Fever dream

CHAPTER 24

Julia

A RINGTONE BLARES THROUGH my car speakers.

Oh, good. Dick Wad is calling me.

I contemplate not answering. I’m almost at my mom’s house and desperately need some serious distraction from the show and from Emmett.

But I also don’t want to get on my boss’s bad side. And he has a lot of them. So with much self-loathing, I reach forward and tap the green circle to answer.

“Hello?” I singsong.

“Julia, it’s Richard.”

“Hi, Richard. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to have a quick chat with you about something.”

My stomach sinks, and I wonder if he knows about the kiss. Maybe he’s calling to fire me.

“Great. I’m all ears,” I say, trying to sound keen, but not too keen. Just regular levels of professional but eager.

“I can tell that Emmett has formed a certain… attachment to you. Would you agree?”

My heart thuds in my chest. “Like I mentioned already, I don’t know that I would take it that far.”

“You’re a reasonably attractive young woman, and as far as I can tell, single.”

In a panic, I blurt something I’m not even sure about yet. “Actually, his sister set me up with someone so…”

“Ah!” Richard sounds thrilled. “That’s good. We can’t have him going after the help. Make sure you let me know how that goes, hmm? I want to hear all the dirty details.”

My nose wrinkles. This man has the worst way with words, and I immediately regret saying that only to keep him off my trail. “Right. So what’s up?”

“I need your help keeping our bachelor on track. Maybe some gentle nudges when he comes to you. Evelyn is fantastic in front of the camera, so anything you can do to lead him in that direction will only earn you brownie points. And you’re going to have all the permits for the bar ready, right?”

My stomach falls hard and fast as I nod along with my boss. “Yeah. Sure. For sure,” I say, even though I don’t think I’m equipped to play this role. “The permits are close to being finalized, just need a signature from one of the owners and we’ll be good to go.”

“Great! Glad we had this chat. You have fun on that date! I’ll be checking in with you for an update.”

“Thanks,” I say awkwardly.

“Oh, and Julia?”

“Yes?”

“Keep up the good work. I’m working on that letter of reference, and I can’t wait to see what doors it opens for you.”

He hangs up without saying goodbye. Instead, he leaves me with what sounded an awful lot like a threat.

And it has me wondering if Richard isn’t only producing Emmett. Because that felt an awful lot like he’s producing me too.

I walk up to the front door of my mom’s house and can already hear the chatter coming from inside.

Theo, Winter, and the kids are here for a visit, and with it being my day off, I decided to show up bright and early so we could spend the entire day together. It also gives me something to do while I wait for the bar owner to get back to me about meeting up. I need to get that signature or my ass is grass. But I will not worry about it. Everything always works out. I will drive all night to meet him if that’s what it takes.

I take a deep breath, turn the knob, and push into the space, trying not to perseverate on last night.

On Emmett.

On that kiss.

God knows I’ve already lost enough sleep staying up and replaying it in my head like a song stuck on repeat. It’s unhealthy to be this fixated on what was just a kiss.

I kick off my sandals, sporting a casual pair of cutoffs and a burnout University of Emerald Lake T-shirt.

“Hey, Mom!” I shout. “Hi, Winter! Hi, babies. Auntie Jules is here!”

Despite my clear greeting order, it’s Theo who rounds the corner first. He grins at me with that signature twinkle in his eye and spring in his step.

“What about me?” he quips, feigning offense.

I stop my forward motion, marveling at how good he looks. Happy. It warms my heart, but it doesn’t stop me from greeting him like a typical sibling. “Hey, asshole, good to see you too.”

Theo laughs and tsks me as he strides forward and wraps me in a brotherly bear hug. “Careful, Jules,” he rumbles as he squeezes me and pulls back, gripping my shoulders. “There’s only one asshole here, and I fear it is not me.”

From back in the kitchen, my mom calls out, “Sorry, Jules, I would greet you, but I’m covered in grandbabies!”

Winter’s laugh follows. “Sorry, Jules, I would greet you, but I’m enjoying just sitting here with nobody touching me. And Theo made me promise not to interfere.”

That comment sets me on edge, and I look back toward my brother with a quirked brow.

“That’s right, Jules,” he says. “You’re the asshole because you failed to mention to me that the bachelor you’re working with is Emmett Bush.”

I freeze for a beat, because where the hell did he get that information? I force an expression of confusion onto my face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Theo throws his head back and laughs. A full belly laugh. The kind of laugh that tells me he’s laughing more at me than with me. “Nice try, little sis. The jig’s up, though. Emmett’s face and new job on Romance Ranch”—he waves a sarcastic hand through the air—“was plastered all over the internet this morning.”

