Chasing Justice

Chapter Seven



As Piper walked the eight blocks from her apartment to town hall she tried to internalize the warning Michael had given her. She wasn’t entirely sure this endeavor was something that could exist in reality. She reminded herself that there would be a point in time when it would be too late to turn back. She still had time to change course and mind her own business, get on with the new uncomplicated life that lay in front of her. She ran Michael’s words through her head over and over, but it didn’t seem to matter. She was committed to this now, and no amount of admonition would be enough to deter her.

She was lost in her own thoughts when she suddenly found herself knocked backward. She had run right into someone and she, being the smaller of the two, had toppled back onto the sidewalk. She felt a cold liquid spread across her chest and stomach. As she regained her bearings she heard a familiar voice over her.

“Oh my,” shouted Judge Lions. “My dear I am so sorry. Are you hurt?” He reached his hand down to lift Piper back to her feet, but shock kept her from taking his assistance. “I spilled my sweet tea all over you. You poor girl.” He crouched down next to her and with his large hands and sausage-like fingers began trying to wipe at Piper’s shirt.

“I’m fine,” Piper grunted, brushing his hand away. She wanted to shove his hand back and ask what kind of man uses the guise of a spilled drink to fondle a stranger, but she held her composure. This needed to be a relatively quick event with no lasting memory for the judge. She didn’t want to be on his radar in any way, especially as the woman shouting at him for groping her.

As hard as it was at that moment, Piper smiled at him. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going, and I’m not hurt. Thank you for trying to help, but I’m on my way to an appointment and have to run.” Now standing, she was close enough to smell his dated musky cologne and to see the large black hairs in his nose and ears. She couldn’t be sure if it was her knowledge of his deviant ways that made him so repulsive or if he truly was a disgusting looking man. Either way, from this close proximity, her stomach turned at the sight of him.

“Are you sure? I’ve ruined your shirt.” He reached out and touched Pipers shirt just over her belly button and it took an enormous amount of self-control for her to not physically strike him.



“I can pay you for dry cleaning costs if you like. Or we can go right into that shop there and I’ll get you a new one, whatever one you’d like. We’d probably get it for free. I’m a judge, you see, and I’ve helped Martha with a few speeding tickets, she drives like a lunatic. I’m sure she’d be delighted to return the favor.” He pointed to the shop across the street that read “Martha’s Boutique and Fine Jewelry.”

Piper winced as the judge’s breath, tainted heavily with the smell of onions, blew across her face. She supposed when you paid people to like you, or even to have sex with you, there was very little grooming required.

She took a few steps back then pointed over her shoulder. “That is such a nice offer, but I really have to get going. I appreciate it.” She let her words trail off as she turned and quickly walked away from him.

She climbed the large cement stairs outside of town hall practically in a run, skipping two at a time. She stepped into the revolving door and pushed it quickly around, pressing herself against the glass and willing it to move faster.

Once inside the lobby, she braced herself with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Her hair had become wild, knocked out of its barrette when she fell. She felt jittery and blood was pumping quickly through her veins, but she didn’t realize how tousled she really looked.

“Piper?” She heard someone calling her name, but couldn’t register it without more oxygen making its way to her brain. “What happened to you?” Piper squinted and looked hard, trying to make out the blurry figure standing in front of her. It was Jules, and she was staring at Piper as if she had seen a ghost, a very out of breath ghost covered in sweet tea. She took Piper by the arm and led her into an office, shut the door and offered her a chair.

“I’m fine. I bumped into someone on my way here and took a little fall. He accidently spilled his drink on me. It’s nothing really.” Piper wiped at the front of her shirt, not realizing until right then how much of the drink had actually landed on her, and how transparent her white T-shirt had become.

“Well here, you can wear my sweater.” Jules pulled her red sweater off and handed it to Piper. “I always wear layers when I’m here. You never know if the old air conditioner in this building will be blowing hot or cold air. It has a mind of its own.” Jules look suspiciously at Piper. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m positive. It was my fault really. I was distracted and I slammed right into the guy. I landed on my butt, and I was a little embarrassed I guess. I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.” Piper smiled as convincingly as she could, and Jules’s worry seemed to diminish.

“Give me that shirt and I’ll go wash it out in the bathroom and run it under the hand dryer. I spill so much coffee on myself here I’m like an expert with that thing.” Sitting in wet clothes in the drafty building had given her a chill and she was grateful for the sweater.

