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Somewhere deep down, Julie knew Emily was right. She wanted to throw out another sarcastic remark to shut the conversation down once and for all, but she couldn’t. She knew the other woman would calmly lay out yet another painfully accurate theory about the intricacies of mother–daughter relationships. No matter how different the worlds they’d grown up in were, the foundation was the same. They both loved their mothers. But only one of them still had the chance to enjoy time with hers.
So Julie simply nodded, letting Emily’s words sink deep into her mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Emily smiling softly, fully aware she had finally broken through her walls.
She shouldn’t have been surprised, really. From the very beginning, both Charles and his daughter had been slowly—skillfully, patiently—seeping through the walls she had methodically built around herself her entire life.
Which was why pushing them away with sharp comebacks had been working less and less. Julie was painfully aware of this, catching herself more and more often on the thought that maybe, just maybe, she didn’t actually want to hide behind these walls anymore. Especially since every time she drew a clear boundary, Charles and Emily backed off, giving her the space she needed to make her own decisions.
Still, there was a limit to how much emotional intensity and attention from the Nieuwendyk clan she could withstand in a single day. Add the drama brought on by her own family, and that limit had been crossed a long time ago. That’s why she preferred waiting outside, on the cold pavement, rather than going back into the house.
When she heard the engine of an approaching car, she exhaled quietly. Finally. She really didn’t like being outside the borders of a big city.
She stood up without saying goodbye to Emily, though she could still feel the woman’s warm yet x-ray-sharp gaze on her.
No matter how long it took for the driver to arrive, no matter what could happen during the ride, Julie already knew she would give them a maximum rating and a generous tip—just for the simple fact that she would finally get out of here.
“Finnaly, I was starting to think no one would pick me up today,” she muttered as she opened the car door—then froze halfway when a familiar face popped up between the front seats. Didi. Wearing that same honest yet slightly mocking smile that seemed to be reserved exclusively for Julie (and drove her absolutely insane).
“Nope,” Julie growled, pulling back and slamming the door shut. Panic flickered under her skin. She glanced back at the house; she could still go inside. Emily had already gone up the stairs, but the echo of the slammed door made her turn around. Even through the falling darkness, Julie could see the wide grin on the blonde’s face as she lifted her hand and waved her toward the car before vanishing inside.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Julie dug her phone out of her pocket, unlocking it with the desperate hope her Uber would appear any minute. Instead, the app greeted her with a notification, telling her the previous driver had canceled and they were still looking for a replacement.
She glanced back at the car.
Didi was sitting patiently, staring straight ahead, blowing bubbles with an obnoxiously pink gum, deliberately ignoring her—as if she knew she didn’t have to do a thing, because they both where aware what decision would eventually be made.
Julie counted to ten, breathing slowly, then canceled the ride and shoved the phone back into her coat pocket.
This time she opened the passenger door and got in quickly, not giving herself the chance to hesitate. Didi apparently had the same idea—because the moment the door clicked shut, the car backed out of the driveway.
Julie had willingly trapped herself inside a space that so clearly belonged to Didi. From the empty cardboard coffee cup still stuck in the console, the fruity air freshener hanging alongside a Golden State Warriors keychain (Julie was almost certain that one had once belonged to Florence), to the smell of perfume lingering in the air—one she remembered far too well.
Julie wouldn’t mind if the whole world smelled like that.
“Aren’t you picking up Calbert?” she asked after a moment, once it became clear Didi wasn’t going to start the conversation herself.
“He said he’d find his own way home or crash here for the night,” Didi replied with a tiny shrug. “I assume the real party is just getting started.”
“So what? You came back just for me?” Julie muttered, scoffing.
“Obviously spending time with you is such a delight I simply couldn’t resist.”
“How did you even know I was still here? You left like forty minutes ago.” Julie gritted her teeth, ignoring the jab.
“You don’t have to be a detective to figure out no Uber driver wants to pick someone up from the middle of nowhere. On a holiday.”
“So you decided to come back just to check if you were right?”
“I didn’t have to. I knew I was right. Megan said she was going back without you, and Em texted me a few minutes ago saying you were still outside.”
Ah yes, the new blooming friendship between Megan and Didi. Something that, for whatever reason, made Julie’s stomach clench. Didi clearly didn’t think much of her, and Megan was a bottomless source of embarrassing stories about her boss.
But something else made her skin feel icy cold.
“I was still on my way, so I turned around to get you,” Didi continued, unfazed.
“Em?” Julie repeated, raising a brow and finally glancing toward her.
“Yep,” Didi said, punctuating the word with a loud pop of another bubble.
“Since when are you close enough to give her a nickname?” Julie asked, startling herself with how venomous it sounded.
“Charles isn’t the only one I stayed in touch with after you wrapped up the Pacific View case,” Didi replied, calm as ever.