My throat constricts as I process the news my brother has just dropped on me.

“I can’t believe you lied to me about this.” He looks thrilled.

I clear my throat and let out a heavy sigh. “I’m under an NDA, Theo. I can’t run around telling you things like this.”

“But this?” He runs his hands through his dark, short-cropped hair. “Jules, this is too good. This is… I would have signed an NDA just for the satisfaction of knowing that Emmett Bush is so fucking desperate that he signed up for a reality dating show.”

“Brandt.” It slips out without me even thinking.

Theo’s head tips. “What?”

“You said Bush.” I shrug, trying to appear more casual than I feel, since all I can think about is how distraught Emmett must be right now. “It’s like a ring name. His real name is Emmett Brandt.”

“Bush, Brandt, whatever. My day is fucking made, Jules. Get in here. Let’s have a coffee. I want to hear all about it.”

My brother practically skips into the kitchen, where Winter and my mother are seated around the oval-shaped table. My almost three-year-old niece, Vivie

“Hello, Miss Vivi,” I say, crouching down and opening my arms. She squeals in excitement and hops off my mom’s knee, rushing toward me. I pick her up and spin her around, peppering her pudgy cheeks and tiny ears with quick, silly kisses. It draws manic giggles from her that leave me smiling into her neck.

Then I pull back and look her over. It’s like holding a tiny female version of my brother. Dead ringer. I don’t know where Winter was when this baby was made, because her genes were not in the room.

“How’s my sweet girl?”

“Hiii,” she squeals before planting her hands on my cheeks and landing a loud kiss on my face.

“You gotta stop growing like this, kid. Soon you’re going to be taller than me.”

She laughs and wiggles enough that I put her down before she takes off ru

Winter watches her with a somewhat tired expression on her face. “I swear that kid doesn’t stop moving. She’s excited all the time. Happy all the time. She’s practically the eighth wonder of the world.”

Theo scoffs at that from where he’s leaned up against the counter watching us. “Why wouldn’t she be happy? Life is good.”

Winter and I look at him at the same time, and I almost laugh, thinking back on Emmett’s assessment of my brother. Too fucking happy. I smile and turn back to my mom, holding a sleeping baby Harvey in her arms.

“Hello, little man,” I say softly, crouching close to run my hand over the silky spray of his blond tresses. This one? This one, Winter’s genes were in the room for, because he’s a dead ringer for his mom.

“Do you want to hold him?” my mom asks.

I shake my head. “Nah, he’s asleep. He looks comfy. Hold your grandbaby, Mama.”

“Yeah,” Theo pipes up, moving to the table and pulling a chair out. “Jules is about to be very busy telling us all about Emmett being Romance Ranch’s bachelor. Because I’ve been waiting all morning for this.”

I sigh and stare at my brother before ignoring the seat he’s pulled out for me and walking over to Winter. She stands and we hug.

And like always, it’s not a big, boisterous hug. But it’s tight, firm. There’s something heartfelt in the way Winter hugs. It’s like she’s never gotten enough of them, so she soaks each one up with more intentionality than most people.

“Julia,” she says smoothly, looking me over. “You look…” Her head tilts, light eyes assessing me carefully. “Hmm, I don’t know. You look different.”

“Probably the weight of carrying around such juicy secrets is taking its toll on her,” Theo suggests with a chuckle.

“No, it’s because she’s not staying up all night studying now. She’s got a big girl job,” our mom a

Vivi has moved on to a set of magnetic blocks that I can tell my mom had set up in the living room for her earlier, but everyone else’s focus is on me.

“Maybe—” I start only to be cut off by Theo.

“Yeah, a big girl job that she’s going to sit down and tell us all about right now. Jules, let me get you a coffee. You still take it black?”

“Yes.”

Within seconds, Theo slides a steaming cup of coffee in front of where I sit, before taking his own chair. He props his chin in his hand. “Tell me everything.”

“I still can’t believe you won’t tell me anything. Like anything, anything,” Theo laments as we walk through Emerald Lake’s bustling historic district. It’s home to many bars and restaurants, coffee shops, small boutiques, and the town’s best ice cream shop.

The Old Country Creamery. A name we thought sounded charming when we were younger but has grown to sound, well, gross as we’ve gotten older.

But that doesn’t stop us from going, because their ice cream is the best. And it’s the place I’ve paid my way through university by working at—the place I still get a discount at.

Our group stops at the small courtyard in front, practically diving to claim the only free table. Mom and Winter plant themselves there with the kids as Theo and I turn to make our way inside to order.

Theo opens the front door for me, and I’m about to step into the store when I run smack dab into a hard, warm chest. Strong hands encircle my upper arms to keep me from taking a tumble.