Piper slipped her wet shirt over her head. She hadn’t heard another soul around the office since she had sat down. But of course that changed the moment she tossed her shirt over to Jules.

A quick knock before the door swung open sent Piper nearly jumping out of her skin and standing up abruptly. The sweater fell between the wall and the chair, out of her reach.

“Hey Jules, your mom asked me to stop by and see if you…” Bobby was halfway in the door before seeing Piper, standing shirtless, with a deer-in-the-headlights expression. The moment seemed to last forever. It was long enough for him to catch a glimpse of the subtle lace of her bra contrasting against the crimson red of her skin, flush with embarrassment.

“Bobby, get out,” Jules shouted, shoving him backward and slamming the door nearly on his head. “I’m so sorry, Piper. I didn't know he was coming. He always just comes right in like that. I should have locked the door.” Jules hustled over to her and reached down under the chair for the sweater. Piper was still standing motionless. Then a small smile broke across her face. Jules wasn’t sure exactly what to make of it. “Why are you smiling?”

“I’m trying to imagine what he’s thinking in the hallway. Like what kind of scenario is he’s envisioning that would have me in your office half dressed in the middle of the day? This is pretty embarrassing for me, but I’m betting he is dying out there.” Piper slipped the sweater on and sat back in the chair.

“Should we let him sweat it out a little, wondering what the hell we’re doing in here?” Jules was so grateful that Piper had taken a lighthearted approach to this uncomfortable situation. Having Piper around had helped alleviate some of the tension that had grown between she and Bobby since Scott came along.

“No, let’s let him off the hook. It’s not like he came running into the ladies’ room or anything. This is an office, I should have known better. I guess we’re lucky it was him and not some stranger looking for directions to the bathrooms,” Piper said, gesturing toward the door.

“All right, Bobby, it’s safe to come in now,” Jules said as she opened the office door and waved him into the room. He slinked back through the door, trying hard to avoid eye contact with Piper.

“I’m sorry about that Piper, I really didn’t see anything. I’ve come in this office a thousand times and there have never been any half dressed women before. I can assure you if there were I’d be by more often.” He regretted his joke the moment he said it. He fixed his gaze on a colorful framed picture on the wall.

“It’s not your fault. I had a little accident on my way here, and someone spilled his drink all over me and knocked me on my butt. Jules was nice enough to offer me her sweater, and I wasn’t thinking when I started to change. Let’s forget it ever happened. And like you said, you didn’t really see anything anyway. Now someone change the subject please,” Piper said, looking expectantly at Jules.

“Oh, all right, well why are you here, Piper? Did you need something or was it a friendly visit? I’ve got to get back up front to help out, so I can’t stay back here too long,” Jules said, amused by Bobby’s red face.

“Actually, I need some time down in the courthouse archives. An attorney friend of mine needs a hand with some research, and I told him I’d help out. I need you to point me in the right direction.” Piper stood, and was ready to get back on course, the one she had been on before Judge Lions physically knocked her off it.

A page rang out over the old intercom system calling Jules to the front to assist. She rolled her eyes and headed for the door. “I swear they can’t last five minutes without me up there. If you want to hang on for a bit, I can come back and help you out. It’s a little confusing down there. It takes a while to find what you’re looking for unless you’ve already used our system.” The static and cracking of the intercom rang out again, calling for Jules to come to the front.

Bobby, looking for a way to make this situation right, cut in with an offer.“I can give you a hand. I know my way around the system pretty well, and we can probably figure out the rest together until Jules gets a free couple of minutes.” Bobby was still not looking directly at Piper for fear his eyes would be drawn back to her chest out of some uncontrollable magnetic curiosity.

“Great,” Jules called as she headed out of the office. “When I get a few minutes I’ll join you guys.” She walked swiftly toward the front of the building as the intercom rang out a third time.

“Bobby, I know you’re busy. I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to put you out.” Piper was confident that she could have researched the cases she needed with the help of Jules without raising any suspicion, but Bobby was a different story. In the last few weeks that they had spent time together she had found him to be very perceptive. He, in true police officer fashion, asked piercing questions and seemed to retain information exceptionally well.



That troubled Piper. Most people preferred to talk about themselves and rarely remembered details she shared with them about her past. This was helpful as the particulars were all fabricated and, at times, difficult for her to keep straight. It was why, whenever possible, she redirected the conversation away from herself. But this had stopped working with Bobby.

