,” Connor said when he called her the next day.

“What is?”

“Cam’s agreed to stay in Michigan.”

Julia and Harper were in the photo studio, and Harper shot her a curious glance. It was hard to label Connor’s news as “good” when it meant that his attractive ex-girlfriend, the woman who’d birthed his baby, was going to be living nearby.

“That is good news, I guess,” Julia said.

“This means that I’ll get to see Ava as often as I want, which is a helluva lot better than traveling back and forth to Colorado, don’t you think?”

We’ll see. “Yes. I’m happy for you,” she said, angling her body away from Harper’s intense stare.

“The next step is to find them someplace to live,” he said almost as if he were talking to himself.

“Harper knows a real estate agent who could help with that,” Julia suggested. Okay, how did I just go from feeling jealous to wanting to help?