Page 14 of Her Billionaire's Baby Secret

“He did? Why didn’t you say yes?” her grandma probed.

“I’d visited the city with his family the summer before, and I hated it. Too crowded and polluted.”

“I can understand that.”

“Anyway, I wanted to take over your jewelry shop.” She’d already been working there during high school, and she’d fallen in love with the little shop. She hadn’t even graduated when her grandparents started talking about helping her learn the business in case they wanted her to take over one day. She’d then gone to college in nearby Roanoke to get her degree in business.

“Just like Kane ended up taking over his grandfather’s business.”

“Yeah. We did have that in common,” Sariah said.

Her grandmother stood up. “Well, should we head over there and give them a hand?”

Sariah closed the lid on the muffin container. “Yeah. Let me finish getting ready.”

She went into her room and swept her hair up into a ponytail. She’d want to keep her hair out of her face while she worked. She glanced at her reflection. She wasn’t wearing any makeup. She pulled out some foundation and got to work. It wasn’t like she felt like she had to impress Kane, right? It was normal to want to look presentable when going out. That was all.

When she was finished with her makeup, she grabbed her purse from the chair in the corner in her room and headed back out to the living where her grandma was waiting for her.

“Do you want to drive together?” her grandma offered.

“You’ll have to give me a ride home.” Since her grandma lived next door to Mrs. Edwards, she wouldn’t have a reason to come back that way.

“I don’t mind.” Her grandma waggled her eyebrows. “Or better yet. We can ask Kane to give you a ride home.”

“Very funny. He probably doesn’t even have a car here.”

“Actually, he does. I saw a rental car parked in their driveway.”

“Why do you want me to get together with him so badly?”

“Because he’s a great catch.”

“I don’t mind being his friend, but I’m not interested in starting a romance. What would the point be? He lives in New York. I just told you I wouldn’t ever want to live there. Even if I did, I have my business here.”

“You could always open a jewelry shop in New York.”

“No way. There’s no one who could convince me to leave Maple Creek.”

“Not even Kane Leland of Leland Enterprises?”

“He couldn’t convince me to leave then. It wouldn’t be any different now.” Her heart hurt just talking about it. It had ripped her heart up to say goodbye to him. It had taken her years to get over it. And then he’d jumped right into a relationship with Orchid. She couldn’t express how much pain that had caused her. It was like he hadn’t really cared about her or what they’d shared together.

Sariah locked up her apartment and followed her grandma to her car.

“You’re one stubborn girl,” her grandma said as they climbed in.

“I’m not stubborn. I just know I wouldn’t be happy there. It’s not for me. Besides we don’t even know if Kane would ever want to restart a romantic relationship with me. I know you don’t think he’s changed, but he’s been around the world and seen all kind of exotic beautiful women. He can get any woman he wants with the kind of money he has.”

“But none of them are as special as you,” her grandma said.

“You’re only saying that because I’m your granddaughter.”

“It doesn’t make it any less true.” She started the engine and backed out of Sariah’s driveway.

Sariah suddenly felt nervous seeing Kane. She wasn’t sure if it had to do with the fact that she’d been feeling a growing attraction to him lately or the fact that her grandma had been so enthusiastic about her getting back together with Kane. Sariah didn’t want her grandma to discover that she’d been feeling attracted to Kane again. She would be like a kid in a candy shop if she found out. Who knew what she would do or say?

In reality, her attraction to Kane had never gone away. She’d always felt her pulse race around him. She just couldn’t do anything about it because she respected the fact that he was taken. But that wasn’t the case anymore.

She couldn’t decide which was worse. The possibility that she might be starting to have feelings for Kane again or the chance that her grandma might embarrass her in front of him.

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