Page 44 of Hate to Crave You
“Compared to what I’m offering you? It’s pennies.” Edgar waved a dismissive hand. He checked his watch, then heaved out a sigh. “I’m going to have to cut this short. I’m flying out later today. The family and I have a vacation coming up. After that, I’ve got some business in Asia.” He paused, then added, “Once that’s over, I’ll start shopping around for a new buyer.”
Rising, he glanced around, looking from Michael to Charles.
“Maybe use the time to…get creative. Think of something and do better on those bids. I like you both, as you well know. I’d like to…keep my mines in the family, so to speak. I’d rather not see some faceless conglomerate swallow them up. If one of you were to take them over, I know my men and women at the mines would be treated fairly. That’s as important to me as the sale itself.”
* * *
Roman spentthe entire meeting ignoring her.
He didn’t once look her way.
Julianna wanted to pretend it didn’t bother her, but it did and as he left with his father, all without even a glance in her direction, she swallowed back the disappointment.
“Darling, can I offer some advice?” her father said softly.
She glanced over at him, fighting the blush that tried to rise to her cheeks.
“Of course. But when have you ever asked?” she teased.
“Let it go.” He nodded toward the now-empty door. “Whatever you think was there…just let it go. The Montrose men are…bullish in their stubbornness, not to mention sore losers. They can hold a grudge until Kingdom come, and then some.”
Julianna thought of how Roman had acted in the elevator, and this time, as the blush rose to stain her cheeks, she couldn’t fight it any longer. Turning away from her father, she reached for her now-tepid cup of coffee and asked, “Do you think there’s something going on with us?”
“A blind man can see it…which means sooner or later, Michael will see it, too,” he said. His voice was gentle, not at all upset.
That surprised Julianna. Turning back to him, head cocked, she asked, “Hypothetically speaking, if something was going on between us, what would you do?”
“Hypothetically speaking?” He crooked a grin at her and shook his head. Rising from his seat, he came to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Hypothetically, and in truth as well, I want something more out of life for you than a man who nurses a grudge, something more than a man whose familyraisedhim to nurse a grudge.” He chucked her under the chin the way he used to when she was little. “Would it make you feel better if were to tell you I forbid it?”
“Since when did forbidding me to do anything everwork?” she asked lightly. Then she managed to force a laugh and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. “You worry too much, Daddy. Relax. I want to be happy, too. Okay?”
* * *
The conversationwith her father had been…unexpected.
For whatever reason, it seemed that her father wasn’t dead set against Roman, or even against the Montrose family in general.
She mused about it all day, thinking, too, to what Edgar had said.
A thirty-year squabble.
What kind ofsquabblelasts for thirty years?
One thing was certain…she didn’t want whatever was going on between her and Roman to turn intoanotherthirty-year squabble.
Maybe they could be friends.
Maybe they could be…more.
She didn’t know.
But first she had to get him to talk to her.
On her way home from work, she sent him a text. She’d ignored a text from him on the drive home that night and wondered if that perhaps had something to do with his studiously ignoring her during today’s meeting. They weren’t little kids throwing tantrums and it was time to start acting like the adults they were.
Still, she tried again.
Her message was simple.
Truce?
