Page 22 of Believing in a Billionaire
Despite needing sleep, though, he tossed and turned, the current threat to his company haunting him until the first signs of daylight broke on the horizon.
He climbed from the bed in search of coffee and an update on any progress made by his team despite it being the weekend. He demanded they be ready for the opening bell Monday morning. He couldn’t risk losing more of his company to Lydia.
As he waited for the coffee to brew in the quiet house, he wondered how she managed to pull so many strings while still behind bars.
Before the pot filled, he yanked it from the machine, poured a full mug, and shuffled toward his office. As he entered the foyer, he stopped dead.
Julia’s sister hovered at the edge of the living room, her arms crossed as she stared forward.
His stomach twisted into a knot as he wondered if he could avoid her entirely. Without Julia around, the chances that they ended up in a shouting match were pretty high.
Before he could slink away, though, she snapped her gaze in his direction, her eyebrows raising. He prepared himself for the onslaught of negative comments aimed at him, but she only said, “Oh, good morning.”
“Good morning,” he said tentatively as he closed the distance between them.
She flicked her gaze back to whatever she had been looking at before as he sidled up to her. “That’s a really huge picture of you and my sister.”
“Oh,” he said with a half-chuckle, “yeah. From our wedding.”
“Yeah,” she answered. “I can’t believe I missed my baby sister’s wedding.”
He stared down at the dark liquid in his cup as he shifted his weight, waiting for the argument to ensue. “Sorry about that. It was…”
His voice trailed off as he realized he didn’t have any other words. Maybe he ought to offer her a cup of coffee.
Before he could, she twisted to face him again. “Actually, I kind of feel like I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
He nearly choked on his coffee at the words. “That’s not necessary–“
“No, it really is. I was…completely out of line in Harbor Cove. I just…reacted.”
“I appreciate that,” Grant said. “Let’s try to put it behind us. For Julia.”
“Right, for Julia,” Alicia said with a bob of her head as she twisted back to the massive photograph. “She looks happy. You both do.”
“I am,” he said. “And I’m doing my best to make sure she is, too. I know that may sound…ridiculous to you, but…”
She sucked in a breath, glancing up at him. “No. I mean, I don’t know you that well, so I hope that’s true, but Julia seems to think it is.”
He offered her a fleeting smile. “Well, maybe we can get to know each other better while you’re staying here.”
“Yeah,” she answered, “sure. Umm, and by the way, thank you for letting me stay here.”
“You don’t need to thank me. This is Julia’s house, too. And it’s nice for her to have you close.”
She nodded again, each of them delicately dancing around the tension still brewing between them.
“I heard Kyle and Sierra weren’t exactly welcoming. Sorry about that,” he said, giving her a sideways glance.
“No, it’s fine. It’s their house. If they want to…threaten to drop me in a foreign country with no passport, that’s…well, I don’t know what to make of that oddly specific threat, but sure.”
He slid his eyes closed, imagining the scene that had ensued between the four of them. He’d really need to speak with both of his children.
“Yeah, sorry. That’s…Kyle can be a little…and Sierra is…Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I just…I don’t want to cause any trouble. I’m really trying to respect your relationship with Julia.”
The words gave him some hope that she hadn’t spent the day outlining all the ways he wasn’t a good husband to Julia. Before he could answer, though, heels pounded down the stairs, striking fear into his heart.
