Page 33 of Blackmail of a Billionaire

The notion of no secrets flew out the window as she realized she’d have to lie her way through another meeting, this time to her own family.

Her spirits deflated as she quickly vetted spots for parking. She navigated the familiar streets to her old apartment building. The scent of damp concrete greeted her as she pulled into the garage, a stark reminder of the life she once led. She’d never parked here before. Ironic now that she no longer lived here, she found a use for her parking space.

She climbed from the car, the city’s sounds enveloping her in a familiar cacophony. She ran a hand through her hair, feeling the pulse of the city she once knew so well, a stark contrast to the silence of the Harrington estate. She set a quick pace to the hotel. Even at this rate, she’d be a few minutes late thanks to the unexpected snafu.

The chaos of the city at this hour echoed her thoughts. Even with Ethan, she’d need to be guarded. What had her life become?

The hotel came into sight, and she navigated to it, climbed the stairs, and reached for the door. Her heart stopped, and she let go of the brass handle, retreating back a few steps.

With a wince, she tugged off her rings and dumped them into her purse. After another swipe of her hair, she straightened her blazer and tugged the door open.

She scanned the lobby, its well-worn elegance a reminder of a different time. The aging chandeliers and polished wood spoke of a bygone era, making Julia reflect on how much her life had changed.

Ethan waved from an armchair near a coffee bar. “Juju!”

A grin spread across her face as she spotted him and hurried over. He rose from the chair, pulling her into a hug.

“Hi,” she said before she pulled back. “It’s so good to see you.”

She studied him up and down, eyeing his flannel shirt, jeans, and boots. “Well, you can take the boy out of Maine, but you can’t take Maine out of the boy.”

He stomped a hiking boot against the floor. “Darn right. But it looks like you’ve lost a little of your Maine flair. You look great, Juju.”

She chuckled at him as she flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder. “Well, I did trade my hiking boots for riding boots since they seem far more suitable for New Orleans.”

“I can’t imagine you do much hiking around here.”

“Nope,” she said with a chuckle.

“Want to grab something here?”

Julia shook her head at him. “No, I’m taking you a lovely little coffee shop a few blocks away. I don’t want Alicia to think I haven’t treated you right.”

“She won’t. I’ll tell her I was too chicken to walk around in the smog.”

Julia threw her head back in laughter. “There’s no smog. Come on.”

She looped her arm through his and led him from the lobby out to the crowded sidewalk.

He glanced up and down the street as they walked. “How can you take this?”

“What?”

“The noise? The traffic? The people?”

Julia chuckled again, rubbing his arm. “There are people in Maine, too, Ethan.”

“Not this many. I don’t like a place where the tree-to-people ratio is this low.”

Julia rounded the corner and poked a finger at a sign swinging over a door. “Here’s the coffee shop. You still drinking it black?”

He nodded. “I’ll grab us a table.”

Within a few minutes, Julia slid into the window-front table and passed the coffee over to him. They toasted to their meeting before they settled in for their conversation.

“How’s the manuscript coming?” Ethan asked.

Julia’s mind flicked to her computer at Harrington House where her manuscript now resided. The thought made her heart skip a beat, as though somehow Ethan would be able to see through her immediately.

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