The blinding light was replaced with nothing but darkness.
Chapter Three
Jules
Jules wrapped her arms around herself and shivered in the brisk night air. Her heels echoed on the brick through the empty courtyard as she headed back toward Riley’s. She picked up the pace and, as she got closer, she slowed down and made her way toward the brightly lit restaurant.
Her car was near the end of the street in front of the coffee shop, long since closed for the day. She glanced toward the entrance in search of her blind date, but there was no sign of him—she was in the clear.
As she headed toward her car, she paused to peer through the restaurant window to ensure her date was still inside, then caught her breath. Flutters of disbelief danced in her stomach. She blinked hard. There was no mistaking the distinctive watch on Tim’s wrist as he took the menu from the perky blonde hostess. Jules had given it to him for his birthday. He was seated in one of the booths near a window, just a short distance from where she stood. She teetered unsteadily on her heels. Seeing him had caught her heart off guard.
Jules had really thought she could be different with Tim, but then he started talking about marriage. While most girls were thrilled when a relationship grew serious, it filled her with anxiety. She picked a big fight over nothing and used it as an excuse to break up. She wanted to be loved, but she couldn’t believe in the fairytale and take the chance he would leave her. So she left first.
It was one of the reasons Jules had started the search for her birth parents. She had begun to think her inability to let anyone get too close was the result of feeling like the two people who should have loved her unconditionally had decided she was unworthy. She needed to know why she was given up if she could ever hope of trusting in a relationship.
Tim had adored her, but her instinct to flee had been overwhelming. She had beaten herself up for months for her stupidity in letting him get away. It was her fault they weren’t together anymore. She accepted that, but it didn’t make it any easier.
Since they broke up, they had never run into each other. But yet, just twenty minutes earlier and she would have been there, a few tables away from him. Her stomach lurched at the thought that Tim might be on a date of his own. She bit her lip as she considered it. She had to know.
She thought about what to do next. After a look over her shoulder at his window, she made her way to her car and scrounged around in her trunk. She pulled out her pink Southern Charm cap. Tim probably wouldn’t be able to see what it said in the dark, but a hat with her photography business on it probably wasn’t her best disguise. She moved some boxes of photo paper around and tucked in the back, she found a Georgia Bulldogs hat. It would have to do.
While hiding in the shadow of her car, she piled her long wavy hair on top of her head and maneuvered the cap on top of it. She grabbed a jean jacket she had in the car and threw it on over the top she was wearing. While she knew her signature heels might betray her, this was better than nothing.
In an attempt to appear casual, she strolled back toward the restaurant. It was lit up inside, but the wood blinds in the window where Tim’s dinner companion was sitting were partially closed. There was no way to tell who he was with.
“Damn,” she muttered. She scanned the length of the building to see if there was another spot to stand in order to see the other side of his table. She didn’t want to have to go inside the restaurant where she might run into her blind date. Even worse, with her luck, Tim would head to the men’s room and catch her standing there.
She trudged up and down the sidewalk, but the angles didn’t work, and she was too far to see much anyway. She needed to get closer. Tapping two fingers against her lips, she stood back while she assessed the situation.
She spied a row of medium-sized hedges between the sidewalk and the windows. If she got close, she could duck down behind them and glance in from his side to see who he was eating with. There was no way she could leave now. Despite the temperature outside, she started to sweat. She’d be mortified if she got caught.
A young couple exited the restaurant and headed toward their car. Once they left, Jules covertly moved toward the bushes. She scooted down out of view behind the shrubbery, her view of the window framed by green leaves with tiny white flowers. Tim was just a few feet away.
Her heart skipped as she looked wistfully at the man who could have been her happily ever after. She inhaled deeply and drank him in as if she could still feel his arms around her. She could almost smell his cologne, taste the cinnamon toothpaste he used on her lips. God, she missed him.
Maybe he belonged to someone else now. Nausea hit the pit of her stomach at the idea. She could just picture herself getting caught by Tim and his new girlfriend while she vomited in the bushes.
After a deep breath to prepare herself, she inched up slowly until the only thing above the greenery was her ballcap and her eyes. Engrossed in an animated conversation with Tim was an older woman on the other side of the table. His mom.
Jules exhaled a sigh of relief. She felt the tension slide off her shoulders, and she stood up slightly and gave herself the luxury of one last look at him. Then he casually turned to glance outside as if he could feel he was being watched. She felt his eyes lock on hers. Had he seen her? She stifled a gasp. Before she could see his reaction, she ducked down and scooted away from the hedge.
Heels clicking against the pavement, she strode quickly down the street toward her car. Just when she had it in sight, footsteps came up behind her.
“Jules?”
She swallowed hard. A feeling of dread pushed down on her shoulders.
“Jules, is that you?”
She gritted her teeth and turned around. “Yup, it’s me,” Jules said to her blind date, still slowly moving backward in the direction of her escape. “I had to come back for my car to pick up my friend. She has an emergency. Needs a ride.”
“So you told me,” he said. His eyes narrowed as he pursed his lips. “I almost didn’t recognize you with the hat.” He stopped walking.
Jules placed her palm over the top of her cap. “Oh, right. The hair. It was a mess, so I needed to put it up.” She was almost at her car. “I’m really sorry. I have to go.” She lifted her hand in a polite wave. “It was nice meeting you tonight.” Jules hesitated. Seeing Tim had made her more aware than ever about holding on tight to someone you love. “You know, you should call your ex. I think you still care about her. It would be a shame to let her get away.”
Before he could answer, Jules slid into her car and slammed the door. Her hands were trembling as she put them on the steering wheel. A hasty exit was necessary. The last thing she wanted was for Tim to find her talking to another man after she’d been caught spying on him and his mother.
After starting the car, she glanced in her rearview mirror, but there was no sign of her blind date. Hopefully, he heeded her advice and took off to his ex-girlfriend. She stole a glance into the mirror again. It wasn’t like she expected Tim to come chasing after her, professing his love like in some corny movie. Her pride just needed to know if he had seen her, caught her crouched down in the bushes trying to figure out if the man she had broken up with was on a date. Her cheeks turned crimson at the mere thought of it.