Jude (Beautiful Mine #2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Halverford?” she asked.
    “Hm,” I said, rubbing my chin. “So many options. How do I decide?”
    She laughed. “Seriously, though.”
    “Why don’t you plan a day for us?” I suggested. “Show me around town. Show me what’s changed in the last eight years. I’m perfectly fine just bumming around today and hanging out. I don’t need to be entertained.”
     

 

 
     
    EVIE
     
    “Julian was going to fix this,” I said, embarrassed as I tried to lock the front door. “Or he was going to pay someone to fix it.”
    The breeze swayed and rustled the leaves on the sycamore trees lining the street on that perfect June morning. The summer heat had yet to set in and the sun was shining bright, making for perfect driving weather.
    “Allow me,” Jude said as I backed away. He pulled on the door, jiggled the lock, tightened something, and suddenly the key slid into the lock and turned as if it were brand new.
    “You’re quite the, uh, handyman,” I said, impressed. I never would’ve guessed Jude came from a family of privilege.
    He said nothing as he turned to walk toward his car. I climbed in next to him, the leather seat warm beneath my jeans. While the car’s engine gently hummed, he rolled the windows down, bringing in the scent of the neighbor’s flowering peony and lilac bushes.
    We drove toward Main Street, where I proceeded to point out the various shops and eateries that had closed and reopened under new management or had become yogurt shops or bars. The town was a far cry from what it had been eight years ago, and with the demise of the local appliance factory, everything had gone downhill fast.
    “Don’t you ever want to leave Halverford?” Jude asked. “Live someplace else? See what it’s like?”
    “I’m only twenty-two,” I said. “I’m young. A lot can happen.”
    I quickly remembered that my birthday was coming up in two weeks. Julian had been planning a special surprise for my big day, but I’d never know what it was. Never in my life did I think I’d be a widow at twenty-three.
    “What are you waiting for?” Jude asked. “Come to California for a visit. I guarantee you’ll never want to leave.”
    Is that a genuine invitation? I wondered. Or was he just saying that because that was what people say when they were trying to be nice?
    “Maybe when I get a job,” I replied. “I need to save up some money.”
    “Or I could just fly you out,” he offered without pause. “Not a big deal. We’re family, right?”
    “Oh, you don’t have to pay for me,” I said with modest insistence.
    “You’re my kid brother’s sweet, young widow,” he said, placing his hand over his chest. “It’s my job to look after you now, kid.”
    I hated when he called me “kid.” To him, sure, it was endearing, but to me, it made me feel small. Helpless. Incapable of doing anything on my own. It was everything I didn’t want to feel.
    “You don’t have to take care of me, Jude,” I said. “Despite what Julian may have asked of you, I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”
    “Julian probably left you a pretty penny, huh?” Jude said with a nervous laugh. I knew exactly what his intentions were with his question.
    “Are you kidding me?” I asked, drawing out each syllable and fixing him in my glare. His words were like a knife through my heart. All along, he’d been testing me. “As far as I know, all I have is our house. We never talked about money. Julian took care of everything. I didn’t ask any questions. For all I know, Caroline wiped out his bank account the day he died. I didn’t have access to his money. Never did.”
    “Whoa, geez,” Jude said, placing his hand up in the air in self-defense. “I shouldn’t have said that. It was crass. I’m sorry, Evie.”
    I sat, stewing in the passenger seat, suddenly wanting to be far away from him.
    “Yep, so I guess that’s a bigger cut for you when Caroline and Arthur bite the dust someday,” I snipped, wanting to get my