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Chapter 9: Test Run

"Two shrimp salads," Julie said slamming her tray on the counter. Blake looked at her.

"You're going to have to talk to me eventually," he said. She looked at him.

"Two shrimp salads," she repeated. He sighed. "Please."

"You could hear me out," he said. She laughed. "When's your break?"

"Blake," she said. "Don't worry about it, really. Could you get me those, please? It's for socialites, who barely tip anyway." He sighed and started plating. "Thank you." She took them when he finished and walked back out. When she finally got to her break she walked out into the alley outside and leaned against the cool brick.

"Julie," he said walking out. She looked at him. "I don't know why you're so upset."

"Really," she looked at him. "You don't know why I'm upset?"

"It's not like we're a couple," he said. "You've made that, really, really, clear."

"True," she said. "But how long after you were inside of me did you call Whitney?" He looked at her.

"I didn't call her," he said. She rolled her eyes. "I didn't. Some friends from culinary school called me, since you were gone, I met them for a drink. Whitney is one of said friends. It just kind of happened." She crossed her arms. "I would have thought you of all people would get that."

"And why would I get it?" She asked.

"Charlie," he said. She looked down.

"Yeah, but do you know what was different about that?" She asked. He looked at her. "I wasn't with some other guy the same night." He sighed. "I just don't understand, I mean, you were talking about meeting my kid and then you were with some other girl? If you wanted to impress me with how much I should trust you, you failed miserably!"

"Right," he nodded, "so I was just supposed to wait around until you were ready to let me into your life? I'm OK with waiting for you Julie, really, I am, but I'm not OK with you expecting me to stop my life until yours is ready."

"I told you the first time we were together that being with me would be complicated," she said. "You knew from the first time you kissed me what comes first." He nodded.

"Yeah, but here's the thing," he said softly, "either you want me to be your boyfriend, or we're having a good time. I can't be in between." She looked at him.

"I wanted to be all in," she said.

"Then why didn't you stay?" He asked. "You know Charlie would have,"

"Because," she cut him off. "I couldn't stay. Tyler tends to get upset when his dad bails on him." Blake sighed. "My son is the most important person in my life, and he always will be even if you're my boyfriend. If you can't deal with it if I have to leave in the middle of our plans because he needs me, then this won't work." He looked at her. He kissed her and pressed her against the wall. She whimpered. "Blake," she exhaled.

"When do you get off?" He mumbled, kissing her neck.

"Not tonight," she said. He looked at her. "My friend Sean just got his masters, we're going to get drinks."

"Do you have any girl friends?" He asked. She frowned.

"No," she shrugged. "I never really did. I was always a tom boy. In high school there was another girl on our hockey team, we were roommates, so I was friends with her, sort of." He nodded. "Sean's gay though, so he kind of counts."


"Fuck him!" Sean said. Julie looked at him. "I'm serious. That's bullshit."

"The sex is so good though," she said and took a drink. They'd already had a few.

"Uh huh," Sean said. "But if you can't go home to it." Julie nodded. She couldn't imagine anything beyond the stolen lunch breaks in Blake's car. "Or I guess you don't really need to."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You can do your whole dirty girl thing with Blake," he shrugged, "and you go home to Charlie. You are Julie of two boyfriends." She stared at him. "Oh come on, six months ago you never even would have considered forgiving this guy." She looked down. "Because emotionally you're in a completely different relationship, with a guy who's crazy about you by the way. Who also, as I remember it, you had pretty amazing sex with."

"Not like the Blake sex," Julie shook her head.

"Because Charlie doesn't have the bad boy vibe," Sean pointed out. "You had a boyfriend in high school and then you didn't go to college, so you didn't get a bad boy phase. But hot shot chef guy who hooks up with old friends when you have to cancel on him totally qualifies." She groaned and stretched down. "Really think about it Jules, could you bring this guy around Ty? Or introduce him to your ex? I've never even got to meet him." She sighed.

"I just don't know," she sighed. "Maybe having him meet Scooter would be a good first step. I mean, I met Dawn way before I let Ty meet her."

"Also a good test," Sean said. She looked at him. "You bring up meeting the father of your child and he can take it, you know he's a good one."


"Hey," Julie said the next morning as she was making breakfast. Tyler was still asleep. Charlie looked at her. "Do you think you could rustle up a date for this weekend?"

"Why?" He asked carefully.

"Because, Blake and I are having dinner with Scooter and Dawn," she shrugged. "I figured you might want to come." He looked at her. "What?"

