Grace.”
He graciously accepted her embrace and walked over to Julia to assist her with her coat. After he’d hung it up, he quietly persuaded Aaron and Rachel to join him in the kitchen, denying Paulina her audience.
“I didn’t know you had two sisters.” She acknowledged Julia’s existence with a frosty smile. She towered over Julia, who was wearing plain flat shoes, jeans, and a black cardigan. Beside her, Julia felt dowdy and small.
“I have only one sister and you know it,” Gabriel snapped. “Why are you here?”
Julia came to herself and bravely extended her hand, before Gabriel made a scene. “I’m Julia. We spoke on the phone.”
Paulina kept a tight rein on her facial expression, but Julia saw what she was attempting to conceal—the cold flames of resentment.
“Really?” she laughed artfully. “Surely you can’t expect me to keep track of all the girls who’ve answered Gabriel’s phone over the years. Unless you were one of the girls I spoke with when I interrupted a ménage? Remember that night, Gabriel?”
Julia withdrew her hand as if she’d been smacked.
“I expect an answer to my question,” Gabriel spoke, his voice stiff and cold as a frozen lake. “Why are you here?”
Julia tried to step away. The verbal picture Paulina had painted repulsed her, and she wasn’t sure she could stomach the answer, whatever it might be. Gabriel caught Julia’s arm, pleading with her with his eyes not to flee.
“I came to see you, of course. You wouldn’t return my calls, and Carson said that you’d be with your family.” Paulina sounded irritated.
“Are you on your way to Minnesota?”
“You know my parents don’t speak to me. Anyway, Gabriel, I need to talk to you.” She gave Julia a venomous look. “Alone.”
Gabriel was conscious of the fact that the kitchen was still within hearing range of the living room. He took a step closer to Paulina, his voice hovering above a whisper.
“Allow me to remind you that you are a guest. I won’t tolerate your disrespect for anyone, especially Julianne. Do you understand?”
“You never treated me like a guest when you were in my mouth,” Paulina muttered, eyes flashing.
Julia inhaled sharply, her stomach rolling. If she’d met Paulina a few weeks ago, the encounter would have been awkward and uncomfortable. But meeting her now, after having spent hours in Gabriel’s bed, was incredibly painful.
Paulina knew what it was like to be intimate with him. She knew his sounds, his smell, the look on his face when he climaxed. She was taller, more sophisticated, and far more beautiful. And it was clear that unlike Julia, she had no hesitation about performing oral sex. Furthermore, and far more damaging, she’d created a child with Gabriel, something he was now unable to do with anyone else.
Julia tore herself from Gabriel’s grasp, turning her back on the former lovers. She knew it would be better if she and he maintained a united front. She also knew it would be better to stand her ground rather than retreat. But her spirit had taken a beating at Kinfolks restaurant, and she no longer had the energy to fight. Emotionally exhausted, she shuffled up the stairs without a backward glance.
Gabriel watched her walk away, and he felt his heart plummet to the soles of his feet. He wanted to go after her, but there was no way he was going to leave Paulina alone with his father and sister. He excused himself for a moment, disappearing into the kitchen to tell Rachel that Julia had fallen ill and to ask if she would check on her.
Rachel climbed the staircase and found Julia exiting the washroom on the second floor. “Are you all right?”
“No. I need to lie down.”
When Rachel obligingly opened the door to Gabriel’s old room, Julia disdained it and walked across the hall to enter the guest room. Rachel watched as her friend slowly removed her shoes, placing them on the rug next to the bed.
“Can I get you an aspirin or something?”
“No. I just need to rest.”
“Who is that woman? And why is she here?”
Julia spoke through clenched teeth. “You need to ask your brother.”
Rachel’s hand tightened on the doorknob. “I will. But the fact that I don’t know who she is tells me something. She can’t have been very important if Gabriel never brought her home.” She turned to leave. “That should tell you something too.”
Julia reclined on the bed, hoping that sleep would take her quickly.
* * *
Gabriel walked into the kitchen three hours later and found