“I know that was kind of awkward, me walking in and seeing you without a shirt, but I don’t want it to make things weird for us. I’ve really enjoyed hanging out over the last few weeks, and I hope this doesn’t mess that up. Before you came along, Jules and I were on a pretty destructive path. You’ve helped offset that dynamic a little, and I don’t want what happened today to wreck things.” Bobby finally found the courage to look back in Piper’s direction as he spoke.

It amazed Piper how much he had changed in the last month compared to the first day she saw him in the diner. It wasn’t limited to the fact that he was much more considerate and soft-spoken than he had been during their first few meetings, but he actually looked different now, too. In the diner he was pale, unshaven, and thin. During the past month he seemed to have gained a much-needed ten pounds, and the color had returned to his cheeks. With his shy smile and his face clean-shaven, Piper found him almost unrecognizable from her first impression.

He was not the same kind of handsome as Michael. He and Michael were polar opposites in many ways. Michael kept his fingernails perfectly groomed and shining, whereas Bobby tended to have painfully short nails often imbedded with grease from the work he had been doing on his truck. Michael had piercing green eyes and Bobby’s were a swirling espresso flecked with gold. Michael was like a performer; he walked with an air of confidence, almost a stage presence. Bobby stood like a soldier, back straight and arms by his side. They were both tall, but Michael had maybe an inch or two over Bobby.

It struck Piper as odd how she could find two men with completely contrasting features and builds both incredibly attractive. And yet she didn’t consider dating either one of them. Any other woman in her place would be pouring her time and energy into gaining the affection of one or the other, or maybe both. The fact that she wasn’t doing this only reminded her of how damaged she truly was.

“I guess you can get me started, but I don’t want to keep you here all afternoon. I know you’ll be having dinner at Betty’s tonight, and you need lots of time to prepare funny digs about Scott to drive Jules crazy,” Piper teased, poking an elbow into Bobby’s ribs as she passed him. She might not be actively pursuing his affection, but it sure was nice to find reasons to touch him every now and then.

“Do you think I do too much of that? Maybe it’s to the point where I need to be supportive of her. She’s married now and I’m her best friend. Best friends don’t act the way I’ve been acting.” A look of worry filled Bobby’s face as he thought about how terrible he had been lately. He gestured down the dark hall where the court records were kept, and she joined him in that direction.

“Jules is lucky to have you as a friend. You love her, and sometimes it’s hard to watch people we love do things that aren’t in their best interest. It’s a lot like how she probably felt when you became a cop. You’re both watching each other make these choices, and then acting like idiots because you’re worried. You had your reasons for becoming a cop, and Jules had her reasons for marrying Scott. But what you need to decide is if you’d both be willing to give up those things to be together.” Every now and again Piper surprised herself with how insightful she could be. Maybe she didn’t know the proper etiquette for everyday social settings, but she understood the idea of love.

They entered the small windowless room that housed the court documents, and Bobby flipped on a switch that brought the humming florescent overhead lights to life.

“I’ve certainly considered it. It’s not like I’m doing a bang-up job at work or anything. What would I really be walking away from? But when I think about what our lives would be like with everything that’s happened I feel we’re better off as friends. I don’t know if I could be with someone who asked me to give up everything I believe in. I don’t think that’s the right foundation for a relationship. All I want is Jules and I to be happy for each other, even if we can’t be happy together. I’m not making any sense,” Bobby stuttered, heading toward the computer and turning it on.

“It makes perfect sense to me. I completely understand why she doesn't want you to be a police officer, but I also understand why you feel like you have to be. It’s amazing how one event can impact people so differently.” Piper and Bobby hadn’t ever talked about Stan’s death, but he assumed Betty had shared it with her. If Piper was coming over for Wednesday dinners that meant Betty trusted her. Bobby was inclined to agree, but was taking a bit longer to form his full opinion.



“That’s exactly it. Stan being murdered made me want to chase down criminals, and it made Jules want to protect everyone she loves and her own heart. When we were younger it didn’t matter as much because doing either of those things was outside our control. Eventually, though, we grew up and had to decide if we were going to stay on our paths or make a new path together. I’m hoping there is some middle ground somewhere. I feel like we’re finally on our way to finding it.” Bobby pulled two chairs up to the computer and sat down. Piper joined him, her leg brushing his thigh as she sat. This man was solid muscle. She let her thoughts move from the melancholy of Bobby’s heartache, to the idea of what he might look like under that uniform, then finally to the anxiety of what she was about to do. She wished now she had been firmer in her objections to his help, but she had to admit being here next to him had its perks, too.

