Chapter Twelve

The following Wednesday evening, Juliet borrowed some folding chairs from a city hall storage closet and arranged them in a circle in her new office space. All the while, Daisy sat in her dog bed in the corner, watching her with wide eyes.

She’d asked Louise if Daisy could come to her group therapy session tonight. Daisy had done just fine this week, happy to be with people, and Juliet thought she might be an inspiration to her group.

“Don’t judge me,” Juliet said to the dog. “This will have to do until the church basement is done being remodeled.”

The office wasn’t as big as Jack’s but was decent in size. Placing her rubber tree beside an old green metal desk helped. As did adding a few bright embroidered pillows she’d brought from home to the ancient puke-orange couch, but nothing in the world was going to help the half-a-century-old green shag carpet. She was just debating going back to Jack’s office to snag the light-up water feature and some candles to get the musty odor out when she heard a noise coming from the hall.

Country music. She poked her head out to confirm the source. Yep. Jack’s office.

A certain someone was singing—loudly—about mamas not letting their children grow up to be cowboys.

She glanced at her watch. Almost seven. Her group would be arriving any second. Surely, Workaholic Jack should be home by now, doing whatever Indiana cowboys—or small-town mayors—did in their spare time?

As Juliet went to shut the door, she found Tessa standing there, smiling and holding a giant tray heaped with freshly baked goodies. Vivienne walked in right behind her. “Fresh batch this afternoon,” Tessa said, placing the tray on the empty desk and removing the lid. “Have one.”

Juliet took in the mini eclairs and mini opera cakes, all coated with chocolate ganache. “Oooh,” she said, snagging an eclair and taking a bite. “Amazing, thank you.” She closed her eyes and gave a little moan. “This will put everyone in a good mood.” She hugged her sisters. “Thanks for bringing my favorites.”

“I’ve been experimenting with offering more gluten-free options,” Tessa said, handing Viv a little box. “Taste test those and tell me what you think.”

Vivienne opened the box and peeked inside, her pretty blue eyes widening. “Gluten-free mini eclairs? This almost makes up for the twelve hours I spent in an elf suit today.”

Poor Viv. Juliet knew that she’d have to broach the subject of her job soon. But she’d probably omit the Santa panties debacle.

As Juliet closed the door, Vivienne hiked a thumb toward the hall. “When did Waylon and Willie move in?”

“Shhhh,” Juliet said, dropping her voice. “I don’t want him to know I’m here.”

“Him, meaning Jack?” Viv asked. “No one can hear anything over that racket,” she pointed out.

Tessa narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What’s going on? Why don’t you want Jack to know you’re here…with a group of people?”

“No reason,” Juliet said, fussing with the chairs.

“Juliet.” Tessa used her warning voice, honed from years of being Second Mother to her and Viv.

“Okay, fine.” Juliet stopped messing with the setup. “I sort of made Jack so miserable with me in his office that he gave me this one. But he didn’t exactly give me permission to hold my group here.”

Tessa stopped pulling the wrap off her pastry tray. “Didn’t exactly give you permission? Maybe you should go clear it with him right now.”

Juliet sighed. “I had to negotiate with him for the space.” She didn’t say that she’d sort of held his model town ransom. “And he wasn’t really happy about giving it to me. And he questioned if a psych info session would be appropriate in city hall. But on the other hand, he never really said no.”

Tessa folded her arms and gave a frown. She was going to be a great mom.

“It’s just until the church remodel is done. Besides, I’ve already told everyone the session is here.” What was the worst he could do, boot everyone out?

Okay, that would be bad. But she had to keep doing things in her profession, and giving information to the community was important. And city hall was a community building, right?

She couldn’t help thinking her dad would be proud that she’d found some way to keep working in her field. It was a great way to show everyone that she was more than capable. And that would help her get her marriage counseling clients back.

Vivienne was surveying the stark office, the green rug, the orange couch. “Maybe you’re going to have to ask your group tonight for forgiveness, too. It looks like the seventies are back with a vengeance.”