"You're introducing Blake to Scooter?" He said. Julie nodded. "To what end?"

"It was mostly a test to see how he reacted to the idea," she explained. "If he got weird about it, there was no way I could keep seeing him."

"I thought after he cheated on you that would be a pretty sure indicator," Charlie mumbled going to cut into his pancakes. She pulled them away. "Hey!"

"He didn't cheat on me," she said. "We weren't serious then."

"And you are now?" He asked.

"We're getting there," she nodded, "and how he acts around Scooter is important. And how he acts around you."

"I don't understand," Charlie shook his head. She sighed.

"Scooter is Tyler's father," she said. "And you're my best friend. Except for Tyler you're the most important person in my life. So anyone that I'm dating will have to be able to get along with you."

"I'm really not dating anyone right now," he said.

"Oh come on," she said. "There has to be someone at work, or some friend of Linda's who always flirted with you and you could never act on it because,"

"Linda was my girlfriend?" He laughed. She nodded. "If it's that important to you, I'll find someone to go with."

"Yay!" She said and gave him back his pancakes.


Charlie stood at the bar at some hopelessly trendy restaurant, clearly Blake had done the picking, he couldn't see Julie fitting in here at all. He looked around. And noticed that Scooter had come in, with a woman he could only assume was Dawn. He definitely noticed the superficial similarities between her and Julie. They were both petite, blond, had that determined look about them. But the similarities ended there. He was pretty sure, even from the look of her that Dawn would never leave the house in jeans. Even hugely pregnant she was perfectly put together.

"Hey," Scooter walked over. Charlie nodded. "Um, Dawn this is Charlie Conway, Julie's roommate."

"Hi," Charlie said.

"Hi," Dawn smiled. "It's nice to meet you." Charlie shook her hand. "Of course I feel like I know you, Tyler talks about you all the time." Charlie smiled and nodded. He's maybe heard Tyler mention his step mother twice, and always in conjunction with "my new baby brother or sister."

"He's a great kid," Charlie said.

"So, can we just agree not to like this guy?" Scooter asked. "Can I put my foot down and say I don't want him around my kid? Can I do that?" Dawn rolled her eyes.

"He always does this when Julie's seeing someone new," Dawn said. "It worked the last time."

"Really?" Charlie said. Scooter nodded.

"She was also twenty," Dawn said. Charlie deflated.

"Charlie?" Connie Moreau walked over. He smiled. "Hi!" She hugged him. "God, I am so glad you finally called," she stopped and looked at the couple standing with him. "Scooter?"

"Hi Connie," Scooter waved. Connie's face fell.

"Charlie," she said. "What's going on?"

"I may have lured you here under false pretenses," he grimaced. She looked at him "Walk with me."

"What's going on?" She said. "Why is Scooter Vanderbilt here?" He looked at her. "Is this about Julie?"

"We're here to meet her new boyfriend," he groaned. "I couldn't bring a real date! I'm in love with her."

"Yeah, you've mentioned that," she nodded. "I haven't seen her in six years." He looked at her. "Um, and the way we treated her is not something I'm particularly proud of."

"Connie, it's dinner," Charlie said. "I'm not asking you to share a bathroom with her again, OK? Consider it payback for that time in college when you and Guy broke up, and I set you up with that guy from my frat house just to piss him off." She sighed.

"You're never going to let that one go are you?" She shook her head and walked back over to the bar. "Hi, sorry, that was rude, I'm Connie Moreau."

"Dawn Vanderbilt," Dawn said. "You're another high school friend."

"I'm starting to reconsider that word," Connie said looking at Charlie. Julie walked in then with Blake.

"Hey," she said and hugged Charlie. "Hi Scooter, Dawn." Dawn smiled. She stopped. "Connie?"

"Hey Jules," Connie said.

"Um, hi," Julie hugged her. "I'm surprised."

"Oh yeah," Charlie said. "I couldn't find anyone to bring, so I figured you know, just like in high school when none of us could find dates."

"Just pass the two of us around," Julie and Connie said at the same time and then laughed.

"Um, anyway," Julie said, "this is Blake." Blake waved, "Blake this is Scooter and Dawn, and Charlie and this is Connie Moreau, who I haven't seen since,"

"It's been a while," Connie said. "Let's get a table."

"Oh, I took care of that," Blake shrugged, "I went to school with the chef here, he's doing everything."

"Super," Scooter downed the rest of his drink. Dawn looked at him. "Let's go."


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