“So,” Bobby continued, “you tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll use this program to drill down to the specific cases. The drill downs are almost endless. Just give me the criteria you need and I’ll enter it. Then it will tell where in these filing cabinets we can find the public information linked to them. Also, by searching here in this field, you can pull up any news stories that may have been printed about it.” Bobby sat with his fingertips over the keyboard waiting for Piper to direct him. She bit her lip and let her mind run through the possible repercussions of over-sharing here. As long as Bobby was under the impression that she was gathering the work for a friend then it seemed fairly safe. She decided that sitting quietly while he waited looked far more suspicious than having him dig up some old files in the name of research.

“I need to find case files from the last eighteen months where the sitting judge was Judge Lions. Then I need only the cases that were found in favor of the defendant. I’d like to drill down into cases that included special judicial rulings like the suppression of evidence for any reason, technicalities resulting in an acquittal, or petitions by either the defense or prosecution that were ruled in favor of the defense.” Piper pulled her notebook onto her lap and waited as Bobby typed the information into the system.

“Okay, that gave us thirty-nine results. Now we just need to write down the reference numbers and then go dig them out.” Bobby called the numbers off to Piper as she jotted them down.

It took them over an hour to gather all thirty-nine case files and, by the end of it, Piper’s arms were tired and her eyes were strained. Every time they crossed paths Piper felt her body tingle and her face become warm.

“Why exactly do you need all this stuff anyway? Are you trying to site precedence in a case or something?” Bobby asked as he handed Piper another stack of documents.

“It’s not for a case per se. It’s more along the lines of a thesis, something for my friend Michael to publish eventually. He’s a lawyer and you know how gigantic their egos are. Well apparently they like having their names in writing too. He’s trying to show how strict adherence to the letter of the law in our society has prevented the spirit of the law from being enforced.” Piper had spent the last twenty minutes getting that story straight in her head.

“I know all about that. Catching a guy with a box of illegal guns and getting your ass kicked means nothing unless you Mirandize him. If that isn’t bullshit I don’t know what is.” Bobby sat down at the computer again and grimaced. “Let’s not get into that though, what other information do you need about these cases?”

“Well I’ll need a list of the defendants and the charges against them.” Piper rolled her chair back over to his side. She quickly realized another absolute difference between Bobby and Michael—the way they smelled. Michael wore expensive cologne that always made Piper imagine him dressed in a sweater vest, holding a polo mallet and posing for a clothing store ad. Bobby, on the other hand, just smelled clean, like soap and maybe some shaving cream.

“Here’s the list, alphabetized.” He scanned it as Piper read over his shoulder. She noticed a trend immediately.

“That’s odd. Of all these cases, fourteen of them have the same last name—Donavan. And here, five of them have the last name Cheval. That doesn’t seem normal, does it?” If Bobby hadn’t been with her, she’d be running those names through every search engine she could find, frantically looking for more information on them.

“It’s not that odd, really. Donavans are a pretty notorious family in this part of the state. It doesn’t surprise me they’ve had a lot of cases. Duke Cheval is a known associate of theirs. There aren’t too many really bad guys in this area luckily, but they are certainly on the short list. I would have expected to see their names on here.” Bobby passed the list over to Piper.

“What makes them so bad?” asked Piper as she rolled her chair over to the piles of folders on the table. She tried to look as though she were only half listening to what Bobby was saying, when in reality she was hanging on every word.



“Christian Donavan, Jr. is said to have followed pretty closely in his father’s footsteps. Christian Sr. was a notorious gambler who ran an enormous bookie business. When things were going his way he was living the high life, but when times got tough he started to invest in some shady deals. He was around in Stan’s heyday. I remember hearing stories of how Christian Sr. was the number one source for illegal guns at the time. The homicide rate had almost doubled in the underprivileged sections of the state where he had been running prostitution rings and gun sales. A lot of people actually looked at him pretty favorably since he had an unwritten code about not selling the guns in Edenville. Who says there’s no honor among thieves?” Bobby rolled his chair over to sit next to Piper, hoping he’d be able to help her sort through the documents in front of her.

“I love the irony in that name. Christian, it’s so fitting. So all these Donavans on here are related to him?” Piper passed the list back to Bobby and continued to pretend to be otherwise occupied.