“The desk is okay,” Tessa said, walking behind it and lifting the dusty gray shade on the window to reveal a stunning salmon sunset, a backdrop to the streetlights on Main just flickering on. Juliet joined her at the window, opening it to let in the crisp fall air. The trees lining Main Street were a brilliant gold in the fading light.

“A Main Street view,” Juliet said. “You can’t beat that.”

“You always find the positive,” Viv said.

“It’s a good omen,” Tessa said, hugging her. “Viv and I would like to stay, if that’s okay.”

Juliet’s stomach twisted. “You guys really don’t have to do that.” The idea of her sisters watching her sent a wave of nervous energy through her. What if no one showed up?

“We want to,” Viv said. “It’ll be cool to see you all professional and stuff.”

“No pressure,” Tessa said. “We just thought it would be fun.”

“I know what’s going on here.” Juliet suddenly realized what was going on. “You came to support me.”

Viv shrugged. “That’s what sisters are for, right?”

Just then, Delores and George Teeter rapped on the door and then walked in, holding hands.

“Hello, Juliet, honey,” George said with a wink. Delores gave her a big hug, then she hugged Viv, too. “We had twenty more orders for Santa panties,” she said, shaking her head. “You and Jack have started something.”

Delores must have seen Viv’s shocked expression, because she shrugged. “It’s only October and we’ve had a hundred orders.”

All because Jack was being goofy, selling them out of a box?

“But I thought you didn’t like anything risqué in the store,” Juliet said.

“Oh, they’re still online only,” Delores said. “We can barely keep them in stock, thanks to the social media stuff you posted.”

Juliet recalled that Viv had worked miracles with Tessa’s and Leo’s businesses last year by managing social media and building Tessa’s YouTube channel. Which she seemed to like a whole lot better than being an elf.

“Glad it worked out.” Viv flashed her usual big smile. Still, Juliet made a note to sit her down for a talk ASAP.

“Thanks for coming,” Juliet said to Delores and George, “but what are you two doing here?”

“We came for some counseling.” Delores poked George in the ribs. “He’s being difficult.”

“I’m always difficult,” he said, giving Delores a squeeze. “That’s why you love me.”

Juliet put her hands on her hips. “You know this is just a community info session. Otherwise, it would be unethical for me to have friends and family here.” She had the same suspicion they were here for the same reason as her sisters. “Why are you two really here?”

George helped himself to a pastry and sat down. “It’s date night, and we thought we’d come check it out.”

“Besides, we’re always looking to improve our relationship.” Delores settled into a chair. “Hand me one of those little cakes, George, honey.”

“Hey, Viv,” Juliet said. “I stashed some water bottles in the fridge across the hall. Would you please bring some in?”

Just as Viv walked out, their mother walked in with Leo’s dad, Marco Castorini, whom she’d been dating for almost a year.

“Hi, honey.” Her mom, dressed in a sweater with a pretty scarf around her neck, greeted her with a hug. She looked happy—and since dating Marco, hadn’t got caught wearing her bakery apron in public once. “We thought we’d come learn more about mental health services from our favorite counselor.”

“Knock ’em dead, sweetheart,” Marco said, looking proud. With his thick gray hair combed back from a widow’s peak and his muscular build, he’d come in handy as a bouncer if anyone got out of line tonight.

“Why is everyone showing up?” Juliet was a little freaked out that practically her whole family was here, except for her grandmother.

“Um…because we love you?” Tessa said. “Also, we’re a built-in, guaranteed crowd.” After seeing Juliet’s face, she added, “Not that you’re going to need us, but we’re good to have in a pinch, right?”

Noah popped his head in. Of course. Because who else wasn’t here that she knew? “Hey, Jules,” he said, “this is relationship therapy, right?”

“It’s just an information session,” Juliet said. “I’m going to talk about what therapy is, when people should seek it out, that kind of thing.”

“Do you have to be in a relationship to come?” he asked, waving to everyone.

“Of course not,” Juliet said.

“Well, guess what,” he said, “I might be in a relationship.”

