Seth (Casella Cousins #2) - Kathryn Shay Page 0,31
gaze on her. “Tell me it’s not true, Julianne.”
“It is.”
“It can’t be. Tell him you love me. RIGHT NOW.” His shout attracted the attention of the other patrons. Two men stood and walked over to the table and a woman approached them from the front of the restaurant.
“Sir, lower your voice.”
“No, I will not!”
“I’m the manager here, and I’d like you to leave the Inn, please.”
“Like hell.”
From behind, they heard, “Do as the lady said, buddy. Now!”
“Who are you?” Jason asked.
“We’re part of the fire department. Just here having dinner. And you’re disturbing us.”
The manager said, “Thank you, Mitch.” Her voice was strong but Julianne could tell by her face she was upset. “We need him to leave.”
“I’m not—”
Each guy took an arm and practically dragged Jason toward the door from the Inn, which was closest to them. He blustered and kicked and swore until he disappeared. The manager followed them.
Seth and Julianne watched open-mouthed.
The firefighters came back in. “Thank you so much.” She held out her hand. “I’m Julianne Ford.”
“Mitch Malvaso.”
“Zach. His brother.” He transferred his gaze to Seth. “Hey, Seth.”
“Hi. Thank you for helping.” To Julianne he said, “These are friends of Rafe’s.”
“What did you do with him?” Julianne asked.
“The Inn has security. We handed him over. I’d guess the restaurant and bar need a bouncer of their own.”
The manager returned. “The hotel guards escorted the man out of the restaurant and made sure he drove away. I’d like to pay for dinner for all four of you.”
“No need,” Mitch told her. The Malvaso brothers went back to their table.
“Do you want to stay and eat or leave?” Seth asked her.
“Leave.”
“Me, too.” To the woman he said, “Maybe next time. We’ll pick up some food on the way home.”
He took her hand and led her to a front entrance of the room on the far wall, not used much because it would distract diners. Once in their car, Seth turned to her. “Who was that, honey?”
“A guy I dated once.”
“Only once?”
“Yes, he’s been sending me texts and voicemails for another date. I finally blocked him.
“One date. That’s all? And he got so mad?”
Again, Julianne’s pulse sped up and her mouth went dry.
“Where did you meet him?”
Shaking her head, she clamped her hands in her lap. “I don’t want to talk about this now.”
“Jules, I bared my soul to you, my worst flaws. Why can’t you tell me this?”
“Because I’m embarrassed!”
His brows rose. “With me? We’re never embarrassed about anything.”
A heavy sigh escaped her mouth. “I’ve been using online dating sites. I met him that way.”
His jaw dropped. He didn’t talk for a minute. “You have to know how dangerous those sites can be.”
“I do now.”
“How long have you done that?”
“During the last two times we broke up.”
His face crumbled. But not in anger. “Oh, God. This is my fault.”
“No, no, Seth.” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “I made the choice to go online. I knew the risks and took them. This isn’t because of you.”
He stared through the front window. Finally, he shook himself. “We should call the police and let them know about the incident. And your…online thing.”
“I already told Anabelle Sanders about my dating history. She’s investigating it.”
“Did she find anything?”
“Of the six guys I dated in that time period, they’ve either moved out of state, or were happily married and at home during the break-in. One was still single but he was in the hospital then.”
“What about that jerk in there?”
“He’s the only one she hasn’t been able to trace. Nobody by the name of Zyzeri is in the Hidden Cove census data base or criminal registries.”
“He gave you a fake name. Did you suspect something?”
“No. I was only with him an hour.”
“Why only that long?”
“That was my policy for every first date.”
“Jesus, Jules.”
She settled back and took out her phone. “Now, either take me home or to your house like we planned. I’ll call Anabelle and tell her what happened on the way.”
“I’m planning to do that, honey. I’m just mad about this whole thing.”
“Me, too.”
Their evening ruined, she had to deal with this mess.
* * *
Seth called Gideon after she phoned Anabelle. He didn’t ask Julianne if he could. He was mad at himself which she said was stupid and he supposed it was. They made the drive home in silence, but he held her hand all the way.
Both cops arrived at Seth’s minutes apart. Both were in street clothes.
Before the door even closed, Anabelle asked, “What are you doing here,