“It looks like it. Christian, Jr. is the brains of the operation as far as rumor has it. He picked up pretty much where his dad left off. These two cases here are his cousin Tommy’s. I know of his brother, Sean. He has three cases on this list. He’s not so bright. He’s known for being a bigmouth skirt-chaser, and that’s not conducive to a successful life of crime. If I were going to take these guys down, I’d start with him. Not that it matters—I’ll be working traffic for the next ten years.” Bobby took his hands and rubbed at his temples as though the thought of directing traffic gave him an instant headache.

“I’m sure you’ll be back taking down huge crime rings before you know it. One mistake doesn’t ruin your entire career.” She put her hand on his shoulder and was instantly impressed by how muscular it was. There didn’t seem to be an ounce of fat on him anywhere.

“I think I’ll be asking to stay on traffic actually. The mistake I made had nothing to do with forgetting to read the Miranda rights. It was being overconfident enough to think I could manage that type of investigation and take down those guys my rookie year. I was trying to prove something, to Jules or myself or maybe to Stan. I don’t want to be just an average cop, because if I am then I gave up someone I loved in order to do a mediocre job. I guess I was trying to overcome that. Realistically, I had no business getting involved. I could have blown more than an opportunity, I could have gotten myself and Rylie killed. Those two weeks of suspension were some of the darkest of my life.”



Piper’s hand lingered on his shoulder, and he felt it burning through his shirt. He wanted to believe that it was all the time they had been spending together lately that made the thought of her touching him intoxicating, and hoped it wasn’t the fact that all he could picture was that lace bra of hers. He didn’t want to be that kind of guy.

“I wish I had known you then, because I would have told you I was proud of you. It took someone with an enormous amount of courage to do what you did. You should have no regrets. I wouldn’t have let you stay in that dark place for too long.” She saw a look of gratitude fill Bobby’s face as she spoke.

With a swift movement toward her, Bobby leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. It wasn’t a kiss full of passion and hunger. It was a kiss that two old friends might share. To Piper, even though it was brief, it felt powerful.

“I’m sorry,” Bobby whispered. “No one else has said that to me since this whole thing started, and I needed to hear it more than I thought. I didn’t mean to ambush you like that.” For the second time today Bobby couldn’t look at Piper directly.

“That’s all right, I completely understand. It was nothing.” Piper smiled and waved her hands, indicating it was no big deal, though inside, her mind was reeling. She thought the only thing worse than the awkwardness of a kiss would be a lingering silence to follow it, so she kept speaking. “You found a box of guns and three pretty terrible guys and none of it mattered because you didn’t follow every single step in the process. The justice system is completely flawed and set you up to fail. Those guys should be in jail right now, and you should be a hero.”

Bobby followed Piper’s lead and kept the chatter going. “The system is there for a reason. I’m supposed to execute it exactly how it’s been laid out so that everyone gets treated fairly. I made a mistake. It’s taken me a little while to own up to that, but I know now that, ultimately, I might have had the right motivations, but those guys deserve the same opportunities you or I would have.” Bobby tried to nonchalantly lean back in his chair to create some distance between them. Kissing Piper felt right in the moment, but sliding the piles of folders off the table and slowly peeling off her clothes didn’t seem as appropriate.



“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Piper was completely annoyed now and it was obvious all over her face. “I’d imagine you know where all those guns go. They’re involved in robberies, homicides, and drive-by shootings every day. Those guns kill children. The drugs they push ruin people’s lives. If I had my way, those guys would have been begging to go to jail when I was done with them. Look at this case.” Piper pulled open a folder she had been browsing earlier. “Duke Cheval was arrested for holding the lease to an apartment where seven women were being kept as sex slaves. The notes in the prosecutor’s file say that the women were too afraid to testify against him and, therefore, he was found not guilty. He claimed that the people were squatters, and he had no knowledge they were using his apartment as a brothel. There were pictures of Duke entering and leaving the building on at least two occasions, but Judge Lions suppressed the evidence due to a mishandling in the storage process. Apparently the pictures were coded incorrectly by the person cataloging them and they were filed with another case. By the time they were found the judge felt there was too much opportunity for them to have been tampered with. The youngest victim was sixteen years old and had restraint marks on her ankles and wrists, as well as cigarette burns all over her body. Can you honestly tell me that you think he had no idea what was going on in that place? Are you telling me that he doesn’t deserve a fate worse than prison?” Piper didn’t need the extra space Bobby had given her by leaning back in his chair in order to keep them from kissing again. His ridiculous idealism about the justice system was enough of a deterrent.