“Noah!” Juliet embraced him. “How did I not know this?”

“I haven’t told a single soul,” he said. “I’m sort of holding my breath about it. Like maybe it’s too good to be true.”

“You deserve the best,” Juliet said. “I’m so glad you came.”

George moved over and patted the seat between him and Delores. “Sit right on down, son.”

Delores smiled. “We want to hear all about it.”

This overwhelming support from her loved ones was…overwhelming. “I need a drink,” she whispered to Viv.

“All that’s in the break room is coffee. I just put some on.”

The smell of freshly brewing coffee wafted into the room, making Juliet’s heart lurch. “I’m afraid Jack’s going to smell that.” And come barreling down to stop her.

“Don’t worry,” Viv said. “I made sure his office was dark and quiet before I brewed. He must have left. Also, you’re going to keep this talk generic, right? Because I really don’t want to hear any details Mom might share about her relationship with Marco.”

“It’s definitely not that kind of talk,” Juliet said. But they both knew their mom could be an oversharer.

Jack’s grandmother showed up, of course, and Juliet went to greet her. “Hi, Adele,” she said, receiving a warm hug. “Are you looking for Jack?”

“Heck, no,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “I’m here because I heard something was going on tonight.” She dropped her voice. “And I was hoping some single men might be here.”

Before Juliet could figure out how to respond, she heard her own grandmother’s voice from the hallway. “There may not be any here, but just sign up for bingo at the church on Wednesdays.” Her grandmother came into view, wearing a big smile. “In fact, I’m going there right after this. You can come with me.”

The two women couldn’t be more different. Juliet’s grandmother was tall and svelte, with pretty gray hair. Jack’s grandmother was half-pint sized, with pure white hair, wearing a jean jacket and a red bandana around her neck.

“Well, thanks, Sophie, I’d love to.”

Her grandmother patted Juliet’s forearm and kissed her cheek. “We won’t make you nervous, will we?”

Just because she was in a professional crisis, and everyone she loved knew it, what was there to be nervous about? “Of course not.”

She’d be okay. It was only an info session. What could go wrong?

A young couple walked in and gazed about the room. Juliet recognized Faith Brandenstein, who worked as an assistant at the library; she had been a client of Juliet’s in individual therapy during her training at IU. Faith had brought her long-time boyfriend, Axl, who in the past had refused to come to therapy with her.

Which was interesting on a lot of levels. Seeing him here was positive. But part of her wished Faith had dumped him by now. Because Axl was…difficult. Controlling. Demeaning. Everything really bad for a person who was struggling with self-esteem to begin with.

Juliet smiled and hugged Faith. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she said.

“Hi, Ms. Montgomery. This is Axl. We…we came for the information session.”

“Hi, Axl,” she said to a muscle-bound guy in a tank and shorts.

He nodded to Juliet. “I only agreed so she stops bugging me about coming to therapy every single day,” Axl said.

Oh yeah, Juliet had forgotten that he was condescending, too. “Well, it’s great to have you here. Feel free to ask any questions.”

Then she walked to her seat in the circle and addressed the group. “Okay, everyone, let’s get started.”

Viv had set the coffeemaker on the desk, along with a bunch of mugs. And Juliet could tell from the aroma that it was indeed Jack’s expensive coffee. Everyone was drinking, eating French pastries, and chatting. A great start. She just prayed Jack was home now, putting his boots up somewhere, singing more offkey songs to his heart’s content.

And somehow that made her smile, even though she was still annoyed with him. Which made her realize that she had difficulty tucking him away in the right place—as a business associate she had to temporarily tolerate.

“This is excellent coffee,” George said. “I’m going to make sure to order more of this for the hardware store.”

Juliet smiled and held up her own mug. “I wanted to welcome everyone here tonight and thank you all for coming. I’m going to talk a little about what relationship therapy is, when to seek counseling in a relationship, and of course, answer any of your questions.”

“That’s my daughter,” her mom said proudly. “She’s a licensed therapist.” Marco, next to her, beamed.