“And despite the fact she was involved in all of that—she lied to you too—you don’t have a problem with her?”
“No, I don’t. Never did. She got roped into your little games. And I thought the whole thing had been cleared up between all of us?”
“So what? Are you friends with her now too?”
“You don’t have to be jealous. I’m not planning on stealing your adoptive sister.” Didi laughed, glancing at Julie long enough to make her simmer again. Didi had an unbelievable talent for throwing her off balance with just a few words.
“Emily is not my sister,” Julie snapped before she could stop herself. “And I’m not jealous.”
To her growing irritation, Didi just laughed harder.
“I’m just surprised, that’s all,” Julie muttered, propping her elbow against the door and staring defiantly into the darkness outside, as if it were suddenly fascinating.
“They’re some of the kindest people I know,” Didi said after a moment, adding pointedly, “Emily and Megan. I like them. And more importantly, they like me. Doesn’t matter how we met.”
“I never said I didn’t like you,” Julie blurted defensively—instantly regretting it.
She could feel Didi’s gaze on her, but she kept staring out the window, praying the woman would let the topic die. Too much had happened tonight for her to have the strength to deal with yet another thing she had tried to ignore for the past year. Something that surfaced no matter how hard she tried to bury it. Julie had made the mistake of letting Charles convince her that they needed to keep Didi in Pacific View.
If not for that, everything would have turned out differently. She would have closed the case like any other, revisiting it only while flipping through archived files. Instead, a domino effect had brought not only Charles and his daughter into her life, but an entire group of bizarre people. And Didi—whom the universe seemed determined to toss into her path simply to torment her.
She thought that even if she couldn’t control when Didi would pop up again, she could at least control her own thoughts. She thought.
In reality, pushing away the constant internal analyses of every shared moment, every exchange of words, had become nearly impossible.
Sometimes—when she couldn’t bury herself in work, or late at night when she lay awake with nothing to distract her—she had the nearly overwhelming urge to drive to Pacific View and yell straight into Didi’s face: What am I missing? What do you want from me?
To her immense relief, Didi seemed to sense her plea and let the subject go.
Julie shouldn’t have been surprised. Charles had been right from the start. Didi—an all-seeing, all-knowing creature.
And with the right sources, she truly could be omniscient.
“What did Megan tell you?” Julie asked quietly after a few minutes of silence.
“Wow, you really don’t trust anyone,” Didi said, shaking her head.
Julie shot her a look. They had both survived a dinner straight from hell—Didi herself had gathered all the evidence she would ever need to understand why Julie had trust issues.
They both knew it.
“You don’t have to worry,” Didi said at last, brows drawing together as if searching for the right words. “This is going to sound strange, but she managed to surprise me and confirm something I already knew—at the same time.”
“That’s not comforting.”
“Do you really think that if she’d said anything bad, I’d turn around halfway home just to check if you needed help?” Didi retorted.
Julie bit her lip. There was no arguing with that. She was still in shock that Didi had come back for her at all.
“Thanks,” she said softly, running a hand through her hair. “For picking me up.”
“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever been a chauffeur for a former best friend of an Olympic star who willingly turned down a Cirque du Soleil career.”
To her own surprise, Julie burst out laughing. Didi flashed her that particular smile—the one reserved only for her—sharpened by the glow of a passing streetlamp.
But this time, instead of irritation, Julie felt the sudden, alarming urge to trace the dimple in her cheek with her finger.
She shoved the thought deep inside, blaming Emily for keeping her wine glass full all night.
“Out of all the possible things she could’ve told you—that’s the one?”
“Among others.” Didi’s grin widened, and Julie had to clench her fists to keep herself under control. “Told you you’ve got nothing to worry about. Weirdo.”
Julie rolled her eyes but didn’t bother to hide her amusement.
“Well, whatever the case, you definitely fit right in. The Nieuwendyk’s are weird.”
“So weird!”
“What was with the pies? And why are the kids obsessed with worms?”
“That’s one mystery I’m not interested in solving. The middle one begged me several times to play with them.
“The narc?”
“Yes! I knew he had a narc energy”
“Oh, he got to me… I played with them” Didi admitted, sounding mildly ashamed.
“Oh God.”
“Honestly—don’t tell anyone—but I already know how I’ll be spending my free evenings from now on.”
“Seriously?”
“Don’t judge until you try.”
“No, thanks.”
“Your loss.”
“I’d rather forget you told me that. I prefer imagining what you do with your free time—if it even exists—over picturing you playing football with worms.”
Julie cursed at herself again. Too much honesty. She stole a quick glance at Didi’s face, searching for any reaction, any hint of surprise. But apart from that warm smile, her expression was unreadable.
Julie didn’t know if that comforted her or made her even more anxious.
“Still, I don’t regret spending the holiday there,” Julie said eventually, deciding she’d just keep spilling whatever was on her mind. Immediately, she worried Didi would take it as an invitation to bring up the drama surrounding her mother.