“So what exactly is your solution, vigilantism? We all go get our pitchforks and torches and hand out punishment as we see fit? How can someone with any interest in criminal justice have that opinion?” Bobby loved a good debate as much as anyone but he was desperately hoping that Piper would break into a laugh any minute and admit she was joking.

“Why do you think I’m not in school anymore? The entire thing is a joke, and I don’t want to be a part of it. Maybe retribution outside the system is exactly what they need.” Piper closed the file in front of her with a huff, exasperated by Bobby’s stubbornness. They both sat for a minute in silence, their faces twisted in frustration at the other’s view. Just as Bobby began to defend his point further, a voice broke in.

“I am so sorry guys. I swear they can’t do anything up there without me. Bobby, were you able to help Piper?” Bobby stood, and Jules, knowing him well, recognized the annoyance on his face.

“I think she needs more help than I can give.” Immediately regretting the dig he tried to change the subject quickly. “I completely forgot, Jules, I came here to ask you what kind of cake you want for tonight. I’m going to pick it up on my way.”

“I think I’d like a strawberry cake with white frosting,” Jules said as she looked back and forth between Piper and Bobby, trying to make sense of the tension in the room.

Bobby nodded and headed for the door. “I’ll see you guys tonight then.” He leaned in and kissed Jules on the cheek as he hurried away.

“What was that about?” Jules asked with her hands on her hips looking suspiciously at Piper. “Did I walk in on you two about to make out or about to fistfight?”

“We were definitely not about to make out. We were having a fiery debate about my feelings that legal mechanisms for criminal punishment are either nonexistent or insufficient, and maybe a little justice outside the law is occasionally in order. He, however, feels that the rules are there for a reason and the law is completely black and white.” Piper started to stack the files up and found herself doing it with a little more annoyance than she intended.

“In other words you want to go kick some ass and he wants to let the law do its job. That sounds a lot like Bobby. He plays by the rules, almost to a fault. That’s how my dad was, and he feels like anything else would be doing a disservice to his memory. He might be a little sensitive today. The cake he’s going to get is for my dad’s birthday. Every year my dad used to let me pick whatever cake I wanted and every year I picked something different. We’ve tried to keep that tradition alive. We’ll have it after dinner tonight.” Jules swallowed hard as she smiled through the pain she still carried with her about losing her father. It didn’t matter how many years went by, how many cakes she picked, it always felt like she had just lost him.

Piper stopped forcefully stacking folders and turned herself toward Jules. She felt like a bratty little child now and wanted to slink away and die of embarrassment. “I feel like such an idiot now. I didn’t know. I get so caught up in my own convictions sometimes that I lose sight of the fact that people have reasons for believing what they do. I don’t want to intrude on your celebration tonight or upset Bobby any more than I have. I should skip dinner this time.”



“I want you to come,” Jules whispered, with a disarming smile. “My father would have liked you. He always appreciated a good discussion of opposing views. Plus, I know Bobby wants you there. When you know someone as long as I’ve known Bobby you can read ‘em like a book. I’ve actually been fixing to tell you that if something should happen between you and Bobby, I’d be all right with it. I’m always going to love him, but I don’t ever see us being together again. I want him to be happy, and if that comes from being with you then I’m all for it,” Jules said, flashing her magnificent smile at Piper. It was hard to even listen to Jules speak sometimes without getting caught up in how stunning she was.

“You don’t have to worry about that at all, Jules. Bobby is a really nice guy, and getting to know him better has been great, but nothing is going to happen between us. I know it’s kind of a cliché, but I have an enormous amount of baggage. I’m hardly in a position to be anyone’s friend right now let alone anything more than that. I don’t have any room in my life for it.” Piper hoped this brief moment of honesty on her part wouldn’t lead to a barrage of questions from Jules.

“Oh darling, Bobby is the kind of guy you make room for. He’ll open your car door, drive twenty minutes to kill a spider you’ve trapped under a jar, and he’ll forgive you before you even realize you’re sorry. That boy has been by my side for every hard moment of my life. Whatever woman makes room for Bobby will be eternally blessed,” Jules said with a knowing look on her face. Letting Bobby’s love slip through her fingers was a regret she’d have to live with, but if she could stop someone else from making the same mistake maybe she’d find some peace with it.