Before Juliet could be too embarrassed, Daisy woke up, giving a big yawn, and blinked as she noticed the room full of people. Then she beelined over to Juliet, who scooped her up and placed her in her lap.

She petted and cooed to the dog, who was shaking a little. “This is Daisy. I’m dog sitting her tonight. She’s a little shy, so, I have to ask you not to pet her until she gets used to everyone.” Juliet gave her a soothing stroke. Which actually might have helped to calm her own nerves.

“That dog looks like a wrinkled old man,” Axl said, chuckling under his breath.

“I think she’s sweet,” Faith said.

Great. A man who insults dogs. This was going to be really fun. “Just in case anyone doesn’t know me, I’m Juliet Montgomery, and I’m really thrilled to be back here in Blossom Glen where I grew up.”

“Way to go, Lulu,” George said with a fist pump.

“Thank you, George,” she said calmly, fighting the instant blush. “But for the group, please stick to Juliet.” There, she was assertive. She had control.

“We’re so proud of you.” Her mom gave a little wave.

“Thanks, Mom,” she said.

“Aren’t you the one with all the engagements?” Axl flexed his muscles, showing off all his many tattoos. Which might have been interesting if he wasn’t so intimidating.

“Axl, please,” Faith said, clearly embarrassed.

And that’s when Juliet felt a tingle between her shoulders. She adjusted herself in her chair, pressing her back against it, hoping she was imagining.

But no. The tingle turned into a burn, and then an itch and a flare.

Her friends the hives were back with a vengeance.

Juliet sat up straight and tried to project confidence. “I have been engaged previously,” she said. The room was so quiet, she could hear the traffic on the street. A child’s laughter. The distant whine of a siren. “Which makes me human like everyone else.”

She tried not to scratch her arms. And pretended like little red flares weren’t erupting all over them. As she did some parasympathetic breathing, she thought of a positive. She was so involved in trying to hide her distress, it took her mind off of handling Axl.

Hives or no hives, she wasn’t going to let him unnerve her.

She turned to the group. “That’s the thing about therapy. People think you have to wait for a huge mental health crisis to seek it out. But therapy can help explore issues, help with communication, and resolve conflicts. Basically, it helps us to understand ourselves and improve our relationships with other people.”

“I just love knowing what you do for a living, sweetie,” her mom said. “And maybe you can give us all some pointers.”

“Well, Mom, I can’t practice any therapy on friends or family. That would be unethical. But I can give out a lot of information.”

Marco, holding her mother’s hand, said, “Um, relationships are important. And…we’re always trying to be the best people we can be, right? So, everyone should get some help.”

“Why, Marco, that’s such an enlightened view,” Juliet said.

“And then maybe after therapy, people can head on over to my restaurant for a good meal. In fact, tonight we’ve got a fabulous lasagna and a veal piccata dish that’s to die for. With two-for-one apps.” He pointed out the window, where the giant neon spaghetti sign with the blinking meatball was just firing up for the night.

Yes. Always the salesman. But at least he was helping sell the idea of therapy.

She felt a little calmer now, but a big red blotch was now sitting atop her left ankle. She crossed her feet and saw that Noah had raised his hand. “My question is, can you do relationship therapy with a person who’s worked really, really hard to overcome issues from his past?”

“Of course. But that person can also use individual therapy, and that’s exactly what it’s for, to help us become the best versions of ourselves. That can’t help but be good for our relationships.”

“I’m here because she forced me to come,” Axl hiked a thumb at Faith, who cringed.

“Well, we agreed we needed some help in dealing with disagreements, right?” she said to Axl. “I wanted you to come and see that just talking wasn’t so scary.”

Go, Faith!

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Axl said, crossing his giant arms. “I’m here to try to make you happy.” He snorted. “But that’s never easy.”

“I think that couples therapy is for ourselves as well as for our partners,” Juliet said carefully.

Axl spoke up. “How can you run this group when you clearly don’t know anything about relationships yourself?”

Juliet forced herself not to choke on her coffee. A direct attack—in front of her family and friends. She course-corrected from her shock, setting down her cup and gathering her wits. And rubbing her back against her chair because it took some of the itch away.

