Page 28 of Believing in a Billionaire
She peered through the slightly open door to his office. He paced the floor, his phone pressed to his ear. The tension in his shoulders had returned.
She wanted to offer her support, but she didn’t want to interrupt him. She’d check back later.
The sun warmed her skin as she pushed outside and crossed the property to retrieve her car from the garage.
Within the hour, she was pulling up to the valet station at the Riverwalk Bistro. The hostess led her to an already waiting Kyle at a table overlooking the water.
He leapt from his seat as she approached with a grin. “Thanks for meeting me. And not ditching me.”
“I’d never ditch you,” she said with a chuckle. “You really need to start accepting that your family will always be there for you.”
“You almost weren’t,” he answered wistfully as they perused the menu.
“That’s not true. I told you in your note that I was always a phone call or text away, just like I said to Sierra. I told you both the same thing.”
“Don’t tell Sierra that,” Kyle answered.
“Very funny. I would tell Sierra that. You are just as important as she is, no matter what her ego says.”
“Those are fighting words, Julia,” he answered as the waiter returned, and they placed their order.
He leaned closer to her once they were alone again. “So, how long is your sister going to be staying?”
“Is this why you asked me to lunch? So you can convince me to make Alicia leave?”
“No, I’m just making conversation.”
“Uh-huh. Conversation about Alicia—who you’ve threatened.”
Kyle winced as he shifted in his heat. “Sorry about that, but–”
Julia held up a hand, stopping him. “I get it. She was very rude in Maine.”
“Rude? Julia! She told us you took a restraining order out against us. That was cruel.”
Julia studied his icy blue eyes with a sigh. “You’re right. But I think she’s sorry about it.”
“Whether she is or she isn’t, I just don’t want her messing with our family.” He reached across the table to grab her hand.
“She isn’t going to do that.”
“How do you know? Maybe she’s just playing nice until she can steal you from us.”
Julia’s shoulders slumped. “I’m not leaving. No matter what Alicia says. There’s nothing she’s going to say to me to make me leave. She couldn’t achieve that in Harbor Cove, and she’s not going to do it here.”
Kyle bobbed his head up and down. “Okay, I’ll accept that. For now. But I’m still keeping an eye on her.”
“Seems like you and Sierra have teamed up on that front,” Julia said as their food arrived.
“We have a common enemy,” he said with a shrug.
“Alicia is not your enemy.”
“Let’s change the subject,” Kyle suggested.
“Okay,” she said as she allowed the conversation to pass. “What do you want to talk about?”
“You pick,” he said.
