Page 43 of Blackmail of a Billionaire

“Oops, ticklish?” he asked with a grin.

Grant removed his jacket and slid it around Julia’s shoulders. “Probably cold. You look cold, Juls.”

Julia waited a moment as the doctor’s hands lingered on her. “Do you have my test results?”

“Yes, I do. I just wanted to take a look at this wrist again. It’s a slight sprain. Ice and rest should have it back to normal, but I’d still like to see you in my office one week from today to make sure.”

“Is there a problem?” Grant questioned.

“No, other than a bit of overuse, it looks good, but given her other occupation–which seems to be far less dangerous–I’d like to be certain.”

“We’ll make sure she follows up with our orthopedic, thanks.”

Julia raised her eyes to stare at the two men, one on either side of her bed, as they locked eyes. They were alarmingly similar in how neither wanted to back down.

“Is there anything else?” Julia interjected.

Kyle shifted his gaze to her, a warm smile on his face. “No concussion, just minor injuries, we’ll get these scrapes cleaned up, boost your tetanus, and get you on your way. I’d recommend you take it easy for the rest of the day. Any problems, call me. This is my personal direct line.”

He slid a card toward Julia.

Grant’s hand shot out, snatching the card from Julia’s reach. His voice was as tight as his jaw as he muttered, “Thank you,” with a hard edge in his eyes as he glanced at the doctor.

“Try to get someone in here quick,” Sierra snapped as the doctor left the room.

The hospital staff descended on her within minutes to clean up the scrapes on her arms. Grant remained exceptionally quiet. Julia chewed her lower lip as she studied him, scanning his emails while they worked on her. Perhaps the weight of pretending he cared had become too much for him.

She imagined the conversation he’d wanted to have with her, certain he’d wanted to draw a line in the sand. Once she’d been discharged, Sierra offered to drive her car home, leaving her with Grant and James.

The silence stretching between them made the ride home uncomfortable.

She appreciated Worthington’s kind smile as she entered the house. “Mrs. Harrington, how are you feeling?”

“Fine, thank you. I’m okay. Just a close call.”

“You should rest,” Grant said, his voice still tinged with a stoniness she couldn’t identify.

“Right,” she said with a tentative smile and a nod before she climbed the stairs.

Grant’s silence was an impossible sea to navigate. He seemed to be wrestling with unspoken thoughts, though Julia couldn’t say what they were.

She spent the remainder of the day alone, fielding a few messages from Ethan. Miraculously, the jar of jam survived the incident. She set it on her nightstand, her eyes trained on it as memories of home flooded into her mind.

Memories of another uncomfortable situation pressed in on her, making today’s uncomfortable silence from Grant even more distressing.

The house remained quiet when she awoke the next morning. Worthington delivered her breakfast to her bedroom, and she took her time dressing for her charity board meeting.

Worthington informed her James had brought the car around, and she gathered her purse, heading down the stairs. She found Grant at the bottom.

“Julia, how are you feeling?”

“Much better, thanks.”

“I’m sorry, I was swamped yesterday. I didn’t get the chance to check on you. Heading out again?”

“I have the ballet charity meeting.”

“We never had that conversation I promised you.”

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