“So do I,” Didi murmured, exhaling softly. “I was supposed to work again, but I’m glad I accepted Mona’s invitation.”
“You’re always working.”
“Says the pot to the kettle…”
Julie snorted quietly. Fair point.
“Mona reminds me a bit of my mom,” Didi said after a moment. Her smile didn’t fade, but it changed—becoming something softer, something Julie hadn’t seen before. During the Pacific View case, they had investigated all employees, including Didi, so Julie knew she had a very small family—and had lost her mother long ago.
“Did she also make everyone say their favorite number and shape?” Julie asked.
Didi laughed warmly and honestly, and Julie silently congratulated herself. She wanted to hear that sound again, if she ever got the chance.
“No, not that specifically. But she was similar. She liked getting to know people in unconventional ways—always catching them off guard with questions. She had a colorful personality and was everywhere at once. Just like Mona.”
“Sounds like she’d fit right in,” Julie said gently.
“She would’ve loved Charles.”
“Clearly all women do.”
“Oh, ew—not like that,” Didi laughed again. “She would’ve made me reconcile with him right after your stunt.”
“ You two made up pretty fast.”
“I guess we did. Anyway, Charles has a talent for choosing the right people to surround himself with.”
“If you say so.”
“Well, he chose you, didn’t he?” Didi said softly.
Julie clenched her hands.
“He was very persistent,” she admitted.
Not giving her much of a choice—something she now realized she should probably thank him for.
Didi hummed, thankfully not pushing further.
Emily’s words echoed again in Julie’s mind, now overlapping with Didi’s voice. She sighed and picked up her phone, hesitating for just a moment before typing several short, honest messages.
I’m sorry. I’ll call tomorrow. I love you.
She didn’t wait for a reply. She locked the screen and set the phone on her lap.
When she looked at Didi, she found the woman studying her with curious eyes. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to say something, but thought better of it.
After a while, she reached into the center console, grabbed something, and handed it to Julie. Their fingers brushed. Julie froze—she could count on one hand how many times they’d touched since they met, but every single time Didi radiated a warmth that spread through Julie like a wildfire.
This time was no different.
To distract herself, she looked at the item in her hand. A glittery package screamed strawberry watermelon blast. Julie huffed a quiet laugh and popped two pieces of gum into her mouth.
She chewed slowly, grateful for the comfortable silence filling the car, broken only by the soft melody from the radio. Maybe—just maybe—they could survive one long interaction without an argument. That would be something.
But panic prickled up her spine as an intrusive thought returned twice as strong—Didi’s touch, and the terrifying curiosity of whether strawberry watermelon blast was a one-time exception… Or if a suprise visit to Pacific View on any random evening would prove thats what Didi always taste like.
What the hell is wrong with you?! Julie snapped at herself internally, squeezing her eyes shut. Get a grip. The woman barely tolerates you.
“Okay, okay,” she whispered to herself, squirming in her seat as if jolted by electricity. Didi shot her a baffled look.
“There is one thing I’ve been wondering…” Julie began, this time out loud.
“Oh?”
“Calbert told everyone at least a dozen times that you missed your calling and should’ve been a NASCAR driver.”
“And that’s what you’re curious about?” Didi laughed.
“Yes. Why would he say that when ever since I got in the car, you’ve been driving like an old man? Seriously, Didi—Charles drives faster than you.”
“Maybe it’s a conscious choice.”
“I’m a private investigator, not a cop—I’m not going to give you a ticket,” Julie grinned.
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Didi waved it off.
“Unless…” Julie said slowly. “You’re working on another long-term plan you’re not telling me about.”
“And what would this plan involve?” Didi asked, amusement barely contained.
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re still planning my downfall, and you’re just looking for a good place to bury my body. You could pin it on Charles and the whole family.”
“Fantastic plan,” Didi said, shaking her head. “You’re a hell of a detective, but sometimes you couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“I have no idea what’s going on,” Julie admitted with a sigh. “Clearly all my instincts are useless around you.”
“Clearly,” Didi echoed, smiling to herself as if Julie wasn’t in on the joke. “But if you insist, Froggy—hold on tight. Maybe in some alternate universe you’re a circus performer, but I am definitely a NASCAR driver.”
Julie should not have been surprised when Didi proved Calbert hadn’t been exaggerating at all.
She really should’ve learned by now to take their stories more seriously.
But she was grateful—because the roar of the engine drowned out every thought she was trying so desperately to avoid. For a few minutes, she truly relaxed.
Only later, standing in front of her building, watching the red taillights fade into the distance, pulling her coat tighter around her body—one that had absorbed a scent that wasn’t hers—and clutching the little box of gum in her pocket… Everything came crashing back, twice as strong.
And she knew she wasn’t going to fall asleep tonight.