Julie braced herself and prepared to go into the small clothing store Maggie had directed her to. It was a place she had never noticed before, but she figured that was the appeal to Sami. The chance to be somewhere that no one else could find her.
She had no clear plan and wasn't quite sure what she was going to say, but she had to do something. She and Maggie owed Sami and Lucas that much. After she had heard the results of the romantic evening she had helped Lucas prepare, Julie had felt ill.
Actually, she felt like giving Kate Roberts a piece of her mind. Then, slowly the guilt started to seep in. It was during contemplation of how Kate would know what was happening in her son's apartment, that she had made a startling discovery.
After helping her cousin prepare, Julie had treated Maggie to a congratulatory dinner. In a public restaurant, where anyone could overhear anything. She even vaguely recalled seeing a brunette rush out the door like a bat out of hell.
So, most likely, it was her fault that things went wrong. If only she could keep her big mouth shut!
They had spent hours thinking up ways to help the lovebirds. Finally, Maggie had suggested that she talk to Sami because they could relate better to each other, so here she was. The light jangle of the bell above the door disturbed the peaceful atmosphere for a moment, but no one looked up.
It took a moment, but finally Julie could distinguish the blonde head she was looking for from all the others. She made her way to her should-have-been cousin-in-law and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Do you have a minute for an old friend?"
"Hi, Julie," Sami smiled briefly in response, "I didn't know you shopped here."
"Well, I don't normally, but it seems very… hip?"
It was clear that she found the store to be too…something, but Sami couldn't tell what that might be. Maybe she just wasn't used to coming into stores geared towards the younger crowds.
"I guess you could call it that. A job's a job, so it doesn't really matter."
"Do you get a lunch brake at this place? I saw a little café down the street. Maybe we could talk there?"
She knew what this was. Now all the people she who felt her life was any of their business were going to try and 'fix' all of her problems. She didn't want to talk about her problems, but maybe she needed some advice. She wasn't doing very well on her own.
"Let me tell my boss and then we can go."
"Great, we have a lot of catching up to do."
Moments later the two women were seated at an outside café with lunch in front of them. Sami picked at her Caesar Salad distastefully under Julie's close scrutiny. She was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"Do you want to tell me what this is really about?"
"Why, whatever do you mean, darling?"
"Cut the innocent act, Julie. Like you've told me before, we're a lot alike. I know you had something specific in your mind when asked me for lunch. Do you think, maybe, we could get to the point?"
Julie laughed at her directness and dived right in, "You're making a huge mistake."
"Well, what else is new?"
"Let me finish. I heard about what happened between you and Lucas…"
"And you've come to tell me exactly what I did wrong. How do you even know about this?"
"Lucas talked to Maggie and she talked to me. Then we spent the better part of our morning trying to figure out how to get you guys back on track."
"Any luck?" The retort was sarcastic and almost angry, but Julie thought she sensed some real interest deep down.
"There were a couple plans tossed around. We even considered locking you in a closet until you came to an understanding, but we had to reject that one. I wouldn't want any dead bodies on my hands."
Julie waved her manicured hands in the air as if to better explain her reasoning and Sami had the outrageous urge to laugh hysterically, "Thanks for that, at least."
She continued as if there had never been an interruption, "Finally, I had the practical, but most likely ridiculous, idea of trying a logical conversation. Now tell me, do you think we could try it out? Just so that I can say that I gave it my all."
Sami sighed in agitation and took a sip of her lemonade, "Say your piece, but I'm not promising anything."
"That's all I ask. Now, I want you to think about what you're giving up. Really think about it."
"I have though about it. All I do is think about it. The fact of the matter is that Kate will always be a problem."
"Plenty of people have had in-laws from hell. You would hardly be the first. I think this goes deeper for you. The only obstacle you have is your fear."
"How can I not be scared? Do you know how many times I've had my heart broken? And if we were to add on the pain Will and Lucas would go through again, it'd be more than anyone could take."
"I know you, Sami. You are a younger version of me. That's how I know you're strong. Much stronger than you give yourself credit for."
"Even the strongest superhero has his weak spots. Superman had kryptonite and I have my heart."
"It's not your heart that holding you back. Your heart is telling you to go to him as fast as possible. Think about it for a minute. Would you be able to handle it, if one day Lucas were to move on?"
Her heart railed against the image that was put before her. It was unbearable.
"What do you mean?"
Julie smirked in satisfaction. It seemed she was finally getting somewhere.
"If you let things go on as they are, sooner or later he's going to believe that you don't love him. He's going to move on and find someone else. Could you deal with that?"
Her mind was screaming "no", but somehow her mouth found a way to say, "I guess that's a possibility. If he would be happier that way, then…"
"Bullshit," Sami looked up in shock at the profanity that spewed out of the older woman's mouth like it was nothing new, but Julie didn't seem phased, "We both know that the only way my cousin will be happy is with you."
"I'm not so sure about that."
"I am. Lucas loves you so much that I don't think he knows how to function without you. So, the real question is, can you picture your life ten years down the road without him in it?"
"He's Will's father…"
"That's not all he is to you. You need him, Sami. The same way I need my Doug. Yes, you've been hurt in the past, but that's no reason to cut yourself off from the love of your life. Look past everything else in your life. Do you love Lucas?"
"Yes, but…"
"No 'buts.' That's the only thing that matters," Julie looked at the woman in front of her a felt like there had been a connection made, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think it's time that I got home. You have to get back to work, anyway. Just… think about what I said."
She watched her sometimes confidante walk away with a mixture of gratitude and determination. She could do this. She could move past the fear. The only thing left to do was talk to Lucas. Sometimes a sensible conversation was all that was needed to see the light.
