Just a Little Sequel by Tracie Puckett Read Free Book Online Page A

culinary education money could buy. He’d come home. He’d quit. He’d given up. And I had no idea why.
    The Matthew Little I’d known was probably the bravest person I’d ever known. He knew what he wanted, he focused on that goal, and he didn’t let a single thing stand in his way on the path to achieving that dream. Even when he had doubts, even when times got really hard, he kept moving forward. He kept fighting for what he wanted. He’d left with a three-step plan: gain the experience, open a restaurant, and win back the girl of his dreams. Nothing else mattered .
    So why? Why quit now? Who was this guy , and what had he done with my cousin?
     
    Saturday, October 25 | 6:25 a.m.
    Charlie was still snoring on the couch by the time I left. Despite the fact that I’d gone to bed so late, I couldn’t fall asleep. I tried everything from counting sheep to a warm glass of milk, but nothing helped me drift off. Back in the day, a shower would’ve worked wonders. But I found late-night showers more traumatizing than relaxing nowadays.
    Thoughts of Charlie’s final words had kept me stirring, tossing and turning, and beating myself up. Wide awake, my uncle would’ve never said the things that he’d said to me the night before. Tired, incoherent, and a little hung-over, obviously he would. I spent the next hour trying to figure out Matt’s motivation for coming home, when my train of thought finally fell on Derek, Rebecca, and the sudden news that the baby was going to be raised by a single father.
    I finally managed to doze off sometime around five, but a six a.m. text from Derek (letting me know that there was still no news) jolted me awake. I rolled out of bed, took a super-fast shower, and dressed for the day. I didn’t have any definite plan for where I was heading, only that I needed to get out and let the cool autumn breeze give me a little guidance and clarity.
    A lot had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Matt showed up unexpectedly. Luke’s moods were incredibly unpredictable. Hot-headed and in a fury, he’d tried to leave the party after talking with Charlie, but I had no idea what was said between the two of them. I think he’d tried telling me the night before, but then Lonnie called to summon us to the hospital. Rebecca was in labor, Derek was about to become a single father, and Charlie begged me not to leave him.
    What the hell was happening in Oakland?
    I ended up at the little diner in the District about five minutes later. Little did I know, I wouldn’t find the alone time I was so desperately searching for.
    “Rough night?” Bruno looked up from his newspaper and nodded at the seat across from his.
    “Don’t get me started,” I slid into the booth and joined him, and I took no time at all to rifle through the sections he’d already discarded. I leafed through the comics, only pretending to read for a few drawn seconds before I slammed the newspaper on the table, causing Bruno to jump. “What’s the deal with everyone lately?”
    His eyes widened and he folded the paper, knowing he wouldn’t get to finish his article. He set it aside quietly, folded both hands on the table in front of him, and leaned forward.
    “What’s on your mind, Miss Julie?”
    “Bruno,” I tried to find my breath, but I wasn’t really sure when I’d lost it. Back on the street, thinking about everything that had unfolded, I must’ve winded myself. I couldn’t get a single thought in order. “I just… why is it that… why? ”
    “Good question,” he nodded and leaned a little closer. And, silly as his response was, I don’t think he was humoring me. I think he truly understood. Why does everything have to be so hard?
    “Matt dropped out of school,” I said, suddenly finding my voice again. “He’s home and hiding in his bedroom so Charlie won’t find out. Luke ’s had more hormonal ups and downs than a pregnant woman lately, and I should know, I’ve been working alongside his sister for