Just a Little (5-8) Read Online Free PDF

conversation with…
    Anyway, like Bruno said, she was beautiful, whoever she was. The last thing I wanted was to engage with her in any way no matter how much I needed the truth.
    “What do you… do you know anything about… who is she ?” I asked, looking down at my hands.
    “Are you asking for Kara, or are you asking for Julie?”
    I bit my lip but didn’t say anything.
    He looked into my eyes, holding my stare intently. His eyes moved quickly to my mouth, to my hands, and then he met my stare once again. He was studying me, searching for something… reading my thoughts, it seemed.
    “Luke loves you, Julie.”
    “I never said he didn’t.”
    “But you’re questioning it. Just like you questioned his motives in the beginning.”
    “Let’s agree that Luke is hard to read, okay? He makes it nearly impossible to know what’s going on in his head.”
    “He’s a Reibeck; it comes with the territory.”
    “Is she a Reibeck?” I asked. “The girl in the store? Is she family?”
    “No,” he shook his head, “she’s new in town, as far as I know. She stopped by the shop one day needing a job, and Grace took pity on her.”
    “Do you trust Luke?” I asked, knowing he’d never lie to me. “I mean take the Detective and Officer titles out of the equation. As a person, as your nephew, do you trust him?”
    Bruno closed his eyes for a second and dropped his head.
    “Listen, Julie,” he said softly. “Whether I trust him or not, it’s not going to change the fact that you don’t. I could tell you a million stories, give you a hundred reasons to believe he’s an honorable man, but if you’re hell-bent on believing otherwise, nothing I can say will change your mind.”
    “You don’t think I trust Luke?”
    “Look at you,” he brushed a twig out of my hair. “You’re sitting in a pile of day-old snow and ice, hunched behind a bush, spying on your cousin. You have Kara parked on the street outside the station waiting on Luke to get back from patrol—don’t deny it; I’ve had eyes on her all afternoon. You’re both clearly questioning the strength of your relationships. With all the love and respect in the world, Julie, you’re both clearly insecure. Mature women don’t stoop to this level.”
    “But—”
    “Just think about it, okay?” he continued. “Luke’s already frustrated that you’ve brought Kara in on your suspicions about Matt. How would he feel if he found out you had the same suspicions about him?”
    My stomach hollowed.
    “Are you going to tell him?”
    “No, ma’am,” he said, “if your relationship is doomed to crash and burn, I’m not going to be the one behind the wheel.”
    I let out a slow breath and nodded.
    “We should probably go, huh?”
    “I think that’s a good idea,” he patted me on the back. “What do you say to dinner? My treat.”
     
    Friday, February 22| 7:00 p.m.
    “You haven’t touched your food,” Bruno nudged my bowl a little closer.
    “Sorry,” I put my phone aside. “I thought I’d hear from Luke after his shift.”
    “No word?”
    “No,” I said, picking up my spoon, “I’m not really surprised. I’m sure he’s still mad about what happened at the library yesterday.”
    “Give him time,” he crammed a sausage link in his mouth. Bruno had opted for the breakfast platter: scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, and juice. I thought I’d find solace in a bowl of hot soup, but it wasn’t doing the job; I’d lost my appetite.
    “Julie,” Bruno read into my expression once again, “what’s going on between Matt and Kara isn’t your problem, and it’s definitely not Luke’s.” I nodded as he leaned forward. “You guys have been through a lot together already. Nothing as trivial as this will come between you.”
    I settled a little lower in my chair, closing my eyes to let the familiar sounds of the diner envelop me. I hadn’t returned to this little restaurant since the morning I clocked Lonnie Reibeck in the face for