“Axl, shhhh,” Faith said. To which Axl gave her a glare.

“Now hold on a second,” Delores said before Juliet could speak. “No one is perfect and no relationship is perfect. Just because our therapist isn’t happily married and her life isn’t tied up in a perfect bow doesn’t mean she can’t help us with our troubles, right?”

“Well, that’s real nice, ma’am,” Axl said, “but my girlfriend and me need some help. How can we get that from someone who can’t help herself?” His harsh gaze rested directly on Juliet. “You told Faith we need to do hard work to figure out what’s wrong with us, so how are you going to do the same?”

“Well, I can tell you that therapists are often in therapy themselves,” Juliet said. I can do this, she told herself. I can be a professional. “But what I do personally is private. And I’ve been trained to—”

“Lady, I don’t care about your training. All this talk is a bunch of bullsh—”

“Hey,” someone said from the door. “I thought I smelled coffee down here.”

Jack opened the door and walked into the room, looking pleasant enough. He zeroed in on her, lifting a single brow as if to ask, Are you all right? But that look was nothing compared to the glare he cast at Axl. Jack looked like he wanted to haul Axl out by his large gold hoop earring.

So many feelings churned through her. She was off-balance, thrown by Axl’s comment, but getting her foothold. Second, she felt relief at seeing Jack—but not because he had some misdirected cowboy need to save her. She didn’t need to be saved. But he’d showed up—so maybe he cared about her as a friend?

He’d told her business only. So why was he here?

If he was here to do some bold rodeo lasso trick to save her, she didn’t need it.

But on the positive side, at least he didn’t look like he was going to boot them all out of this room, which was now the least of her worries.

So that left her with showing him and her family and friends—but mostly herself—that she could handle someone throwing her a little bit of shade.

Her dad’s voice came to her. You got this.

Somehow that gave her a sudden sense of comfort. Daisy had nestled into her lap and fallen asleep, trusting her enough to take care of her. So now she had to trust in herself.

She smoothed her hands over her legs, which she hoped looked like she was preparing to talk, not scratch. “The beauty about therapy,” Juliet said, speaking slowly and calmly, “is that you get to pick your own therapist. Someone you trust and have confidence in. That person doesn’t have to be me.”

Axl sat slumped, his legs extended, his arms crossed. He took a brief survey around the room as if he were debating how far to push. “That’s fine, but I don’t like a lot of highfalutin’, high-and-mighty people who don’t have their own lives figured out telling me what to do.”

“Therapy isn’t easy,” she continued in a firm and steady voice. “You have to want to do everything possible to help yourself and your relationship. You have to be willing to take risks and leave all the excuses behind. It’s uncomfortable. Change always is.”

The weird thing was, Juliet sort of felt like she was also speaking to Jack. Not about suggesting therapy, but about taking risks. Specifically, with her.

And she discovered—at the weirdest, strangest time—that she was angry at him, not difficult Axl. Not for barging in, looking ready to jump Axl. But for running away from…well, from their friendship.

From being okay with the opportunity to get to know her.

But she certainly didn’t want any more than that. Because he was her polar opposite in just about everything. Plus, she’d tossed enough fodder to the town gossips for three lifetimes. Okay, two and a half.

But even as Juliet looked at him—concerned, ready to pounce if necessary, and so handsome—she knew she was lying about being friends.

Her feelings for him weren’t just friendly feelings.

And that meant that she was running away, too.

And why was all this occurring to her now?

Axl glanced around nervously. “Well, Ms. Montgomery, are you doing everything to help understand yourself?”

Whoa. Okay.

“Axl, please,” Faith said. “We’re here to get some information, right?”

“Well, that’s the only information I want to know,” he said, getting up from his chair. “I’m not sure what kind of group this is, but I’m outta here.” Then he stomped out.

Leaving his words to echo in her head.

And leaving her free to take her antihistamine. She may not be able to control her hives, but she’d stood up to Axl. And that was a win.